Scrap Management and beyond.

What are you doing with all the small pieces of fabric left over from the numerous projects you have created over the years? Are they piled in drawers? Stuffed in bags under a cutting table? Maybe in boxes under the bed in the spare bedroom? Wherever they are, you can make a plan and get them under control. It will take some time, 3 - 6 months, you need a plan and then some endurance to win this battle.

I've been reading some blogs, several Log Cabin books, signed up to Scrapbusters Yahoo group (that's another whole blog post) and started pulling out my bags of scraps. One quilter put it into perspective by reminding us all that we paid as much money (per yard) for the scraps as we did for the large pieces on our shelf. I made a table runner and a lap quilt from one bag of scraps, wow! But what to do with the other 9 bags that are tucked in various places around my house? A log cabin quilt, what else? I've never pieced a traditional Log Cabin, and since I have made a promise to not start any big projects this year, this was the perfect challenge for me. Honestly, this makes perfect sense, at least in my world.



I have started my Scrap Management and here are a couple of pictures. Note the silverware trays, they stacked together perfectly. Trust me, this was not a planned purchase, this was the $1 table at the local Salvation Army Store! And yes, my 1 1/2" should be 2 1/2" and 2 1/2" should say 3 1/2" I changed them since taking the photos.



My goal is to piece all the blocks of this Log Cabin by using them only as leaders and enders (a Bonnie Hunter term) My goal is to have the blocks all pieced without dedicating any sewing time specifically to this project. I will post updates as I go along. Right now I have about 36 red/cream centers pieced. Plus I now have a place for all the left over scraps for any small projects that I work on. How fast and simple to have the trays sitting right by my cutting mat and how liberating it is to not have any small bits and pieces left over!

Sew many ideas,