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| Fabric Scraps |
This all really started when I decide to reorganize my fabric stash. How many times have you done that, right? Do you organize by color, size, theme, or what? We all do it differently and it may depend on how much you have and what variety of sizes you have.
I have done a really good job of using up my fabric stash in scrap quilts, so I'm a little low in the fabric stash department (well, for now), especially compared to what I've seen in pictures on other blogs! During my task, I discovered that I have a lot of smaller fabric cuts, mostly fat quarters or true quarters, and a few cuts that range from 1/2 to 2 yards. So for me, simply creating stacks of fabric by size worked great. For my one larger stack of fat quarters, I did organize the cuts by color.
What I really want to share is what I'm thinking about for the little scraps. As you can see from the photos, some of these are really little scraps.
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| Tiny Fabric Scraps |
These tiny triangles came from trimming all of the triangles for the blocks I've been making for my Farmer's Wife quilt. When there is a nice collection of these in a pile, they are so cute! A few years ago I saw an art exhibit at the Folk Art Center in Asheville, NC, by an artist I cannot remember, but the idea has stuck with me. The artist took these tiny squares and triangles of fabric and arranged them on a foundation (paper or canvas), then I think he/she sprayed multiple layers of a clear coat over the pieces. The art ranged in size from very small, perhaps 5 x 5 inches, to much larger, and even included some that were sculptured, 3-D shapes. I'd like to do something like this with my scraps; I'll share the results when I do.
For scraps that are larger, I'm working on a collection of crazy quilt squares that I trim to 4 1/2 inches. I love doing this sort-of doodling with the small scraps I collect. Sometimes I'll find that I have come to a good stopping point with a sewing project, but still have 15 minutes or so before I need to quit. This is when I'll pull out the scraps and start playing.
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| Scrap Quilt Blocks |
I collect two types of scraps; small scraps I keep in a box smaller than a shoe box and fabric strips I keep in a roll. I have set some size limits on what I put in this box; no smaller than 3/4 inch and no larger than 2 inches, for example. I've written these limits on a piece of paper as a reminder; after all, some pieces just need to be thrown out!
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| Box of small scraps |
The fabric strips (or strings) are 1 inch to 3 inches wide, any length. Any wider and I cut them into smaller strips, or make sure the piece isn't big enough to go back into my fabric stash.
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| Fabric Scrap / Strings |
To start, I'll dump out this box onto the table and start pulling out some of the pretty small pieces and just randomly sew them together. As you add on, the pieces need to be larger and larger because they have to cover a longer edge, but sometimes I'll get two of these to a certain point and decide to just sew them together. Many times, the fabric strips are good for finishing off the edges, but I try not to be too perfect with them since crazy is better on these. Once you have assembled a piece that's a little larger than 4 1/2 inches square, trim it to that size and you have a block done.
You can see in the picture that I started with some hourglass blocks I made with leftover HSTs from a previous scrap quilt, then in other places you can see an impromptu pinwheel block made from some leftover, same-sized triangles. These are quick ways to get one of these scrap blocks started; plus, if they aren't perfect, that's fine.
I feel like I get more from my fabric when I can save these scraps and make something beautiful, again. I also find this unstructured "playtime" to be relaxing.
Good luck with your fabric recycling projects!