Scrap Busting!

Once my family and friends realized that I couldn’t throw fabric out {or even give it away}, I have been the fabric dumpster to everyone. I’ve inherited 3 different grandma stashes when they downsized, and I even got a box full of sample fabrics from a store owner who was clearing out the old and making room for the new.

I’m always so excited to get free stuff but there are challenges that go along with using old fabrics with no labels. It’s a guessing game in what the fiber content is and how the fabric will react to certain stitches and ironing {yikes!}. Luckily, I’m a textiles and clothing graduate from The Ohio State University, and I can usually come close to determining how a fabric should be handled. When in doubt, I sew some samples and play with stitching, and of course I always test a small piece on the iron, even when I know what it is!

Another fall back in using an old stash, is that you’re using patterns that you wouldn’t normally pick out. Other people’s style, although valid, don’t always fit into my vision. And top that off with the fact that a lot of these fabrics are from the 50s {or older??}. There were some wacky fabrics produced then and apparently people bought them, shoved them in their fabric closet, and then forgot about all the cooky things they could make with it.

Call it a challenge, call it lazy. I use my crazy fabric stash. I try my best to find a new perceptive and pair one person’s taste with another person’s to somehow match my own. I have a love affair with with fabric and I really believe there is true beauty in all of it. There is always a project out there that works perfectly with that jungle themed breezy cotton, or the uncanny amount of blue plaids. I haven’t gone to the store to buy fabric in ages. And when I did they were projects for other people, who had something specific in mind. I love it this way. It’s cheap, creative, and economical. Bang-o-rang, I’m good!

Here’s an awesome Rollie Pollie {Pattern purchased from Made} I made for my sweet children {and lazy dog} with scraps of toile and one of the blue plaids. I also used some sturdy navaho print cotton to make the actual pillow, and then used the toile mix for a slip cover. To stuff it, I used a giant, human sized bag of old stuffing I got from my aunt’s mother’s attic. I think that bumps my grandma stash to 4!

I love how it turned out, and the kids love to jump, roll, and relax on it. Perfect.

 

Am I the only one who prefers stash busting to buying?