17+ Ways to Use Your Scrap Batting - Put Leftover Quilt Batting to Work!

Most of us have tried-and-true ways to handle our scrap fabric, whether that’s making scrappy quilt blocks or other small projects. But what about your scrap batting?

There’s a good chance you have quite a bit of batting left over after a quilt project. If you’re making a 60” x 70” throw, for example, you might end up buying a 72” x 90” package of batting…which leaves you with a lot of leftover scrap! And that’s just from one quilt. Those scraps add up quickly.

Here’s the good news: Leftover batting is gold. Don’t toss it (or leave it to sit in your sewing room forever). There are so many good little projects that will use up those batting scraps…and I’ve got more than a dozen to share today! ✂️

Practical projects + quick wins
Comfort projects
Studio uses
Around the house
Team Lo & Behold’s unconventional batting ideas
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Frequently asked questions

🧵Practical projects and quick wins

These projects are fast and simple, which makes them great for using batting…and as palate cleansers between bigger quilts!

1. PLACEMATS, TABLE RUNNERS, AND WALL HANGINGS

If you don’t have enough batting left for your usual quilt size, you still might have enough for a mini quilt…like a placemat, wall hanging, or maybe even a table runner!

Even if you don’t have a big enough batting piece on hand, you can always piece your scraps together (with a simple zig zag stitch or batting tape), which some quilters call “frankenbatting”. Then use your frankenbatting as usual. Once you’ve quilted over it, you’ll never see the seams!

Recommended patterns:

For placemats, check out the Ruby Sue and Upscale Plaid patterns.
For table runners, look at Petite Plaid, Mountain Horizon 2.0, and Retro Blossoms.
For wall hangings, I love Model Farm, Christmas Joy, and Southwest Diamonds.

2. ZIPPER POUCHES

Small bags and zipper pouches are always useful to have around, and batting gives them some extra texture and soft structure.

Make a zipper bag to hold sewing notions, makeup, or art supplies. They make great small gifts too…especially when you need to make several gifts in a hurry!

Recommend tutorial: Lined Zipper Pouch from Bethany Lynne Makes

3. POT HOLDERS AND BOWL COZIES

Scrap batting is perfect for protecting your hands, lap, and table. Turn it into a pot holder or bowl cozy for a cute scrap buster you’ll use every day!

Plan on layering your batting to get enough heat protection. Just make sure you do not use polyester batting, which can melt under heat.

Recommended tutorials: Free Potholder Pattern from Closet Core Patterns and Soup Bowl Cozy from Helen’s Closet Patterns

4. COASTERS

Y’all know I love a coaster. They’re so satisfying to knock out…and they only take a tiny bit of batting! I like my coasters to measure around 5.5”, which means I only need about a 6” square of batting for each coaster. That makes coasters great for oddly shaped batting leftovers.

Recommended tutorials: Believe it or not, I have five different quilted coaster tutorials now!

5. KEYFOBS AND LANYARDS

Of course I have to mention some of my favorite scrappy projects…lanyards and keyfobs! These little projects don’t take much batting or time, so they’re good for using up small scraps. They make such good gifts too…but you’ll probably want to keep some for yourself!

Recommended tutorials: Lanyard tutorial and Keyfob tutorial from Lo & Behold Stitchery

6. QUILTED POSTCARD

Did you know you can make and mail a quilted postcard? Postcards also take just a little bit of batting (and they’re good for using small fabric scraps too). Plus, quilted postcards make a great canvas for experimenting with new techniques, like applique, improv, or foundation paper piecing.

Best of all, your quilted postcard is sure to bring a big smile to whoever you send it to!

Recommended tutorial: Quilted Postcards With Patty Wheeler from Quiltfolk

🛏️ Comfort projects

Even if you don’t have enough batting for a quilt, you can keep things cozy with these projects.

7. PET BED/CRATE PAD

Quilt batting makes great stuffing…maybe in a pet bed for your furry friend! You can layer batting, piecing it as needed (pets don’t care about batting seams!) or shred your batting before stuffing. You can even combine your batting with fabric scraps for even more scrap busting.

You might be surprised at just how much stuffing a pet bed takes (I found this out when making my Ruby Sue pet bed!), so this project could eat up a ton of your scrap batting.

Keep in mind that if you want your pet bed to be washable (and you probably do), you’ll want to put your batting in a removable insert instead of directly in the pillow cover or bed cover. (Our pet bed tutorial has instructions on how to make a basic insert.)

Recommended tutorial: Quilted pet bed tutorial from Lo & Behold Stitchery

8. PILLOW/FLOOR CUSHION

Instead of making a comfy place for a pet, you can make a cozy pillow for yourself! You can keep things simple with a plain fabric cover, or use a quilt block to make a super cute decorative pillow.

While you could just stuff your batting into a pillow insert, shredding or cutting up your batting will give your pillow a smoother look and feel. Again, don’t be surprised when even a medium-sized pillow takes a bunch of batting!

Recommended tutorials: Envelope pillow tutorial from Lo & Behold Stitchery

9. STUFFED ANIMALS

The cutest way to use batting might be in a sweet homemade stuffed animal. Anything that calls for Poly-Fil can be stuffed with batting scraps instead!

Like with other stuffing projects, you might be surprised at how much batting you need to make your stuffed animal perfectly plush and cuddly. I definitely recommend shredding your batting into nice small pieces for this one, to avoid lumps. (You can just pull the batting apart by hand.) That way, you’re getting the maximum cuddle factor.

(Even if you don’t sew up a stuffed animal from scratch, you can use batting to re-stuff a well-loved friend!)

Recommended patterns: Sew Desu Ne has several free and paid plush patterns with great instructions.

10. DOOR SNAKE/DRAFT GUARD

For those of us in older homes, a draft guard is often a must during the winter! You could buy one from a store…or you could make your own with cute fabric and stuff it with your leftover batting!

These don’t take quite as much batting as a pillow or stuffed animal, especially if you include dried beans or rice for weight. You can even just roll up bigger batting scraps and stuff them in a tube…easy peasy!

Recommended tutorial: DIY Door Snake from 5 out of 4 Patterns

🧵 Studio uses

These ideas let you put that batting to work in your sewing room!

11. QUILTING PRACTICE

Even if you don’t want to (or don’t have enough batting to) make a finished quilt, you can still use your scrap batting to practice your quilting. If you’ve never tried free motion quilting, for example, make a small scrap sandwich for some no-stakes practice. Or if you’re trying to get nice, even hand stitches, it can help to stitch a few lines on a scrap quilt sandwich first.

Even if you’re comfortable with your quilting already, a small quilt sandwich made with scrap batting is great for testing your machine settings before you start quilting. (Just make sure you use the same kind of batting and fabric as your real quilt, so you can get the settings dialed in.)

Recommended tutorial: Quilt Finishing Fellowship teaches you five quilting techniques, including hand and machine quilting. There’s even a bonus lesson on free motion quilting!

12. QUILT DESIGN BOARD

A quilt design board is a great portable alternative (or supplement) to a design wall. You just need a little bit of batting, some foam core board, and a glue gun.

It’s a great way to organize and transport quilt blocks, especially for bigger and more complex projects. (In fact, several members of Team Lo & Behold have vouched for how useful a portable design board is!)

Recommended tutorial: How to Make Lori Holt's Quilt Block Design Board from Fat Quarter Shop

13. PINCUSHION

You probably already have a pincushion…but have you ever thought about making a special one for yourself or a friend? Pincushions are small enough that they don’t take much fabric or stuffing (in this case, batting). Besides, a custom pincushion is just the sort of thing that will make you smile every time you use it…and it makes a great gift for your quilting friends!

Recommended patterns: Selvage Pin Cushion Tutorial from Art Gallery Fabrics is a great scrapbuster that uses up your selvedge edges. Or if you prefer a round pincushion, check out the Posy Pin Pie from Riley Blake Designs and Jillily Studio.

14. IRONING BOARD REFRESH

If your ironing board cover isn’t quite as perky and smooth as it once was, add a fresh padding layer made of scrap batting. Good as new!

🏠 Around the house

Of course, you don’t have to make something with your scrap batting…it’s also great for uses like these:

15. PACKING MATERIAL

Whether you need to cushion a package or protect a plate, a little batting might be just what you need!

16. CLEANING

Quilt batting is great for catching dust and pet hair. Use it to dust furniture, or put it on your Swiffer for floors!

17. NAIL POLISH REMOVER

No need to go buy cotton balls when you already have cotton batting on hand. Cut your batting to a comfortable size and use it with your nail polish remover. (Just don’t do this with polyester batting, since some nail polish removers can melt polyester.)

How Team Lo & Behold has used batting

It turns out that we here at Lo & Behold Stitchery have also found some even less conventional uses for scrap batting. We can’t really recommend all of these…but they do go to show that you can get pretty creative with your scrap batting!

Used as a shim to stabilize an unbalanced ironing board
Added as padding in ballet pointe shoes
Put into old pillows to fluff them up again
Placed as a thread catcher (especially for hand sewing and unpicking)
Turned into doll blankets
Rubbed over a cutting mat to get fibers out
Used as moving pads and furniture pads
Placed as a water barricade for a flooded shop floor
Shredded and turned into “smoke” for tabletop gaming miniatures

Clearly, the uses are endless! I hope you’ve found some useful ideas today…and maybe this has sparked some new ideas of your own.

Happy scrapping!

Brittany

FAQ about scrap batting

WHAT DO I DO WITH SCRAPS OF BATTING?

Scraps of quilt batting work great for stuffing pillows, plushies, and dog beds. They’re also good for small sewing projects like mini quilts, lanyards, and coasters.

WHAT CAN I USE COTTON BATTING FOR?

Cotton batting is great for making quilts (my favorite use), but you can also use it in place of Poly-Fil stuffing, for scrappy sewing, and even to help remove nail polish!

CAN I USE QUILT BATTING TO STUFF A PILLOW?

Yes, you can absolutely use quilt batting to stuff a pillow! For the best texture and appearance, I recommended shredding it first (either with a rotary cutter/scissors or pulling it apart by hand). Put your shredded batting in a basic insert, and you’ll have the perfect stuffing for a pillow.