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| Scrap Baskets |
Some of you might recognize the green plastic basket on the left! These two baskets held the majority of my stash of scrap fabric. These are the smaller leftover pieces of fabric from other sewing projects. My mother used to roll up all her remnants and tie the rolls with small strips of fabric and that is what I do, too, having learned from her! At one time, I tried to keep the patterned fabrics in one basket and solids in the other, but, over time, things got mixed up.
I am now on a mission to reduce this stash of scrap fabric! To that end, I've been cutting out squares of fabric, in two standard sizes: 3.5 inch square and 3 inch square:
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| Fabric Squares |
The taller stack on the right has the 3.5 inch squares; the shorter stack on the left has the 3 inch squares.
When I cut out the squares (using the rotary cutter, cutting mat, and ruler my daughter gave me as a birthday gift several years ago; prior to that, I would draw around a template with a pencil and cut everything out with a pair of scissors), I cut the bigger size first, then, the smaller squares. At this time, I'm not cutting anything smaller than that. Any remaining fabric bigger than an inch square gets stuffed into a gallon sized plastic storage bag, for a potential crumb quilt. I've given myself permission to toss out any fabric less than an inch square. A long, long time ago, I made a log cabin quilt using one inch squares and strips of fabric one inch wide. And this quilt, which I repaired last year, uses 1 inch by 3 inch strips:
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| Repaired Roman Stripe Quilt |
I actually made two such quilts! The first one I made was given away to someone I used to work with. This is the second one I made and I still have some extra patches leftover from when I made it, back in 1981! I'm thinking of incorporating those extra patches in the new quilt I'm planning to make with the squares.
I started sewing some of my 3.5 inch squares together this evening. For now, I am sewing nine squares together to make a nine-patch. I still don't quite know how they will all be put together, but, that's to be decided later. For now, I'm having fun playing with my fabric.
Today was another warm day with a high of 96F. I exchanged emails with a couple of friends, replied to blog comments, read and commented on a few blogs, learned how to add blogs to my reading list because I am no longer receiving email notifications of new blog posts on those I used to follow by email (thank you, June, for telling me how to do it), did a load of dishes simply to run the dishwasher (I've been told I need to run it at least once a week or so to keep the hoses flexible; otherwise, they get brittle and can spring leaks), called friend R to chat with her, and video chatted with my daughter.
Brunch, eaten rather late because I wasn't feeling hungry, was a burrito from the freezer, followed by a slice of mango. I ate some of the spicy snack mix from the Sri Lankan store with my evening cup of tea. Dinner was rice, shrimp curry from the freezer, and zucchini. I had some chocolate wafers for dessert. Still later, a snack of saltine crackers with peanut butter and peach jam; delicious!
Today, I am grateful for:
- The fabric stash!
- Time to play with fabric
- Working appliances, especially fans, and the electricity to run them
- Cool evenings
- Helpful blogging friends
Today's joyful activity was sewing and playing with fabric
This week has been a very relaxed week, which has been lovely because it's been a bit on the warm side, but, I need to tend to some neglected housework, next week!
Monday's To Do List
- Water the garden, front and back
What fun to play with such cheerful colourful bits of fabric. A while back I did the same sort of clean out of my paper scraps, I could not believe the tiny pieces I was keeping (hoarding?). I've also read that dishwashers did to be run regularly ... there's no fear of that not happening in this house - really a new glass for every drink of water? (col)
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying playing with my fabric stash! I, too, have some tiny scraps of paper - I'm trying to find some designs (like the birthday cake card I made in July) to use them up! I usually wash the dishes daily by hand, as I finish with them. I usually don't have enough for a load unless I collect them over a weekend.
DeleteLooking forward to seeing what your current "playing" with fabric turns into. I'm curious about your 1" squares. It seems like by the time there's a seam, there wouldn't be much left. Are they hard to work with?
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying the process, June. Cutting, piecing, and finding the best placement for the patched pieces are my favorite parts of quilt making! Once the top is pieced, I tend to lose interest! The 1 inch squares tend to be fiddly. I really shouldn't keep anything less than 2 inches square! There will be more culling and tossing when I start on the crumbs. :)
DeleteHave a great day. Regine
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
Thank you, Regine. You, too! :)
DeleteIs Dash sulking now you are using his green basket?
ReplyDeleteI love the stripe quilt in the photo with all its splashes of colour. My problem is that I don't have a stash so it's expensive to think about starting a quilt. Making a scrappy one is on my wishlist but I still have to work out how I can make it affordable!
We had a cooler day today, down to 26° and about one minute of rain this morning!
Actually, it's the other way round! The photo with the baskets full of fabric is the "before" photo - it's how the green basket was at the beginning of the week! It has since been emptied of all its fabric and Dancer has claimed it! The remaining fabric all fits into the cane basket, now.
DeleteI have bought fabric specifically for a quilt only a few times and I agree that it can be very expensive to do so. Do you have any remnant pieces of fabric leftover from your dressmaking that might be suitable? I understand that some people sell parts of their fabric stash on various social media platforms and that might be one way to acquire a stash. Or, wait until your fabric store has a sale! Sometimes, the fabric stores here will have a 50% off coupon on various sale items, including bundles of pre-cut fabric. :)
Eileen: definitely consider asking on Freecycle for fabric scraps. I quite often see people advertising bundles of offcuts: dressmakers and crafters who amass stuff and can't bear it to be thrown away.
DeleteIs that Dancer's basket by any chance. I hope he doesn't mind? That's a lovely quilt you made way back then. I didn't know that about the dishwasher pipes becoming brittle, it's very rare I use mine as it doesn't seem worth it for just the two of us but you use yours for just yourself. I must make an effort to use it and hope it doesn't spring a leak.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's Dancer's basket before it became his basket! I had fabric stored in it, then, I emptied out the fabric and he claimed the basket! :)
DeleteMaybe the dishwasher hoses become brittle only in our arid climate. I usually collect the dishes over a couple of days before I use the dishwasher and even then, there's not enough for a full load!
I'm sure it won't take you long to work through your stash, now that you have it all sorted! I look forward to seeing the results.
ReplyDeleteThe temperature is heading up to the mid 80s after a cool night. I decided to spend the morning working on the overgrown flower beds and pulling out milkweed that was looking past its best, checking for caterpillars, of course. Now I am going to listen to my favourite call-in gardening show while I make lunch.
I usually get the top sewn quite quickly and then, procrastinate on finishing the quilt! The fun part, for me, is the piecing! Which is why I have three unfinished quilt tops waiting to be finished! LOL.
DeleteI'm glad you've had a cool enough morning to be weeding in the garden. I got the laundry and the day's dusting done this morning, before it got up to 90F. Now, the whole afternoon is mine to play around in until it is cool enough in the evening to water the garden and take out the trash, etc. :) Hope you enjoyed your gardening show. :)
That quilt with the strips looks amazing and it demonstrates your skill. It's still looking good after all these years. I utterly respect anyone who can quilt.
ReplyDeleteI keep hearing about peanut butter and jam, and I'm not sure that I quite believe it. It sounds so odd! Perhaps I will give it a go as you have great taste and if you can go for it, then it must be worth trying.
Thank you, Lyssa. That quilt has been used and washed so much that I had to replace the backing and several of the patched pieces! But, my daughter loves it because it is so soft and worn!
DeletePeanut butter and jelly sandwiches are an American staple! I didn't grow up eating peanut butter and I was rather indifferent when I tried it the first time. But, that seemed to be all my American roommates ate when I first arrived here and I got used to it. Now, I rather like the combination. :)
What a beautiful quilt! You have some nice stacks of fabric pieces.
ReplyDeleteI like fabric pieces lol.
I'm looking forward to seeing the things you making. I can tell by your posts you are in a quilt making mood.
The button quilt sounds fabulous!
I've always loved fabric. We had a professional seamstress as a neighbor when I was a little girl. I remember my mother taking me to the fabric store and we picked out a pattern for a dress for me. She let me pick out any fabric in the store I wanted for it. I still remember the light gray fabric I picked with small polka dots of white, pink and yellow.
Thank you, Debra. It's the quilt I repaired, last year, when I was in bed with sciatica. :)
DeleteYes, I'm in a quilt making mood! :) It's too hot to knit! :D
That's a lovely memory from your childhood! It must have been fun to pick a pattern and be allowed to choose your own fabric! I'm sure the dress was beautiful. My mother used to sew all our clothes - there were no such thing as ready-made clothes that were available to be purchased from a store when I was growing up. People either sewed their own clothes or had someone sew the clothes for them. One of my neighbors had a cottage industry weaving cloth on wooden looms; her husband was a tailor. Her daughter and I were best friends, growing up. :)
Like everyone else I am admiring that quilt. (I may have seen it before, but if so, it bears repeating!)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lady Ella. :) My mother used that quilt and now, my daughter uses it. :)
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