I haven’t been making things with scraps this month, in fact almost all my creative time is currently being taken up with Sophie who, although not scrappy, I must show off as a Wednesday WIP (no Working Wednesday post this week, maybe it will be worth doing one next week):

this is Sophie

However, there has been a lot of activity with scraps in the past month or two Chez Snail… starching, pressing, photographing, listing, selling, packing and sending off round the world. I have a large collection of vintage broderie anglaise and lace, all reclaimed from garments or left over from past projects. Most of it was given to me by my mum, who received it years ago from an elderly friend. Much of it is (or was) filthy, having sat around in a box for decades. I have slowly been soaking it and washing it to restore it to something like its former glory. Now fancy trimmings are not really my ‘thing’ so I have been selling it in my etsy shop. It’s not a particularly lucrative business as the preparation to make it saleable takes a long time, not to mention the photographing and listing. However, I love the fact that people actually want to buy and use these scraps… that they are going to new homes around the world to be loved and treasured and turned into new items, and that makes it worthwhile.

Although not scraps, I’ve also got lovingly restored vintage handkerchiefs along with old sewing patterns in my shop – all part of making sure that unwanted sewing and craft supplies find new homes where they will be used and valued.

I’ve been inspired to write this (and future) ScrapHappy posts by Kate, who provides links to other (mostly sewing) ScrapHappy bloggers at Tall Tales from Chiconia on the fifteenth of every month… do check them out.