I made a beautiful Elmo quilt for my DGS usinf fake fur. You can also make wonderful flowers (for a 3-dimensional effect) out of rayons and polyesters. There are many tutorials on youtube, but this is a good one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur7N9j5lCLY
I use polyester or rayon fabrics for flowers and singe the edges with a candle, before sewing the layers together. They make beautiful flower embellishments - great for quilts, totes, barrettes, etc.
The corduroy or heavier fabrics are great for totes. I recycle all of my unwanted craft items to my DDIL, who teaches at a grade school.