A Week of Organization
By the time you read this on Friday my 3 oldest boys, along with my husband, will most likely be home after being gone a whole week hunting for bull elk. They’ve had a good time seeing hundreds of elk and getting within a few yards of them, seeing them bugle and watching some cow elk playing, kicking up their heels. One morning Wesley saw a mountain lion with her cub walking along. Unfortunately, they did not bag their game. 🙁 I guess the elk have to win some of the time. 😉
I have been doing quite well, surprisingly, with only my 3 youngest and myself at home. I was able to accomplish things I normally am unable to get to. I did some organizing of my papers using David Allen’s book that I reviewed yesterday (that was a tremendous load off my mind), organized another mess of CD’s, my linen closet and my last project I’m still working on – cutting fabric scraps.
I have a bag full of fabric scraps from some quilts I have made. You don’t want to toss them but they don’t seem to be of much use except for little projects that the kids want to make. Well, I read on someone’s blog (can’t remember who’s) about a website called Quiltville. Bonnie, who operates this site, is an avid quilter and her specialty is making quilts out of scraps and shirttails. Read this link she wrote on what to do with scraps. So I’ve been following her suggestion and have been ironing, measuring and cutting all my leftover scraps, placing the different sized squares, strips, etc. in individual Ziploc baggies.
When cutting a piece of fabric I have this particular quilt in mind from Quiltville.com – the Pioneer Braid. I cut my pieces (2 1/2″ x 6″) from the fabric with that quilt in mind. Whatever is left from the fabric I then cut into 2″ or 1 1/2″ strips or squares. I’m tossing anything less than 1 1/2″.
I won’t be able to make this quilt for quite some time because I don’t have enough scraps for an entire quilt top. But at least I’ll have my scraps all cut up and placed in a baggie, along with the directions on how to make the quilt. As I get more leftover pieces, I’ll cut them adding them to the pieces already cut. I hope I’m not totally wasting my time doing this. I don’t quilt very often even though I thoroughly enjoy it so it may be years and years before I get to this Pioneer Braid.
How do you use your fabric scraps? Do you save them for your children, toss them or what? I’m not a real crafty person so I’d be curious to know what some of you do.
I’ve had a productive week but I’m anxious to see the rest of the crew. Seth is back now from Ohio but I’ve only seen him for about 3 hours, (he went to bed early the night he got home and left at 3:30a.m. the next morning for the hunt) so I’m looking forward to being able to give him a hug when I feel like it and telling him how good it is to have him home.
Have a wonderful weekend.
3 Comments
Bonnie
Elisabeth, I have been a seamstress since my grandmother taught me as a child, over 50 years ago. I love to get every bit of use out of a piece of fabric. When my children were little, I made their clothes and doll clothes of my scraps and those my mother-in-law gave me. We love to make Christmas ornaments out of scraps, depending on the decor theme — rustic, country, dressy, etc.
When I was in my 20’s and we visited my dear grandmother, she showed me a quilt top she had been working on since my mother was a girl, probably for more than 30 years at the time. She took her time showing me the (very small) strips that had been sewn into squares. Each one represented something she had made with love for a family member — my mother’s graduation dress and later her wedding dress; a tie for my grandfather, who died when I was 5 months old; a shirt for my uncle missing in action in WWII; playclothes for a baby uncle who died at age 2, and on and on.
All this (sorry so long!) to say I think it is worth making a quilt from tiny scraps as a reservoir of memories for your family. Everyone I know who has a quilt made with love cherishes it.
So glad your family is back together!
Bonnie
Bonnie
Oh, I meant to add (as if it wasn’t long enough!) that this was my response to a question you posted on my blog (don’t know if you check back or not):
“Yes, Elisabeth, they do stay together, unless some over-enthusiastic little person tries to cram too many leaves into one “picture”! Then the wax just gives up trying to hold the whole thing together!
Since we are planning, the Lord willing, to go back up to “Arkasouri” for Christmas (the whole family together for the first time in years!), I plan to gather all the makings together for another project. This time, it will be stained-glass windows, with crayon bits framed and pressed between waxed paper.
We loved these easy, inexpensive crafts when my children were little, and it has been a fun time renewing those memories by teaching them to the grandchildren!”
Bonnie
The Discher Family
I know what you’re talking about in regards to getting a lot done when you only have your younger ones home! I also have experienced this phenonemon! The exception of course would be when a little one includes a 4 month old 🙂
So, what do WE do with fabric remnants? Save them of course…for “a quilt”…”someday”…! I do try to make it into a basic square or rectangle, but I love the idea of precutting it right there on the spot and storing it with instructions. Hmmm…I think I will assign that to somebody.
Beth