Circa 1950 scrap top
Hello friends!
Today's question is: How do you define scraps and/or scrap quilting? I was watching Sue at the From Small Things channel (here) and she asked how quilters define their scraps.
Her question and thoughts resonated with me. As the new year has commenced, quilters have been reorganizing their fabric and looking at their scrap fabrics. It always surprises me when folks consider fat quarters to be scraps. I grew up thinking that the leftover pieces from projects could be considered "scraps" unless there was considerable yardage (rarely happened though).
Brown Goose Quilt, circa 1950
Sometimes when we look at older quilts we suggest that the quilt may be utilitarian. Around here, that might mean the quilt was made for the cots of farm workers.
One true scrap quilt that I own is this hexagon piece:
Hilda's Hexagons, circa 1930
We know the provenance of "Hilda's Hexagon Quilt" because she was able to relay the story of the quilt before she passed. This quilt was truly a scrap quilt, comprised of many fabrics from dresses her mother made and some other household items. She could go through the quilt and state where many of the fabrics derived.
Some quilts appear to have been made from what we now refer to as a "deep scrap bag." In other words, there appears to be a variety of decades in the one quilt. Below a few of the dark pieces appear to be prints from the late 19th century in this 20th century quilt:
I'm wondering how you define scraps.
Have a safe and happy day!
A true scrap quilt is made out of leftovers but I usually call a quilt made with dozens of different fabrics a scrap quilt even though the pieces might be cut from yardage. I love the Brown Goose Quilt with the floral used in the alternate blocks. It's very cheerful.
ReplyDeletemost of my stash is FQs and anything smaller than that goes into the scrap basket to be cut into usable units...
ReplyDeleteIn my home, fat quarters are definitely not scraps, they're considered small 'yardage'. Anything smaller than a fat quarter can be cut up into strips or squares.
ReplyDeleteOh that is a good question! For me scraps are what are left when I cut pieces for a quilt - anything smaller than a fat eighth I guess. I love the quilts my Granny made and often sit and wonder about the fabrics used. I do recognize some pieces from a childhood dress or two. Too bad she is not around for me to ask. When Mom gave me the quilts after Granny died, I had some interest in how they were made, but not enough to really find out their history.
ReplyDelete