~ from my home to yours, living the Working Pantry lifestyle ~
seasoned homemaker * gardener * keeper of my home * food preservation * herbs * sensible preparedness * working with my hands * can do spirit and attitude * home economy * pantry * student of God's Word * sewing * wisdom that comes with age * self-care * looking well to the ways of my household

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Waste Not, Want Not ... Even the Scraps!

Not being wasteful is becoming more and more important in our daily lives regardless of what we're doing.  In today's post I hope to drive home this concept by sharing the following ...

In this post I shared a picture of the thrift store men's shirt that I purchased and am in the process of turning into a feminine looking women's blouse. (I'm almost finished and ready for the big reveal!)  After cutting away the parts I wanted to remove I knew that I would NOT be throwing away the scraps ... nope, not even the really small pieces!

Here's what I did with them ...


I laid the pieces out flat on a cutting board and using a long quilters ruler similar to this one and a rotary cutter, I cut the pieces in one direction and then the other.  This is what it looked like when I was finished cutting.


Here they are in a pile!


I had some leftover scraps from other sewing projects that I'd been saving for when I had enough to do a 'cutting.'  


(The lighting is not very good in this picture, but it was the best I could do at the time.)

I gathered them all up and added them to this 'scraps' jar.  As you can see it's full and ready for use.  What will I use these very small scraps for ... I'm going to use them for stuffing the mini cross-stitched pillows that I like to make!  What would you use them for ... do you save and find a use for your scraps (of any kind)?

Waste not, want not!

Until next time,

patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

Items I use in keeping my pantry well-stocked:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

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25 comments:

  1. Wow! What a great idea, Patsy! Would have never thought of that. Guess I'll be starting a stuffing jar!
    Kathy in VA

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    1. Kathy, you can get a lot of pieces in a jar, too!

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  2. I have lots of uses for my fabric scraps because I just can't bear to throw them out. One inch square or more scraps become "leaders and enders" and eventually get made into another quilt. Also one inch squares can be made into "postage stamp" or just sewn together to create a larger piece of fabric and cut into larger squares and fashioned into table runners and quilts. Great for baby quilts because they're so colorful. I have quilts that are made this way that are scrappy hearts and spools. So much fun to make something from nothing. Cookie

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    1. Cookie, fabric has gotten so expensive that we must figure out ways to use every little piece, don't we? Love your ideas, making something from nothing is a good way to describe the process!

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  3. That's a great idea! I have some long strips leftover from cutting napkins. It is a soft cotton so I will save them to tie up plants.

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  4. I never would have thought of that. That is such a great idea! Thank you. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Laurie, it's a good way to use those really small pieces.

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  5. That is a great idea! Thank you:-)

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  6. I had been saving tiny (cotton) scraps and thread ends to use as fire starters for our wood stove in the winter. Scraps that are a little larger and bits of batting have been saved for a quilt shop that collects them to make pet beds for the local SPCA.

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  7. Could you publish your chicken pot pie recipe? It was really good but I seem to have misplaced it.

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    Replies
    1. Deloris ... here's the link ... https://aworkingpantry.blogspot.com/2023/03/using-home-canned-chicken-32123.html

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    2. I tried the link but it says that doesn't exist. I don't know what I am doing wrong.

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    3. Deloris, did you copy and paste the link into your browser? When I do that it takes me right to the post. I'm sorry you're having trouble.

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    4. Got it to work this time. Thanks a lot. I use pie crusts but I like the base ingredients in your recipe.

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  8. When I was sewing more frequently, scraps were often cut into bias strips and used to make spaghetti straps, ties for tops, bag handles, or pull-strings for draw string bags. If the strings needed a bit more substance, we'd thread a piece of string or a shoelace inside it. But, love the idea of using scraps for stuffing!

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  9. Since at least the 17th century, scraps of sewing fabric--specifically, those left over from cutting out pattern pieces--have been called "cabbage." I LOVE that term! Patsy, I guess you could say you made a jar of cole slaw. LOL!

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    Replies
    1. Sue, LOL, I guess you're right, I preserved a jar of fabric 'cabbage!'

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  10. Any small size scraps go into the tote for string quilt blocks!!! I saw a gorgeous old old quilt a few years ago which had three inch blocks set together to make a 12” block and were sashes with random scraps of the same color family (pink). I have almost half the blocks I need for my homage to it! ❤️

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  11. Leftovers that are long enough to make a strip get paired together to make a rope braid tie. These are handy for tying up electrical cords, bags, or even gift bags. Small square-ish pieces often get made into yo-yos, which can decorate so many things or be sewn together.

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