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Too Narrow?

I've been trying to figure out how to use the fabric scraps I have that are too narrow to sew, and found a video on using up even the tiniest scraps that inspired me to give it a try.

I tweaked her idea a bit by layering my strips on top of a piece of scrap muslin and lightweight Pellon fusible web, as the latter is the only fusible I have on hand. After ironing, I top-stitched the strips on the machine with a zigzag stitch:

It worked, so I trimmed the block and turned it into a mug rug with some scrap batting and another piece of muslin To hold everything in place I added more top-stitching, using a straight stitch:

It's a sturdy little piece, and definitely an easy way to use even the littlest bits of fabric. My one concern was that it's probably not going to survive the washing machine or the dryer, which would make it a bad technique to use for a quilt. So I put it through both, and here's how it looks after the wash and dry:

The raw edges of the fabric got a bit frayed and fuzzy, but the stitching kept them in place. The piece definitely has a bit of a chenille feel to it post-laudering, too. I had one spot where my stitching skipped a strip that popped that I had to tack down:

I think over time a quilt made with blocks like this would deteriorate much faster than patchwork, so maybe it's best to reserve it for a project that won't be frequently washed. But otherwise, a fun experiment.

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Comments

nightsmusic said…
I like the frayed and fuzzy edges. And it's cute!
June 30, 2020 at 7:05 AM
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