Quilters do not like to waste and we do not like to throw out fabric. We love the challenge of finding ways to use leftover fabrics, blocks and other materials. On this page I can show you some of the ideas I have come up with to use my leftovers!
Often, it is a very time-consuming task just to choose fabrics for a quilt project. When I complete a quilt, I like to keep the leftover fabric together rather than place it back in my stash which is sorted by colors. I place all the leftover fabric in a zip lock bag, all ready to use for one of my charity baby quilts.
During the pandemic, I decided it is “now or never” to use up these zip-locked fabrics. I might have needed to be locked up, but why should innocent fabric be forced into quarantine. Since I had the time, I decided to be more creative than usual when using up these fabrics. I had “sew” much fun coming up with unique patterns and designs, making the most of the bits and pieces in the bags. I also made a commitment to myself NOT to purchase new fabrics, but to use only what I had in my stash. Here are some of my Leftover Creations:
These blocks were left over from a baby quilt I made for my great nephew. I pulled the green with pink and blue flowers from my stash to frame it all up.
You can see I also added blue and pink appliqued flowers. The white snowball blocks needed filling. I just love the way this came out. Not especially easy — those border blocks are all pieced, but very unique result!
The flower print plus the orange and blue plaids were left over from a baby quilt I made for a friend. The variety of colors in the flower print was a perfect opportunity to do one of my favorite patterns — The Lil’ Twister. It’s also a great way to use up small scraps.
Sew Happy with this!
These 4-patch blocks created from the small floral print is so old that I cannot remember what I originally made from it. Being that I’ve had the fabric for many years, it was very difficult to match it up with other fabrics. Colors and trends change over time, which is why experienced quilt makers are able to date quilts. The blue and pink I pulled from my stash are depression-era reproductions, but even those do not quite match up. The beige is a fairly recent purchase. Despite my color-matching challenges, I decided to persevere and hope for the best.
Not too bad! I decided to make use of my AccuQuilt Cutter by cutting out butterflies, bees, and dragonflies. I auditioned many other fabrics for the appliques, but nothing worked. Using the floral was truly the best option, unless I were to break my commitment and purchase new fabrics. Though this is not as exciting as my other left-over accomplishments, I do like the antique feel of this quilt.
These primary color strips were left over from a baby quilt. Most of the blocks were already stitched together into strips of five colors. I pulled the floral and white out of my stash. I had some fun with these and I made them go a long way!
Here’s one.Here’s two!
All of this was in the zip lock bag. It’s leftover from a queen-size quilt I donated for my Connecticut church’s raffle. I just love the border print and all the coordinating fabrics so I decided to create a tote bag for me.
Inside I added slots for my crochet hooks and other tools.
I used one of the blocks to make a pocket on the other side of the lining.One of my favorite tote bags!
These little pink and green squares were left over from something . . . I have no memory of what. I stitched the squares together and then placed it in quarantine. I wanted to play with my new AccuQuilt cutter, so . . . .
I made a little HAPPY Wall Hanging. Notice the binding. I did not have enough of the beetle fabric, so I just added the butterfly blue and the flower pink to the binding.
My daughter, Robin designs her own fabric. She usually has her new designs printed into 10-inch squares on 44″ wide panels. She gave a bunch to me, so of course, whenever I see squares, I see Twisters!
Here’s another piece of work I did but then stopped because I didn’t like where it was going. Poor little pinwheels were trapped in a zip lock bag for who knows how long. Thankfully, I saved the scraps that went with it. With hope, determination, and time, something good was bound to emerge!
Love it!This was not a “leftover” project but rather an original project that I never finished. These placemats were created using a fat-quarter packet I purchased right after learning the Lil’ Twister block. I couldn’t wait to try it, but then it quickly became a UFO for one reason or another. After I finished these during the lock-down, I had some fabric leftover . . .
. . . Hot pads!
Lots of squares and nine-patch blocks leftover from my Rena-Bean Babies’ group in Connecticut. We created many quilts for needy babies. I tried to make the patterns as easy as possible for the group, comprised mostly of minimally experienced stitchers. However, as I stated earlier, I wasn’t looking for simple during my Pandemic Progress work. This was a job for the X-Block!
A great scrappy creation. Even my binding used up the last bits and pieces!When sewing at my daughter’s home (those are her feet), there is never a shortage of helpers as she usually has a few foster kittens ready to check out our work. This pile is a mixture of my friend’s clothing, some of her fabric stash, and some of my stash. Sadly, she passed away in February 2020, before Co-Vid. She has three small grandchildren, who will not know their wonderful grandmother. Robin and I decided to take her leftover fabrics and some of her colorful clothes to create something of comfort for these children. We incorporated bits of my fabric where needed to balance out the colors.“Nana Bears!”“Once my clothes and now your bear. Cuddle it close and feel me there. I will love you ALWAYS! Love, Nana”
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