After last week’s letter, a reader sent me this method for hanging sweaters in a closet. I love it! And I will implement it as soon as I triple my closet space 😊
I am more inspired by fabric scraps than by yardage. Yardage is too easy. You can find almost anything you want in-store or online. Even though I love beautiful fabric, it’s almost too overwhelming to pick anything out when everything is in front of you. The paradox of choice. But scraps are different. Scraps are serendipitous. Obtaining a beautiful scrap of fabric feels like winning the lottery.
First of all, stumbling across something beautiful feels more meaningful than looking through shelves and shelves of pretty fabric. Don’t think I won’t buy new fabric by the yard, I will! But my hunter-gatherer impulses are satisfied much more by seeking out fabric in more unexpected places. Secondly, despite their small size, scraps actually help me generate more creative ideas.
Scraps are intrinsic to my quilting practice. I find that creating within the confines of small pieces of randomly obtained fabrics allows me to be more original. When I seek inspiration, I will dump out all my scraps and play. Unexpected color combinations stand out and pieces can be moved around easily to imagine new designs. I have based whole quilts around a few scraps of fabric, either sourced second-hand or gifted. I will keep any scrap that is bigger than 1 inch x 1 inch. And if it’s reallllly pretty but smaller, I may skimp on the seam allowance so I can still work with it.
I have sourced scraps from so many places. I had a top tailored while traveling in India and asked for the trimmings. I have raided the trash bags near the cutting tables at a quilting retreat. I used to frequent a thrift store in my old neighborhood quite often. Some weeks, the fabric aisle was totally picked over, maybe a few Christmas prints with stains. I’m resourceful, but even I have my limits. But some days I’d come out with an armful of beautiful, high quality scraps. Denim, the cutest quilting cotton prints, flannel, linen. The best finds were when the fabric would be so perfect for another person in my life, I would already know what I wanted to do with it before I left the shop. Scraps are magic.
Scraps have shown me the value of things that others might throw away. That if I look closely, I can transform this byproduct into something beautiful and useful. And that feels like a practice worth praising.
🧶 What am I making now?
Last week all my making plans were waylaid after getting a surprise spinning wheel. This week, my plans were less ambitious because of family visiting, but I did manage some knitting!
Ever since I learned to knit, I have been creating my own accessory patterns. I have thought about self-publishing some of them for a while and now I am finally giving it a go! This week, I started writing out the first pattern I plan to release and started knitting the sample. In true me fashion, I have already ripped it out once after knitting about 7 inches. I’ll wait for the big reveal for when it’s finished, but here is the yarn I am using for the pattern sample!
Anyone else have strong feelings about scraps? Leave a comment in the Substack app or just reply to this email. Also if you enjoy these letters, share with a friend!