National Sewing Month–All About the Scraps!

Did you know that September is National Sewing Month?  I have to admit … this is the first year I’ve actually realized this. I’m super excited to be a guest blogger for The Sewing Loft’s National Sewing Month Series on Scraps!   Even thought I can’t seem to stop myself from buying more fabric yardage, I’ve come to realize that I mostly enjoying sewing with the scraps from previous project.  With each scrap of fabric comes a scrap of a memory – the quilt I made with that same fabric before, the person who gifted me the fabric, or the joy I felt as I discovered the beautiful piece in a quilt shop adventure.  Not only are scraps full of memories but they can add so much texture, depth and beauty to quilts just by combining things you may have never combined before. I am definitely not lacking in the scrap department!  My girls had fun helping me play (sort) them earlier this year by color.  I host Project QUILTING challenges on my blog and one challenge was to use strips of fabric no larger than 2.5” wide.  This was screaming ‘SCRAPS’ to me and it also helped me create a new technique – raw edge piecing. photo by Karmen Lindner Photography ‘Amazing Technicolor Dream Heart’ was created by raw edge stitching strips of fabrics onto a piece of foundation fabric.   By combining the same colors of scraps into areas of the quilt a heart emerges with a fun rainbow background.  100% scraps. Leaders and Enders One of the latest things I’ve been doing with my scraps is sewing them together as my ‘Leaders and Enders’.   If you don’t know what I mean by ‘Leaders and Enders’ check out Bonnie Hunter’s explanation HERE.  I choose my ‘leaders and enders’ strictly by the length of the fabric.  If the piece of fabric is the same length as another piece of fabric (or previously sewn together chunk of fabric) I sew it together.  Color, design, pattern does not matter to me in this little challenge. Here are some of the scrap fabric ‘chunks’ I’ve created from these leaders and enders.  Eventually these might go into a quilt … or into reupholstering something … like a bike seat! I’m also currently writing up a pattern for a fun scrappy mystery quilt ‘Dreaming in Scraps’ in partnership with Shannon of Fabrics N Quilts. Four of the six block patterns have been released and the final ones will be coming out on September 15th.  Be sure to check it out HERE and join in this scrappy mystery fun! Thank you Heather for letting me ramble on about my love of scraps!  Be sure to keep an eye on Heather’s blog all month for more fun info and inspiration that can be found on sewing with scraps! There are already some great posts up including a Scrap Challenge (you know how much I love a challenge), what are fabric scraps?, and The Scrappy Girls Club.  Happy Scrapping!