Wednesday 25 October 2017

sew stitch snap SHARE #15 and taming the scrap pile

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Life has gotten pretty busy around here these past few months, not much time for sewing.
After decluttering & passing on lots of fabric,
and after packing up most of my fabrics, most of my WiPs and my quilting books,
I find myself still left with this large basket of leftover scraps, crumbs, and strips
- it feels like a loosing battle!


 I began yesterday by sorting this bundle out by colour, with all the blues first.
Strips & strings in one pile, squares & snippets in another
Hmm-m-m I must say, these blues all look ridiculously tempting
. . . do I stop sorting & start sewing a new scrapbin quilt instead?
I'd love to hear how you tame your scrap pile.

In the meantime,
let's get straight into another fortnightly 'Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHARE' linkup.


My favourite project from last time was something sweet and simple


Cynthia focuses on making beautiful quilts from scraps and existing stash. She has so many ideas on how to work with scraps - pop over here to see her Scrap-A-Palooza Quilt Gallery for heaps of more inspiration. {I wonder how she sorts all her scraps?}
Her latest WiP is a fun string quilt using lots of different pink shades mixed with a little bit of grey.



Oh, and I popped back a few days later
and Cyndy had finished her pink & grey string quilt top

Sometimes sweet & simple is just about right, yes?
(all pics reposted each time with quilter's permission)

And what are you working on right now? Whatever you're sewing or stitching, you can link it up here. Just follow these simple guidelines:

1. Link up any post from the past week that features something you have been sewing or stitching, whether they are WiPs or finishes. You can write as much or as little about your project as you like, or simply let your photos do the talking.
2. Somewhere in your post, please link back to this post.
3. Please comment on a couple of the other Sew, Stitch, Snap, SHARE links.

Thanks for joining us
Julie & Linda

15 comments:

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

take it from me you can never use up all the darn scraps - I have two plastic bins in the closet full besides all my smaller boxes of precut scraps on the shelves!

Linda said...

My smaller, non specific widths/squares are in two camps: strings or crumbs. Then I make string blocks (either one colour blocks or mixed) and Crumb blocks ( 4"" or 4.5" square). They are then turned into quilts. Good fun.

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Those blues are pretty all together. Looks like you have some fun sewing ahead of you. Thanks for featuring my pink quilt. I find keeping my scraps sorted by color inspires me to sew with them.

Leeanne said...

Oh dear this is what happens when we sort our fabrics, our mind wander to new projects! pretty blues.................

Kate said...

Those are some very pretty blues. I really need to tame my scraps. But that's probably waiting till 2018. I'm still trying to work the UFO list down a bit.

Ann said...

My scrap bag is very small. When it's full I know it's time to make some tops. I can usually get two or three out of that tiny bag. Amazing.
I love your blues!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

I’m pleased to say that I persevered today with sorting that pile of scraps.
I now have one basket of strips and another basket of small squares which I have sorted by colour. And I gave a big pile to my friend. It’s easier to see now just what I have and I don’t feel so overwhelmed.
All I need is some spare time to turn these leftovers into scrap quilts, probably next year for me too!
Thanks for joining in with the scrap sorting discussion.
And good luck with your UFO list! 

Susan said...

I'd say you need to resist the urge to start something new and keep sorting! I cut all my scraps into 2.5" squares. There are lots of scrappy quilt possibilities in that range!

audrey said...

I've done so many different things with my scraps, but now just leave them to multiply in the corner bins. Why is it that everyone elses scraps always look better? lol

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Those are pretty blue scraps - looking forward to seeing what you do with them! I agree that other quilters' scraps always look more enticing than my own, although I keep using mine in projects anyway!

arncar said...

I've been having a scrap accumulation issue too. I've sorted them into any length or width strips, or cut them into 4" squares firstly, if they don't fit there then into either 2" or 1" hexagons. I love to have hand stitching on me at all times so I always have these in my handbag. I can glue and stitch 5 hexie flowers while sitting with my Dad in the resthome for an hour. I can always see a potential for any scrap, but I am trying to be more realistic. These are only scraps - then there is all the rest of my stash!

frayed at the edge said...

I have a very simple way of dealing with an overflowing scrap bin - I give a pile to a friend who makes quilts for charities!

Mystic Quilter said...

I would say start a new scrapbin quilt with those beautiful blues!

O'Quilts said...

OMG...I do not tame a thing...I now have four large bins of scraps....I am in Charlotte, NC...please come immediately and fix this for me!!! And, I have 50 years of fabric collecting....there is no hope...just sewing along, enjoying each moment...good luck

Browndirtcottage said...

Love the scrappy eye candy! I use the Bonnie Hunter method for my scraps, sorted in bins by size. Sometimes I wish they were sorted into colors instead, would make my 'searching' a lot faster!