... a rose cross stitch pattern, a floral embroidery pattern, and some secret stitching that I can't show you yet.
When you do any kind of sewing project you always end up with lots of scrappy bits of thread left over. Most of the time these are teeny little unusable scraps, but sometimes they're long enough to stitch a few stitches but are still not really worth keeping.
In the spirit of "waste not want not", last year I decided to make use of the second type of scraps - using the left over bits of embroidery thread to cross stitch a kind of mini patchwork quilt.
This is proving to be quite a fun project!
It's like a mini version of my patchwork blanket, where I'm slowly knitting squares from yarn left over from other knitting projects. I choose where to sew each colour of embroidery thread, of course, but the colours I'm using and the size of the shapes I'm cross stitching are totally determined by what scrappy bits of thread happen to be left over from the other projects I've been working on.
I love how the pattern is growing slowly, randomly and organically as I do more embroidery and gradually collect more scraps of thread to add to it. It's also great to be making something with these small pieces of embroidery thread that would otherwise have been thrown away.
Do you do anything with your scrap threads?
A really fun idea, I'm so wasteful with my thread ends, or they end up trailed around the house.
ReplyDeleteIt's sort of like a thread tetris! What a great idea :) I always think the little colourful bits of thread left over after a stitching session look very appealing :)
ReplyDeleteI save mine over the course of the year, then on January 1, I put all the scraps into a clear glass Christmas ornament and label the ornament with the year just ended. I intend to hang them on a tree every year, but we haven't had a tree in so long, they just hang out in a bowl on my bookshelf.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun to look at them and try to remember what project THAT thread came from...
Carol S.
Love the ideas you come up with, love the colors.
ReplyDeleteSome years ago I had seen a pattern like the one you are making but with black lines in between!It looked like a vitreaux in the end!Beautiful use of your left over threads!AriadnefromGreece!
ReplyDeleteI love x-stitch! Every now and again, when I want to slow down the pace, I reach for my X-stitch projects, works every time!
ReplyDeleteIt very much looks like Tetris!
ReplyDeleteAll my scrappy ends are in a clear bag for when I just might need a piece of........
You never know!
I chop up mine and use them as a toy stuffing ingredient :) I wrote a post about it in response to yours, Laura!
ReplyDeletehttp://sillylittlesheep.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/reusing-leftovers.html
I like your cross stitch idea, too. I was also thinking about tying the large bits together and making a really messy crocheted blanket with bits sticking out of it all over. Or maybe a cat/dog/toy blanket
I love this! A few years ago I went on a big streak of doing random geometric cross stitches without a pattern. I love the impromptu stitching without a plan, and using scraps is such a great idea!
ReplyDeleteLovely idea
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! I always have so many bits of thread left from projects and I never know what to do with them (and I always feel so guilty throwing them away!). I love the mix of colours that are coming together
ReplyDeleteX
Http://crafternooncabaretclub.com
Thanks for the comments, everyone! It's lovely to hear what you do with your threads :)
ReplyDeleteCarol - this is a wonderful idea!!
Silly Little Sheep - thanks for blogging & linking back to my post x