I’ve given myself permission to play, rather than sew what I should. It’s been a delightful escape in this COVID time. I’ve been playing with scraps, my most favorite thing. When I finish a quilt, I take all the little leftovers and sew them together in a random way. I figure I’ve already done the work of curating the fabric and like how they work together. Then I cut the block into strips, add an accent color, and reconfigure the parts as I sew it back together.

In my August 2019 blog “A New Idea,” I wrote about two quilts inspired by shapes I photographed on my neighborhood walks, and now I’m digging deeper. I’ve tried something new with each piece in this series, and I’m satisfying my curiosity.

I enjoy the puzzling part of this process, as well as making something new out of scraps that might be abandoned or discarded. And I love watching how the new piece emerges and grows. I never know what the end result will be. I like the surprise. Confession: If I don’t have time to sew the scraps together, I put them in a bag for later use. I have a collection of these, each bag an adventure waiting.

In this time of isolation, fear, and incredible sadness, I’m also finding joy in my habit of looking for unexpected beauty around my neighborhood. As I walk I know I will see something interesting, but it is still a delight when something catches my eye. I would not see it if I weren’t looking. So I encourage you if it helps, to look for small things around you, because you won’t notice them if you are not looking. Be surprised, and take delight.

Scrap Play