A waste of fabirc?
03-28-2011, 10:22 AM
#41
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 286
Originally Posted by gaigai
Originally Posted by beewild
First I would like to say thanks for all of the invaluble tips that I get from this site. It has made me a better and smarter quilter in soooo many ways! I don't post much but MUST read every day to make my life complete. LOL. I need to know if I am crazy or just plain stingy for thinking this way so please help! OK here goes. I made a queen size quilt from the Brasstown Star blocks. The pattern had me cut 4.5" squares from fabric 1, and from fabric 2 & 3, 2.5" squares. Take a 4.5" square, place a 2.5" square on opposing corners and sew across the diagonal of the small square. cut off the corner 1/4 away from the seam, flip and press, repeat on the remaining 2 corners. what you end up with is a 4.5" square with a 2" square in the center of fabric 1. Now as I was working on these blocks and my scrap pile was growing I got more annoyed that I was wasting so much fabric! With all that being said this is my question.... would you have altered the pattern and cut the pieces to the correct finished size and done it that way or would you have followed the pattern? With the prices of fabric these days that added up to a lot. I figured that I wasted appoximatly half of the fabric used to make these!!! I did finish the quilt but it costed me almost twice as much? After my very long winded explaination my question is what would you have done?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
03-28-2011, 10:33 AM
#42
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Johns Creek, GA
Posts: 321
Originally Posted by Patticake
What I do is sew 5/8ths of an inch from the seam for the pattern out toward the corner then cut off the triangles and throw them in a zip lock. Once the quilt is done I decide if I want to use them right away, put them away for later, or stick them in a box of scraps. The box of scraps, when full, is sealed and I post on this board under Free Offers and Donations.
To find this page, go to home at the top of any posting; select the "All Sections" at the bottom of the list, change the notation on those you want to see to Subscribe and then you can post that you have a box of scraps for free. If you want to have the recipient pay for postage, just make sure you say that in your post.
The hardest part for me is deciding who to send the box to as I usually get several immediate responses. I feel better about not wasting fabric (because I used to toss the scraps in the garbage) and I get to share with someone on this board who loves to use little scraps. With the price of fabric continuing to rise, I like to feel like I’m using all of it for something good.
:lol:
To find this page, go to home at the top of any posting; select the "All Sections" at the bottom of the list, change the notation on those you want to see to Subscribe and then you can post that you have a box of scraps for free. If you want to have the recipient pay for postage, just make sure you say that in your post.
The hardest part for me is deciding who to send the box to as I usually get several immediate responses. I feel better about not wasting fabric (because I used to toss the scraps in the garbage) and I get to share with someone on this board who loves to use little scraps. With the price of fabric continuing to rise, I like to feel like I’m using all of it for something good.
:lol:
03-28-2011, 01:33 PM
#44
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: home again, after 27 yrs!
Posts: 19,388
i had left over hst's made from doing larger triangles on corners of squares. they were quite small so i added more triangles to them and made larger and used them on side borders on this quilt.
03-28-2011, 02:41 PM
#45
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1,011
Originally Posted by gaigai
Pitch 'em. Unless you do scrappy. I don't worry about "wasting" fabric. If there are two different ways to piece a block, and one is easier than the other, I could care less how much fabric it "wastes". I don't consider it a waste. If it bothers you so much either save them and use them for something else, change techniques, or give them to someone who really will use those bitty pieces. Mine go in the trash. I've decided not to keep anything smaller than a fat quarter, and even then, I know I'm probably NEVER going to use them.
03-28-2011, 04:55 PM
#47
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 3,955
I sew like MTS does and started a scrap stash for giving away, even if they use them for stuffing. My trip to the dumpster (live in an apartment) does get lighter and I feel like I am giving back for all the knowledge I get from this board.
03-28-2011, 05:01 PM
#48
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Maine
Posts: 730
Originally Posted by craft phanatic
I would have sewed those little matching triangles together and made a mini! Could have put it on the wall in the same room as the quilt and it would have matched perfectly.
03-28-2011, 05:56 PM
#49
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Centerville, WA
Posts: 1,254
I save all the little triangles & use them as headers & enders while working on other projects. You most always get two so I sew them together. It saves thread plus gives me two small half triangles sewed together & when I have several of these, I make little star blocks out of them. The star blocks end up being 5 inches on up in size. You can then alternate a star block & a plain block to make a scrappy star quilt, pillow, place mats, table toppers or pot holders out of them.
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