Like every quilter, I have scraps. For some reason I seem to use a lot of blue fabrics in my quilts (although I like using all the colours) and so my blue scraps basket is very full indeed.
This week, I decided to use some scraps for something other than a quilt.
I have a denim pinafore that is a near-perfect garment: easy-to-wear, comfortable and practical (two pockets) but is slightly shorter than I would like. I am quite tall and the pinafore looks slightly out of proportion. So I decided to insert a patchwork panel – I am, after all, a lover of patchwork.
I measured up an appropriate distance from the hem and used pins to mark a cutting line. With some trepidation I took my dressmaking shears and cut right round the pinafore along the marked line – eek! I also unpicked the side seams at the hem and unpicked the side seams for a short distance in the upper part of the pinafore.
Next, I took some spare fabric and cut two curved panels, each the width of the pinafore, to act as a base for my patchwork.
I folded my curved strip into half, then half, again and half again to get a shape for each of my patches. I was going to need about sixteen for each side. I drew a paper template and began cutting out…
I attached each patch, one by one, to the base fabric, trimmed everything carefully and then inserted the panel into upper part of the pinafore. After trimming the outside edges of the panel to keep the A-line shape of the pinafore, I also replaced the hem section that I had cut off at the beginning.
I had to attach some navy-blue fabric to the denim because the overall size of the hem had increased. I pressed the seams of the new panel downwards in each case and then top-stitched through all the layers with navy blue thread as seen below. The partially un-picked side seams of the garment needed to be re-stitched and then the top-stitching of the fell seam re-done in a matching tan-coloured thread.
Here is my upcycled patchwork panel pinafore. I’m planning to wear it very soon…
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And here is a pattern that could encourage you to use up scraps! It’s called ‘Bright Garden Borders’ which is a hand-stitched project (English Paper Piecing) and you can get it here
Here’s a view of the whole quiltL
Amanda Jane Textiles 