Thrift Haul Project #2

For my second project using my thrifted fabric haul I wanted to use this denim and green plaid to make a fabric bin for the sewing room. These are handy for organizing when you're collecting pieces from your stash, and very simple to make. After measuring I realized I didn't have enough plaid to line the bin, however, so I set that aside for another project.

For the lining I decided to use one of the Spoonflower pieces, a red constituion signature print, and some sturdy scrap box cardboard to give it shape.

I didn't use a pattern for this. I make bins by squaring the fabric, cutting out four equal-size squares from the four corners to form a + shape, sewing the right sides of both fabrics together with a gap for turning, inserting the cardboard cut to fit each side after turning, and then ladder-stitching the sides. I then cover with lining a piece of cardboard cut to fit the inside of the bin and glue that in place to give it a little more support. I don't wash mine, but if you want to make one that's washable then you can use plastic canvas in place of the cardboard.

Here's how I'll use the bin. This is a good project to use up heavy fabrics like denim (upholstery fabric works really well, too) and novelty prints that don't go with anything else.

Comments

Other Stashes

Along with clearing out the spare bedroom and tidying my office and our guest bedroom, I decided to reorganize some of my stashes. This is all the yarn I have on hand, sorted by color. It looks like a lot, but lately I've been using up a minimum of half a bin every month, so this is approximately a year's supply. All of my solid color cotton perle thread. I go through a lot of this every year, too. I need a container in which I can fit all of it together, but I haven't found the right one yet. I won't show you all of my fabric -- I'm still reorganizing this stash -- but I went through everything and donated two bins of fabric I won't need to the local quilter's guild.

Downsizing

This was my fabric stash once I sorted everything -- 22 full bins. I spent a day taking out and boxing up what I could part with, with the goal of trying to reduce it by half, so I'd have 11 bins. I was very strict with myself, and removed everything that for one reason or another I was sure I wouldn't be able to use. This is what I ended up with -- 12 bins of fabric that I'm keeping. It's not quite half, but close enough. Half of what I took out went to a local quilter friend, a school and Goodwill. These four tightly-packed bins will be going to the local quilting guild once I make arrangements with them for a drop-off place. I am relieved and a little sad and now determined to control my impulses to thrift more fabric. I don't want to do this again, so until I use up six bins, I can't for any reason bring any new fabric into the house.

In Progress

I promised myself I would show you the good, bad and ugly of my cleaning this year. This is what it looks like when you dump thirty years' worth of stashed fabric on the floor -- and oy, what a pain in the butt to pick up again! This is what it looks like after it's been sorted, folded and placed in containers, which took me about a week. Now the hard part is to downsize my stash by at least half, I think (that's my goal, anyway.) I've already e-mailed the president of the local quilting guild, a local friend who is a quilter, and a public school art teacher I know to see if I can donate some of the excess to them. The rest will go to Goodwill. Already I've reduced my vintage textiles from two bins to one, and my scraps from three bins to one. It's probably the hardest clean-out I've done, which is why I saved it until last. I know I have too much fabric, more than I can use in my lifetime -- but at the same time, I love it. So I have to...

Valerean

Search This Blog