Has your scrap basket ever been empty? Mine - never. On the contrary I feel that it is like a magic pot - the more you use it, the fuller it gets. Is it even possible to use every scrap? I decided to do a fun challenge - to sew from the scrap basket for 4 weeks and see how many items I can make.
I sort my Marimekko scraps by weight - cotton, upholstery grade, oilcloth.
I picked the smallest piles (upholstery and oilcloth). There are so many treasures there - rare Marimekko fabric pieces in different sizes and shapes.
For the first week I decided to prepare all pieces /exterior + interfacing, interior, batting, zipper tabs/ for 10 pouches in advance so I could sew them whenever I have time during the week. It took 2 hours to cut everything and I had a nice tall pile ready to use.
Week 1 - I was able to sew all 10 of them + 1 extra during. Here are just few of them.
Week 2 was more difficult - life took over and I didn´t have much time - only 2 days to sew. Also the variety of scraps was not that much as when I just started. On first sewing day I cut and made 4 pouches, on the second - only 3. But look how colorful they are!
These are quite thick fabrics - some of them are coated with PVC on the wrong size, some are laminated. I also add fusible interfacing to upholstery grade cotton fabric to make it sturdier and more durable. I found that top stitching along the seam with a simple zig zag or any decorative stitch makes the seams flatter and as a bonus, they looks nicer!
It is fun to combine the fabric and I am very pleased with the result. Probably, my favorite pouch so far is this one - rainbow oilcloth.
Week 2 - 7 pouches. They will make great gifts as the end of the school year is approaching.
I always feel better when I use my scraps. They inspire me more than yardage and I always come up with unusual color combos. Scrappy makes me happy!
I recommend you to take a closer look at your scrap basket and may you get inspired to start using your scraps. If you would like to join me for the scrap challenge please, use hash tag #madefromthescrapbasket on instagram.
Happy Sewing!
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