Good use for old sewing patterns
 

My neighbor is a big clothes sewer and she is moving. She brought over a big tub of sewing patterns and asked me if I could possible have a use for them before leaving for the trash pick up. I first I said no then I thought of the foundation string blocks my quilt group was going to start making next month. The tissue paper is perfect for this. I cut hundreds of squares for the base of the blocks, using my Go die cut machine.

Thanks for the idea! I have not done much foundation piecing, but I have a box full of fabric scraps from all of DD's past clothing that my Mother and I made or bought for special events. I have been planning to attempt crazy quilts. My Mother sewed all her life for me, DD, and many others for income. Needless to say....I have many large totes full of various types of patterns and now I have at least one purpose for them! This might be encouragement to get started!

what a great upcycle idea!

My DD made me a bouquet of flowers out of the tissue for my sewing room. They are really cute.

What a great idea for the patterns. I remember seeing a decorating show on TV where the decorator decoupaged them to one wall of a craft room. Another great way to recycle.

There were a bunch of 1980s & 90s patterns boxed up in the attic at the shop when we bought it. None of them have the outer sleeve (envelope) on them. I think the pattern makers used to have shops simply discard the contents and send in the outer sleeve to receive credit for unsold out-of-date patterns. I’m not sure about that, but I think that’s how they did it years ago. I assume that the previous Owner couldn’t bring herself to throw them in the trash, so she boxed them up and stuck them up in the attic.

The patterns are all uncut and contained pretty well wrapped up in the instruction sheets, so I put one complete pattern in the portable case bottoms of machines that I service, partly to catch any excess oil drips, and for perhaps a pleasant surprise if or when the user ever peeks under the machine. It’s just something that I do for fun.

CD in Oklahoma

I saw a ratty looking featherweight case covered in the older patterns using the outside envelope...really neat...just decoupage them on to the surface.. sure made that case look fantastic...I think they did the inside also...don't remember...

people know that I sew a lot so I take old patterns and use them for wrapping paper and the tissue paper I use in gift bags like you do color tissue paper.

I also use old patterns to cover a glass window in one of my cabinets in the sewing room to cover up the glass so light don't get at my threads .