If you've been sitting on a box of fabric scraps and quietly wondering whether you'll ever actually use them, this tutorial is for you. I show how to make house-shaped fabric sampler books — small, whimsical little pieces that layer your fabric offcuts into something genuinely beautiful, then tuck into a handmade journal as a sweet extra. Every element is designed to come fully apart, so whoever receives the journal can pull the whole thing to pieces and use the fabrics, lace, buttons, charms, and beads directly on their pages.
What we cover
This tutorial walks through making fabric sampler books shaped like little houses — from selecting and layering fabric scraps, to cutting the roof shape and piercing holes, to sewing everything together with needle and thread, to embellishing with lace, charms, jump rings, beads, and buttons. I also do a flip-through of ten finished pieces so you can see how the idea evolves the more you make.
What you'll learn
How to build your fabric layers so every piece is visible — the whole point of these is that nothing hides. Each layer peeks out from the one below it, which means thinking about size and placement before you sew rather than after.
Why I separate my piles with a piece of paper — once you've sorted your fabric selections into stacks, it keeps everything organised and means you're not rummaging through a jumbled heap every time you start a new one. Small habit, big difference when you're working in batches.
How to cut a house roof shape symmetrically (or close enough), including:
- Cutting freehand for a relaxed, wonky look
- Folding the backing paper before cutting so both sides match
Why I poke the holes before adding lace or decorative trim — if you add your lace first and then punch through it, you risk hiding the pretty detail right at the binding point. Mark and pierce first, then position your lace.
How to keep the binding string level — the two holes need to sit at roughly the same height. If one sits higher than the other, the string goes crooked. It's not a disaster (this is a whimsical house, after all), but it's the kind of thing that will quietly annoy you once you notice it.
How to sew through all the fabric layers with needle and thread, including:
- A simple two-hole stitch for thin, well-behaved layers
- Adding two extra holes in the middle for thicker or looser pieces that need more anchor points
- Adding beads to the thread before stitching them in
Why I use double-sided tape and clear dots instead of glue — everything on these is meant to be removable and usable. Lace glued with permanent adhesive is lace that's stuck forever. Thin double-sided tape or repositionable clear dots means someone can peel the lace off, pull the button free, unclip the charm, and actually use it. That's the whole idea.
How to attach charms and embellishments so they lie flat, including:
- Threading through a jump ring and closing it around the binding string
- Using two jump rings for pieces that tend to stick up or twist
- Attaching a chain with jump rings and adding charms at the end
How to handle self-adhesive buttons you want to keep removable — the stickiness is the problem. A dusting of talcum powder takes the tack down enough that the button can be pressed onto the piece without permanently bonding.
How to think about the embellishing stage as a separate step — I do the fabric selection, then the sewing, then the embellishing. Keeping these as distinct stages means you're not trying to make decisions about charms and beads while you're still holding a needle.
Where to source fabric scraps beyond your own stash — seamstresses and tailors often have bags of offcuts they'd otherwise throw away. Most are happy to give them for free, or close to it. Other people's fabric scraps always look more exciting than your own anyway.
Tips & gotchas
Poke your holes before you add any lace or decorative trim along the edges. Once the lace is down, punching through it buries the detail right where the binding string sits — and you lose the very thing that made the piece special. Mark first, pierce first, embellish after.
Getting the two holes at the same level matters more than you'd think. The string runs between them, so even a small height difference makes it sit crooked. It's easy to correct on the next one once you've seen it; the first time, it's the kind of thing you stare at and can't unsee.
Use double-sided tape or clear adhesive dots — not permanent glue — for anything you want the recipient to be able to remove and use. This applies to lace, buttons, fabric clusters, and decorative trim. The whole point of these pieces is that they dismantle completely into usable parts.
Self-adhesive buttons are useful, but their stickiness is a problem if you want them removable. Dust them lightly with talcum powder and the tackiness drops to a manageable level — they'll stay in place without permanently bonding to the fabric layer below.
If a fabric piece isn't larger than the one beneath it, don't force it into a centred position. Let it peek out from one side. The goal is visibility for every layer, not geometric symmetry.
When you're batch-making — which is really the right way to do these — organise your sorted fabric piles by separating each stack with a piece of plain paper. It sounds like a small thing, but when you have six or eight piles on the desk, it's the difference between a calm working session and a jumbled mess.
Working in stages makes batch production much smoother: choose and sort your fabrics first, then go through every pile and do the sewing, then come back and do all the embellishing at the end. Trying to finish one completely before starting the next slows everything down.
And if your fabric scrap supply is running low — or if you want variety you can't find in your own stash — ask a local seamstress or tailor. They accumulate offcuts constantly and most are glad to have someone take them. That's where a lot of mine came from.
I've been tucking them into journals alongside ephemera packs and they always seem to be the piece people pull out first. Whether you keep them whole or dismantle them for parts, nothing goes to waste — which, if you've been staring at that scrap bin for months, is a very satisfying feeling.
