Scrap Happy!

Like many quilters and seamstresses, I hate to throw fabric scraps away...for some reason I have always saved even the smallest pieces...then I proceed to feel guilty as they fill up a drawer and take up space - it's a catch-22, if I throw them away I feel guilty; if I save them I feel guilty. Last month, my dear friend Kimber gave me a fun polka dot box...and I decided it was time to go through all those scraps, and use this pretty box for the salvageable pieces. So, this afternoon, needing a break from a ton of design layout work, I decided to bite the bullet and go through the scraps...and boy was I surprised at the minuscule pieces I had collected. As I looked through the drawer full of scraps, I reminisced about all the projects I had completed over the last several years, many of which I have given away as gifts...it was a sentimental process. Finally, I narrowed the scraps down to a good box full...and of course I was inspired during the process.

Remembering an adorable pattern my faraway friend Robin sent me, I decided to immediately use some of the scraps and make some pin cushions. The pattern, called "Tuffets" from the Schnibbles collection by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company was perfect to help organize my ideas...and then came the fun part - I grabbed my AccuQuilt GO! fabric cutter and the 1" strip cutter die and started cutting the scraps into usable pieces. I really enjoyed piecing these tiny tuffet tops - it was addicting...and even better - I used some of those pesky fabric scraps! The bottoms of each are beautiful pieces of hand-dyed wool fabric.

I actually cut way more strips than I needed for these four pincushions...and since the pattern has directions for six different tops, I will be trying more in the next few days...it is a great stress reliever while I am building class tutorials and binders. I already have plans for many of these special little tuffets...