Hello Friends –
Hope you have had a wonderful start of 2026. My last two posts, I talked about my sewing goals. One of the goals that I have set is to get thru my scraps and stash of fabrics. My stash is a little scary and we need to start using what I have.
When I sew, I will keep scraps that are large enough to be used on another projects. The smallest piece that I will keep is 2.5 square. There is no way for me to keep every scrap. This practice will help you get the most out of your fabrics and reduce waste.
Fabric is so expensive and I hate to see a waste. Saving pieces and using it in another project can help save you money.
If you can’t bear to throw any of the scraps away. I have seen sewist use their scraps to fill a pillows or stuff a toys.
In my stash, I had some half square triangles from an earlier quilt. Half square triangle is a two-toned square. It is made by sewing two squares together and then cutting them apart.
Today, I am going to show you the potholder that I made. There was absolutely no costs because I had everything on hand.
Items –
- 4 – half square triangles
- 1 – backing fabric 8.5 square (the size will depend on the size of the half square triangles)
- 1 8.5 square of Insul Bright Heat Resistant Batting
- 1-strip for binding it will need to be 2.5 wide and 38 inches long
The half square triangle needs to be sewn together to make a block. You can put these squares together any way you choose.
Once the squares are together, put the potholder together with the batting in-between the block and the back fabric. Just to add a little more design, I went ahead and embroidered a one-color flower design.
Here is how it looks.
The next step will be to baste 1/4 inch around the edges and then put on the binding. The basting will help keep the fabric and batting in place.
Here is how it turned out.
So what scrappy projects are you doing? How do you keep your scrap pile under control? I love hearing from my readers.
Happy Sewing,
Valerie
The Saturday Seamstress 