How to Organize Your Scraps... and USE THEM!!

We all keep our scraps of fabric, no matter how small. Some use them as bedding/filling for a blanket for a pet, others, cut them into squares...down to even a 1"x1" square and then later, sew them together to make Postage Stamp quilts or just "scrap quilts". Either way...we tend to think of it as a chore. I admit, I kind of do! I let them pile up for a year... just stuff that plastic tote full as possible all year long. Then...I finally get energized to do some cutting and organizing and spend a few hours with the scraps and come out feeling great, energized and ready to start a new project!

Today, I did just that. I was going through all my fabric yesterday, getting ready for a move. I was adamant that I was NOT going to pay to move and possibly pay to store, this large plastic tote of scraps. So, last night I decided today would be my Scrap Day. I had done this last 2 years in a row and cut the pieces to 2,1/2"x2,1/2" squares, put them all in baggies of matching colors and then into a decorative photo box on the shelf.  I did make some quilts with some of them, but I had so many, I still have some left!  I made these "Postage Stamp" quilts with 2,1/2"x2,1//2" squares.

 These are all 40"x60" lap quilts.  I added the white squares, just because I am an over organizer, and all those colors next to each other just looks sloppy and junky! But the white was enough to organize the many colors to look nice. Then again, I always forget, just because I don't like it, doesn't mean others won't like it! I gave these to the ladies at my church and they loved them!

 The first one, the color squares were organized in a rainbow pattern.  This one they are in order of  just whatever came out of the box next.!

 This one I had to use graph paper to design the pattern for where the colored squares went to make the words, but it was really easy!

So, I intended to cut 2,1/2x2,1/2" squares and then thought.. why? I really don't like working with that small piece anyway! And I still have 3 boxes full of the little squares from last time, so I decided to cut this years stash into 3,1/2"x 5,1/2" pieces (rectangles)

This is 1/3 of the tote content! Doen't look like much, but I pressed them all last night and have them nicely folded and organized into stacks! There is more than it looks like!

 

I lay out 4-6 scrap pieces and use my 24"x3,1/2" template.  A note for a quick cutting spree..use a template size that is easy to work with. In this case, it is 3,1/2" wide so that is how wide my scrap pieces are. Then I used that removable tape (or just masking tape) to mark the 5,1/2" where I would be cutting the pieces.

Then the cool part starts! When I get them cut, I stack them according to color  so I have a place to start looking for color when I what to use them.  Really cool stack, right? It is inspirational to me... makes me want to just cut more!!!

And make more stacks!!!  

 Then, I put them in a decorative photo box, mark the size on the front and in no time... have a box of beautiful rectangles, ready to use!  This took me 2,1/2 hours to cut this many... and that was the fastest 2,1/2 hours I ever spent! I couldn't believe it was that long...I thought sure I had only been cutting an hour or so. But then when I saw the stack of beautiful rectangle...it was all worth it!  Then, mark the front of the box and Done and Done!!!!

 

I have other boxes of cut squares...2,1/2 and 3,1/2 and 4x4 and 5" squares. I cut all fabric scraps into the size I want, and then take what is left and cut those scraps into smaller sizes. I have a small stash (really small!) left from cutting these today and will hang on to those until I get enough to continue and cut 2,1/2"-ers out of those.

So, there you are. Organized scraps.. the fun and easy way!  Hope you are inspired to go cut your scraps!  It is such a inspiring feeling or "ready to start sewing now" to see that empty scrap tote box!


Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
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Quiet Book Page - Snow Theme with Pull String Feature

Just need to finish the aesthetic features of this page but I wanted to post it and show how I did the pull string features. This snow theme page has pull strings for the mountain climber to climb the mountain, and for the snowman (Olaf) to pop out of the side of the mountain to play with the other hikers!

How I did the pull string of Olaf:  Usually creators will use an eyelet to make the hole for the string to go through, but.. I don't have that and don't need to spend the money on MORE tools if I can do without them. So...for this page, I put fusible interfacing on the back of the felt, then another layer in the same spot for strength. The fusible interfacing (My BEST FRIEND in my sewing room!)  make for a solid area, no fraying, and strength to keep the hole from fraying. Then, I positioned the tree so that the hole was just slightly covered by a tree branch. Bingo!  A nice pull string! The snowman (Olaf) is "hiding" behind the snow mountain.. for this, I did not sew that area down so that there is a "gap" for him to hide in.

I also use my idea of making what I call 3-D images for the removable figures.
                                              You can read about that here....  

I don't know that I "created" this idea, but I figured it out and love doing it...since I don't have an embroidery machine to do it for me!

  I hope I can offer you some idea of more ways, maybe even more efficient, but for sure more cost effective, ways of creating your own Quiet Book Page for your child!


Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
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Quiet Books from My Past!

I am all about memories.. and here are two! 37 years ago, I made these quiet books for my daughter. She loved them! I saved them just for out of house times when I had to take her and she had to be quiet, or sit still or not be able to play much for an extended period of time, like doctor's office, church, resturant, road trips, etc.

Check them out... some things never change! Some of the same pages ideas in this quiet book are still popular in quiet books today! The difference? Back then, we didn't have the internet so to get patterns we relied on McCalls or Simplicity and coloring books! But...it worked!

Check out these two videos and leave a comment...tell me what you think! I made them 37 years ago... keep that in mind!!!

To see all the quiet book videos I have done for quiet books I have made... this link will take you to all of them here on my blog....   Quiet Books Handmade    
                                      
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Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
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How to Make a Pizza for your Quiet Book Page!

I have been working on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle page in my grandson's quiet book. I saw this fabric in the store and grabbed it! how perfect! I cut out enough "slices" to make a whole pizza (8 slices!) and then I pressed single sided iron on interfacing to the back to fuse the threads all together so there is not frayed edges or dangling threads when I cut it out.  Then...cut out the pizza but leave about 1/4 inch outer edge on it. Then.. to make it more sturdy.... I used double sided iron on interfacing (Wonder Under) and fused the pizza image to another fabric that would be the visable back of the image. In this case.. I had some white flannel..and used that. But...if you want it stiffer, fuse it to felt. If you want velcro on the back, sew the velcro to the felt FIRST, then fuse the felt to the image.  Watch the video to see how it all works!

Makes a perfect pizza!!! Use it in a kitchen setting or grocery store page or a picnic page!

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE This post is linked to the Linky Party for the day. Click on the "Daily Linky Parties" tab at the top of my page and join us!

The Solar System - Quiet Book Pages

I bought this solar system fabric while back...been itching to make the pages! Pages are 11x11 unfinished. I used chalk to make the curved lines and then used a close zigzag stitch to sew them on.

The planets were a fabric, and I cut the 9 planets plus sun out and made them into "pieces" with velcro on the back. The child can remove them and put  them back. Child can learn the names of the planets and what order they are in. 

 I cut the piece to include the planets name along with the planet. And then on the right side, I used iron on interfacing to fuse the names....in order..so the child can learn them and learn the order the planets are in.

I think my little grand son will love this page. What child doesn't love thinking about outer space and all that is there!

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
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How to Make Your Quiet Book Squeak!

My  You Tube video explains it all!

I have been ordering from AliExpress a few times now. They are out of China and the products are amazing!!!! I love their felt particularly. Stiff enough to work with very well and hold shape, and still soft enough for little hands to play with! 
Here's the main page if you are interested...they all kinds of craft supplies...sewing and junk journal embellishments and scrapbook materials!  Take a look if you like! They offer free shipping in many cases and I have gotten things in 2 weeks!  

 AliExpress

   This is the felt I LOVE!!!    

(click on the link to see it)  this is 8x8 but you can get it larger or smaller sizes.

I just ordered more! It is perfect for quiet books and sewing small figures and such

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE

How to Make Finger Puppets from fabric

I have failed miserably in my many attempts to make finger puppets with felt to go with my Quiet Books.  I guess there is a time in which we should just call it quits and give up!  But.. that doesn't mean to forget!  So I fiddled with my  3-D Images  creation idea... and BINGO.....came up with a way to make them into finger puppets!

Pick a fabric that has a large image on it....fuse iron on interfacing to the back.  Cut around edges leaving about 1/2 inch allowance.

 Cut a piece of felt  and a piece of fuse DOUBLE SIDED interfacing the same size and press with iron.  

Cut another piece of felt about 1 inch larger than the image and lay the image on top and machine stitch just slightly to the left of the image outline. Stitch all the way around, leaving the bottom of the image open.  Cut slightly to the right of the image outline, trimming off all the allowance.  Use a very small pair of SHARP pointed scissors for this... makes it so much easier and precise!

And there you have it... a finger puppet.  Rather quick and easy!

Want to see the video?        How to Make Finger Puppets from Fabric 

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
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Quiet Book page - A Day at the Beach

Hey every one!  I have another page done in the Quiet Book I am making for my grand son.

Click to watch the video...   A Day at the Beach

and then you can also read about it here.

 Here, the child can take sand castles out of the bucket and play with them in the "sand". He can also open the oyster and see the pearl! And.. a little friendly crab is right there to be his play pal! This layout was quick and easy. The castles are made of felt. I just have to bind these pages into the book. That is something I do when all the pages are done. These pages are cut 11x11 and have 1/4 inch seams and 1/2 inch binding.

If you want to see my You Tube videos of all my quiet books pages and also Junk Journals...click here!    

Fabric and Memories on You Tube

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
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The Pillowcase Adventure Makes Memories

Few months ago I had my 7 year old grand daughter for 2 days and she is into crafts as much as I am...we are craft buddies! I had previously taught her to make a lap quilt out of charms, but this time...I taught her to make a pillow case.

You just need about 3/4 yard of main fabric and 1/3 yard of a print for the cuff (the bears) and 1/4 yard for the trim (the green) for a standard pillowcase, as you see in the picture below of the completed pillowcase.

How it Started

The story of Cordoroy, the little bear that lost the button on his green overalls... has been a special story to her and I. When she was 2, I started reading the story of Cordoroy to her and she loved the story! There was a store security guard in the story that was dressed  like a police officer. Her daddy is a Deputy Sheriff  and she thought  the guy in the story was a"Beddy Sef", just like her daddy!The story became very  special to us. I later began making up stories for her at nap time about Cordoroy and Silky Bear (her own little stuffed buddy) that lived in Princess Ashleigh's bedroom and when Princess Ashleigh left for school..the bears and other dolls would come to life and scurry out of the house and to a strawberry patch and have an adventure...similar to the Raggedy Ann/Andy stories.

The Fabric:

When I stumbled on these panels and the bear fabric at an online store... I knew I had to get them, no matter the cost! I had never seen them before and of course....Cordoroy fabric was in my "shopping cart" within minutes!  I intended to make her a quilt out of them some how, but just never could figure a design out! Then it suddenly occurred to me to let her make the pillow case and the rest is memorable  history!

See the little loops on the right side of the case in the picture above and left side in picture below?  She has two little "bedtime buddies". She calls them her "Silkies", one is a bunny and one is a bear (ergo Silkie Bear!) . They have silk binding on them. She said that they always fall out of bed or she rolls on them and can't find them. So I created these fabric loops and now, she puts "Silkies" in the loops and they never leave her side! The picture below is the other side of the pillowcase, the "Good Night" side and the Silkies are in the loops on the left there.

The Memory

Ashleigh will have  memories of our special time together  for years!! It started when she was 2 and now at 7, when she stays the night, she still asks for a Cordoroy story at bedtime. And I always have a different story and adventure that the bears do and she has her favorites that she asks me to tell again. She has the pillowcase at  her house and sleeps with it every night and always has her  Silkies with her...and her memories. Good night, Ashleigh!

And to further the memory (for both of us!) I later made her a small quilt about Corduroy and his escapades. I made her what I call a Symbolic Memory quilt. Instead of making a specific quilt with obvious features...I used symbols which she knows and will still be able to recount the memory and in this case...carry the memory with her to give to her children.

Click to read about the Symbolic Memory Quilt

 

This is the book that inspired our memory.  Corduroy is now 40 years old, but we don't have to mention that! We shall let the little bear be a child's friend..no matter how old he, technically, is!

Does your child have a favorite character....get them the book and make them a quilt or pillowcase to match it and you'll have a great gift for them with lots and lots of memories. Or...what about a character memory of yours? Do the same and hand those memories down to your children!

A Pillowcase Tutorial

Here is a great tutorial about  making pillowcases using the "tube" method. It is very quick and easy. Also, because they are so quick and easy...you can make many of them in a day or so. Pillow cases are great for gifts of all ages! Change colors and prints and the options are limitless! I do mine slightly different in that I sew the pieces together, then one seam up the side and then roll the cuff  down to cover the seam and then hand sew the hem to cover the seam. Only seam visible is the side seam and the bottom seam!

This is a tutorial for making a pillow case..really fast and easy! Click the arrow in the middle of the picture below to start the tutorial

Reasons for making pillowcases....

1. as gifts...for any occasion! Valentines Day gets red ones, patriotic days get red, white and blue. Wedding...matching white (or the wedding color) accented with some lace! Kids birthdays...find out their favorite character or "thing" and get fabric to match! Christmas... a Santa or other holiday print. Fabric comes in SO MANY different prints these days, you can almost always find the perfect print!
2. Fund Raisers....get a group to make them and sell them at the school fund raiser or any fund raiser.
3. Donations to charities...especially the kids charities...you know the kids would love their very own speciality pillowcase!
4. To match the room you are designing or a quilt you have made!

Whatever the reason...just have fun making pillowcases!

Junk Journal for a Teen boy (masculine theme) Chris - Part 2

I have been working on getting junk journals for my grand kids to have when I relocate out of state so that they can keep some of their memories in a safe place. This one is part 2 of the one I made for my (almost) 16 year old grand son. He is a step grand son, so we are just getting to know each other so this journal is also one where he can take out what I use if he doesn't like it but still have the use of the page for things he does like. It is on YouTube.. but here it is also... hope you enjoy watching it, get some good ideas for pages and embellishments. A masculine theme  can be a little difficult sometimes, because manufactures seem to cater to the female theme more,but we crafters always find a way around that! 

Plus... this junk journal also includes embellishment from ...actual junk mail, some actual "things" that have been used, some cash - in unique form and description and how I used magazine pages as pages in the journal. So.. take a look! Let me know what you think!

If you missed (or want to watch again) Part 1....here it is!

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
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