Tuesday 26 February 2019

40+ Projects to Make With ~ Selvedges ~ Selvages

Whether you call them selvedges or selvages, they are the self finished edges that prevent fabric from fraying. Often thicker than the rest of the fabric and prone to puckering, selvedges are often discarded.


Sewing projects to make with selvedge / selvage fabric ~ Threading My Way


Not any more!!! Keep your selvedges and turn them into fabric to make into all manner of creative items. There are various methods for sewing the selvedges into fabric...


Over at Sew Mama Sew, Shea shows how to use a backing fabric to attach long lengths of selvedges joined together to make pieces large enough for a selvedge skirt, a selvedge pillow and a sewing machine cover with a selvedge insert.


Chris, from made by ChrissieD, spray bastes the selvedges onto backing fabric or batting (wadding), before quilting or sewing them. She used the same method for creating a selvedge quilt block, the only selvedge block in her QAYG Something NEW Sampler Quilt.


Batting (wadding) is Ros' choice for sewing a selvedge panel. Sewing the selvedges on the diagonal is very effective.


For a small project such as this drawstring bag, I sew the selvedges together without backing fabric. The tutorial shows you how. Nothing beats a black, white, red colour combo for a classy look. Play with colours, just as you would with any fabric, for the look you are after.


Break up the selvedges with other fabrics. Daryl, from Patchouli Moon Studio, has combined selvedge fabric and scrap fabric, adding written words and appliqué onto a piece of cream coloured material to make a beautiful tote bag.


Selvedge projects don't have to be complex. Add just a few selvedges for a fun way to add a touch of colour and design, as Pat, from Pat Bravo Design, has done when making Carnaby St Crossing Placemats.



A girl can't have too many zippered pouches. Grab selvedges in your favourite colours and make a few. Chris, from made by ChrissieD, has written a tutorial detailing how. It's easy!


Adding a border really makes the colour in selvedges stand out. Ros, from Sew Delicious, stitched a panel of greens, blues and reds, attaching it to a blue border on this cute little pin cushion.


How about selvedge fabric for the back of a cushion. That's what Chris, from made by ChrissieD, has done on her Engagement Cushion.


Cindy, from Siestas and Sewing, added selvedges to a book bag, the selvedges forming book titles on the spines of books.


I loved Cindy's idea so much, I appliquéd selvedges to book spines on a library bag. 


Kate was inspired by my Library Bag, and whipped up a Dr Seuss Library Bag - all the book titles are from Dr Seuss fabric. I love it!!


Embellish selvedge fabric with the addition of a few small buttons. Daryl, from Patchouli Moon Studio, has added three buttons to the top of her Cheery Fabric Chicken. The selvedge wings are a lovely contrast to the red cage wire fabric on the body of the chicken. And look where she's stored her scissors.


Ros, from Sew Delicious, likes to cut her selvedges wide enough to show some of the print - adds a little more colour, as in her One Hour Basket.


If you need a quick bow, tie long strips around a present - no sewing involved.

There are SO many fantastic ideas for ways to use selvedges - dresses, slippers, chairs, quilts, you name it. Here's a few more...
Wow!!! That's a lot of ideas. What do you do with selvedges? And tell me, do you call them selvedges or selvages.

... Pam


3 comments:

  1. Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio26 February 2019 at 23:59

    This is great Pam because I am teaching a class on how to sew selvages at my quilt group in early March. Thanks for featuring 2 of my creations here. I have made several other examples recently too. A few different bags that I will be posting about soon and a few other examples as well. Funny thing is I posted on Chris W Designs Facebook group my selvage Emma bag and today she featured it as one of the bags on her blog posting. Since you both live in Australia, were you two sensing the same selvage vib? Lol! I need to post about it and my other selvages bags on my blog soon.

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  2. Rochelle @ eSheep Designs27 February 2019 at 03:58

    I love Daryl's chicken (as she knows... LOL).

    Lots of great ideas here (your black/red/white bag is eye-catching), and I guess that's the advantage to having big fabric stashes. I saved the few selvages that I have from conventional fabric, and maybe someday all of the Tim Holtz selvages will be turned into something interesting.

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  3. Anonymous23 July 2023 at 02:46

    As to your question... selvedge is the British word and selvage is American word for the finished edge of a piece of fabric. Both are correct. 😊

    ReplyDelete

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