Hi EAMers! I am Sequoia and I stopped by today to share a creative use of fabric scraps with you.
If you have been sewing very long, I would bet you have some scraps hanging around. I have been sewing for several years and have baskets and bins of scraps everywhere. In the last year I have been on a mission to come up with creative ways to put my scraps to use and eliminate some of those piles. I have an assortment of odd sized scraps, strips, and chunks.
Usually, I have an idea of what I am going to make before I start digging in my fabric stash, but this time I worked in reverse.
I started with the scrap pile and picked out some matching fabrics. Since I was working with smaller pieces, I knew I was going to do something color blocked. The first piece I pulled out with the black galaxy print. I loved this fabric because I love outer space prints! I had about a fat half sized chunk with a few weird angles. I knew I wanted to find some fabrics to match this print. I pulled out the striped geometric print because the colors were a perfect match for the galaxy print. It was also near the top of the pile Next, I grabbed some solid colors that would work well with both prints. I ended up with this pile of fabric.
I decided I would use the Autumn Spice pattern which is already designed to be color blocked. I laid out my fabrics to see which prints would look best in the line up of the shirt. I realized I didn't have a big enough section to cover the entire middle section of the bodice.
I didn't let that bum me out though, I decided I would add some additional color blocking options. I decided to split the middle section of the bodice section into 3 equal parts. Just measure the total length of the middle section of the bodice and divide it into smaller sections. I went with 3 equal parts, but let your scraps dictate what size you use. My sections ended up being 4.5 inches each. At each line you cut, you will need to add a seam allowance of 1/4 inch. Use your new "smaller" pattern pieces to lay out your scrappy design.
Decide what color order you want to use and cut all your required pieces.
Assembly time already! Sew your new smaller scraps together to form the middle section of your pattern. It will now just be treated like the normal pattern and we will consider this one section. Be mindful that everything is sewn in the correct order.
Now sew your top together just like the pattern instructions!
TaDa!
An extra scrappy top and a few less small pieces of fabric in your scrap stash. Don't forget you can always customize patterns to work for you. I immediately cut out two more tops completely from my scraps!
As always, you can find me over at SequoiaLynn Sews.
(Written by: Sequoia Bond)
