11 and a half months ago, I finished a quilt! There was oohing and aahing and much celebration! But: I ended up with a lot leftover material, including several long strips of backing fabric glue-basted to batting. Any of the strips with less than 2 or 3 inches of height got tossed. I held onto the rest, though, and gave myself a 12-month timer to find a use for them or let them go.
Coming in just before the timer, I’ve got several quilted bag patterns in my queue that will make good use of these leftovers! I won’t have used them by the time my 12 months are up, but I’m granting myself a 6-month extension now that I’ve got an actual plan in place.
I’ve selected 12 patterns from 9 designers: Center Street Quilts, Rosie Taylor Crafts, Knot and Thread Designs, SewCanShe, Minki Kim, The Blanket Statement, Dog Under My Desk, Craft Owl Handmade and Bad Banana Patterns.
Before I dive into my actual list, let me just pause to tell you that you do not have to use your quilting scraps. You can let them go, whether it’s to textile recycling or a landfill. You do not need to let them live in your house or in your head. All that to say: if the following list doesn’t spark some kind of joy in you, do not feel compelled to make a thing just to make a thing.
Notes on structure: For that nice quilty-poof, you’re going to want the batting to be next to the outer fabric. Interfacing the lining will give a little more sturdiness to the bag. And then the more densely you quilt, the more sturdy the bag will be.
So now my list! I’m including finished dimensions as provided by the designers. In general, add an inch to the height and width to gauge what is workable with your leftover batting strips. I’ve also noted if the original pattern calls for fusible fleece or foam, both of which provide more structure than batting.
Easy freebies:
- 2 Sided Zips – by SewCanShe. Calls for fusible fleece.
- Free pattern! So I can straight up tell you it uses two 7″ x 5″ pieces for outer.
- I didn’t love this one, but some of that is user error. More details on the free pouch roundup.
- Chubby Card Pouch – by SewCanShe. Calls for foam.
- Free pattern! You’ll need two pieces that are 4.5″ x 6.5″ after quilting.
- I didn’t love doing the tiny binding on the tiny boxed corners, but the end result is pretty cute. More details on the free pouch roundup.
- Pochi Pouch – by SewCanShe
- Free pattern! 7.5″ width needed for pattern piece provided, but directions are provided to make your own template. So you can make it work with what you’ve got!
- Loved this one! A little fiddly, but the end result is so good. More details on the free pouch roundup.
- Teeny Tiny Zipper Pouch – by Center Street Quilts, no pattern, just an insta post
- Free tutorial! Dimensions: literally whatever size you want
- Love this one, so easy! More details on the free pouch roundup.
- Circle Zip Earbud Pouch – by Dog Under My Desk
- Free pattern! Finished dimensions: 3.75″ diameter, but very easy to upsize
- Another winner! French seam, so no birthing required. More details on the free pouch roundup.
- Triangle Zipper Pouch – by Minki Kim
- Free pattern! Dimensions: 5″ x 5″ x 5″
- Fun little pyramid pouch. More details on the free pouch roundup.
Easy not-so-freebies:
- Cove Clutches – by Knot and Thread Designs. This one calls for foam.
- Dimensions: 4.5″ x 5.5″ / 10″ x 6″ / 12″ x 10″
- Another winner! Read more on the pouch roundup.
- Sunny Glasses – by Ma Tante Quilts
- Dimension: glasses sized. No dimensions provided without purchasing the pattern, so I’ll just say glasses-sized. Read more on the pouch roundup.
Gussets, oh my! I love the finished look of a bag with a gusset, but I’m still working on perfecting my technique.
- Emerson Crossbody Quilted Bag – by The Blanket Statement
- Dimensions: 9″ x 5″ x 3″
- This one’s a winner! Read more on the pouch roundup.
- Poppet Pouch – by Rosie Taylor Crafts
- Dimensions: 3.5″ x 3.5″ x 1.75″ / 4.5″ x 4.5″ x 1.75″ / 6.5″ x 6.5″ x 1.75″
- Love. Love. Love. Got a little wonk with the gussets, but these are so stinking cute. Read more on the pouch roundup.
- Rigby Bag – by Craft Owl Handmade. This one calls for fusible fleece.
- Dimensions: 6.5″ x 4.5″ x 3″
- Fun little bag! Read more on the pouch roundup.
- Zip Around Pouch – by Bad Banana Patterns
- Dimensions: 1″ tall, 3.5″ diameter
- Ok, so my gusset was super wonk on this guy, I’m going to need to pay close attention to the measurements on the next one. But still a great pouch, flaws on this one are very much user error. 🙂 Read more on the pouch roundup.
Bags I did not get to because I accomplished my goal of using up my scraps! Here’s a list of patterns I’m keeping on my list for the next round of leftover quilt strips:
- Triple Zipper Bag – by SewCanShe. This one calls for foam.
- Free Pattern! Dimensions: 7’’ x 5″ x 3’’ deep
- Baguette Bag – by SewCanShe. Calls for … crafting felt? Batting will be less stiff, but in a small bag should be fine.
- Free Pattern! Dimensions: 10.5″ x 5″ x 2″
- Crossbody Bag with Zipped Pocket – by Rosie Taylor Crafts
- Dimensions: 6″ x 8.5″ x 2″
- Athena Crossbody – by Knot and Thread Designs. This one calls for foam.
- Dimensions: 5.25″ x 7.25″ x 2.25″
- Auntie Grace Bag – by Knot and Thread Designs. At least the gussets, probably the rest if I’ve got some larger pieces. This one calls for foam.
- Dimensions: 6″x 8″ x 3″
- Phone Crossbody Bag – by Minki Kim
- Dimensions: 9.5″ x 6.5″ x 1″ / 11″ x 8″ x 1″
- Lucy Train Case – by CraftOwlHandmade. Calls for fusible fleece.
- Dimensions: 5″ x 3½” x 3½” / 7½” x 4½” x 5½ / 9½” x 5½” x 7½”
- Quilted Zip Pouches – by Rosie Caldwell
- Dimensions: Comes with a variety of sizes, from coin purse to laptop.
Things that aren’t bags that I’m keeping on my list for next time I’m in this predicament::
- Quilt as you go strip quilt – by SewCanShe. So you won’t really follow this exactly, I’m guessing things might get a little log-cabiny, strips don’t all have to be 2.5″ wide, etc. Take this as a seed and let it take you where it will.
- Jelly roll rug – I’m not quite sure how to adapt this, but maybe something like: cut leftovers into 2.5″ strips, then sew together end-to-end, trimming batting out of the seam allowances. I’ve never made a jelly roll rug, so, uh, take this with a grain of salt.