What to do with all those scraps leftover from sewing projects…
Yes, I’m rolling on the floor laughing, too. As if dealing with leftovers was a problem! There are doll quilts and clothes, tiny stuffies, scrap quilts, crazy quilts, yo-yos, banners, and pincushions just to name a few of the many things that can be done with small pieces of fabric. All of my quilts are based on bundles of fat quarters because I just can’t get enough of scrappy, scrappy, scrappy. Of course, twenty different but carefully matched fabrics is not so veeeery scrappy, but oh well.
Tomato pincushions are my very favorite thing to do with whatever scraps may be left from the fat quarters, after I’ve made the scrappy quilts. They do take rather a commitment, needing 3×6 or 4×8 or even 5×10 inches on the bias, but if the quilt had any 45 degree seams, you probably have exactly such large triangles left over to use. All you do is cut out the rectangle on the bias, sew the short edges together, gather up the bottom with needle and thread, then stuff firmly and gather up the top with thread. I also use perle cotton to divide them into segments, and then finish them off with felt sepals. How cute, non? I got the instructions from Martha Stewart Living but I unfortunately cannot find them on her website, or I would link. Sorry Martha! These tomatoes are so adorable, I’ve made a whole bunch.
They live in a glass fishbowl jar in the guest room, and match the quilt there just perfectly. I have quite a lot of red and green scraps left over from the red and green summer quilt, so look for lots more tomatoes in my future.
Ah, but the strawberry pincushion instructions she does still have. Is it possible for something to be cuter than the tomatoes? I’m sorry, I can’t commit to an answer. These are filled with fine sand instead of stuffing, and take an even smaller scrap of cloth than the tomatoes–a wedge shape, also perfectly suited to those odd corners so often left over.
Cute as the cloth ones are, I am partial to the felt version. There is no pattern to detract from beads-beads-beads-beads-beads, and less sand leaks out of the seams. They’re so soft, too. Hey, I bet that these would be great filled with dried lavender, don’t you?
Mmmmm. I don’t care to make my own jam like Jane (because there is more interesting jam in the stores than I can eat, and anyway, my mother is always bringing me jars of her own), but this kind of bottling is something I can get behind.
cutecutecutectue!
You are so talented and those are the cutest tomatoes. I enjoy stopping in to see what you’ve made!