Thursday, May 26, 2016

Scraps... a breeding ground


no dents in the number of strings here 
plenty to use for paper piecing
lots of watercolor squares


It's a phenomenon... I pull out a bin, use lots of fabric, and it won't close after.
They must be  breathing in! 

Then again, I just washed a bag of scraps some friends gave me yesterday... lots of new green strips to push into an already overflowing bin.
A non-ending overflowing container.
A font of fabric!

The fountain of youth...Fabric edition!

When I open it to use, pull out lots of fabrics, it  inflates like a life raft!

My life is an I Love Lucy episode!
Stored by color
 I might not view scraps like other people. To me they are pattern, color, texture. When you see a bolt of fabric you see the whole design. It colors how you decide to use it but quilters usually cut it up. 

Designs change when you cut them into smaller pieces, like cropping a picture. When I dig through my scrap bins, the cropping has been done, and I view fabric differently. Luckily my friends see little value in scraps and happily pass them on to me. 
More posts under the label organization and Studio

22 comments:

Bernie Kringel said...

This is a cute post Leanne. I definitely see the value in scraps! Love mine and have a lot of fun playing with them.

JanineMarie said...

And I love it when your scraps come out to play!

PaintedThread said...

Like an I Love Lucy episode - love that! Oh, scraps - the possibilities are endless!

Julierose said...

Oh lucky you--I love my scraps more than my yardages--I have a lot of fat quarters that are destined to be cut into strips and bars...and I need to organized by color.....note to self: must stock up on chocolate for energy to work on my stash--lol hugs Julierose

sonja said...

LA, your shelves look like they are sagging slightly! I love my boxes of scraps and trimming and strips of mostly painted fabrics, currently have 2 soda flats going, one holds cool and other warms as i finish up current quilt top.today!

Yanicka said...

I think the scrap fairies are playing with my scraps at night because I never see then end of them. I swear the more i use them, the more I have.

Sue said...

I'm with you, ladies! I'm just taking a break from going through my overflowing stash and pulling out all the large pieces I know I will never use...alternating with putting away all the little scraps lying around the room, into their color bins. I hear you, those little ones are like bags of jewels to me...I'm keeping them! And the bins are bursting...I have to stack them on top of one another to keep the tops on!

Maria said...

You are the Queen of scraps and I'm jealous!

claudia said...

Oh Thank you!!! I was wondering how to get my sewing room organized...I just need chocolate!!!

claudia said...

You are definitely the Queen of Scraps! I need to get mine organized more...well, not just the scraps, the entire room needs something, somebody who knows what they are doing. I keep attempting, and I will not give up, I am determined....

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

There is nothing like a treasure chest of scraps! I would rather create from my scrap bins than almost anything else!

Tu-Na Quilts said...

It's a mystery!! My husband jokes about us quilters who cut up perfectly good fabric only to sew it back together again. Karen

Tails Around the Ranch said...

Since I don't quilt I've had to start closing my eyes and pitch any left overs from old sewing projects. Maybe I should send them to your fabric breeding farm. :)

Mari said...

They definitely breed in the dark! Best to pull them out and cut up the little buggers before they multiply. I've heard they stop multiplying when sewn to other pieces!

gayle said...

My scraps are my paintbox, just like yours. And I'm always happy to see what you're up to with yours!

Sara said...

My scrap bin - like dirty laundry - multiplies in the dark at night. I am convinced they multiply.

patty a. said...

I have many containers of scraps and will use them someday. Going thru the containers is like a time capsule when I see fabrics that I can remember quilts that were made with those fabrics. You are a brave woman taking in other people's scraps!

Jayne said...

This is so true! Scraps have a life of there own, they never really go away no matter how much you use them!

Christine Slaughter said...

I feel like my scraps are multiplying in their bins too! I took some out the other day and went to put the rest back and couldn't close the lid at all! I wondered how the heck there was room for all the scraps I took out!

Jen R said...

Scraps are my favorite! So much potential in such a tiny thing.
I use them so much that I need to start using my yardage to build up my scraps because I am down to one tote full and I need more variety in there. :)

Kaja said...

My scraps aren't nearly as exciting as yours but I still have the lid problem.

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

Scraps are the reason I started doing scrappy mystery quilts and the Scrap Dance series. I have a serious problem with overflowing fabric too. But you know, those scraps cost the same per yard as the big pieces, so they have value!