Sorting through the junk drawers...
I have one of those plastic 3 drawer units in my sewing room - it's probably something many of you have. It's a convenient place to stash lots of things, and in my case, it had gotten a bit out of control! I've sorted through and cleaned it out before, but it just got full again.
After pulling everything out - one drawer at a time - and doing a bunch of sorting, here is what I found.
Lots of solid scraps:
Skinny strips up to fat quarter size.
And some small pieces of Grunge.
Lots of orphan blocks in multiple sizes:
There is a big pile of leftover charm squares - all different colors, styles, and prints:
And Christmas scraps, all shapes and sizes:
So, the question is what to do with these scraps?
- I need some Christmas scraps for the last house I'm making for a Year in the Neighborhood - there are definitely possibilities for that in this bunch.
- At first the solid scraps didn't inspire me at all, but I realized later that they would be perfect to make a bunch of the little plus blocks that Nancy at Grace and Peace quilting introduced us to a few weeks ago.
- I'm not sure what to do with most of the orphan blocks, but I did have a little fun this week making a snack mat out of the small red and white block. It was made many years ago, and I think it was meant to be a "Polaroid" block. Remember those? The different widths of white sashing around the center square are the clue. I think in this photo, it's upside down.
8.5 x 10.5
I added a red and white HST border to frame the cardinals, and then extended the block to 10.5 inches wide with the floral. The binding isn't sewn yet, but you get the idea!
There are still plenty of scraps to find their way into projects, but my drawers look a lot better than they did when I started!
Sharing at The Inquiring Quilter for Wednesday Wait Loss.
And at Alycia Quilts for Finished or Not Friday.
Great wee project.
ReplyDeleteYou've made great plans for all those scraps! Have you considered a Wanderer's Wife quilt to incorporate your orphan blocks?
ReplyDeleteI’ve been finding little treasures in my sewing room lately and I’m sewing them up into placemats for Meals on Wheels. Isn't it funny the things we stash away in hidey holes!??? Gail at the cozy quilter.
ReplyDeleteRemember Louise that lives/lived on a boat-she used to put a bunch of orphan blocks together to make a donation quilt. She just added strips around to bring them all up to the same size-just a thought. Or pick a couple of those blocks and use as your starter for RSC next year.
ReplyDeleteNice job on organizing the little cabinet. Yes, I have one very similar to that but it holds cross stitch fabric...and needs a bit of straightening as well. I like the idea Vicki mentioned where someone used orphan blocks to make a donation quilt.
ReplyDeleteThose cardinals are cute! Yes I have a couple of drawer units and I feel overwhelmed with all the "stuff" in them right now! I like Terry's Gypsy Wife (I still love that name best) idea, if you felt like taking on a project like that. Whatever you do, how nice you have it organized and waiting!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy sorting thru a bin also, but then, what do I do with these piles of sortings? I tend to pick one and work with it but the remaining piles need to be re-located or stay cluttered on my table.
ReplyDeleteOrphan blocks can be so hard to work with, especially if they're all really different color schemes.
ReplyDeleteThe snack matt is really fun. Good for you getting those odds and ends sorted with possible uses lined up. I never know what to do with left over blocks, I try to put them on the back of my quilts. Doesn't always work out though.
ReplyDeleteManaging my scraps is a never-ending battle.
ReplyDeleteGreat way to use that orphan block! Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2026/11/04/wednesday-wait-loss-509
You never know forgotten items you will find in your storage drawers. How fun to go through your stash and organize. The little snack mat is the cutest. You are staying very busy. Enjoy your day, Diann. Hugs.
ReplyDeletelots of scraps.Occasionally I will go through the drawers in the sewing room and I am always surprised to find how many loose needles and other small things have gotten tossed in the drawers with no organization.
ReplyDeleteYou did great sorting through the drawers, Diann! Lots of treasures there. Cute little mug rug. Some years ago I made myself a bed quilt made of orphan blocks and other bits and pieces. It turned out to be one of my favorite quilts.
ReplyDeleteI hope these oddments will jump-start some creative projects!
ReplyDeleteThose drawers look very well organized. I have multiple drawer units like these in my sewing room holding my stash.
ReplyDeleteI’m with you regarding orphan blocks as there are only so many mug rugs, etc one needs/can give away. Isn’t amazing how fast those drawers get full to bursting? I’m headed to the link for Nancy’s blog to see what you’re referring to as I have a bucket full of solids scraps, lol.
ReplyDelete