Scrappy Gift Tags

Holiday gift sewing can sure cause a blog to go missing...how can I show what I'm doing when you-know-whos will be reading?
So as slight diversion, here is a little tute on what I did today: Making gift tags! Fused, naturally...and of course with SCRAPS!
Often holiday theme fabrics are kept as a separate collection, but the scraps work just the same. There are always more-more-more, no matter how diligently you apply yourself to using them.

I used lots of scraps, or fabrics that had finally reached their perfect vintage***, to make gifts for the family members I will see at Thanksgiving. I dug into my Christmas collection and even made wrapping for those gifts! But I needed some tags to be sure they didn't get all mixed up.
An index card with fabric fused to the lined side seems to be just about right. To the ironing board!

First, lay down some paper-backed fusible web (I use WONDER UNDER) with the glue side up...that's the side that feels rough.
Place the fabric Right Side up on the fusible.
As a student of the Chicago School of Fusing, I have saved many large pieces of the release paper from using Wonder Under. Other fusibles do not have the same type of paper, so that's why I prefer WU.
That paper on top in the picture is one piece. By placing that on the fabric, I don't have to worry about making sure the fabric is larger than the fusible, or the fact that there are some areas not covered by fabric. The paper will protect my iron. I can move it around until all the fabric areas have been fused.

Hot iron...no steam!

Cut off the extra WU hanging over the edge, and trim the excess fabric at the side (Oh, no...looks like 2 new scraps to me! Was I brave enough the throw them away?)

This excess fabric is currently in the trash...as of this posting, anyway!

It is important in all fusing that the glue be right to the edge of the fabric (or other item...you can fuse to almost anything that you can put a hot iron on!). I like to trim into the fabric a bit.

Trimming to be sure the glue goes all the way to the edge

The fusible needs to cool before removing the paper...especially important if you have fused a large piece of fabric and intend to save that valuable release paper.
But we do get impatient!
If it's still warm, use a pin to scratch through the paper, then crack it open and peel off. That is much better than picking at a corner!

I like a big fancy pin!

The Wrong Side of the fabric is smooth because the glue is now fused there. The paper is smooth because the glue is gone. If anywhere is rough, it needs more heat time.  Just put the paper back and press again.
Try not to over-heat...5--10 seconds is enough.

OK! Now put a large sheet of release paper on the ironing board (both sides are the same) and lay out the index cards, lined side up.
Place the fused side of the fabric on top. Check that it doesn't extend beyond the paper...if so, add some more paper. Or just be really careful ironing at the edge!

Index cards come in lots of colors, but I just had white.

Here are the cards fused to the 2 different fabrics:

A nice clean side to write on.

Then I cut the cards out and gave them a tag shaped end. You could do this with a rotary cutter and a fancy blade, too! Or cut them into ovals or anything else you like...they are your tags!

Free-hand cut the end or use a real tag as a template

I used a hole punch to put 2 holes in each one, as I decided to sew the tags onto the fabric gift wrap.

The 2 little ones were a tag I accidentally cut into...but nothing gets wasted!

Using gold embroidery thread, I went in one hole, through the fabric, and out the other. Then cut the thread very long, and used it to tie a bow. (I did write the names on first!).

There you go! Have at it and make some better/ fancier tags than these. I think it would be fun to fold some into little book shapes.

FYI: I buy WonderUnder on sale and get several yards. I keep it on a cardboard bolt center.

Another use for a string scrap!

I save the release paper sheets clipped together and hanging behind the ironing board so they are handy.

Two clips hanging on a pin in the design wall

If you can't get or don't prefer Wonder Under, I highly recommend PARCHMENT PAPER. Find it with the freezer paper at the grocery. It makes a great release paper, over and under anything you are fusing. You can roll it out as long as your ironing board!

***as motivation for using fabric (some I have had for over 30 years), the new answer to "What am I saving this for?" is TODAY! I declare that all my fabric has reached the time it was being saved for!

Making Scraps...and some progress!

I have a dream.
It is to get the commercial prints (i.e."stash" or 20th/ 21st Century Fabric Collection) off the shelves in my studio. Then I will put my batiks in there!
Have you tried some of the many "stash reduction" ideas around on the Internet? I do have to say, the idea of cutting it ALL UP and enjoying a wealth of pre-cut strips and such is a lovely idea!
However, some of these fabric s have been with me longer than my son. I know I have used bits, as the ends are cut up funny (from back in the day of templates! yes, I am really showing my age now!).
I have to trick myself into it. I have to make some "rules" or guidelines or something...but then my heart takes over and I just can't cut it all up. Do I still think I will need for "that perfect project"...the one that has not come along in over 30 years???
Yes. Yes, I actually do.
Well, now that is something to deal with! So my latest rule/guideline is if it's half yard-ish or smaller it must be all cut up. But it's OK to cut one 6.6" strip and one 5" strip first....just in case I need something wider than a strip! And I should do this as I am looking in the stash for anything else.
I needed an interior border for a scrap quilt, and found these pieces today:

I have had that dark stripey one for about 33 years!

The neutrals were what I was looking for, but I am proud to say I gave a stack of green a sort-through, and that pink just showed up! One stack at a time, I may get there...

The best way to follow through on a plan is to tell someone about it, so I shared my idea with Cherry-Cherry at lunch yesterday. She has the ability to show both support and doubt all at the same time.
It's because she knows me really well!

I did it!

This means I need yet another plastic box for those wide strips! But I really am enjoying the big box of 2.5" strips (see below), and I also like 1.5" strips, hence the little pile on the left of the pic above. All this is going to come in handy in a month when it is time to go on the guild's Retreat...I see hours of lovely, brainless sewing resulting in Log Cabins, Nine-Patches and who knows what else!

Oh...that box:

This was after making 58 scrap blocks!

I can't show the scrap quilts (3) I made with the blocks because they are for the Mystery Quilt class in February!
But the real mystery to me was that I got thinking:I  used up almost all the scraps in my scrap container...but I was sure I had more scraps!!! Where did they go?
And then I remembered. I gave a load of scraps & fabric to the guild's yard sale:

I actually gave all of this away!

Instead of feeling discouraged, I am just feeling amused, and will continue to enjoy the process.
There could be a lot of scrappy quilt tops to sell at QuiltFest next year and for  charity quilts. I know I will never be able to do the quilting on all of them!

Oh, by the way...(and this is really why there is NO END to all this)...here is a pic of my scrap container, which has some new contributions, plus my latest new scrap collection in the bag: stringy odd ends for a string quilt!
At least I have not been saving all those for 30 years!

A moment in time when you can actually see the studio floor!

The Year of the Scraps Begins!

Now the the big quilt show is over, it's time to get back to making quilts!
In fact, there a brief respite between Judging and Hanging that allowed me to make this:

Another dark bordered quilt on a navy blue sofa...sorry!

Very easy and fun!
I don't know where I got the idea, and it certainly looks like something that several people come up with at the same time. The strips used were all 2.5". My thought was how to use 4-patches and 9-Patches in the same quilt, from the same size strips.
This is one you could play with the colors and value placements for a long time and enjoy different results.
Pat-on-the-back: I even finished making a binding for it today! Now how long before it gets quilted???

October is here, and it feels like this should be the New Year, instead of waiting for January to roll around. So I am declaring this The Year of the Scraps (for me...but you are welcome to join in!).
I've made a good portion of my stash into strips, and I want to continue that trend. I like to consider and use pre-cuts as scraps!

There are many interesting blogs about scraps. Bonnie Hunter has one that is chock-full of patterns and ideas. Joan Ford is another. They have some advice for how to cut up your stash, as does the Craftsy class with Nancy Martin, "Strip Your Stash!".
Just cutting a 2.5" strip (soooo popular!) from every fabric you own would be a great start. You might even get brave enough to cut up an entire piece of fabric and be done with it!
Just remember, if there's just an odd bit left over, yes...it is a new scrap!
And if it's a wobbly shaped strip, then you can use it in a String Quilt!

If you want to check in on my Year of the Scraps, use the "SEARCH" box over on the top of the sidebar. I'll label all these posts as SCRAPS.

Making Scraps!

I am working on a Mystery Quilt class for my guild...one that will use scraps, as they requested.
This would seem to be a good way to actually reduce the contents of my own scrap container. 
I dumped it out and sorted by values (all that will be covered here soon!), then proceeded to cut it all up. OK, except for the solid black and solid white fabrics that I didn't want to include. And there were some too-small pieces...all that went back into the container.
I even decided to do a scrap background, and that took up quite a bit of the light colored fabrics.
After sewing almost everything I cut....which I can't show you, because it's for a Mystery Quilt...I was within 10 blocks of having enough for 2 quilts! So I raided my stash, because, after all, it's just like a big scrap container! And I am trying to get all the commercial print fabrics out of the studio cupboard so I can replace them with my BATIKS!
Here's the sad-but-true thing about scrap quilts: you cannot use up all the scraps. In fact, you will probably make more scraps...which is what I did:

Scraps of scraps!

The 1/4 full container is now back to almost full, and I also got some nice little pieces for the Mile-A-Minute box (on the right).
It reminds me of a favorite poem, by Lewis Carroll, "The Walrus and the Carpenter" from Through the Looking Glass.
This part:

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"
"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

But they are different scraps than the ones I started with, so no tears are being shed!

Stash to Strips!

A new 14" ruler! It's great for cutting scraps.

It started with the innocent desire to donate some fabric to the guild's annual sale, and quickly escalated into a massive Stash Reduction Project!
I had a basket of yardage that had been in the closet for a year. Giving it away would be the perfect anti-Pack Rat move, if I could only not look at the contents. But you know I did!

Now, the best way to overcome that Pack Rat urge is to donate items, because you are not throwing them away. They are just going to someone else who will love them. At least, that's what I tell myself, and works briefly.
So when I saw some fabrics in the basket that I liked, I cut them into 2.5" strips to make a pre-cut package for the sale.
That's where I went wrong. I decided, since I was giving away the yardage, the orange cut strips would make another nice Halloween style Quirky Bits (since DeLuna had bought the first one I made last year). So then I needed to cut some more while I was at it! There are plastic drawers of fat quarters and similar scraps that I had not looked at in quite awhile, so I figured the orange drawer was ripe for stripping!

You might be surprized how much fabric can fit in a 11" x 13" drawer...or maybe not!

Before I knew it, I was stuck in an obsession that had to be taken all the way...through the oranges, the browns, the purples and the greens...through the reds and all the way to the big Blue box!
And then, there was a box just labelled "Fat Quarters" (no colors), meaning I had started stuffing them into that box because all the sorted containers were full!

And even more can fit in a bigger box!

Oh, the big Blue box? Yeah, that one was under-bed storage size.
Or, as so many of us will understand, more than large enough to hold a cat.

Nothing collects cats like an open box of fabric! Shayla says, "It's mine now!"
But she's wrong.

All these pieces had to be ironed and folded back on-grain. Then cut and tossed on a stack: 2.5" or 2" or 1.5". Being innumerate, I randomly chose those widths. Then I attempted to be ruthless...
and did OK. I only have one large box left now with pieces I just couldn't bear to cut up!

The 2.5" strip pile.

It took 10 days. but finally I stopped. I had to swear to Cherry-Cherry I would not even peek in another box.
Yes, there are other boxes. And there is all the "real stash" on the shelves. That doesn't include the batiks, either. I am one fabric addict for sure!

At least I have learned that organization (some amount...) increases the probability of using these things, so the strips had to go into boxes. I chose to make them Light and Dark, letting the poor Mediums fall where they may. Just one width to a box. 

A piece of foam core makes a nice divider between Lights & Darks.

I even ended up with a couple of empty boxes!
And decided on my first project to use the strips: A Pink & Brown Log Cabin from 2" strips. Anything I thought I would use for that went into its own container. It's so nice to sit down and just start sewing, now that the cutting is done.

Ready for some mental health sewing!

I confess...the original scrap strips just went into the boxes with all the others.
But I did generate a GIANT scrap bag** for the guild sale, plus the basket of yardage. I'm putting those in my van today, because the sooner they are gone, the better the chances they will stay gone!

**10 pounds of scraps, covering a 30 year collection...not all my scraps, just the ones I could let go of!
It fills one of those pop-up laundry bags.
Yes, C.C., I am one sick puppy for fabric!
And, no...I am not cutting everything into strips. The yardage is safe.

Potholder Time Again!

Patchwork Pie is back, and today it's all about POTHOLDERS!
They can be as artistic as mini-quilts, or just slapped together utility items. They are the perfect gift, and...best of all...the most wonderful therapy in the world!

A pile of batted-up potholders!

I had a nice collection of batik scraps from a quilt I'd made for a class at the Campbell Folk School (it has been shown in their ads for the last year in every issue of Quilting Arts magazine...yes, these very scraps!). I also wanted to make a house-warming gift for some special friends out in Washington state, so a project was born!

This is a NO NUMBERS project, as in I didn't care if anything was the same size, and I certainly did not want to take the chance of doing any math!
Here's how I did it:

Rulers in this post are used only as straight edges...ignore those numbers!

1 )  After sewing some log cabin-ish blocks (with no regard to length, side, or direction of the "logs") I put each one on top of two layers of cotton batting and cut everything even all at once. In fact, you can just fold the batting (also scraps!). Measure by eye, not numbers!
 It does not have to be perfect or at right angles or anything at this point.

That's a fold along the bottom, another opportunity to just cut everything at on time.

2)  Batt not big enough? Just zig-zag some scraps together! Use a very wide stitch going off the batting layers, and lengthen the stitch. Or butt two pieces together and zigzag where the edges meet.

Two layers stacked

3)  These potholders are made to be used. And by "used," I mean "abused", as in grabbing them for any kitchen task. So I like terry cloth on the back! An old towel is terrific (also for inside instead of batting) but I didn't have one, so I had to visit The Big Box Store. But I had a 40% 0ff coupon, of course!
Lay the batted potholder on the terry cloth and just cut around it, free hand if you want!

Most of the potholders had more terry cloth around the edges at this stage.

4)  Time to quilt the layers together! If you care, match the bobbin to the backing. I had a nice blue King Tut thread for the top that looked OK with all the fabrics.
My favorite utility stitch: long wavy lines, with the machine set as you always do for regular stitching! You move the fabric back and forth for the wave.
You could do straight lines or anything your heart desires!

It doesn't need more than an X!

The extra backing means you don't have to worry about the layers matching!

5)   Trim from the front...no, I don't care what size it is, just make it look good. The binding will be easier with square corners (use bias binding if your potholder is round!).

6)  Here's an all-by-machine binding using straight grain strips cut 1 1/2". OK, so that's a number. I like to cut strips I can use for other things if there are any leftovers, but actually, in this case, the strips could be anything that looks like it's 1 1/2"!
By eye, fold & press one long edge of each strip to the wrong side, about 1/4"-ish. No, I do not know how many strips, or how long or whatever...cut cut & press some. This will use up scraps and encourage experimenting with various colors as you run out of each one you thought was ideal!

7)  Lay the strip on the BACK, right sides together, with the folded edge up and raw edges matching.

Just sew the strip on, and cut it off at the end...or chain sew the next potholder on until you run out!

8)  Do two opposite sides. Then wrap the binding to the front and topstitch it down, very close to the fold. You need to finish two opposite sides before doing the other two sides.

Read the next step!

9)  When you bind the other two sides, start and stop each strip by wrapping the end around to the front. The stitching will catch that part as you sew along the edge. Stop before you get to the corner, trim about an inch more than needed, and wrap that extra to the front (see pic below!). Finish sewing the side. When you bring the binding around to the front, the wrapped ends will cover the corners.

Wrapped end is underneath

10)  Topstitch through all the layers to finish. It doesn't have to be perfect. It will still be pretty and fun in the kitchen...until it's used up and thrown away (but that's after it has been washed several times) (unless you get it too close to a burner and...well....).

11)  I ended up with 9 potholders!
And not one of them the same as another.
Won't this be a fun & useful gift?

Long-time readers of Patchwork Pie will see that my design wall is still covered with threads!

PS: Inquiring Minds will want to know: any side is about 6--8".
Yes, that would be "about potholder size"!

Quirky Bits in Quilting Class

The Martin County Quilters were ready for Quirky Bits!

After my "Taming the Scrap Basket" lecture the night before, they showed up with wonderful fabrics, ready to get scrappy and have some fun!

What a great place for a quilt class...one of the community centers at Pinelakes Gardens and Estates in Stuart, FL. Nice and bright, lots of tables and helpful people...but, as usual almost everywhere, don't forget the extension cords!

Besides meeting wonderful quilters, one of the interesting things about teaching is figuring out how to use the space available, which of course you have not seen beforehand.
These double stacked chairs made an excellent holder for my portable design walls.

Quirky Bits was designed to use scrappy little 3" blocks.
The original is on the right. Cherry-Cherry made the lovely monochromatic version on the left.
The Martin County Quilters had a number of aproaches to "QB".
One person had a wide selection of purple batiks for a one-color quilt, while several others took advantage of the coordinated-yet-varied jelly rolls. A few actually had scrap strips:

.... one person came totally organized:

This scrap basket was beyond "tamed". It was completely house-broken!
We were all in awe of this.
And if some of us laughed, inside we were all envious and wished our strips were so well arranged.

It never takes quilters long to find this bowl of chocolate and mints.
It is for medicinal purposes, and it's a good thing I bring it along. Even a fun class can be stress inducing, so almost everyone needs to make at least one trip to the bowl!

The Martin Co. Quilters are only three years old, and I feel quite honored to be the first teacher/ speaker they have hired. They are forming up into a very large and active guild with a great future.

Mystery Quilt Revealed!

The Crossroads Quilters in Perry, Georgia, were thrilled with their Mystery Quilt, and I hope you like it, too!
Most of the quilts are being made for their charity, teenagers at the Georgia Industrial Children's Home in Macon, so I designed a special long-twin size for those. The quilt you see here is the regular twin size.

This was done in EQ6...what a great program!

It will be available soon as a pattern with three sizes included (I know you want to make a bed quilt! The pattern gets even better with more blocks).

So now it is official....I have driven over 4 hours and across state lines to talk about scraps!
Call me crazy (you will not be the first OR the last!) but I do love to be together with a group of quilters, sharing our love of fabric, colors, and probably chocolate. The Crossroads Quilters are a fun group, and had an awesome Show & Tell!
Here's a look at the Famous Over-Flowing Scrap Basket in action:

It has some friends on board....Perky Old Men ( 3" nine-patches & blacks & whites), charm quilt, and a blue & yellow scrap quilt.
Yes, scrap quilts can be made in a planned color scheme, you just need lots of different fabrics of the same color. This is especially good for people who want to be scrappy but still need to keep things under control.
You true Scrap-a-holics out there know the truth, though.
The more different fabric/ prints/colors you use, the better they all go together!

Quilt Mobile: On the Road Again!

The Quilt Mobile is ready to roll!

That's my mini-van. It's been the Quilt Mobile now for many years...in fact, this is the third vehicle I've had by that name.
The first was a light blue Dodge Caravan. Then there was the dark blue Nissan Quest. Now it's a dark grey Toyota Sienna (not much brand loyalty, eh?).
When it was time to trade in the Quest, I debated about my choice. I don't need the "Mom Mobile" aspect of a mini-van now, so maybe it was time for a car?
But I like the idea that I can load up to seven other quilters and take off on adventures, so another van it had to be.

Then there times like this, when I am getting ready to go give a lecture and teach. It sure is good to have enough space for the huge design walls and over-flowing scrap basket (the main prop for my "Taming the Scrap Basket" lecture, although it has never been tamed!), not to mention the tote bags of supplies and suitcase.

But time is wastin' and I must be ready to go early tomorrow....stay tuned for adventures away from home!

Using It All Up

I have staggered from my studio, covered in tiny little threads (or badges of honor, as I like to call them). The blue & white Nine-patch top is finished!

It has strange scrappy sashings. I cut strips from the collection of blue fabrics I found with the blocks. The strips between the blocks are all the same size as the blocks, but I did the sashing between the rows with odd lengths that were intended not to be the same size as the blocks!

Well, that was an interesting experiment...I'll have to look at it later and see if I like it!

I sewed the long strips of blue squares into 3 rows to make borders all around, and ended up with a top about 55" x 58".
This is why, when asked how big my quilt is going to be, I answer, "As big as it is when I'm through working on it."

By the way, I did locate the original blue & white top made from the same collection of blocks. It has a blue & white striped sashing, and the same triple-strip squares border as I made for the top today.

There were a few strips of squares left over, so I put them together to end up with 4 nine-patch blocks (all dark & medium, no real pattern) and then sewed those togther in a strip.

My goal: to use up every bit of this stuff!

I looked at the remaining blue fabric and found a piece big enough to fill in for the rest of a pillowcase hem, but no piece big enough for the bag part.

That had me rooting in the stash where I found a fabulous sateen type yard that has dark & medium blue little cresent moons! What could be better?

Now I have my own beautiful new pillowcase.
Best of all, I have entirely used up or scrap-bagged everything that had been hiding in a tote for several years!

I think I am finally getting somewhere.