May 15, 2024 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy May

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

Vest back: progress

More progress on the scrappy vest, although it’s slow due to me concentrating on finishing the Marquise quilt top. I’ve stitched down all the bias tape on the front, and half of the back. I just have the shoulders and upper back to do, very fiddly because some of the pieces are so small. I still have the armholes and neckline to bind too. It’s looking so good, and is much warmer than before, if a good bit stiffer.

ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible (including food). If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either email me at the address on my Contact Me page, or leave a comment below. You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month, just let either of us know a day or so in advance if you’re new and you’ll have something to show, so we can add your link. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at). Fellow ScrapHappy posters, please update your lists to match the one below, as things have changed recently.

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan,
Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin, Amo, Alissa ,
Lynn, Tierney and Hannah

April 15, 2024 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy April

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

I had to leave the shop name in!

Anyone who remembers this coat and the bag I made to match will not be surprised that there were luscious scraps to be used up.

The fabrics were so pretty and the pieces so substantial that I simply couldn’t bear to throw them out, although I couldn’t immediately think what to do with them. They’re also backed with grey wool batting, so not suitable for lighter purposes. They’ve sat in a bag until I had a brainwave. The coat itself is very warm, too warm for our northern climate, but something less substantial would work well.

I have an olive drab fleece gilet/ bodywarmer/ hooded waistcoat. It’s a good one, a 30 year old vintage Airwalk I bought in my early 30s, which comes out year after year on the chillier days of our mild winters. I don’t like the colour much, but it’s so useful. You see where I’m going with this, don’t you? I have just enough scrap left from the coat to cover the body part in a stained-glassy sort of way, with the joins covered with black bias tape.

This is where I’m at so far. The pieces are stitched down directly onto the fleece with strong quilting thread and the larger ones are also quilted down to make them stable. I’ve pinned down the bias tape, which I’ll hemstitch carefully on either side to cover the raw edges. It’s extremely fiddly, but also extremely satisfying, and by the time winter arrives late May/June, I should have it done. I’m still debating what to do with the hood. I never use it, and I’m contemplating cutting it off and forming a sort of rolled collar. Or not. I’ll see how it goes.

March 15, 2024 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy March

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

OK, this is a weird one, even for me. I got caught up in, well, life, and at the 11th hour realised I had nothing for ScrapHappy Day. And then I looked down at what I had made for dessert today…. So, as the adjudicator of this group, I’m giving myself permission to be ScrapHappy about food. And now, so can everyone else going forward.

I had wrinkled, flabby peaches with mushy spots (It was the chickens or me. I won). I had a handful each of dried apricots and pitted dates lurking in the pantry. And I had leftover and going stale mini hot cross buns. I wanted dessert today. It wasn’t a promising look, I admit, and even less so when photographed. I chopped the fruit, sprinkled with a tablespoon of flour and a dash of cinnamon, and added a splash each of hot water and bottled lemon juice. I took the three buns, which were still batched in a row of three, and cut them through horizontally twice, to give me three bread-slice- thickness strips. I buttered them lavishly, pressed them down onto the fruit mixture and whacked them into a preheated 160°C/320°F oven for 25 minutes to get the top crispy and the fruit acquainted and squishy. And then we demolished, it with cream. It might have been scraps, but it was extremely tasty, and I deserved it so much more than the chickens.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at). Please note that the list differs from last month’s; Susan and Cathy have asked to be removed, so if you are posting, adjust your lists to reflect this.

January 15, 2024 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy January

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

I found something in the bottom of a box I was clearing out. What is it, you may ask? It’s a glasses case.

Many years ago I got a pair of Timberland prescription sunglasses. They came in this seemingly flat bit of brown cardboard. Well, it’s not totally flat.

With the aid of a couple of magnets, it turns into a rather spiffy firm glasses case, and then back to a flat object again. Not only space saving, but also made from recycled materials (except the magnets).

So I thought I’d have a go at making my own. As you do.

I haven’t got very far with it, but I have managed to make a pattern (it’s actually two pieces, hence the pins holding the bits together).

Also, I’ve picked out some of my very brightest scraps, on the basis that it’ll be hard to lose in the depth of my purse.

I have my fingers crossed that I can make it work. I have some magnets somewhere. I have some sturdy card. If I can, it’ll be featured in a future ScrapHappy. If I can’t, you probably won’t see it again unless I decide to decoupage all over the existing item!

ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either email me at the address on my Contact Me page, or leave a comment below. You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month, just let either of us know a day or so in advance if you’re new and you’ll have something to show, so we can add your link. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at).

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Tracy,
Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin, Amo, Alissa ,
Lynn, Tierney and Hannah

And to everyone who only joins us for ScrapHappy Day, a very Happy New Year or other seasonal celebration of your choice.

November 15, 2023 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy November

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

It’s been a very busy week, so my own ScrapHappy contribution is a bit… meh. It’s another teal scrappy block for my lovely new chair, using some of the lighter, brighter scraps. I do have a good excuse, or actually, a series of them: feeling crappy from very low iron, having family come to stay for several days, and the lovely chaos that results from entertaining, feeding and watering a bunch of other people, not to mention the talking, exchanging of photos, recommending of books and general showing around and sightseeing. Oh, and visiting young Higgins, who is as exuberant as ever, despite his surgery. Not long to wait now…

ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either email me at the address on my Contact Me page, or leave a comment below. You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month, just let either of us know a day or so in advance if you’re new and you’ll have something to show, so we can add your link. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at).

October 15, 2023 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy October

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

Here’s the next few in the series for my armchair quilt. All scrappy, but some scraps larger than others. Personally, I like the ones made of small and even tiny bits:

ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either email me at the address on my Contact Me page, or leave a comment below. You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month, just let either of us know a day or so in advance if you’re new and you’ll have something to show, so we can add your link. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at). The list below is the most current one I have, so if you’d like me to update something, let me know in the Comments. Please note that Jon and Edith have asked to be taken off the list due to other commitments, but hopefully they’ll be back when time allows.

September 15, 2023 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy September

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

Well, there’s a long and winding intro to this one. The Husband loooooves his comfy recliner after a hard day. Me… not so much. It’s nice to put my feet up, but I have no need to tip myself backwards. But I’ve put up with an increasingly uncomfortable chair with bony wood and metal bits sticking out of the padding for some time. The cover is still fine, but it pokes me constantly, which is counterproductive in a chair, I feel. Which all goes to say that we’re donating my recliner and I’m getting a new, non-tilting chair. Ta-dah!

Isn’t it gorgeous? Not at all scrappy, of course, but blissfully plush and comfy. Apparently it’s called an armchair chaise. I call it heaven.

Anyway, to the scrappy part of this post. I’m planning to make a quilt to throw over the chair to preserve the cover as much as possible. And because the chair is teal, the quilt will also be teal.

I have these blocks already, 4 scrappy ones I made earlier. I’ll be adding more, since my supply of teal scraps is pretty overwhelming.

And to the teal I’ll be adding other blocks in pink, orange and navy. Not sure about the arrangement or if it’s going to be totally random, but bright colour will punctuate the teal, picking up on the touches of colour in the teal scrappy fabrics. Like this one:

ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either email me at the address on my Contact Me page, or leave a comment below. You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month, just let either of us know a day or so in advance if you’re new and you’ll have something to show, so we can add your link. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at). The list below is the most current one I have, so if you’d like me to update something, let me know in the Comments. Please note that Debbierose has asked to be taken off the list due to other commitments, but she’ll be back when she can.

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Tracy,
Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, Edith
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Nóilin, Viv, Karrin, Amo, Alissa ,
Lynn, Tierney and Hannah

August 15, 2023 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy August

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

I have been obsessed (in a minor, totally non-toxic sort of way) with teeny-tiny hexies ever since I received Kjerstin’s contribution to the This Teal’s on Fire quilt for Ovarian Cancer. When I had to go and buy more thread and pins the other day (why is it that the heads come off flower-head pins so easily?), I spotted packs of the tiny papers and I bought 200. Yes, that is a lot, but they’re tiny and 200 doesn’t make a big piece.

In fact, it makes this size. Which is just large enough to decorate the front of my boring black neoprene laptop case. I have the usual holes in my fingers from the process of joining them, so I’ll be waiting till those heal till I hand-stitch this panel on, but meanwhile, I’ll be unpicking all the basting threads. I belong to the school of stitching the fabric through the papers rather than around the papers, since I find it gives me much sharper corners, but it does add the extra stage of unpicking all the threads. Tedious, yes, but worth it.

What gives me the greatest satisfaction about this pretty piece is how many of my gorgeous but teeny tiny fabric scraps it munched up. Less loveliness going into landfill, more loveliness wrapping my lappie. ScrapHappiness achieved!

ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either email me at the address on my Contact Me page, or leave a comment below. You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month, just let either of us know a day or so in advance if you’re new and you’ll have something to show, so we can add your link. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

July 15, 2023 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy July

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

I decided to make good use of some of the Husband’s old work shirts. Normally these are cut up and used for patching, reinforcement, etc. Also, those who’ve followed this blog since the start will recall that I’ve also made not one but two quilts from old work shirts (both now appropriated by His Mouseness for car rides and visiting). This time, however, it was something a bit cushier.

This is similar to how the Husband’s ‘office’ looks. His truck has a sleeper cab; you’ll see that behind the seats there’s a narrowish bunk. Slender individuals can squeeze through and take a nap. The Husband, however, is built on more ~~generous~~ heroic proportions. In his truck there’s a fridge unit between the seats, and suitably padded, it allows him to lie down across the seats and snooze during a break in his 14-hour driving day.

He’s had a variety of ‘suitable padding’ over the years, and the last lot has just been retired. They had become too disgustingly dirty (a combination of engine grease, mud and coal dust due to work environment) to get clean any more, and have been relegated to the rags bin at work.

These are the replacements. I simply sliced across the body of the shirt from the hem to under the sleeve venting, cut it to fit the pillow pad, and zoomed around the outside with the serger/ overlocker. Stuff in the pillow pad, do up the handy buttons, job done. A good use of old scrap shirts and a bit of comfort for a hardworking Husband.

ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either email me at the address on my Contact Me page, or leave a comment below. You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month, just let either of us know a day or so in advance if you’re new and you’ll have something to show, so we can add your link. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Tracy,
Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, Edith
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Debbierose, Nóilin, Viv, Karrin,
Amo, Alissa, Lynn, Tierney and Hannah

May 15, 2023 by katechiconi

ScrapHappy May

Welcome once again to ScrapHappy Day!

It’s the day my friend Gun in Sweden and I host ScrapHappy, a day for showing something made from scraps.

I’d fully intended to have my little scrappy fabric-covered drawer unit ready for today, but it kept getting pushed to the back of the queue. Never mind, I will get it done for a future post. In the meantime, I have a small scrappy project I did get done and another one that’s singing a siren song to lure me away from other more constructive things.

Firstly, a small key pouch to go in my colourful backpack, using scraps of the backpack fabric and pieces from the Harlequin coat. I had some leftover piping I couldn’t bear to throw out, and it seemed to be telling me it would look very nice around the outside of a small scrappy pouch. Keys are hard on bag linings, and this one is double lined to preserve the interior of my lovely new bag. The zipper is a recycled one from an old pair of pants and actually determined the size of the finished thing, the ribbon pull is a scrap from a garment swing tag.

The other thing is all the fabulous Harlequin scraps. I simply cannot let them go. I trimmed them out very frugally to tidy shapes, throwing out only the barest slivers. Jigsawed together, they form a piece about 80cm square. I would need to join all the pieces together with sashing, but it would be a spectacular piece of scrappiness, and I believe there might actually be the potential for at least part of another garment in there. Maybe a waistcoat/bodywarmer? These bits are all basted to the charcoal grey 60% wool batting, so it’d be moderately cosy for the forthcoming not-very-cold North Queensland winter, and although there’s not enough for a whole anything, I could easily cut a pattern and piece something together using some other fabric to supplement it. No silk lining on this one, of course, but I have plenty of quilting fabric needing a home.

ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, socks or a sculpture. Anything made of genuine scraps is eligible. If your scrap collection is out of control and you’d like to turn them into something beautiful or useful instead of leaving them to collect dust in the cupboard, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either email me at the address on my Contact Me page, or leave a comment below. You can also contact Gun via her blog to join. We welcome new members. You don’t have to worry about making a long term commitment or even join in every month, just let either of us know a day or so in advance if you’re new and you’ll have something to show, so we can add your link. Regular contributors will receive an email reminder three days before the event.

Here are the links for everyone who joins ScrapHappy from time to time (they may not post every time, but their blogs are still worth looking at). The list below is the most current one I have, so if you’d like me to update something, let me know in the Comments. Please note that Jule has asked to come off the list as she will be turning her attention elsewhere for a while, and we are delighted to welcome Hannah for the first time.

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Tracy,
Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Gwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera, Edith
Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
Debbierose, Nóilin, Viv, Karrin,
Amo, Alissa, Lynn, Tierney and Hannah

We also have a special one-time guest appearance by Kym’s blog, The Byrd and the Bees, featuring creative scrappy recycling by her husband, The Engineer. You’ll find it here, so do pay a visit.