Fall’s calling — and it wants your scraps 🍁
I love the start of a new month, and a new creative challenge. This one’s as wide open as it gets: Fall. It’s the perfect theme for rummaging through scraps and pretending I planned to be seasonal all along.
This week, I finally used the leather bits that have been haunting my studio. Orange, yellow, black, white, and a few scraps of green came together as pumpkins, ghosts, and candy corn. I almost got ambitious enough to make skulls, but decided to quit while I was ahead. A few leather stencils, a mallet, some glue, and suddenly: fall-themed (or more specifically Halloween-themed) earrings. Not bad for leftovers.
What scraps are calling your name this month? We can’t wait to see how you turn them into something new. Share your fall projects to enter to win free creative reuse supplies.
🍂 Project Inspiration: Keep Warm & Trick or Treat
✨Project One: DIY Rice Heating Pads
Here’s a practical make that feels like a hug. A few fabric scraps, a scoop of rice, and a microwave are all you need to create cozy heating pads. Make a small one for your coat pockets or a larger version to rest on sore muscles, or just keep under a blanket on chilly nights. Bonus points if you use festive fall fabrics (remnants of course!)
✨ Project Two: Upcycled Pumpkin Pails
Why toss out those old pumpkin pails when you can turn them into something special? With a little creativity and a vintage-inspired touch, they can shift from mass-produced to truly bespoke. Try layering on aged paint finishes, hand-painted details, or bits of decoupage from old magazines and wallpaper scraps. The result? A nostalgic, upcycled piece that feels more heirloom than Halloween.
🧣The Fabric Shop on Remnants
Our fabric section has quietly become something incredible, a treasure trove of vintage textiles, heirloom-quality yardage, and one-of-a-kind remnants you just won’t find in stores anymore.
Whether you’re restocking your sewing stash or hunting for something special, the fabric shop is proof that quality and sustainability can go hand in hand. And that inspiration often starts with what’s already here.
👉 Browse the entire collection on craftremnants.com
Events
Don't miss our favorite day of the month: Second Sundays at Circular Library!
• Bring: clean, usable craft/art supplies
• Take: anything that sparks an idea
• Make: bring a project to work on (craft space is first come/first served)
📝 New in the Blog
The Charm of Pincushions: Collecting and Creating Little Works of Art
Over the last year, estate sales have turned up pincushions tucked into sewing baskets, resting on dressers, or sitting proudly on a craft table. In one case, I uncovered an entire collection from a single dedicated pincushion collector, each one a tiny window into someone’s sewing life.
That’s it for this month’s challenge, now go make something that feels like fall. We’ll be cheering you on (and maybe borrowing your best ideas).
Stay crafty,
Molly 🍁
We're mission-driven to gather a community of upcyclers dedicated to reducing waste, sharing resources, sparking ideas, and bringing reuse to the forefront of our daily lives. But we can’t do it alone.