Scrap-Keeping - It Might Run In the Family

On many occasions I have chronicled here my determined efforts to use my scraps. I save a lot of bits that other quilters might throw away. Try as I might, I just cannot allow myself to trash perfectly good pieces of quilting fabric. The stuff has gotten so dang expensive, and the waste is unacceptable for me.

Yes, I save a lot, and have done so ever since I began quilting over 40 years ago. All this time, however, I did knot know that saving scraps might possibly be hereditary. In a recent dig through my grandmother's tubs of fabrics, I learned that she too saved her scraps. I'd like to think that perhaps my penchant for saving scraps was acquired from my grandmother. How nice. 

Grandma's tubs included one that was chock full of every color of solid imaginable. Like a 64-color box of Crayola Crayons, I've plumbed the depths of her stockpile a few times when I've needed a solid. I recently worked on two quilts requiring solid colors, and found this pale green that would be a perfect addition to my quilt. All folded together, it appeared to be a hefty chunk of uncut yardage. When I unfolded, however, I found all manner of strips and bits.

My project required long strips of fabric, so these pieces ended up working perfectly. How grateful I am that Grandma was a saver of fabric scraps!

The project was a two-at-a-time one. I needed two baby girls quilts, and I had a hankering to use some Kaffe Fassett fabrics in a 'round-robin'-style quilt. I'd made one a couple of years ago when my granddaughter was born. (See picture here.) These seem to appeal to young moms; DD Erin used hers as a floor quilt when Cate was a tiny babe. (See picture here.)

I pulled the solids from Grandma's collection, and had these blocks whipped up in short order. Plus another set identical to these, as well. I've sewn both quilts together and prepared both backings. They are next in the queue for quilting. 

So, thank you, Grandma for saving those scraps! I'm trying to make good use of both yours and mine. *smile*

If you're interested in seeing some examples of the quilts I've made using scraps, click here, here and here.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne