In January I had a conversation with Thomas Knauer on the podcast. Thomas is a deep thinker and he’s got some pretty radical things to say about quilting and the industry that’s grown up around it. One of his big ideas is that we should step away from the constant consumerism of quilting – more fabrics, more thread, more tools, more machines – and instead work to make meaning from what we already have.
Thomas suggested creating a piece of patchwork from all of the fabrics in your collection as it stands right at this moment. That quilt would express your taste, your color palette, and your story. I loved this idea and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
One of the things that’s always drawn me to craft is making something from nothing. Years ago I made a bird from cloth labels I cut from all of my clothes as a way of demonstrating that there are bits of interesting and usable fabric all over the place that we hardly notice. Many of my favorite fabrics came from our town dump – literally trash that I’ve been using to make things from for years.
My current fabric collection certainly isn’t nothing, but it also isn’t the stacks of folded yardage you see in many quilters’ sewing rooms. I generally sew small things – dolls and toys – and my fabrics are what other people might considered scraps, stored by color in clear bins.
A few weeks ago I dug into all of those bins and pulled 99 fabrics to make into hexies. Once they were basted my middle child, Simon, and I laid them out on the floor in rainbow order and I lettered and numbered the backs. I’ve been hand sewing them together in the evenings sitting on the couch with my husband while we chatted and finally this weekend the top was done.
I backed it with some gray Kona cotton and bound it with a rainbow chevron by Ann Kelle. The batting is a sample sent to me by Quilters Dream for an article I wrote for UPPERCASE about upcycled fibers.
I’m so happy when I look at this quilt. I’ve had some of these fabrics for more than 10 years and some were tiny scraps just big enough for a single hexie. Now they’re all here in what I’m calling my snapshot mini quilt. A big thank you to Thomas for planting this idea.
Oh, Abby, this is so beautiful. And I just subscribed to Uppercase, largely because you mentioned your article in the current issue, and I just received my first issue and LOVED it. Great job!
That is gorgeous and a fantastic idea. Somehow, all your fabrics still mesh together (surely your layout helps with that, too). When I made my wedding quilt over 3 years, I unintentionally changed fabric tastes midway, so that scrappy quilt is a collection of my very first fabrics and then my more modern ones. It’s continually a comfort and a treasure to me.
Abby this is such a great idea and your execution is lovely and inspiring.
I hate to say it but I’m one of those folks with stacks and stacks of fabric – some from over 30 years ago.
I get it. Use what you’ve got. Years ago I accidentally let a huge batch of fabric get sun exposed to the point of ruin. I kept it all not having the heart to throw it out back when throwing out was the only option. I recently embarked on a rescue mission by overdying batches of fabrics in my washing machine (with low impact dyes). Since 99% of my fabrics are natural fibers this is straightforward and the worst that could happen is that I have to overdye in black. And it’s working! I’ve got a new color palette of linens and silks and new inspiration to sew these old fabrics.
Another comment I’d like to make is the relationship to the size of the “stash” pile and the fast pace of life. I realized that most of my stash was acquired when I worked at my high tech, hyper-fast paced flashy career. My reasoning when purchasing was, “I don’t have time to decide, I’ll buy it all and if I get time to sew I’ll have everything ready.” There’s a link between hurry-up and overbuying that plays out beyond the sewing room into our everyday lives. Just more evidence that our personal choices resonate into the world.
Thank you for this great post!
Such a great idea! My fabric stash is large, and I’m organizing it now in preparation for our next move. I’m finding things I once loved and no longer do. It’s a great thing to see what you have and use it.
lovely quilt, great idea. I am currently on a mission to reduce my fabric scrap bin. I am making placemats with my scraps (which are really mini quilts).
thank you for sharing.
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I totally “get ” this concept and have been practicing this for a long time now. I have many lovely scrappy objects and they , too, are my favourites. It is a wonderful thing to just let yourself go with your own collection of bit and pieces (and to anyone within earshot) … “here is something I am putting into the world that wasn’t here before.” It is one of the best feelings ever.
Exactly!
What a terrific idea. Love what you made…
I really love this idea. I have so much fabric, even after paying attention about using what I have before buying more. Thanks for the inspiration.
I totally adhere to this philosophy. There’s nothing I love more than creating a bag starting with old clothes, curtains… My summer bag is made from some Ikea’s fabric left from another project, some cotton pieces that were given to me, bottoms of too long curtains, bottoms of pants that were cut to become bermudas. The key is the color arrangement. Like when you arranged your hexies on the floor.
Just as your friend Thomas, I find that fabric business is getting bigger and bigger. Where I live, fabric is more expensive than in the USA, and people do not sew very much. I’m always impress to see how many quilters there are out there and how could cost their hobby, even with the lower USA fabric prices.
For my part, I try to buy fabric when on sale and I re-use as much as I can. I accept all fabric donations, I keep the ones made of nice fabric, wash them et cut them into pieces. I keep zippers and buttons. For the rest I donate them. I asked a furniture store to give me their outdated ulphostery samples… I particularly like the faux leather, leather samples. I combine them to make bags. Sometimes I receive fabric samples are big enough to make small pillows.
Since I discovered how to work hexies on your blog (I made the pentagone ball for baby), I’m obsessed with that. I looked at the Passaglia, but felt intimidated. I think I’d rather sew a small quilt or maybe a baby quilt using my scraps, of course. A nice summer project, handsewing outside is great!
Thank you for showing your quilt, the result is awesome!
I’m so glad I turned you on to making hexies! It’s so relaxing. And I love your approach to making with reused materials that are already in your life.
Your quilt is lovely.
There is so much to consume now in the sewing/quilting industry. A few years ago I was obsessed about having lines and fat quarter bundles from my favorite designers. Now I look back and shake my head, as some of the fabrics are still in a cabinet not being used.
Last year I implemented a $100 fabric budget to encourage me to use what I have and dig into my collection. It was gratifying because it took away the impulse purchases and made me consider each purchase. I have tried to continue that this year, but have become more relaxed about it. However, I’m only buying per project instead of what I want in my collection.
Crimson Tate is my local quilt shop and they offer scrap bundles. It’s the perfect way to add in new fabrics without too much commitment of yardage and costs.
Thank you so much for your story about our scraps reflecting our taste. I love it and hope to be motivated by this idea. I have had your “Asleep Awake “doll pattern for quite awhile… can’t wait to begin!
Super! Thank you, June.
It’s beautiful, Abby! My fabric collections isn’t stacks and stacks, that’s for sure 🙂 I have a lot of pieces, but they’re all pretty small and I mostly buy for each project as I go. I checked out the bird made with clothes tags and it’s so fun. I never would have thought of using tags to make something, but it really works well for feathers.
Love your snapshot quilt!! I am actually a knitter who enjoys reading your blog and I immediately thought about doing this with yarn– then I realized I already am! I started a “Marled Magic” shawl on Saturday that is meant to use leftover small amounts of yarn. You always hold two yarns together. I made a bag of red/orange/purple, a bag of neutral and a bag of blue/green and will mix and match them as I work through the different sections. Some of this yarn I don’t even like! It was different than what I thought it would be when I bought it online or it was part of a kit someone gave me. But by combining two yarns you get something different. I set it aside to finish up a smaller project I had in progress but I am excited to get back to Marled Magic and transform yarn from many projects into something unique and wonderful.
That’s so cool.
Wow, I love how your snapshot quilt came out. That is really a fantastic idea to have this ‘story’ of your collection. I can’t believe it makes such a perfect rainbow. I don’t think my stash would be so harmonious. I love it when quilters abandon trends and start to trust themselves, making their own fabric collection from their stash.It is so much more unique.
Dear Abby,
Thank you so much for posting. I have a lot more than 99 fabrics, although many of them are tiny pieces, too small for any hexie wider than 1″. I buy bags of scraps when I can find them and pick up more pieces on the free table at quilt guild meetings. Fabric can be found everywhere. A few years ago, I repurposed a couple of large men’s shirts I found on the street into aprons that were a hit at a church bazaar.
Your wry note about 10-year-old (and more!) fabric reminded me to search out a piece of a dress I made 50 years ago, and I ended up writing my own blog entry about the memories scraps evoke.
Lovely!!
It turned out gorgeous Abby! I remember the podcast with Thomas Knauer. It also resonated with me. It’s refreshing to see others out there using what they already have in their stash, and producing beautiful items that tells their own story. I love it!!