Patchwork, waste of time, no, no, no. Waste producing, yes, yes, yes.

Patchwork rubbish.
I love making patchwork quilts but it does produce a lot of rubbish. I used to just throw all my threads and tinny scraps into the bin and send it off to landfill. Then two years ago I stopped and thought about what I was doing and was horrified. Yes cotton does eventually decompose but during the decomposition process, textiles generate greenhouse methane gas and leach toxic chemicals and dyes into the groundwater and our soil. I realised I could not continue doing what I was doing. After doing some research I found a company that would take my scraps and recycle them. I have two companies in Australia -UPPAREL Australia and Textile Recycling Australia.

I have a box beside my sewing machine and as I cut threads of bits of fabric I drop them straight into the box. When the box is full, and I mean pushed down to the point where not another piece will fit in, I seal it up and organise a collection.

As patchworkers we already do our bit by using our fabrics until they are too small for even the smallest template, this is the next step, finding a way to recycle what is left. Hopefully there are companies near you that can help you reduce your textile waste.

Margaret

PS. After posting this blog I have had a lot of suggestions, from other patchworkers, as to how to use my scraps. The one I really like is using them to fill a pillow case to make beds for animals in shelters.