Wednesday 18 May 2011

My creative space - such a hoarder!

Things have been getting terribly out of hand at home. I have a small sewing table in a corner of our lounge; here it is when it had just been built by The HusWife.

My new *permanent* sewing table made by The HusWife and The Son

So tidy! So clear and clean and full of possibility!

Completely different story these days. Piles on piles of fabric all wobbly and threatening to fall over, a few boxes and plastic bags thrown in the pile for good measure, and the zips are always, always at the bottom when you need them the most.

The sewing table

Time for a clear out. And what did I find? Three bags of the tiniest weeniest scraps that have been hoarded since I started sewing a year and a half ago.

Scraps pile

Admittedly, some pieces are a bit larger and will be salvaged, but what on earth are you supposed to do with the tiny weeny bits?! Throwing them away seems like madness - it's a bit like looking through an archive of everything I've ever made; fabric reminders of presents long since given away, or experiments long forgotten. But keeping them? Surely even madder! I've been thinking about sorting them into colours and then pasting them onto a canvas or something - and then, then, I had a meeting at The Hospital Club in Covent Garden today and there was this piece of art on the walls:

A bit of art at The Hospital Club

Art detail

It's made of tiny weeny pieces of card all cut into petal shapes and I think it looks rather lovely...but really, am I ever going to get round to doing that with all my scrappy bits?! What do you do with yours?

I suspect for now, they're going back into the bags they came from, and shoved to the bottom of the pile, where they can languish until the next manic tidy up!

Other interesting creative stuff at Our Creative Spaces via Kootoyoo

10 comments:

  1. Can you please try it! Maybe just a little one?

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  2. Do not, I repeat do not throw them away!I have many bags just like yours, and they will come in handy one day.

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  3. I think a small experiment in scrap petal picture making is in order.....I would love to see it!

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  4. I think a picture from the scraps would look fabulous!! Keep them!! I have a big scrap collection too - started working through them once a week making things, and I use the really small ones as stuffing!! You could make a big comfy cushion with yours as stuffing???

    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

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  5. I give all my little scrappy bits to our local kinder/pre-school. They love them for arts projects, and I know they will be used and enjoyed. I can't bear to throw them out either. Our local library also has a story/arts and craft time each week, and I have given them some too, and they loved them.
    (My sewing corner is messy too)

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  6. OK I'm going to get a small canvas this weekend and do a trial run. Will let you know how I get on...and what a good idea to give the other bits to school - hadn't thought of that! At least I have permission to keep them. Huurah!

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  7. Give it at a go. Would love to see your work!!!

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  8. That's beautiful - I think you SHOULD make one of those!

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  9. Brilliant! I have a corner that looks something like that. Looking forward to see how the trial turns out!

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  10. Mimi said,
    Why not put allyour bits (fabric that is)inside a cushion cover and sit on it.
    My mother had a "Rag-Bag". Thats hoe I started out loving fabrics.

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