It's one of those things you probably should learn, in one form or another. In today's society I'm not sure much thought is given to working with leftovers. We have such an abundance of EVERYTHING. Surely there is no need to bother with the leftovers, right? But stopping to think for a moment, "leftovers" really does apply to alot more than just fabric scraps or food. No one calls a child a leftover from a failed love affair, or worse yet, a tragic accident that kills the parents. We don't refer to divorced people in society as leftovers. And the endless amount of construction materials, advertising material and I could go on and on...but I won't *VBS*.So many kinds of leftovers to work with...
I've been making Mile A Minute(MAMs)for many years now. I like the leftover bits, the orphan blocks, and the odd extra strips. I started this particular one back at the beginning of Lent, as part of my Frugal Friday happenings. It's 54" X 72". A good size for a snuggle quilt for someone.
And if you love the odd bits and leftovers, as I do, why not honor them with a smidgen of your most favorite fabric, *VBS* Who will know but you? Probably no one, but that's not the point. Do it to please yourself, it'll make you smile every time you see it, as if you have a secret. And you do *VBS*
I missed Frugal Friday last week, family and worry kept me from my appointed rounds, sorry about that. Today's leftovers are what I'm substituting for a Frugal Friday Offering. The scrappy sewing continues as does the rug making. In addition to that, I wandered aimlessly one day, chasing dark clouds and heavy burdens of worry, and wound up at my favorite thrift shop. I found these two treasures. The Les Mis for myself(still in it's shrinkwrap and an oldie, Richard Simmons workout tape. Oldest DD will be tickled pink with that one!The tapes are .99 each at this shop.
More goodies and treasures were found that day. A couple of darling little girl things for Baby A. at .99 per outfit, a couple of wooden Easter Tree bunnies for me(a splurge at .29 each) and more wooden blocks for Granny Finn's basket of wooden blocks. They have been a favorite of all those grandsons for many years. The blocks have been added piecemeal, when ever I find them, 6 here, maybe 10 there. The originals date back to my oldest DD(now going on 42) and oldest DS(who just turned 40). Many of the old ones have the words red or blue written on them by a then 9 year old boy who had devised a new game using blocks. The game is long forgotten, but the childish printing lingers, re-enforcing happy memories. And so I suppose, as I wind down, whether something is a leftover or not, is a state of mind. And maybe,while we are creating, we should give a thought or two to what will remain when we have finished. And what could be done with that. *VBS*
I've been making Mile A Minute(MAMs)for many years now. I like the leftover bits, the orphan blocks, and the odd extra strips. I started this particular one back at the beginning of Lent, as part of my Frugal Friday happenings. It's 54" X 72". A good size for a snuggle quilt for someone.
And if you love the odd bits and leftovers, as I do, why not honor them with a smidgen of your most favorite fabric, *VBS* Who will know but you? Probably no one, but that's not the point. Do it to please yourself, it'll make you smile every time you see it, as if you have a secret. And you do *VBS*
I missed Frugal Friday last week, family and worry kept me from my appointed rounds, sorry about that. Today's leftovers are what I'm substituting for a Frugal Friday Offering. The scrappy sewing continues as does the rug making. In addition to that, I wandered aimlessly one day, chasing dark clouds and heavy burdens of worry, and wound up at my favorite thrift shop. I found these two treasures. The Les Mis for myself(still in it's shrinkwrap and an oldie, Richard Simmons workout tape. Oldest DD will be tickled pink with that one!The tapes are .99 each at this shop.
More goodies and treasures were found that day. A couple of darling little girl things for Baby A. at .99 per outfit, a couple of wooden Easter Tree bunnies for me(a splurge at .29 each) and more wooden blocks for Granny Finn's basket of wooden blocks. They have been a favorite of all those grandsons for many years. The blocks have been added piecemeal, when ever I find them, 6 here, maybe 10 there. The originals date back to my oldest DD(now going on 42) and oldest DS(who just turned 40). Many of the old ones have the words red or blue written on them by a then 9 year old boy who had devised a new game using blocks. The game is long forgotten, but the childish printing lingers, re-enforcing happy memories. And so I suppose, as I wind down, whether something is a leftover or not, is a state of mind. And maybe,while we are creating, we should give a thought or two to what will remain when we have finished. And what could be done with that. *VBS*
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16 comments:
Finn, on your mile a minute quilt, do you just use any blocks you have left over or are they pretty much all the same. It looks like they are all different...am I right? Are the blocks a specific size. Do you have a tutorial on it? You can e-mail me if you want.
I just love the look of that quilt. Beautiful and oh so colorful, just what I love.
I like left overs! It's amazing what a person can do with them... whether they be food, fabric, etc... One time I made a quilt out of my DH old athletic socks, the ones that had the stripes at the top. It turned out pretty funny looking. But it was a great quilt to use to sit on when we went to view fireworks! Then when we got a dog she got it for a bed. She loved it. So leftovers can be a good thing!
Have a great new month!
I love your thoughts on this -- using what we have, making creative use of the cast-offs. Beautiful words and images.
I see these scrap and crumb quilts around. I think I need to figure out how to make one...
What wonderful thoughts on leftovers. Being an old school teacher I never think of kids as leftovers even though some parents do. I remember my father came up during the depression and never threw any food away. He could make a meal of little dabs of food. Maybe we should all rethink our attitude toward leftovers.
Regarding what can be done with us when we're 'leftovers' -- I have had two cornea transplants, and I am deeply and profoundly grateful to the person and/or family that's responsible for me being able to see again. I'm a believer in signing donor cards to carry in our wallets (or the back of our driver's license in some states). Just think, now I can see what beautiful quilts you make! I had thought there was no point in donating my eyes, but I was told not to worry, they can be used for research -- even if they wouldn't help someone else directly, scientists can study eye diseases and injuries and perhaps save other people's vision someday.
I was glad to read that Baby A is doing better and hope this keeps going.
So glad to read that Baby A is doing well.
I love your MAM quilt.
the best part of rescuing older blocks and other toys is you usually don't need to worry about the recalls of the newer toys. Tinker toys and lincoln logs were always a fav here and legos when they got older. You know those huge tins of popcorn you can get during the holidays? We have 8- yes 8 of them FULL of legos and lincoln logs :) I'm so glad your grand daughter is doing better. Yes sometimes Grandma knows best ( don't tell my mom I said so though *S*)
I love your basket of blocks. If you don't mind, I may "steal" your idea. LOL
Finn, I LOVE your quilts. I'm a crochet person, and I love lots of color and variety. I use up odds and ends any way I can. Love irregular patterns. Just design as I go!
Thank you for your encouraging and gracious comments. Sometimes I feel like we are just "preachin' to the choir," but I hope there are others lurking around our blogs who will be encouraged that there are many of us making the most of what we have and living abundantly in the doing.
God bless real big! Liz
I've seen that very same quilt top . . . next to "bright and cheerful" in the dictionary. Great job!
I love reading your blog - you are such a wonderful person I can tell. Love your quilting projects and hearing about your life. The MAM quilt is my kinda project. I love scrappy quilts too.
I love your mile a minute quilt, Finn. One of these days I must make one.
Your mile-a-minute looks awesome Finn!!! Love it! 8-)
I love your thoughts on what we leave when we are gone. I hope to have many more projects completed than leftover. Your scraps are so wonderful, Finn!
In my BIG family, left-overs almost always turn into... hand-me-downs! I think sometimes we all have just too much stuff that "re-cycling" seems like too much of a chore and things just get tossed out. I really try not to do that in our household!
Cheers! Evelyn
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