Darn you, Bonnie!
Darn Bonnie Hunter!
Why does she have to make such awesome scrap quilts? And why does she have to be so darn organized?
I love my scrap boxes!
I love digging through them. I pull out little reminders of quilts completed, waiting to be completed and those booted out of my life forever! The red, green and black quilt comes to mind…a challenge quilt that my sister and I were going to do. Fabric looked great in the shop…not so much on the design wall. No matter how I arranged those squares and triangles, nothing looked right. I waited for my sister to throw in the towel. She didn’t. I blinked first and she happily agreed to trash the project. So all of those squares and triangles went into the scrap box. I still shudder when I pull one of them out remembering what almost was. Then a little smile because I still like the darn fabric! But, of course. I digress!
As much as I love pawing through the box when I have nothing else to do (like when does that happen?), I hate digging through it in search of that one print/color for a scrap quilt. What a time suck!
Enter Bonnie Hunter by way of my sister. (I have to start ignoring her. 🙂 ) She purchased one of Bonnie’s books and bought into the whole organize your scraps theory. I can see her now, feverishly cutting strips and squares in various sizes. Well, maybe not feverishly–but cutting none the less. What I can’t see is me doing the same thing. If there’s one thing that anyone who knows me knows it’s that I do nothing-and I mean nothing-feverishly! But my dear sister (the Enabler) convinced me to try.
OK…my turn. On her recommendation, I purchased this book.
I discover that I love the quilts. However, I’m pretty sure I’m not cutting up shirts to make scraps. Here is what I would have to work with. Obviously, my husband is neither flashy or flamboyant.
Even if I wanted to go that route (I don’t) I couldn’t. He’d be a little upset if I did. He’s still mad at me because I gave away his safari jacket. Seriously, he still brings it up in the occasional argument. Now, I have thought about cutting up his Cubs shirts…for that just right Cubbie blue triangle but I like living in this house. 🙂 Would probably be a deal breaker.
So I started slicing and dicing my scraps into usable squares and strips. I was a human Vegomatic! I’ll admit it will be very useful when I have enough. (Do we ever have enough?) But it will be a long road from this
to this.
Cuz I’d rather stitch ’em than cut ’em! How about you?
buriedinscraps 
‘I’d rather stitch ’em than cut ’em.’ Amen, Sister! I like pawing through the scraps myself. There is a certain tactile tingling from running my hands through those scraps. 🙂
It’s hard to describe the feeling you get from pawing through them. But other quilters know what you mean!
Funny post – and I agree that I’d like to be organized but also like the big drawers of scraps to look through and reminisce.
Lillian
Like little slices of life!
I am still too new to have a bin of scraps. However, I did inherit a small box a bit ago and someone recommended Bonnies website. I did start cutting and sorting. I don’t know what to do with them but they look pretty all cut up. 🙂 And if I keep this up as I learn to make quilts and gather scraps it would probably be a good thing, eh? 😀
How I wish I had started out organized! Have you heard of leaders and Enders? It’s a good place to start with your pretty cut up scraps!
http://www.american-quilting.com/blog/?p=2408
Try this link for a tutorial.
No! I have never heard of that. What a great idea for those awkward scraps I don’t want to keep. Thanks. 🙂
Bonnie hunter has great leader enders. I am doing a 3.5 spool block with 1.5 inch strips. I love leader enders. Might as well. You gotta put something in there. Might as well be productive. lol
Okay…I love Bonnie Hunter! I love my precut scraps. Most of my precuts are in strips though.
I know you have more you can cut. lol I usually cut my scraps when I am finished with cutting a new quilt.
I remember that challenge. It was an awful thing. I believe I could do it now. lol
Oh, I have plenty to cut! I’ve been cutting as I go along with other blocks. I’m just not up to tackling those scrap boxes. As for that project, I don’t ever want to revist that! The concept was OK….the fabrics were hideous! How could they look so good in the shop and so awful in a quilt?
I don’t…I guess we just managed our way through it straight to the trash can or scrap box. lol One of our better executive decisions. lol
I think I have the red and black print.
i’m a newer quilter so I don’t have a stash, I can only dream of the day I have scraps to paw through and cut into
Oh.you will!!!
LOL! Too funny Candy! His shirts would make a nice neutral quilt… 😉
Sure would! He’s a neutral kinda guy!
I spend a good twenty minutes clearing up before every sewing session but somehow it never gets any tidier. I dream of one of those where women work studios. Hmmmmm.
I know! I do the same thing. I’m not a tidy quilter. So if I had one of those dream studios it would probably look the same way…only bigger!!
Haha, such fun to read your post. I love scraps but there are some you just “grow ” out of!
So very true!
I was also looking at my “stash” and I can see some of it is very dated. May have to donate some.