So I email this woman about the fabric and she writes back, almost apologetically, that all she has are scraps. Bits and end pieces only, not yards or bolts... pieces that usually end up in the garbage.
I race to this woman's house! Being a crafter, a recycler, a reuser and a mommy... scraps are just what a budgeted gal like me covets. When Mariella told me she had fabric, I didn't realize she meant she had three leaf sized bags full-to-bursting with fabric. And nice fabric... I mean fabric I couldn't afford to get. Amy Butler, Japanese, Minky, Michael Miller, Heather Bailey, Moda, Heather Ross... wow!
After three days of sorting through everything, my office floor was overflowing with fabric goodness! I set aside about 10% for me, then Mariella came for 10% and I am giving away the other 80% to crafters I've met online. This "garbage" is now going to various ports in Maine, New Zealand, Arizona, Texas, California, Massachusetts and Ireland. And these crafters are just as excited as I am!
Yesterday, I finally finished the front of a blanket made from some of the scraps (using just 1% of my 10% to give you an idea of volume). This is my first real quilting experience and I was just experimenting and having fun while making a toddler-bed-sized blanket for Ro. I'll do the edges and the back with other fabric I have in my stash. The piece you see is 38 inches by 54 inches and I'll add 6 inches to the top/bottom and left/right.I have gobs of ideas for all the other great fabric as well and will share them with you when I get to the point where I can see my floor again! A good deal of the minky fabric will go towards my 25 Things for Charity. The cotton will mostly be used on projects from different books I have on plushie-monster creation, ragworking and simple sewing.
Isn't Freecycling the greatest!!!??!!
The things people are willing to give away to strangers is amazing! I really wish Freecycle was halfway decent here, I would enjoy giving and getting both.
ReplyDeleteAnd the quilt is lovely! The possibilities of scraps is almost more exciting than making something with one piece of new fabric.
I love what you have done with some of your multitude of scraps! I am still cutting mine up and hope to show you something beautiful soon. Love, Jodi
ReplyDeleteBeautiful blankie! I stumbled upon your blog somehow and I'm so glad I did! I aspire to be more of a repurposer like you. We're in the middle of moving and getting rid of a lot of stuff. I'm going to go check out Freecycling right now! I had no idea such a thing existed.
ReplyDeleteI also stumbled upon your blog @ doing quilting u have a lot of pieces cut off or strips leftover. I keep to do just what u do.IT is so exciteing to see what your completed item comes out like from just leftovers.
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