Sunday, December 6, 2015

Can't throw away the smallest scrap...

I am making a kaleidoscope quilt for Christmas  and the method I used was from The Quilt Show. It is not simple. It was supposed to be quick and simple. It is also generating more waste than I'm comfortable with... I like a scrap but hate waste. 

I took a break from pulling out my hair  sewing, driven to eat chips by frustration (that's my story and I'm sticking to it) and looked at that waste and thought what can I do with this?? 

Remembering the 60 degree ruler, I made tiny half hexies with the leftovers, matching where I could, and will make this little table runner. Good save! 

So you arrange the halves into rows, sew them end to end creating a straight line. Then it's just a bit of matching but all straight line sewing with no inset seams. Easy.
I also made a few mismatched leftovers into coasters for tiny gifties.
Would you want one?


 

20 comments:

gayle said...

Those look like fun scraps to play with! I love what you're doing with them.
(I can't throw out those last little bits, either...)

Ann said...

Oh, yes. Good save. I hate having them pile up and spend more time with the scraps than with new fabric.

sonja said...

Yes, good save! i am also a user of the remains of the day of sewing and clippings and the way color changes depending on it neighbor when sewn together.

Tu-Na Quilts said...

Yes, those are worth saving. I too can't decide if I should save the 1/2 inch I cut off or not. So far I save everything that's 3/4" or more. I'm making a postage stamp quilt with 1.5" pieces so it will finish at 1." Some people think I'm totally nuts. But I find it rather relaxing. And I'm trying to use all different fabrics for the 5,600 pieces that I need. That's been a challenge since hubby won't let me buy 5,600 different fabrics.

Lara B. said...

Great Sav Lee Anna! You've been having scrappy improv fun!

Bonnie said...

I'm trying hard not to save tiny, tiny scraps. Some times I am successful and sometimes not. I have given up saving the scrap triangles from 2 1/2" flip and sew squares. First I have millions of them unused. And, when I actually used them I had to recut and I never had the color I wanted. Lesson learned. Just how many little scraps will I actually use? Your coasters are darling though.

AlidaP said...

Perfect project for the season! I also hate waste, so I keep accumulating small and tiny scraps in the hope to find a good project for them. Thanks for sharing!!

Deb said...

Great use of those scraps, I think we quiltmakers tend to keep all our scraps you just never know what may come up, and like Tu-Na I am making a postage stamp quilt so all the little bits come in handy.

Carli The Quilter said...

I love this, I was wondering about doing this with my little snippets from sooo many Christmas's ago, thanks for the inspiration!

Kaja said...

I love the tiny coasters - and I would hang them on my tree too!

Tails Around the Ranch said...

I'd have gladly switched places with you these past couple of weekends-I've been stuck in IKEA assembly-talk about pulling out your hair! I think your project turned out far more beautifully than mine. :)

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

if it gets really bad add french onion dip to the chips menu :)

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

if it gets really bad add french onion dip to the chips menu :)

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

Saw you on Quilt Story's linky, wow, those are tiny!

QuilterinMotion said...

When I see projects so lovely like your hexagons, I have to rethink my decision not to keep every scrap! I just can't due to storage restraints but I admire what you do with yours!

Carla said...

I have a very hard time throwing away fabric : ) Your hexies are lovely

Leanne Parsons said...

I hate waste too. I always try to find a way to use those little bits. Your runner will be beautiful, and the little coasters are beautiful.

Beth @ Cooking Up Quilts said...

I usually end up tossing the small scraps and always feel guilty for doing so. I think they are perfect for making little coasters (which I love!) or scrappy pincushions. It would be better for me to make these items as soon as I generate the scraps, if not, they will never get used. Good for you for finding a way to use your scraps! I think the little table runner will be adorable and matching coasters is a great idea. :) Thanks for linking to MCM!!

Sylvia said...

I hate waste too! I try to use up as much as I can.

Esther Aliu said...

This looks like fun and I have so much fabric that I don't mind waste when stash busting, for example when I use my GO! Cutter there is always a lot of waste and I don't mind. But I wouldn't feel the same way if I was using a new fabric range. I really love how you worked it out and it looks fabulous!