Reduce, reuse, recycle.

I grew up with these three R's - reducing waste, reusing what I can, then recycling what's left. With recent talks about climate change being urgent, I thought about how quilters have been ahead for a while now.

Yes, it is hard some days to reconcile buying new fabrics, but ultimately we are handcrafting something not factory made, and low emission. Many quilters I know are scrap savers and use as much as possible. One saves all the thread and fabric scraps too small for anything and stuffs fabric pumpkins. I keep the strings of batting trimmed off and wind them around my Swiffer to pick up threads.

And of course, in the early days of quilting in North America it was scrap fabrics and worn out clothing first used to patch together a blanket to keep warm.

I have noticed people being more thoughtful about purchases - getting just what is needed. These purchase are also going into their own cloth bags as well, saving the plastic. It might seem like small things but they do create a ripple outward.
 

From the blog:

From the web:

• Since we're thinking about the planet, how about a brief history of cotton and where it comes from?
• Got a jelly roll and charm pack to use up? This scrappy quilt goes quick. Just have scraps? Skip ahead to the directions on how to cut the actual pieces and forge ahead. Make it even scrappier!
• You know I like to look at things differently, and so do many other artists, like this photographer who takes pictures of street vendors from overhead.
• Santa Fe quiltmaker says she can't stop following her passion for quilting - at 103. May I be this nimble at half her age.
• Do you think I can convince Ron to dress in matching outfits, like this couple does? Couple goals! (C'mon honey, it'll be cute...)

That's all till next week!