Sustainable Patchwork

One of the most worrying excesses of patchwork is the amount of waste it can generate – waste in fabric scraps and waste in thread.

Fabric Scraps

Finding a way to use scraps effectively is the first step to reducing waste. Bonnie at www.quiltville.com has some fantastic suggestions for this.

 

However, I sort my fabric stash to help:

• large pieces (roughly colour coded)

• fat quarters (anything that will fit to a fat quarter fold of about 6x6”, roughly colour coded) 

• small pieces (scraps ready to deal with).

The smallish scraps are cut into standard sizes when I have a few minutes to spare. It will depend on how much there is and what shape the piece is. Always start with the longest or largest of the following list.

• strips – if it is long enough to get a strip of about 12.5” or more then I cut

• 2.5” strips

• 1.5” strips

• left over lengths of folded binding

 

• squares and ‘half-square-triangle’ squares – I start with the largest one I can get and work down but I only do “standard” sizes as follows:

• 6.5”

• 5”

• 4.5”

• 3.5”

• 2.5”

• 1.5”

 

 

• ‘kindy bits’ – I collect anything too small to make any of the above for my local preschool who use them for collages and other fun activities with the children.

• offcuts – that are too small for anything or the wrong sort of fabric, even thread ends. These get bagged and put in the rag recycling collection.

If I get a huge number of any particular size I sometimes colour or theme code them but this is probably best done when you have a use in mind.

Wasted thread

On a normal sewing machine using normal techniques you will leave about 2-3” of both the bobbin and top thread at the beginning and end of each row of stitching when you cut the item from the machine. This makes a wasted 12” of thread for each join you make. There are two ways to reduce this waste and once you make theses automatic you will be astounded at the results.

Chain piecing

Instead of cutting each pair of joined pieces, whether it is 1.5” squares or even 12.5” blocks, do not cut the first one off but leave about half an inch of thread then feed in the next pair to sew. Continue this way until you have completed all the sewing required.

 

 

You can cut of pieces as soon as the second pair are sewn and you can continue to sew patches together in the same chain. You can use this chain piecing technique to 'web' a whole patch or quilt top to keep pieces together in the right order.

Leaders and enders

This is a great idea from Bonnie at www.quiltville.com and drastically reduces the waste of thread when creating your blocks and quilts. Every time you rethread a machine, instead of testing it on a scrap of fabric as recommended, feed in two of your small scrap squares to join them with the test run. Do not cut them off but leave them in the machine and begin sewing your next seam, hence making a leader.

When you have finished your chain of sewing feed in two more little squares and leave them in the machine until you sew next time, making an ender.

 

Leaders and enders can be stored and joined as 4-patch or strip pieces for borders and blocks in other projects.

 

By continuing this way you will only need to cut thread from your machine

• when you need to rethread the bobbin or top thread or

• when you need to leave thread ends for tying off.

Your sewing machine should always be left with an ender behind the foot. This will become the leader for the next time you sew anything, even clothes. Don’t forget to end with another ender next time.