Thursday, June 14, 2012

Scrap user or scrap saver?

So with all of the 'stuff' going on around here, I don't have the brain capacity to think and do too much math.  I have a huge quilt to make by next Friday for a wedding and have started cutting it out, but can only work on it in small chunks of time.  My migraines are running rampant and the doctor is dragging his feet with referring me to the specialist.  He keeps talking about all of the different treatment options that are out there, but when I keep pressing him to try them, he says that he is waiting for the referral to go through.  Normally with Kaiser, things happen in a matter of hours, so I'm not sure if there really aren't options available (accupuncture and botox) or if they are so out of the normal that it really does take months to get approval.  I had yet another blood test yesterday to check for CO2 levels and they came back abnormal again.  That is to see if one of my  meds is hurting my liver.  I've been on that drug for about 8 years and it isn't doing what it was doing when I first went on it.  I really liked it because it not only helped reduce the migraines, but also made me lose about 30 pounds :)  I'm afraid if I go off it, the weight will come back.  Oh, well...

So, the question today is, are you a scrap user or a scrap saver?  There are several systems out there called scrap savers.  I'm pretty good at saving my scraps and small pieces, but when it comes to making a quilt, the first thing I grab for are the large pieces off the shelf.  They are so much easier to use up than the small pieces.  Even with the Accuquilt Go! fabric cutter, taking the time to position the small size fat quarters and even smaller pieces on the die cuts to get the most out of these little bits takes more time than having a nice long strip to cut. 

Since it is summer time and I have more time on my hands, I am once again trying to tame the sewing rooms.  Yes, I have now taken over the front family room with my sewing mess and it is the first room you walk into when you come to the house.  I have two book shelves in there with piles and bunches of fabrics on them and that's where all of the small bits of fabrics are arranged.  I went to WalMart yesterday and got these buckets that I thought would be perfect for those little bits that aren't sitting nicely on the shelves.  I got 5 bins and as you can see, the fabric does't fit.  So, what to do?  Get more bins at $4 each or use up the fabric?  I'm sorting by color and youc an see the blues and greens and browns are in the most abundant supply.  Looks like I need to make some boy quilts out of those colors. 

Do you have a hard time using up great fabric?  I used to because it was just so pretty, but now I've decided that I need to use it up faster to make more room on the shelves.  I still have some in the garage and in the shed and that has to come in the house too.

I've evolved from a scrap saver to a scrap user.  I just wish I didn't have to sleep!












2 comments:

Heather said...

I'm probably a scrap saver. For each new quilt I love going out and buying special fabric just for that pattern. The only projects I use my scraps for are applique projects since they use many teeny tiny pieces.

Luckily my stash is still in its very early stages so it is quite small. I hope to keep it that way with prudent purchasing, even if I never get around to using up the scraps I have.

Good luck getting your stash organized! I love sorting by color as well.

KatieQ said...

The idea of getting my scraps in a form that is reasonably usable is always more appealing than actually using them. I love when I can use strips to make quilts and I don't like to use anything less than 2.5 inches
I love scrappy style quilts rather than scrappy quilts. I'm always in awe of quilters like Bonnie Hunter who take fragments of fabric, mix them all up and create a fabulous quilt. Having said that, I don't like the actually having over 100 fabrics in a quilt. It puts me on sensory overload.