Never enough fabric

Hi everyone:


Recently I've been trying to use up my existing stash - and have been doing quite well at this I think. But using up stash means that there are some holes available that need to be filled with new fabric. I've also rearranged (notice, I didn't say weeded out) my quilt and craft books and there appears to be a bit of space available there as well for some new volumes. 
So, what's a girl to do? Well, shop, of course! But not at any fabric store. Oh no, I'm really loving going to the Goodwill store to pick up wool clothes and use the fabric in small projects. This is great, but a few weeks back I hit the motherlode! Yes, a great fabric and craft sale with all proceeds going to a good cause. I'm talking about the annual Ujamaa Grandmas fabric sale here in Calgary.

Did I buy too much? This is a rhetorical question!

I've never seen so much fabric in one place at one time. And the prices! Well, let's just say my money went a long way that day! Besides all types of fabric, which is sorted according to type and colour, there are books, magazines, yarn, craft items, well, if it has to do with sewing or crafting you'll find it there. The variety was overwhelming - almost!

Some of the wool pieces I purchased.

Luckily I brought along my daughter, Sarah, as my quilt sherpa. Between the two of us we managed to find everything from wool to Creative Circle craft kits. Our buying had to stop when we couldn't carry any more items. 

Creative Circles kits at $.50 for my "collection".
I even bought one I already have!

The best part of all this (besides the look on my husband's face when he saw all our purchases) was that the money goes to help grandmothers raising their grandchildren, orphaned by AIDS, in Africa. 

Some of my fabric and pattern finds.

Batiks, fabric, patterns, anyone?

Books

More books - great for design inspiration

I was so impressed by the ladies volunteering there that I joined our local Calgary chapter. They are a hard working, positive, fun group of ladies. In addition to their fabric sale in April each year, they hold a Bags, Babies and Beyond sale in October. These are their two primary fundraising events and this year they raised $20,000 through the fabric sale alone. Wow, that's a lot of fabric! 


The Ujamaa Grandmas are a Stephen Lewis initiative and you can read more about their work here. 


Now I just have to figure out where to put all these new purchases...

Upcycling with the Accuquilt GO! cutter

So, have you figured out what I might be doing with the suit jackets that I buy from the Goodwill store? No? Well, keep reading to find out...

I've been constructing small pillows or pincushions with the fabric from the suit jacket. I take the jacket apart, which is probably the most time consuming part, then wash, dry and iron the fabric. In addition, I've been cutting out shapes using my Accuquilt GO! cutter from new cotton fabric to embellish the pincushions/pillows. I hand stitch the appliqués to the wool top using embroidery floss or perle cotton. In case I've lost you, here's what the process looks like:




Here's the suit jacket partially deconstructed. Looks like it's been attacked by a pack of coyotes, doesn't it? I use my seam ripper and my scissors when taking it apart; sometimes I am able to just rip up the seam and it will come apart nicely. I also remove the buttons from the jacket; they can be upcycled too!

Jacket partially deconstructed

This is the fabric that has been cut/torn away from the rest of the jacket. I wash and dry the fabric before doing anything further with it so it's nice and soft.

Fabric salvaged from jacket

I then cut a square using my 6" Accuquilt GO! die from the wool fabric to use as the front of my pincushion and from muslin for the back of it. I'm then ready to play! 

I cut out various appliqué shapes using my GO! dies and may also add some yo-yos or buttons for embellishment.  Here are some examples of possible arrangements.

Option #1 with die cut fabric
appliqué, yo-yo and buttons
(GO! Rose of Sharon die)

Option #2 with die cut appliqués
(GO! Hearts, Stars and Rose of Sharon dies)

Option #3 with 3 die cut appliqués
(GO! Hearts, Rose of Sharon dies)

Option #4 with 2 die cut appliqués
and a yo-yo in the centre
(GO! Hearts, Rose of Sharon dies)

Option #5 with 3 die cut appliqués
and a button for embellishment
(GO! Rose of Sharon die)

Once I find an arrangement that appeals to me, I stitch the appliqués down with embroidery floss or perle cotton, adding a little more style to the piece. 

Use perle cotton or embroidery floss
to affix the appliqués

The front and back are then stitched right sides together, leaving a small opening for turning. The corners are clipped and then the pincushion/pillow is turned and stuffed and the opening stitched closed. Voilà! You've got a cute pincushion or pillow to decorate your sewing studio. 

Have you been haunting the second-hand stores and upcycling too? Let me know what you have created with found treasures and if you happen to see me at the Goodwill store, stay away from the men's suit jackets aisle!

Treasures from the past

Have you noticed the latest recycling trend? Oh yes, we all recycle our metals and plastics and compost if we can, but I'm talking about recycling with fabrics or "upcycling", as it's called. The trendy place to shop these days isn't Holt Renfrew or Nordstrom, it's your local secondhand store where you can find all kinds of treasures just begging to be transformed into new and wonderful upcycled items. 


Okay, you may think "I'm not going to be pawing through other people's clothes", but hey, it's fun and CHEAP and with my Scottish ancestry, finding something cheap is like finding the holy grail! I've been browsing through my local thrift shop and have found lots of interesting treasures.


If you haven't been into a Goodwill store lately, let me tell you they have changed. Clothes are organized and even segregated into colourways on the racks. It's almost like finding fabric in a quilt shop. The only difference is that I'm looking at the colour second and the composition of the fabric first. Size doesn't matter here, ladies! It's all about the quality and content. I'm looking for either 100% cotton fabric or 100% wool. So, I'm cruising the suit jacket and skirt aisles looking for interesting textures and colours. I'm felting the wool sweaters to make bags and stuffies and using the suit jackets for another type of project. Intrigued? Check back with me tomorrow to see what I'm talking about.