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Recycling & Upcycling for the Sewing Room

Last week’s blog covered some of my favorite quilting tools, conventional and unconventional. So this week, I thought I would continue with this unconventional theme. I’m going to talk about recycling, upcycling and things that will help save you money. And who doesn’t want to save money? These tips are ones I use all the time when I’m quilting and maybe they will be some you like and will adopt as well. Let’s get started!

Tip #1 – Batting

So you trim pieces of batting and are collecting them. What do you do with all these extra pieces? If you’ve followed my blog for awhile, you know I do not like to throw things away when I can. find a use them. Well, here’s two ways to use and reduce all these scraps of batting. 

The first way is to purchase batting seam tape and use it to make larger pieces of batting from the scraps!

It’s actually very simple to use. Heat your iron to the wool setting for all types of batting, except full polyester. For 100% polyester batting, use the silk or synthetic setting. The instructions say to use steam but I used my iron dry and it worked just as well, you can test it out both ways if you like. So here’s the steps:

Butt the two edges of the batting pieces up to each other as shown in the first photo on the left. If you need to trim edges to make them a little straighter, do that before lining them up. Then, lay the tape across the seam (photo2) and press with your iron (photo 3). Now you have a larger piece of batting (final photo)! This strip of batting can now be added to another one to make a bigger piece.

Option two can be done if you don’t have any batting seam tape. You just need your sewing machine! Here are the pieces I want to work with:

Like I said above, trim up sides to make them a little more even and you can even lightly press the pieces of batting so they lay a bit flatter, but that’s not required.

Now, set your machine to a zig zag stitch and attach your zig zag foot. Like with the seam tape, butt the edges together that you want to join and zig zag stitch them together. You may need to play with the width of your stitch to make sure it catches both sides.

As you can see from the photo on the left, my stitching is joining the pieces. On the right is my stitched together piece of batting that is now big enough for a table runner I am ready to quilt.

Tip #2 – Fabric 

Another thing I do not like to waste is fabric. We all know how expensive it is, so I like to use up as much as I can and throw away very little, if any. Here’s a one of my fabric saver tips and few ways to use up fabric scraps and reduce waste.

First – A Fabric Saver: If you only have a few flying geese units to make and are not using the “no waste” method to make them… or if you do not like to use that method, here’s a way to not feel guilty about using the traditional method. Here are the pieces needed to make my geese unit:

To start,  instead of drawing just one diagonal line from corner to corner on the wrong side of the small squares, draw an additional line 1/2 inch away from the first line:

Now place the square face down on the rectangle, just like you always do when making flying geese, and stitch along the drawn lines. Once that is done, cut 1/4″ in from the first diagonal line (between the stitched seams).

After you press open the this side and repeat the step on the other side, you not only end up with a flying geese unit but also two half-square triangle squares! You can also chain piece these geese units. It just takes an extra line of stitching so it doesn’t slow you down too much.

Now if I am not ready to use those HSTs in a project, I store them in a container in my sewing room. Eventually, I will have enough HSTs to make a pieced border for another quilt or a small table topper.

Using up scraps:

  • Now what do you do with the scraps that you really can’t work into a scrap pattern? Like the little container above, I keep one for scraps. A lot of these scraps are ends of strip sets or little pieces from the end of a strip.

Fill it up and then you can use the scraps to stuff an old pillow case to make a pet bed. If you don’t have any pets, check in with your local pet shelter to see if they need a donation of pet beds. 

  • As I have covered before, keep scraps in tubs for appliqué pieces if you do fabric appliqué.

Since I have tubs of this scrap fabric in a variety. of colors, I don’t need to cut into a larger piece of fabric for some flower appliqué, for example. I can also use this fabric for sample blocks to test out color combinations without cutting into brand new fabric.

  • Finally, save the selvages! You can make one of the fun projects from patterns, that are on the market, to use those up. You can also use them around the house to tie things together or add a bow to a gift for a quilting friend….. or for a cat toy!

Tip #3 – Recycling Items – Pick of the Week

Last week I had a few ideas on taming the bobbins you have in your sewing drawer. I like to wind several bobbins in the thread color I am using for a large project so I can quickly change one out when it’s empty. Here’s a storage idea for those bobbins that recycles an empty pill container.

Another use for a pill container is as a thread tamer! I like to take hand projects on the road or outside on a sunny day, especially binding projects that only take one spool of thread. I use the pill container this way:

Carefully poke a hole in the pill bottle top (left photo). Then place the spool of thread in the bottle, threading the thread through the hole you created in the top. Now you can pull out the amount of thread without the spool getting away from you.

I also use this idea for perle cotton for when I do wool appliqué. Have you seen these little plastic containers in the food saver aisle in the store? I use these to tame my spools of perle cotton while pulling out the amount of thread I want. As with the pill container top, poke a small hole in the top of this container for the thread to feed through.

Fun, right? This is also a good way to keep the cat away from the threads while you are stitching.

If I have a lot of perle cotton colors I need to work with and want to tame the thread I am currently using, consider picking up a school pencil box. You can fit up to eight spools in this box and feed the thread you are using out from under the cover:

The box measures 8 1/2″ x 4″ x 1.6″ with a removable cover. The cover fits just loosely enough so the thread pulls through without snagging.

Random Stuff

  • Here’s a few random tips just for fun. Use a small makeup brush to clean out your sewing machine when needed. This is a good tool if your machine didn’t come with a brush or a good replacement if you have lost the brush that came with your machine.
  • Use an orange peeler as a stiletto. The advantage to this is the end of the peeler is not super sharp (at least mine isn’t) so there’s less of a chance of it poking a hole in your fabric.
  • Use a colored Post-it Note to make your machine needle easier to thread. See the difference when you hold the piece of paper behind your needle?
  • Finally this is a safety thing. Use an empty rotary blade container to collect old rotary blades and an empty mechanical pencil lead container to collect old needles. This makes it safer to discard these things when the containers are full because they won’t be floating around in a garbage bag where they can poke through and injure someone.

Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed my recycling and up-cycling tips. Share some of yours below. Maybe we’ll all learn something new!

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Recycling for the Sewing Room

Have you ever heard the phrase “make do or do without'”? That’s ingrained in my personality! I really, really hate to throw something away when I think I can find another use for it. Now, I’m not a “pack rat” because that would drive the super organized part of me crazy… but, if I think I can use something in my sewing room, it ends up there whether it’s from a garage sale, a big box store or from somewhere in my house. I’m going to share a few ideas I have come used in my sewing room in this week’s and next week’s posts. Hopefully, these posts will give you some interesting ideas for things you can give a “new life” to. Here we go!

Unique Sewing Room Storage – Fabrics, Wool, etc.

As many of you know, I like unusual things to create storage in my sewing room. Some of them are antiques, and some are just “cast offs” found at garage sales. Here are some old library card catalog files (remember those days?) that I found at a junking sale. I though they would perfectly fit my rolled fat 1/8s and I was right! 

I lined the drawers with acid free paper to keep the fabric protected. You can also seal the wood with a sealant from the hardware store, if you prefer. Now I can easily find the fabric I am looking for in my fat 1/8s!

I found this old tool box that I thought was so cool looking that serves the same purpose as the card catalog above. I couldn’t pass up this gem at the junk sale!

Another great storage find is this old file cabinet that I got from a school sale. I use it for my shipping station. It stores all my shipping supplies from envelopes to packing tape and my postage scales rest on top.

Of course this would also come in handy as a file for your patterns and ideas, threads and other extra sewing tools like small rulers, templates, etc. You can even paint it a prettier color to match your decor if you like (I’m lazy!).

So… I have a lot of wool and was looking for a good way to store the scraps (as any wool worker knows… we keep the smallest scraps!). I have large pieces folded in storage tubs, but wasn’t sure what to do with the small scraps. Here’s my solution:

These smaller tubs I found at the big box store are perfect for my small wool scraps and fit into this shelving unit perfectly (another junking find!). I actually measured the shelves before I bought the tubs to make sure they would fit. They’re clearly labeled with the scrap colors so I can quickly pick the tub I need for my project.

Unique Ideas for Tool Storage

Now for the sewing tools like rulers, scissors, etc. Once again, I like to turn to antiques, garage sale finds or something from the big box store. My first challenge when I set up my sewing room was how and where to store my rulers. I like to hang them because I do not have a lot of counter space. So, my solution was this peg board I found at the hardware store.

If you do not have a place to hang a pegboard on the wall, you can use a hanger made for belts and jump rings that are found at the craft store to improvise:

To keep my scissors and rotary cutter handy, I use this old mug holder I no longer needed for coffee cups.

For additional supplies I need while designing and cutting, I employed this old sewing machine drawer as a catch all for things I can’t hang. I love collecting these cast off drawers. Anytime I see one at a sale, it’s mine!

Finally, here’s a few ideas for storage near the sewing machine. To store pins, I re-purposed a magnet like the type you get at a souvenir store.

I think used some packing tape to tape the magnet to the table by my sewing machine. It’s an easy catch-all for the pins as I pull them from the piece I am stitching. And since I just used some packing tape, it’s easily removed if I want to move it.

To store my scissors and other small tools I use often while stitching at the machine, I have re-purposed a shower soap dish. I attached it to the edge of my sewing table with a Command strip so it’s easy to remove if I no longer want to use it.

So, that’s all for this week. Share your ideas for unusual things you use in the sewing room in the comments below. You will be entered into a drawing for my new pattern, Star Crossed Scraps.

Come back next week for more quirky ideas! There will be another chance to enter this drawing. The winner will be drawn on Monday, December 6th.

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Upcycling Everyday Items for Sewing Room Use – Part 2

Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed my upcycling and recycling of everyday items in the sewing room in last week’s blog post. As promised, I have more for you this week! I hope you continue to share with me the items you put to good use in your sewing room. There were some pretty good things shared last week in the comments. Remember, the drawing for two of my patterns will take place on Monday, December 28th. I’ll be choosing the winner from the comments of both this week’s and last week’s blog post…. you still have time to enter!

So here we go ….

Item #1

In the comments last week, someone said they use empty prescription bottles to store sewing needles or to dispose of used or broken needles. Great ideas! Here’s how I use my bottles:

These prescription bottles are a great storage solution for bobbins! And since the bobbins are stacked in the bottle and can’t move around much, there’s no unraveling of the thread. You can also pre-wind several bobbins for a project you are working on and store them in the bottle for easy access as you are stitching. No stopping to wind a bobbin!

Item #2

Sticking with bobbin storage, if you do not have access to prescription bottles, I have another fun solution. Toe separators! 

Yes, you read that right! I picked up a few extra of these pedicure supplies at the drugstore and put them to good use in my sewing room:

As you can see, the bobbins fit nicely into the separators. And because these are made of a soft material, they can fit any type of bobbin and secure them nicely. The second photo shows how they can be stacked to fit neatly in a sewing box or drawer.

Item #3

If you are a golfer (or know one!) and you have a lot of extra tees laying around, you can do this:

This is a great way to keep a bobbin of thread paired up with the spool of matching thread for quick access. 

Addie approves of these last two items!

Item #4

Moving on from bobbin storage. Let’s look at something that makes sewing a bit more comfortable. What can you do with this?

You can adjust your machine for optimum ergonomics while sewing with a pair of door stops from your local hardware store. These will slope your machine at the degree you want, depending on how far you push them under.

This has actually relieved some of my neck and back strain that comes from hunching over the machine. Now I can see what I am stitching better because it’s angled towards me and I do not have to hunch over to see my seam.

Item #5

Here’s another item that I keep in my sewing drawer:

I use this to mark the line on my ruler for cutting strips. This is really helpful when I have a lot of strips or pieces of the same size to cut. It helps me find the mark on the ruler faster and cut accurately.

So that’s 5 more of my upcycling or recycling ideas. Trust me, I have many, many more of these ideas and I will share them in upcoming blog posts in 2021. Next week’s blog will be on finishing the 2020 BOM! 

Like I said above, share some of your tips in the comments and be entered in my drawing for two of my patterns: Marbles & Jacks lap quilt pattern and Loop-d-Loop table runner pattern!

The drawing will be on Monday, December 28th so you still have a week to enter! **We have a winner! Congrats, Donna Schulz!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Upcycling Everyday Items for Sewing Room Use

I like to find interesting uses for everyday items not only in the sewing room, but in every room around my house. I guess it’s in my nature. I hate to throw things away knowing they will just end up in the landfill. That’s why I like to find other uses for items that have outlived their original usefulness. I’m sure many of you have done this too. A lot of times these everyday items are to help me with organization and storage in my sewing room.

Share with me the everyday items you have put to good use in your sewing room and you will be entered in my blog drawing! So, let’s have some fun here…..

Item #1

Galvanized Peg Board. These are made for the garage, but who says we can’t use them in our sewing room?

These peg boards are great if you have a dedicated sewing room. Affix it to the wall, buy some hooks and load it up!

I even added an optional basket to the top to hold my task light! 

If you do not have a dedicated room for sewing but you can find a storage closet to use, put the peg board in there to keep the rulers stored until you need them. Or, for a less permanent storage solution, we move on to …..

Item #2

Item #2 is actually two things. A large binder ring and a hanger made for ties or scarves. You can use these to hang rulers and then hang them in a closet to store them. Thread the large binder ring through the hole on the ruler, then hang it from the ring on the hanger.

Item #3

Do scissors and rotary cutters float all around your sewing area? I used to hunt around for mine until I came up with a solution. I had this old coffee mug stand in my kitchen that I was not using anymore. So, I tried it out as a way to corral my cutting tools.

And there you go! All your cutting tools at your finger tips.

Item #4

I had some of these old plastic sign holders that I used to use in my Quilt Market Booth.

I do not use them in the booth anymore for signs, so of course I needed to find a new use. I now use them, with the help of large binder clips, to hold a pattern next to my machine for easy reference.

If you do not have any of these lying around the house, they are fairly cheap at the office supply store. You can even use it (or a smaller version) in the kitchen to hold recipes.

Item #5

Don’t throw these away! These can be used for sewing supply storage!

What can you use an empty paper towel roll for? Use it to store your fusible web or interfacing. Instead of folding those things up and shoving them in a drawer to get all creased and crumpled, roll them up and secure them in the empty paper towel roll for storage.

Those are just 5 of my everyday items I use in my sewing room. I will have more next week. Like I said above, share some of your tips in the comments and be entered in my drawing for two of my patterns: Marbles & Jacks lap quilt pattern and Loop-d-Loop table runner pattern!

The drawing will be on Monday, December 28th so you will have two weeks to enter! **We have a winner! Congrats, Donna Schulz!**

Happy Quilting!
Deanne

Tips for Storing Quilting Supplies – You can use that?

Have you ever heard the phrase “you learn something new everyday”? I often learn new quilt supply and tool storage tips from my quilting friends and students, so I thought I’d share those here with you. Some of these may be familiar to you, but some may not. I guarantee there will be a few you think are just brilliant. I did! A lot of these ideas use items from around your house. You don’t have to buy lots of fancy gadgets!

First up is one of the things quilters seem to have the hardest time storing: bobbins. I do have one of those rubber “wheels” that stores bobbins:

But I have heard other storage solutions from quilters who have not been able to find one of these. And they’ve come up with some pretty ingenious ideas!

Idea #1: Grab some golf tees. Yes, you heard me right! Golf tees! When my son was on the golf team in high school, I was swimming in golf tees. I found them all over the house, in the washing machine, in his car, etc. You would think I would have thought of this myself. So here’s what you do. Match the bobbin with the thread and secure them together with a golf tee. It’s that simple!

Now you have the thread and the bobbin matched up together for storage. You can line them up in a drawer like this or still store them on a spool rack. This works great if you want to keep the thread and it’s matching bobbin together. You can also use pipe cleaners or long twist ties to secure threads and bobbins together.

Idea #2: Toe Separators. You know those funny foam things that you put between toes while you’re painting them?

Bobbins actually fit quite nicely into those toes slots! And these are stack-able so they will fit very well into a small drawer near your sewing machine.

Looks like Addie approves of these bobbin storage options!

Idea #3: You can store bobbins in an old prescription bottle. Good way to recycle!

Next up, rulers. These can be challenging to store even if you have a dedicated sewing space. My solution for my sewing room is a peg board I found in the garage. These are not expensive at the local hardware store. Pick up one of these with some peg hooks, hang it on the wall, and problem solved!

You can even use some of those handy rings you find at the office supply store to help hang them.

Now, if you do not have a dedicated sewing space, you can store your rulers in the closet clipped by pants hangers.

You can also store cutting mats this way too!

Finally, here’s some random things I do for storage to make things go more smoothly while I quilt and stitch.

  • I use an old paper towel tube to keep my fusible web under control. Paper clips on the ends of the roll can tear it and rubber bands wrapped around the middle can wrinkle it, but the paper towel tube keeps it nice and neat!
  • I store my perle cotton threads for a project in a small pencil box. The 8 x 4″ box works great. You can also pull thread through the space between the box and the cover if you are working in a confined space …. or have a cat that likes to play with your thread!
  • Finally, I use an old mug tree that I found at a garage sale to store my scissors and rotary cutter by my sewing table.

So there you go! There is no limit when it comes to thinking up ways for using everyday household items in the sewing room. I bet you have some. Share some of your quilting “hacks” in the comments below. You will be entered into a drawing to win a free pattern!

The drawing will be on Monday, April 29th. Good luck! **We have a winner! Congrats, Carla!**

Happy Quilting & Stitching!
Deanne