Have you ever made an extra block from a project and decided not to use it? Made a block to practice a new technique, but now you don’t know what to do with it? Here are 10 ideas to turn that orphan block into something new!

Turn it into a pillow

Use the block as the front of a pillow! If the block is big enough, use it as is, but if it’s too small, you can add some borders until it’s the right size!

Here is a great tutorial from Sew Worthy Mama on how to turn any quilt block into an envelope style pillow. 

Make a table runner

Sew 2-3 quilt blocks together to make a table runner! Baste, quilt, and bind like normal.

Make a mug rug

Baste, quilt, and bind like a little mini quilt and use it in your next mug rug swap!

Make a tote bag

I will often make my orphan blocks into the front of a new tote bag. I like to use the tutorial from Abby Maed. I don’t always follow the dimensions of what she posts in her tutorial, but the general rules are the same!

Make a wall hanging

Similar to a mug rug… but on the wall. 

Combine several orphan blocks into a new quilt

This one is a fun one, especially if your blocks are scrappy! Just make sure the blocks are the same size, and then sew them in a 3 block x 4 block, or whatever makes sense for the size block you have!

Make a sewing machine mat

Similar to the table runner, but I would put a double layer of batting in there to make it a little cushier. 

Sew it onto the front of a sweatshirt

This has definitely become popular in the past few years, and I’m really excited to try this one out for myself. You can never have too many ways of showing the world you’re a quilter! Diary of a Quilter has a great tutorial for this. 

Use it as a test block for experimenting with quilting

This would be a great first step to the mug rug or wall hanging! Experiment with free motion quilting, walking foot quilting, decorative stitches, or any other quilting technique before you finish it into something else on this list!

Frame it as textile art

You may have a hard time trying to find a square picture frame…. But if you happen to make a block that’s rectangular, frame it and use it as wall art! No basting, quilting, or binding required. 

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Now if you don’t like any of these ideas, first off, ouch. But there are a few other options if you still have orphan blocks lying around.

Donate it to someone who can incorporate it into a project

Give yourself permission to let it go if you genuinely don't like it anymore

Now, let me know in the comments what you plan to do with your orphan blocks!