I love to use Pinterest as my virtual bulletin board. As you might guess many of my pins are sewing related. Click here to see what fun stuff I've found and pinned to different sewing boards.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Using up Scraps (Green Sewing)

In response to Ruth Ann's "Wee Scraps" posting
Once a small stained vintage linen napkin
Saved for a useful life as a button on my jacket
Things I do with scraps
1) I use selvage edges for seam stabilizers. Particularly to strengthen pants side seams just above, through and below in-seam pockets, where I like to use drill selvage edges for this particular garment. I use the drill fabric itself to create strong pants pockets bags.

Drill is often sold in mainstream fabric stores as a "utility fabric". You may need to ask where it is.

2) When I have leftover long strips of fabric, I hang them over a hook by my machine and use them - raw edges and all - as  a) impromptu hair ties b) twist them in twos or braid them in threes- for deconstructed trimmings for tee shirt necklines. c) plain or twisted together, they make nice gift ties in place of ribbon

3) I use them for sample sewing. That's too obvious, right? Often I plan my sample sewing so that it can become an 18" doll's garment. Then the dollie can pose as a model in this blog!

For example, when I was practicing pintucking, Doll'ing Kaity Rose benefitted - acquiring a new Victorian 'esque nightie. http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-new-nightgown-for-winter-holidays.html

4) I'm starting to use them for scrapbooking - tiny dresses for paper dolls, backgrounds for pictures. I also cover spiral notebook covers, gluing them down. If there isn't enough of one scrap to cover the whole notebook, I collage them. I'm not sure this counts - it's not sewing.

5) I make spare patch pockets out of them when they are particularly pretty. A pocket doesn't have to be made out of the same fabric as the garment (or purse) it's used on.

6) I cover buttons with small scraps. Those kind of buttons that come in a little kit and are designed to be covered. (Also I use pieces of antique/vintage embroidered napkins that are partly spoiled but have a little embroidery left)

7) I make small purses that are almost like hanging pockets, for my cell phone and keys. Especially nice for walking and biking. I like the free buttercup purse pattern out on the way by Made-By-Rae. (I also upsize it for bigger purses)

A couple of postings about the buttercup purse pattern, including the free pattern link
http://www.meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2012/09/tit-fortatting-embellishing-my.html
http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2012/09/do-you-love-butter-in-praise-of.html

8) Fabric flowers
Ideas and patterns, from books at my public library and also many I've pinned at http://www.pinterest.com/lrshimer/0-sewingfabricflowers/

9) Appliqué

10) Buttonhole facing squares. How do you describe that? Sew it down and pull it through to the back. It has to be the right kind of heavy duty/no fray material. I also use grosgrain ribbon for that. Those are often called Spanish Snap buttonholes.

11) As a diamond or square around a buttonhole. Like an embellishment.

Reusing snips and scraps is the kind of thing that keeps me....
Enchanted by Sewing!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.