Fabric Scrap Ideas

We ladies adore buttons.

I don't know what it is.

None of my friend's seem to have a "thing"

for snaps,

or hooks and eyes,

or zippers.

I think everyone's grandma had an old

button jar.

Mine had several.

I absolutely loved them.

The shapes, textures, colors, and materials

are mesmerizing to a young girl.

I've done all kinds of things with

the nostalgic buttons that I've been blessed

to inherit from my lovely Grandma.

Donna L Shook, "Grandma's Button Jar"

However, I never thought of making my own.

Until I was researching fabric thrift.

Creating, collecting, and conserving,

all in one fell swoop!

I admire anything that is this practical.

We no longer need to purchase a button-making tool,

all we need is one of these tiny kits.

Easy peasy.



Life is Sweet

Marie LeJeune's fabric flower,

from her "Life is Sweet" blog caught my eye.

I love the way she used her colors

and folded her petals.

She gives a great tutorial

and makes it look easy!





Art Fire



 The idea of creating your favorite

fabric designs and characters 

into darling button sets is exciting.

I'm inspired!

The possibilities are delightful!

Barrettes,

bobby pins,

lapel pins,

earrings,

necklaces,

bookmarks,

anything you can dream up.



Art Fire



Lost Button Studio





Heidi Boyd

Many of the ideas you'll find offer detailed tutorials

so you'll know what you're doing each step

of the way.

~    *    ~    *    ~    *    ~

Another fun way to use up your beautiful scrap colors

is the fabric yoyo.

There are templates out there now-a-days

to make it faster and easier

to whip up a batch while the youngsters

are at football practice

or piano lessons.

Make some ornies with beads and ribbon.

Decorate a garland for a holiday.

Accessorize your handbag with your favorite colors.

Make a colorful gift for your new nephew!

Finally, I'm reminded of my Great Aunt's quilts.

Her beautiful quilts were made from her

aprons, dresses, and husband's shirts.

One in particular, called a postage stamp quilt,

comes to mind.

These are generally made with 1-inch squares.

These are tiny little squares!

From 3/4-inch to 2 1/2-inches, this is super-thrift.

It's no wonder these were most common

during times of economical recession.

We find many of them in rural areas,

where folks just had to work harder

to scrimp and save.

Today we have the benefit of our rotary cutter,

however, we must still remember to

trim up our excess

(a.k.a. garbage).

and store for our magnum opus.

Or mini opus.

I made these two postage stamp quilted pieces

for my kitchen.  One is nice and long for

our table.  It helps us to keep the table cleared off,

even if it is at the expense of covering the runner.

 The other is displayed as a backing in a pane

from this old window frame

from my sister-in-law.

With ribbon and buttons, it's a nice

place to display a photo or postcard.

That's all I have for today, friends.

It's lunchtime for us here,

and I have many growling tummies to tend.

Save those scraps!

A Rug From a Shirt

It's thrifty, resourceful, clever, artistic,

and useful.

It's all the best reasons to save our

too-long favored cottons,

our no longer elegant rayons,

and our sadly worn linens.

This is thrift at it's core.

Lenore MacLeod Bickley, on her blog,

Crafting a Green World suggests cutting strips

about 1 1/2 inches wide to crochet.

She recommends cutting in a zigzag all the way

through your piece, stopping about an

inch from the ends to keep a continuous strip.



(Sew together any ends at a diagonal.)



Roll your fabric strips into nice, tidy balls.

This appears to be made of sweaters.

Such lovely colors!

Imagine this under your feet in January.

Some people prefer to braid with aids.

You may wish to try them as they prefold your fabric

for you.

I find all the extra metal too cumbersome.

You might prefer to crochet your fabric

instead of braiding it.

The photos above show both cotton and

t-shirt jersey fabric.

Here is a photo of braided polyester,

a resilient and durable fabric.

I purchased this blue braided chair pad when I was

a teenager.  Even then I found it on clearance

and "had to have it!"

An early sign of style & frugality,

or the red flag of a spender?

Perhaps both.

But I still have it, enjoy it,

and even fashioned our bathroom by it!

(In this photo, my husband has just finished

our newly tiled floor.  Yay, Tony!)

Above is a no sew rag rug that I found on
"Little House in the Suburbs" blog.

She teaches her grandmother's method

of braiding the whole thing together,

each row into the previous braided rows.

Fantastic tutorial, and so

Clever!

Below are directions for tying

your own shag, or knotted rug.

This one shows how to tie onto a strong laundry

clothesline.

You can purchase them at your local hardware store.

What would one of my posts be without a little lesson?

Well, interesting, maybe.

But this may be informative, all the same.







I feel like I'm ready to make a rag rug.

Or, at least to start collecting for one,

or three!

Here's to seeing your old rags in a

new light. 

Cheers!

Happy scrapping, friends!




Addendum:  Posted on Made By You Monday
on Skip to My Lou
15 August, 2011.

National Thrift Shop Day

Sand Castle Day

The first thing to remember is to

tamp down your sand.

The more you pack,

the better it will carve

and hold a shape.

Keep your castle moist

and allow it to drain.

Keep your sand compact!

A moat isn't just a cool addition

for your castle,

It's the handiest way to have your water source

near you while you build.



A pail and shovel are helpful,

but your hands are your best tools.

Most importantly,

remember that this is fun!

If you don't get this:

 ...Maybe your imagination needs

a little nostalgic nudge.