Wednesday, July 27, 2016

More of the Little Things ~~ Finishes

As I was sewing earlier in the week, this mess kept getting in the way. When I had to rip out a perfectly good seam because a scrap had attached itself into the seam, I decided that enough was enough! 

I had to do something about the scraps that were spilling over the edges onto the floor and now into my sewing. I thought about finding a bucket in Richard's shed, but that would have required lots of cleaning and washing. Nah. I'm not one to wash a ratty old plastic bucket when I can whip up one in very little time. 



And, of course, since it's to be a scrap bucket, I made it from scraps. Some of those very ones that were bugging the heck out me by getting in the way.



I really wanted a bucket. One that would hold its shape and sit up straight and tall so that when I'd toss scraps in the right direction, I'd get it into the bucket. Maybe the ugly plastic one would have worked after all. But this one is much prettier.



To make it sit up straight and tall, I used four layers: the backing (which doesn't show in this picture) a layer of heavy Pelon interfacing, a layer cotton, and my stitched together scrap fabric.



I quilted it lightly using a wavy stitch that now looks as though it goes around and around the bucket.



I tried to keep the inside clean and low key so that I wouldn't be grabbing at a fake scrap--one that was sewn into the bucket. Instead, the inside is a light gray and off-white. It's pretty big also, this dark picture show what a pack of needles looks like inside--small.





 One of the things I like most about using scraps for projects is that I end up with a fun, changing design. Every time I turn or move the bucket, there's a different design and color, despite that I used some fabrics a couple of times.


One reason to use fabrics two or three times, is to give the bucket a cohesive look in the overall design. I really do like this little project. 













 Doesn't it look good on my sewing table? Now I have a large scrap bucket on the worktable and a small one on the sewing table. I wonder if I really have that many scraps...

This did not make a dent in the scraps! Well, not much even though I used scraps for every bit of it, including the batting, Pelon and backing fabric. 

Because there are so many scraps, I thought I'd make a few more pincushions. I know, they don't use up much scraps, but I am working on a large project and didn't want to get too far away from that. So here are some pictures of the pincushion that did get finished.




I know, that's lots of pictures for a little pincushion and a quilted bucket, but I like them so! What do you think? What projects are you working on?

Linking up with 
Crazy Mom Quilts  
Sew Fresh Quilts
Confessions of a Fabric Addict  

6 comments:

Kate @ Smiles From Kate said...

I love your big bucket Mary, it makes a great addition to a sewing room. A few of those would be great to keep scraps in too. Will you be doing a tutorial?
Smiles
Kate

Mary Marcotte said...

Hmm, not a bad idea, Kate. I will definitely think about it when this big project is done. lol It takes such a long time when I play with other projects.

Karen S said...

This is a great result - scrap bucket and pin cushions!! Lovely way to clear the mess and be creative. Love the way the bucket looks.

Kaja said...

These are exactly the sort of things Ialways think I should make, but never actually do. Like them both, love the modern look of your pincushion.

Mary Marcotte said...

Thanks Karen. I'm now up to 10 scrap buckets! Where do all of those scraps come from anyway?

Mary Marcotte said...

Kaja, I'd love to see what you'd come up with for a creative scrap bucket!