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What to do with those scraps, the little ones!

On one of my e-lists, someone asked (hi Janice in WNY!) how to deal with small scraps. Well, I’ve got a good one that works well for me. Do you do fusible applique? If so, this is what I do–this of this as a mini-tutorial. If not, omit the adding fusible part. First, I fuse up the scraps.

FUSING:
Set out a “chunk” or length of fusible web on your ironing surface. I prefer Misty Fuse or Wonder Under, with the “business” (fusible) side facing UP. (If using Misty Fuse you’ll need to lay down parchment paper or a non-stick applique press sheet first, then put the Misty Fuse on top.)

Lay your scraps out wrong side down on the fusible, fitting the odd shapes together like a jigsaw puzzle.

Lay a non-stick applique press sheet or parchment paper (Reynolds brand seems to work best—the “organic” / “green” varieties don’t seem to have as much release coating on them and can stick) on top.

Iron.

Carefully pull the scraps apart.

Or, if I want to create “yardage” I’ll cut a few lengths off fabric in the stash cupboard and fuse them up

NOW…SORT AND STACK

Get a stack of small boxes. I use Clementines boxes (mandarin oranges of a sort), but shoe boxes, boot boxes, Amazon boxes or even nice Rubbermaid would work. Sort the scraps by color family. Here’s some of the contents of the “warms” box:

I keep my stack of Clementine boxes in Eli’s walker-wagon from when he was a toddler (please tip head sideways…photo shows vertical in iPhoto, but loads sideways…sorry!). Since the Clementine boxes have these little “pokey up” posts on the corners, I can stack them criss cross in a neat (well…sorta) tower by my work table.

Currently I have:

Earth-black-white (this includes everything from snow to sand to rock to dirt to black)
Greens
Blues and purples
Yellows, oranges and reds
“Fancy stuff” (this includes sheers, silks, sparkly nonsense, tulle, etc)

When I want to put together a postcard, or am working on a project with fusible, then I have a stash with a wide array of colors. Sometimes I even cut a chunk of fabric (instead of using just scraps) maybe 9×12 or 7×14, and fuse that up and add it to the boxes. Here’s a small project in its early stages. I’ve set out the boxes in an arc around my groady cut-n-press (it was SO decrepit I fused some ironing board cloth to the top!):

Cheers, Sarah

10 Responses to “What to do with those scraps, the little ones!”

  1. Vicki W Says:

    Great idea – thanks for sharing the details!

  2. Quiltmuse Says:

    For those of us who learn better with pictures, thanks a lot, Sarah. Another good project when I have no particular project going — or have it stalled…

    Jacquie in Vermont

  3. LoieJ Says:

    Wow, that’s a lots of fused scraps.

    I have been using the Pampered Chef parchment and I like it better than my teflon sheet. I find it easier to see and scrape off the bits of fuse-sticky stuff that occassionally gets on it. Pieces of this paper last a long time with this use.

    Do you do mostly fusible applique? I’ve see, on the web, some of your beautiful work.

  4. joyce Says:

    Great idea. I’m off to sort my bag of scraps. Thanks.

  5. Deborah Says:

    “sparkly nonsense”

    That cracks me up!

  6. Lisa Flowers Ross Says:

    Thanks for posting this idea. I have so many scraps and sometimes think, “I wish these had fusible web on them.” Now, I have an easy way to do that.

  7. LoieJ Says:

    Hi, Sarah. I replied to the comment you left on my blog. I can’t fix the no reply thing till next week and I’m on no-email with QA.

  8. Nic Bridges Says:

    Clever ideas – thanks for sharing them!! It’s great to have a ready palette of bits ready to fuse.

  9. Ruth Carden Says:

    Thanks for sharing this. I have been a scrap artist (quilter) all my life and prefer working with scraps to bolts of fabric. Have been know to cut up large quantities of yardage into scraps. Love your work and your articles on machine quilting.

  10. Marlene Glickman Says:

    Sarah,
    I read your write up on fusibles on Quiltart. That was very helpful. I had crossed off Wonder Under long ago and I had begun to notice those Steam a Seam dots you talked about. I don’t remember those dots a few years ago. But Misty Fuse, as you say, is the best and one just needs to learn to use it without paper. I love it for fusing foil.
    Love,
    Marlene Glickman