We usually have at least two leftover dinner nights in my house each week. We try to make use of what we have so it doesn’t go to waste. That’s the whole idea, right?

Did you know that you can take the same principle and apply it to your sewing room? If you have leftover quilt batting scraps laying around, don’t just let them collect or *gasp* throw them away! Put them to good use!

I prefer the term “collector” rather than “hoarder”… but if you don’t sugar coat it, the fact remains that after a while, my scrap drawer was over run with little saved bits and pieces.

Do you save your used batting scraps to use as fillers for pincushions and small pillows, dog beds, and random small projects here and there? Me too.

I would feel lucky if I could find the right size pieces intact to make a small wall hanging or a mugrug. (check out free mug rug patterns that I share in this post)

I overheard a term from another quilter in passing while shopping for fabric one day… she said, “I made a frankenbatting quilt with all of my scraps! You can’t even tell!”

um, excuse me… WHAT?!?

Us quilters like to come up with a million different acronyms and cute sayings and nicknames for all of our tools… we’re adorable, aren’t we? 😘

However, to a newbie or self-taught quilter, it doesn’t make for a very even playing field!

Do you know all the terms that the professional quilters use? Check this list out and see where you stand. Pin it for later so you can refer back to this extensive list.

So, what in the world is “Frankenbatting”?

As I came to find out… it is simply the stitching together of all of your scraps to make “new” whole pieces of batting.

Sewing scrap pieces together to make larger, bigger “new” pieces… thats like the very definition of what quilters do, isn’t it?

BUT WITH BATTING! It is SO smart, right?!

And the best part?… If done correctly, no one will EVER know!

You wouldn’t believe how simple it is…

See this photo right here. It is a piece of my own “frankenbatting”.

Once this is covered up with a quilt top and back absolutely no one will ever know I used scraps and leftovers from other projects, right?

How to make Frankenbatting using leftover quilt batting scraps

  • Trim up your leftover quilt batting scraps. If you have wonky angled or curved edges, square them off evenly. Frankenbatting works well with nice square corners and even rectangles.
  • Take your pieces to your machine and press the edges next to each other without overlapping. This will help to create a seamless feel. No bumps or uneven areas of your quilts will show because it is all the same thickness.

    You can see in the photo below that the edges just touch on the red line and do not overlap.
  • Stitch your pieces together. I like to use a nice wide zigzag stitch with a long stitch. (again, to minimize any extra layers or bulk within your finished quilt)

This is what the settings on my machine look like. I sew on a Janome 3160QDC.

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And that is that. That is all it takes to use up your leftover quilt batting pieces and create brand new pieces… BIG pieces without spending anymore money.

It is a very simple idea that makes use of all your odds and ends of scrap batting… even trimmings from your quilts!

I may or may not have created a new obsession for you, but I hate to see good money being thrown into our trash cans! Don’t you?

If there is a use for it, we will find a way, right quilters?

I’ll be honest, it feels really good to be able to use those scrap pieces and turn them into something beautiful!

TIPS TO KEEP IN MIND

I find that this really helps to have your pieces cut as even and square as possible.

Lay our your frankenbatting pieces out on a table before you start layering your quilt sandwiches. Make sure there there are no weird gathers, bumps or wrinkles! – Except for a few small almost invisible seams, the piece should look just like normal quilt batting.

Use a thread that is very similar in color to your batting. I usually just use my standard white cotton thread. My quilts tend to be very colorful and not a lot of large light-colored fabric areas. I could see how if you did have a large background and used a bright colored thread, it might show through your finished quilting… a disaster!

Do not limit yourself on the scraps you can sew together! I have used this technique for projects large and small! Quilted bins? Purses? Wall hangings? Large quilts? Small quilts? There is no limit!

This piece right here…. totally frankenbatting… but let’s keep that between you and me, ok? (or the rest of the internet too, I guess… why not?)

What do you do with leftover quilt batting scraps? I have a wonderful solution to turn them into frankenbatting... if that confuses you, it is not near as hard as it sounds. It's a great way to make use of leftovers!