Use what you've got...

After rearranging my fabric stash not too long ago, I made a pact that I wasn't going to allow myself to buy any new fabric until I'd used fifty percent of what I've already got. Then BF's (hereafter known as Biff) grandmother (a tiny little Dutch woman, so adorable) let it be known that she wanted to get rid of her remaining quilting stash, cuz at 92 with bad eyes, she's doesn't really get around to making too many quilts anymore. Since I was the closest one around still dabbling in the medium, I was the lucky recipient. So despite my best intentions, my fabric stash grew before it got a chance to shrink. Tooling around on various crafty blogs, I found that 'use what you've got' is a bit of a theme of late. There are some really great ideas out there, really creative stuff. So I thought I'd try my hand at it. Here's what I came up with.

I have a real addiction to bags, especially totes. I usually see really great bags in stores whilst out browsing, but inevitably say to myself, 'I can make that' and keep walking. That's one problem about being crafty...I say that about a lot of things, buy few and make even fewer. But when I do, I'm usually pretty excited about my end product. This was a nice marriage of the inherited quilting fabric, what remained of an old pair of jeans and a pair of Biff's khaki work pants. I see this becoming a staple in my tote rotation.

I finally got around to making a sewing machine cover, using a strip piecing method. No fussy cutting here, just rip a strip and sew. Too easy. You can see it adorning what used to be my kitchen table.

Again, those once well loved jeans came in handy...a pocket for both sides to hold various tools.

This last one is my absolute favorite. I finally bit the bullet a couple of months ago and bought a used loom (8 shaft Dorothy, with stand; two boat shuttles, four bobbins, four reeds etc. etc., $150.00 for those of you to whom this would mean anything) but had yet to use it. I had an inkling of an idea to weave a rag rug using plastic bags, since I had SO many of them in my house. So I finally did it. For the warp I used crochet cotton and for the weft, an untold number of A&P bags, cut into three strips and tied together. Took me a full day to weave, but the end result is HILARIOUS! I still can't believe that I pulled it off and that it looks so good! It's in my kitchen. I figured it was more sanitary than the fabric rug I had there before that just keeps collecting who knows what falling off the counter. I also thought that a version of this might make a decent portable diaper pad. I'd eliminate the big bumps if I were to make one with that in mind. Might make a good mat for camping or any kind of outdoor outting where you end up sitting on the ground. It rolls up really small. I'll have to measure it to see what the actual dimensions are. Anyhow, it was my first woven project on my new (to me) loom and I'm so proud. *sniff*