Crafting with Fabric Remnants

Necktie Headbands
Necktie headbands are simplistic in design and make use of discarded men's neckties. This not only gives you something creative to make and wear, but serves as an environmentally friendly alternative to throwing the neckties in the garbage.

To make a necktie headband you need the following materials: a man's necktie, Flexible wire roll, hot glue gun, scissors and bobby pins. These materials are cost-friendly and can be found in any department store's craft section. Items like bobby pins, scissors and neckties are ordinarily already in the home so this also saves you money.

Spread out the necktie with the printed side facing downward. Snip two lengths of flexible jewelry wire measuring 7-inches-long, each.

Place a wire, horizontally, along the inner top edge of the necktie. Place the other wire, horizontally, along the inner bottom edge of the necktie. Squeeze a thick line of hot glue directly over each length of wire.

Fold the necktie from the bottom, upward. This encases the wires within the necktie. Let it dry for 10 minutes. From here, the headband is melded around the top of your head and pinned into place with the bobby pins. This makes use of the necktie in a fashionable way.

Make a Patchwork Quilt
Instead of throwing out a bundle of old clothes, you can cut the clothing up into squares of various sizes. Once you do this, it is easy to sew them all together by the edges to complete a patchwork design. Whether you do it by hand or machine, this craft literally shouldn't take more than a few hours to complete.

Select 1-inch-thick cotton batting and a satin sheet of the same size of the patchwork layer you created. Layer the batting between the satin sheet and patchwork layer to finish the blanket. Sew around the edges to adhere it or use a strong fabric glue. This simplistic design is ideal for a beginner who wants to make use of fabric in an eco-conscious way.