Cher and I had a great time cutting scraps yesterday. We got a lot done, I think - but it's never as much as I hope to get done. I pulled fabrics from the giant white bin one at a time and pressed them. When I had a fair size stack I started cutting. By dinner time I'd cut all the shapes that you see here on the cutting table, but I still this stack of pressed fabrics that I'd not touched yet! And the bin looked like I'd made hardly a dent at all!The stuff I found in that bin was pretty amazing. It's been stuffed full for well over 10 years, so none of these pieces had seen the light of day for at least that long. These were
from before I had a scrap cutting and saving system, so there was something of everything. Large pieces - almost a fat quarter - to pieces so tiny that I decided I must have missed the waste basket and tossed them in the bin instead. Triangle squares and triangles. Strings. Cut strips of various sizes. Strata ends from who knows what projects. It was a bit like digging through a treasure chest. I refuse to think about how long it's going to take to get these in order, so instead I decided to fill a plastic shoebox with a few handsfull 
and then close up the rest. If I keep the shoebox on my table and do 10 minutes of cutting each time I go in the room before I start to sew then maybe I can make some good progress relatively painlessly.The other thing I discovered is that all my boxes, bins and drawers of my scrap savers system are pretty much full already! Before I do much more cutting I'm going to have to piece some scrappy tops - otherwise there won't be any place to put the things I cut. Oh my - I don't know if I can handle that idea - having to piece some scrappy tops! (Hee, hee, hee.) Thank goodness the guild has committed to making these quilts for Hotel Hope. They have 16 beds, and the quilt size is 63" x 87". They want any resident who becomes attached to their quilt to be able to take it with them when they leave, so this will be an ongoing project for the guild. I'm sure I have enough scraps to cover those beds two or three times over all by myself - I just have to find the time somewhere.
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Gratitudes:
1. Bins, boxes, and drawers full of scraps all ready to sew into quilts
2. A nice day spent with a friend
3. A lazy Sunday just meant for sewing
4. The cozy warmth of my bathrobe and slippers
5. My little featherweight, which just keeps humming along
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Patti - Good job on attacking that scrap bin. At least you took the first step in making a dent in that bin. Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day - and that scrap bin wasn't filled in a day either -- or was it?????? hee-hee.
ReplyDeletesounds like you made forward progress... and a forward step is a forward step regardless of how many more there are to come onthe journey :-)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you did well, I think cutting is the hardest work in some ways. It must have been nostalgic to pull those old fabrics out of the bin.
ReplyDeleteIt is like Christmas isn't it!? Opening up the box and seeing all the stuff you can do with all those scraps! Well I loved the Borken Dishes quilt and you can make all those ones you showed us the pictures of several months ago! All the lovely patterns in your books.
ReplyDeleteYou made quite a dent! Good day's work!
It makes you realize how far a yard of fabric will go. It makes me kick myself everytime I think I need more fabric....Good Job...Think about how many quilts will be made from Saturday's progress....
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job cutting all these pieces. I spendt all saturday drawing and cutting pieces for my cube quilt. It took a long time, but now it's done. Only the piecing left. I have started to use 15 min each day cleaning up my sewing room before going to bed, and perhaps I now should add another 15 min cutting pieces from my stash :)
ReplyDeleteThat's the way I feel when I delve into the paint bucket, like I'm diving for treasure. You've made a fine start on your bin.
ReplyDeleteYou and Cher seem to have had a very productive day! Well done!
ReplyDeleteOutstanding job...I'm going to have to attempt that project one of these days soon...before the scraps take over. Thanks for the motivation.
ReplyDeleteAhhh the elusive search for time... & a pattern to settle on in my case! I like the start of the postage stamp quilt.
ReplyDeleteit was a great day, thanks again for being the "hostess"! and yes, it does look like a dent was visibly made.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a productive day for both of you! Really it was a good idea to see just what you had and what should be tossed.
ReplyDeleteWas that a scrap saver ruler I saw on the table? Good idea there to get things into a usable piece for a future quilt.