17+ creative ways to use thread scraps – a round-up of tutorials and inspiration for using up leftover thread.
Have you been saving all your thread clippings from machine sewing or hand stitching but don’t know what to do with them? Did you see the post and wonder why on earth anyone would save them and came for answers? I’ve got answers for both scenarios!
If you remember one thing from this blog post, please remember to store these threads in a secure location if you have any pets!! That goes for any type of thread, on a spool or a clipped end, lest your family pets end up like one of my cats who is recovering from surgery after eating thread that got stuck in their digestive system.
Here is how I store my leftover thread scraps! Very classy; an upcycled Talenti gelato jar. While researching this post, I came across another site tackling the same problem with a slightly different angle, so be sure to check out their work too: especially the interesting history on what an “ort” is!
If you’re wondering why anyone would bother to save these threads…. why not! They don’t take up much room or energy to save and there are lots of creative ways to repurpose them. If you try to reduce your trash output but don’t want one more thing to craft with, consider either donating them to an art therapist/school art teacher/fellow crafter, composting them if they are 100% cotton or wool, or using them as stuffing for any 3-D projects, mixed in with whatever else you’re using! Be sure *not* to leave them out in the open or for the birds because it can actually be dangerous for them.
If you like this post, check out these other posts while you’re here!
- 10+ upcycled jar lid craft ideas
- 15+ upcycled craft ornaments to diy
- 17+ upcycled needlepoint cross stitch projects to sew
- 20+ upcycled thread spool crafts
Pin this list of 17+ creative ways to use thread scraps with this collage image and click through to individual posts to repin other projects from their original sources!
17+ creative ways to use thread scraps
Leave a comment if you’ve used these in another creative way I missed!
I tweaked a popular tutorial to show off collected thread scraps instead of fabric scraps! I saw this fun idea in a Facebook group, ATC Artist Trading Cards, and Jessica gave me permission to share. She used thread scraps as a textile in mixed media for an artist trading card as well as some wall hanging art, aren't they beautiful! A fun brooch idea that could also work on a push pin, a magnet, an accessory. Turn thread scraps into yarn by adding roving and spinning it; this is such a unique idea! This tutorial is for a yarn bowl but the same steps would apply with thread if you had enough of it! Sandwich thread scraps in between mesh and quilt to create fabric - and then sew something like a fun zipper pouch! This is a popular idea - putting all the threads in a clear Christmas ornament as a fun memory! Linking to a printed one you can buy or of course you could DIY. Thinking outside the box here - putting thread into clear resin! Wouldn't that make fun buttons, I need to try that. Get creative with a scrappy thread project, using up all those small bits! This patch would be so cute sewn on to jeans, right? I love this idea! Really inventive and would be even more fun with brightly colored thread- handmade paper! This is another post about ways to use up thread scraps that I linked above, but also pulling up her example of using them as decor in these cute color coded jars! Also click through to see a very unique scrap thread project at the very end of her post!
Not pictured:
Mim
Friday 6th of March 2026
I used thread & wash away stabilizer to make book marks. It was a fun way to recycle all that thread that would have been trashed. Love all your ideas.
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Tuesday 17th of March 2026
great idea Mim!! Bookmarks are one of my favorite projects for scrappy stuff :)