Go Green, Be Clever

     In earlier sewing days I was so wasteful.  If I had fabric left over from a project it got tossed.  Same with thread, etc.  Those days are thankfully gone.  Today, I assess at the end of a project what is saveable and what is not....and I put a critical eye to it all.  As I stated in an earlier post, my sewing partner in crime, and also my best friend, has taught me that even the smallest of things can become useful.  I give her my scraps of fabric that are what I deem too small to work with (something that can't be cut into a 4" square or larger) and she turns them into the finest quilts because she loves to work in minature.  Recently I designed a quilt that I will post soon that were 5" x 6" three piece units.  She took my scraps and turned them into a replica of my quilt in minature by cutting everything into quarter size pieces.  The wall hanging it created was magnificent.  I would have never thought to do it.
     Another thing that can be reused is dryer sheets (and they smell good too).  I used them as a foundation when I am piecing something small together.  They are awesome because it creates a backing that is almost indestructable but still very thin and light-weight.  In my house I have at least three to five dryer sheets a week.  Instead of tossing them now I keep a plastic shoe box in the laundry where I can simply place them in the box and use them as needed.
    For relief from all those sewing threads you've clipped as you sew but end up still all over the project and you, here's a simple tip that is fast and fool-proof.  Purchase sticky lint and pet hair rollers from the dollar store and when done with a project simply clean it up by running the roller over it and yourself.  It's amazing how fast those threads disappear and it saves time.
     Have a happy day and enjoy being creative.  I'm off to work on a new quilt design.