Ok, ok - this doesn’t look horrible. However, there’s a big basket of scraps in my bathroom and a huge pile that didn’t even make it into any of these containers. In preparation for a scrap workshop last week, I started going through scraps, some of which are from the late 80’s. I ironed them, cut them into useable strips, and sorted into reds, oranges, yellows, greens, teals, blues, indigo-violets, whites, grey, blacks, and a pile of wacko - fabrics that don’t fit into any of the above.
My sorting table looked something like this, with one group crashing into another. But the realization of what to do with this scrappy hoard hit me. How can I get these out of the way and still honor all the work I did to sort and organize.
I found a 10-drawer rolling cart which slide-out drawers. It is perfect for all the smaller bits. The larger bits are folded and in two baskets, arranged so I can see everything at a glance.
The Zoom workshop was lead by Carole Lyles Shaw. Although she is a maximalist and my aesthetic tends more towards Minimalism, I was able to work with her instructions and pattern by staying monochromatic. These blocks are big, 26” x 21”. I started with orange because that’s where my stash is weakest. Then I moved to black and white. While I was sorting I realized I had a whole bunch of fabric with gold in them. So that was my third block. I’m not sure what I will do with these blocks, and I do intend to make more. True confession: I realized I had a lot of browns and no drawer for them. So they are at the bottom of the new scrap basket I’m starting!