Dec. 2021 Summary strips report
I did not work on chopping up strips that much this month. I managed to find a bunch more misc. pieces and they are thrown in this trunk.
This trunk is where I have things to be cut up. I hope to empty it out again in the next few days. Under the top layer there, it’s all folded fabric - leftover from the backings of charity quilting and I may end up cutting much of it into larger squares for use in another round of charity quilt tops (6.5” or 8.5” squares) to be alternated with a polka dot or other color square.
But this is ever so much less than what I’ve done to myself in other years, so I can head into 2022 with less “stuff to trim up” - meaning odds and ends. So that makes me glad. Less cutting means more time to sew. And I like that idea. I am going to work on cleaning up my sewing room daily in Jan. 2022 until I feel like there is nothing left to do.
During that cleanup, I will throw various scraps into a bag to be sorted and trimmed down so I won’t run out of things to trim in January either. Maybe even into February. Then I’m going to assume as long as I can keep making tops, I’ll keep producing scraps. It seems to work that way!
This month’s cutting was small. I only worked on trimming these various scraps the last few days but I tried to make it an hour or two each day.
I cut up into strips this much
2.5” strips - 2.09 lbs.
2” strips - 1.43 lbs.
1.5” strips - .44 lbs.
I cut, weighed and then threw them into the respective bags before I remembered that I hadn’t taken pictures of the plastic laundry basket with the cuttings in them. I’m sorry. They looked sort of like every other month. :)
As you know that many of you like these posts, and I’m sure that many of these are not terribly interested in them. However, just knowing I have to report on them makes me want to keep the cutting up going. So, in that way, this blog post works as a reminder to keep myself working on them. A sort of accountability for myself. Each month when it comes to the end and I get to add it to the summary total - I get a little bit of encouragement about of it. Weird, I know.
But, let me show you this year’s summary of all of these scraps I’ve cut into strips. The totals are pretty nice, though not any sort of record.
I believe most of you who read these posts probably do like to use up scraps - or at least you aren’t ‘against’ the idea.
There are some people who, after working on a project, get rid of the leftover misc. pieces because they are tired of those fabrics. That’s fine. If you are one of those, I’d just encourage you to find a quilting friend to give those pieces to and not just toss them into the trash (for so many reasons - not just the cost factor).
And for a nice visualization, I thought another photo of all the potential strips rolls that I’ve cut this year - by weight. Get this!
The regular price on a Moda Jelly Roll is $38-$40 at a quilt shop on line (not ours). Not sure what they are at a typical local quilt shop. For comparison purposes, I’ll downgrade my own scraps to a value of only $10 per roll as they are scraps and a variety of sizes and pieces and not as easy to use as a typical completely coordinated “Jelly Roll”.
So…this year…I’ve cut up 31.95 lbs. of 2.5” strips. One typical 2.5” strips roll weighs about a lb. - usually a little less, but to make it easy, I’ll go with a lb. so…this year, I’ve cut up 31.95 lbs. That’s about 32 lbs or equivalent in weight to about 2.5” strips rolls (or Jelly Rolls - JR for short).
But to help you have a better idea - since I started doing this - back in 2016 when I started weighing and keeping track, I’ve cut up 276.41 lbs. of 2.5” strips. That’s also $2764 value at a downgraded $10/roll value. That’s nothing to sneeze at.
Here’s a picture of what would be in 2.5” strips rolls. (This is 280 - but close enough to 276 that you get the idea.)
But the 2” strips - it’s even more. I’ve cut up 309.81 lbs. And that is what I’ve used to primarily make my whole 2” series of quilts - from these scraps. Here’s what that would look like in equivalent weight. They don’t sell 2” strips rolls, so I’ll show it in 2.5” strips rolls as it is the equivalent weight.
There are just over 310 strips rolls in this photo. You can’t really see them all - but I think you get the idea - it’s a LOT!
Now…at $10 a roll for each of these - that’s $3091!
I’m really hoping to get going making more 2.5” quilts in 2022. It’s a hope/dream - and we’ll see. I find they are faster and much, much easier for me to give away than the smaller ones. :)
I hope this helps you remember - don’t scoff at scraps. They do add up and you can make things with them - interesting things even! Here’s one - a SUPER SIMPLE idea - using those 2.5” strips.
I ended up giving this to a lady who came to my house to get some things I was giving away for her work with children’s crafts. While she was at my house - it was hanging on my line - she admired it - just really just stood out in my yard gawking at it (in a nice way). She then went over and examined it. I had always wanted to do that - but I asked her if she would like it it. She looked at me a bit strangely, but I assured her I had plenty of other quilts in my house and she could just have it if she wanted. She wanted. LOL.
Have a great day wherever you are reading this! Thanks for coming along with me on my quilting/sewing journey!
Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store here!
Here’s one of the beauties we have! a Welcome to the Beach quilt kit!
