Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The Edible Scraps Basket

Like probably everyone that sews, I am blessed (cursed?) with an abundance of scraps. Except, I have two categories of scraps, one of which I can't seem to part with. I have leftovers of beautiful fabrics purchased at stores or gifted to me by friends. Those are much loved, but, if I feel those bits are too small to be of any use, I can be pretty unsentimental about discarding them. Then there are my hand dyed scraps.


These are left over from projects I've made for personal use or gifting as well as remnant pieces from items I've made for my store. Some of these strips and squares are really quite teeny. But I can't quite bring myself to get rid of them.


I don't want though to just collect them. I make variety packs of these fabrics for my shop, but the scraps in this basket are too small for that. It has been a real quandary and I didn't have any great ideas for using these scraps.
And then I bought this cookbook and took a nap. But before I fell asleep I was browsing this recipe.


As if by magic, when I woke up I knew what I wanted to do with at least some of the scraps. I hadn't made the recipe yet, so I don't think it was the flavor that inspired me, but rather the colors on the page. I cut and sewed some of the bits together with the cookbook open to this recipe.


Maybe it wasn't the colors on the page, but the nap that clarified for me what I should piece the scraps into. It could have even been the oreo cookies I ate after my nap. I don't know, but I feel like I've made a dent into that basket of scraps. Just a little dent, though, more like a ding.

31 comments:

Malissa said...

Wow, Malka. Your eye for color is so enviable! I think it's so neat how your pillow matched that photo! I love to see your scraps, too. Just more evidence of your impeccable color work.

Chveya said...

Amazing. =)

Michaela said...

How fun to make your inspiration alive! great color combo. OK, I am off to take a nap... :)

Janet said...

Amazing what a nap and an oreo will do. Love the application. The scraps look like the piecing in Freddy and Gwen's new book More Collaborations. They look ready to sew together just as they are.

Rossie said...

beautiful!

Isn't that cookbook so beautiful? It's a cook book and a look book!

_Rossie

Lisa A said...

Great pillow. A scrap has to get pretty small for me to throw it out!

Susan said...

Hey Malka -- Is that the cookbook you were going to tell me about last weekend?

It was good to see you and get a bit of a chance to chat. Lovely pillow too.

-- s

Andi said...

Love it Malka!!
You are an inspiration!!!

niki said...

A ding? I love it. Now I know what to do with my scraps. Bless you for having such creative dreams. Mine are usually nightmares about what the heck to do with all my fabric. Dream on.

Red Pepper Quilts - Rita Hodge said...

I am absolutely in awe of your work! How truly inspiring your are!

Cara said...

Mmm - I love that cookbook and find it very inspiring, but its never inspired a quilt. Impressive.

kellymae said...

cookies and naps=heaven! the pillow is adorable! pretty backing fabric too.

connie said...

This proves napping is a good thing!

Sharon said...

Beautiful! I dreamed a quilt years ago. I totally believe in sleep and creativity. :)

Terriaw said...

This is so great to find inspiration in a cookbook (or a nap)! I love to read cookbooks, as much the imagery as for the recipes. Such a clever way to use your cherished scraps in patchwork.

Cynthia said...

Wonderful. I love that your inspiration is food and the you can accomplish it in a day! Some time in the future. Thanks for the inspiration.

The Calico Cat said...

Lovely pillow & that curry sounds good too. (Is it kosher? Curries can be, but I often see sour cream added...)

Marty Mason said...

Malka...I think I need to check out more cookbooks and take more naps....Love your inspiration and your pillow.

patty a. said...

Simple square shaped pieces, but your fabric turns it into a rockin' artsy pillow. Love the fabric on the back too.

Potiron said...

I was going to say you can send those scraps to me!!!!!

I love scraps!!!!

I also like the leaf printed fabric you used in the back of your cushion!!! Great!!!

Mmmmmmmm napping plus Oreos do wonders!!!!!!

and that recipe..... will have to have a closer look!!!

Next time you're in a quandary about your fabrics, email me!!!!!

Harmony Hopes Studios said...

You just hang on to your basket of wonderful wow-factors. All you need is more time to make more pillows and most deserving of those little scaps to be the wows in your wonderful designs.

sugarcreekstuff said...

I love scraps and love what you made with your scraps. I always hit the scrap bucket at our local quilt shop.
Heres an idea if you get over run with scraps..
http://store.annamariahorner.com/scrapbags1.html

I wouln't mind purchasing a bag from you. ;-)

Malka Dubrawsky said...

About the recipe, the curry does call for some kind of dairy product though I don't remember what. We don't eat meat, so I used some fake chicken tofu thing.

Sandy said...

Oh, that is just awesome! And, I love the fabric on the back. What is that? Did you make that one too?

Justine said...

I love it!

ilovebabyquilts said...

Gorgeous as always! You can also sew the smaller skinny strips into tiny, improvisational log cabins.

And hey, no throwing away commercial scraps! I am a scrapper and I use everything, down to 1" square. Give them to me!

Carmen Rose said...

drool!!

Cheryl Arkison said...

Food as inspiration - more of us should do it. Gorgeous use of colours.

Ginger said...

That looks great! I had been keeping small scraps, but I was building up a pile. I started cutting out 2 inch blocks from them if it was enough, and throwing out the smaller pieces. This is probably the only way I will use them.

Cynthia said...

curry anything is my favorite meal. so i am sooo not surprised that it inspired such a luscious quilted pillow. :)

Didee May said...

I love your blog post! It is a fantastic example of how you can take a great image and use it to create a different work of art through texture, colour and the senses / emotions that it evokes. This will be a great intro to a wearable art lesson for my Year 12 Home Economics class. Thank you :)