I have many little bit of leftover Bargello from creating my Mini Bargello Sunflower quilts and probably some from other quilts I have made with Bargello. Plus I collect what students are going to throw away in the in person classes I teach.

Why do you say would I keep all these little bits! Well, there are a couple of reasons.

So I can make little quilts with them such as postcards or just small art quilts.

And the most important reason is so they don’t end up in the landfill.

For the first few years of my quilting career I threw a lot of little bits in the garbage especially small pieces of batting. Now I even sew the leftover batting that I cut off of quilts to make bigger pieces of batting with a zigzag stitch. Sustainability really is a good thing to be conscious of these days and being aware of what can be reused and recycled into our work.

I took part in a postcard exchange last summer and made a small flower with some leftover sunflower bits that I rescued from the garbage can in a class last summer.

The postcard was lots of fun to make and I really enjoyed adding some French knots to the centre to give it some texture. Funny how hand sewing was always something I had no interest in and then last year I gave it a go and really enjoy the slow methodical way of stitching and working.

Stay tuned for more on how to make a postcard in another post and the products I use. Maybe even a Just Scrap It! Postcards workshop – now wouldn’t that be fun.

These little bits of Bargello would also work well as northern lights in a dark sky. A bright sun in a blue sky. Hmmm so many options. Now I have an idea for the SAQA Spotlight Auction piece I would like to make.

What would you create with them?

Until next time,

Happy Quilting