Right now we are wondering how to use up all our fabric bits so we can keep sewing even if we can’t go to the shows and shops to buy more (although, don’t forget though that most shops are doing mail order via the web or phone). But it is also that time of year – Springcleaning or something – as we all seem to think about our scrap bags and what to do about them, lock-down or not. April was scheduled to be a scrap special on the UKQU blog, once Easter was out of the way, and earlier this year I was compiling a Wandering the Web article for British Patchwork & Quilting magazine on scraps and at the same time Barbara Chainey and I have been running a series called Scrappy Sundays over on our blog with ideas and patterns (occasionally) along with photos of we have done, or are doing, with our scraps at the moment. So what better time than now to hunt out my books with ‘scraps’ in the title to see if they come up with any ideas for me to reduce my bags of scraps even a little.
My oldest one is by Jan Halgrimson – Great Scrap Bag Quilts – which was published in 1980. It says it has 110 full-size quilt patterns suitable for using scraps.
The ‘quilt patterns’ are actually blocks in alphabetical order ranging from Andrea’s Star to Wreath of Leaves. The diagrams are hand drawn in black and white and the templates are drawn without seam allowances. The front section of the book briefly covers how to make and use the templates and how to hand-stitch the pieces together with a piecing stitch (a mixture of running stitch and backstitch). It also has a discussion on where to find scraps such as old and/or worn out clothing and the most suitable fabrics for quilt-making.
I have two scrap quilt books by Judy Martin – Scrap Quilts and Scraps, Blocks and Quilts. Scrap Quilts is the older of the two, being published in 1985 and again has templates and black and white illustrations, although it does have separate colour photograph sections of completed quilts. The first part also includes information on how to make and use templates and has a section on machine piecing as well as hand piecing (again using the piecing stitch, not over papers).
The second book was published in 1990 and again has a huge number of block patterns, all suitable for using with scraps. Exploded diagrams of the blocks sit next to colour photos of completed blocks and templates with seam allowances are provided – still no rotary cutting though.
Slightly more up to date (this century!) is Scrappy Duos. This has lots of block designs suitable for scraps but also suggests ways of combining two blocks to make the quilts so that secondary designs appear where the blocks meet. It has lots of colour diagrams and pictures and (at long last) no templates, just rotary cutting instructions.
Scrap-Basket Surprises offers 18 quilts from 2½ inch wide strips – so more of a ‘jellyroll’ book , but as most strip rolls these days only have one strip of each fabric they are more like scraps, although possible slightly better co-ordinated as all the strips come from the same range unlike our scrap strips.
A year or two ago (there’s no date) Today’s Quilter magazine gave away a little booklet called Scrapbusting with one of their issues, in partnership with C&T Publishing. It has some ideas for storing and organising your scraps as well as for using them up, the five projects are taken from books published by C&T.
Finally I have a slightly different ‘scrap’ book – one that has ideas for orphan blocks – not exactly ‘scrap’ perhaps but they still have a tendency to hang around accusingly much as too many scraps do. Quilt Block Leftovers has plenty of ideas for turning those blocks into something vaguely useful from pot-holders to cushions via baby blankets and tote bags.
How often have I consulted these books? That would be telling, but I think my scrap mountain (a small part of which forms the header to this post) and lack of scrap quilts in the cupboard will give you a bit of a clue! Maybe now is the time . . . especially as they are now off the shelf and on the desk.
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