waste not, want not

Whenever I make anything, I always seem to have lots of itsy little bits of fabric left over.

Because I think vintage fabrics are precious and should be treasured, I can’t bear to throw any of the bits away.

This leads to the boxes and bags that contain my scraps growing, and multiplying, and overspilling and… well, you can guess where it all ends. It ends in a big mess.

Something of a regular occurrence anyway in my sewing area!

Lovely as they are when finished, my vintage fabric stars are terrible wastrels when it comes to leftovers. Every batch I make generates a pile of snippings.

What’s more, my star snippings have pressed folds that are difficult to remove. I have been pondering what on earth to do with them.

The other night the idea came to me – scrappy pinwheels!

Hand sewing through all those layers necessitated use of a thimble, something I’ve avoided mastering for years.

I rooted out one of my mum’s old metal ones.

By the end of the evening I felt jolly pleased with my newly acquired skill.

And the results of my recycling made me smile too.
I was going to use them to decorate my parcels.

But instead, with the addition of a length of bias binding, I made them into a garland.

So what do you do with your leftovers and snippings? I’d love to know! ♥

itsy bitsy teeny weeny

The thing about patchwork is that you end up with lots of little scraps.

I can never bear to throw them away.

Yesterday’s project came from a flash of inspiration over breakfast – why not try making them into a miniature crazy patchwork!

Now, I have to admit, I’m not crazy about crazy patchwork. It’s not one of my favourite forms of the craft.

But those itsy bitsy teeny weeny scraps were just so pretty.

I built up the patchwork by overlapping random scraps and joining them with a zigzag stitch.

I had no particular design or colour scheme in mind.

When it was big enough I trimmed the edges with the rotary cutter.

It was then backed with iron-on interfacing, to seal in the raw edges and give it strength before making into a cushion cover.

There are a couple of little puckers, but I like to think they add character

Alas, one thing that wasn’t so teeny was the mess I managed to create whilst in the throes of creative endeavour.

All that rummaging was fun, but it plays havoc with your workspace.

And how did I end up with more scraps than I started with?

material monday

Next up in my series of scrappy scrumptiousness is this little jewel of Scandi goodness.

Fruit and flowers – what could be a healthier mix?

And the colour palette is one of my all-time favourites: turquoise, green, blue and purple.

Only a scraplet to work with, so I will be sure not to waste a single inch!

material monday

This gorgeous 1960s flowery stuff was part of a small selection of floral fabric scraps bought on eBay.

So bright and cheery, it is perfect for making lovely things.

The only thing to do now is decide what!

There’s not much of it, alas. It will need one or more companions.

What would you make?

uh oh…

You may remember my super scrappy swap with Georgina Giles a while back.

And that I started some patchwork using the lovely fabric pieces she sent.

Then, as happens sometimes (well, ok, quite often), I started on another project.

Well, the other day I got into efficiency mode and finished off said patchwork panel.

It was just the right size to turn into a little cushion cover for a mini-rectangular pad I had been hoarding.

So far so good.

“Nice!” I thought.

Then I noticed.

Uh oh!

I put the zip in upside down. My flowers are all topsy-turvy.

I didn’t realise until after it was all finished and sewn up.

I hate unpicking.

So I didn’t.

Never mind. I still like it.

I still think “nice!” when I see it on my desk chair.

Nobody’s perfect.

scrummy scraps

I have long been an admirer of the work of Alice Burrows, aka alice apple.

Being me, I could never decide which of her gorgeous fabrics to go for. They are all so pretty.

Luckily, I didn’t have to. Having spotted some scrumptious scrap packs for sale, I indulged myself in a mixture of miniature morsels.

They were waiting for me yesterday when I got home.

What a lovely welcome!

And just in time to run up some pretty things for the fete at the end of April where I will be selling my wares (crediting Alice, of course).

You can find Alice’s fabrics for sale on Spoonflower and her toys and scrap packs (when available) in her Etsy shop.