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Wednesday, April 29, 2020

I May Have A Scrap Problem... Waste Not, Want Not!

Hi, all!

Do you ever have trouble throwing away leftovers from a project?  Ha!  I think that's why all of us are in the "overflowing scrap bin" boat!  Well, Tuesday I spent the day making t-shirt quilt blocks....


...and by the way, I am loving having a design floor!  This quilt is going to be a monster - queen size - and having a room that is only mine, with floor space to spare, makes it so easy to lay it out.  And as an added bonus, the dog absolutely refuses to come upstairs, so I don't have to worry about her walking through the pieces!


Well, after cutting out those blocks I had a well-loaded trash can...


But I also had a good-sized tub filled with the larger pieces left over after cutting out those blocks.  Now, that's a lot of good fabric, and it hurts my heart to throw it away.  

And if this crazy time that we're in now has proven anything, it's the benefits to not throwing things away!  I have other tubs full of t-shirt quilt left overs, and this past month those scraps have come in handy to make face mask ear loops and ear-relief headbands for nurses.  So never let anyone rag on you for saving things - we now know that there may come a time when those "bits and bobs" are necessary!

These pieces, though, will probably be turned into another one of these quilts...

...a simple beach blanket, made with no interfacing on the t-shirt pieces, and no batting.  Just sewn together, spray basted to a piece of backing, quilted with stitch-in-the-ditch, and bound.  


And even though we can't be at the beach right now, we can still enjoy laying out in the sunshine!  We also discovered that if you use Crayola washable markers, you can draw on this quilt to your heart's content, then throw it in the wash - and it will be clean for the next time!  

I hope this gives you some inspiration for what to do with your leftovers from projects - remember there's always a use for those scraps!

Hugs!

Sarah

14 comments:

  1. I save so many scrap pieces, t hey might be more than actual yardage. But with fabric being so expensive down here, every scrap is pout to. good use. Love that idea of washable crayons.And the large squares, what was once called when they were knitted " Peggy Squares " I need to find out where that saying came from.

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  2. What a great idea for a scrappy beach quilt -- oh, beaches, sunshine, and laughter - if only! Anyway, the crayola marker idea is brilliant!

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  3. I love this idea for using the left over t-shirt pieces...unfortunately when we moved last year I 'got rid' of all those leftovers - waaaaaaahhhhhhh!!! Trust me - I'll be keeping them FOREVER from now on!

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  4. nice having a design floor where a pet won't walk over it - I'm afraid I am one that never understands having a pet allowed in the sewing room knowing that they will mess every thing up after you work hard on something and also have pet hair shedding all over everything. If I had a pet the pet would not be allowed in the sewing room to destroy my work!

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  5. It sure is inspiring! I have a pile of t-shirt left overs I thought about making a rug with but using it for face masks is a great idea, too----AND the Beach Quilt--perfect for my son and family who live on the beach!!

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  6. I also save the cut offs from t-shirts! I make t-shirt yarn and knit bath mats, braid dog toys, and also use it for face mask ties! Good stuff!

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  7. Your design floor is awesome! I use my bed for laying out the blocks for design consideration it seems to fall short. Maybe if i laid a plain sheet over it first it would help...that's an idea :-)
    I love the t shirt yarn! I have a question for you...I've only been using it for a long string. Are you using it to replace the elastic on masks?

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  8. Inspiration!! I have some of that ants on the red and white gingham! I have tshirt scraps....I have the makings of a car/picnic blanket! Thanks a bunch!

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  9. I've got another T-quilt planned for next year. SEW need to make use of some of the leftover bits before then!! Good luck with that puzzle style T-quilt in process.

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  10. What a great beach quilt! So bright and happy and certainly easy to spot when you come out of the water.

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  11. Have you ever thought or tried this quilt with an oil cloth backing? The ground is frequently damp here...

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  12. You are a woman after my own heart. . .!!!!

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  13. I have the leftovers from 25 t-shirts that went into a quilt last year. I've been debating between trying to make a rug with them and tossing them. We'll see how long this stay at home thing lasts, I may finally get to it!

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