Salvage Your Selvages: Upcoming Class

Hello Quilters! I (Daryl) will be teaching a class on sewing selvages at the first March 2019 meeting, so start saving your selvages now. If you are not going to take the class, please save your selvages and give them to me so I can share them with the other ladies who do take the class.

The cost of the class, including a kit with everything that you will need to make both a mug rug and a basket (except for the thread) will be $15. The kit will include selvages too, possibly enough to make both items. However, that will depend on how many people will be taking the class and how many selvages I can gather together, so to be sure, please bring whatever selvages that you can collect as well. Note: I will explain all 3 methods for finishing the mug rug, but will only include straight cut binding for the mug rug. So you can choose to do the pillow birthing method or the regular binding method in class and if you want to bind your mug rug with curved edges using a bias binding, I will explain how, but will not be including the bias binding in the kit.

How do you cut your selvage ends? That depends on how wide the printed selvage is to begin with and how much printed fabric that you want. 1/4" will be taken up on the fabric side in the seam, so as a rule of thumb, I like to cut or rip at least 1" wide measured from the selvage edge, so that will give you 1/2" of selvage and approximately 1/2" of pretty fabric. 1/4" of the pretty fabric will be sewn into the seam, so if you want more than 1/4" of pretty fabric showing, then cut your selvage edge wider than 1" wide. It's all personal preference.

How long your selvages are will depend on the amount of fabric that you have to begin with. If you have a yard of fabric, you will have 36" in length. A fat quarter will yield about 18" or so. All lengths are good to have, because you will use them up eventually in different ways. So even a normal quarter yard that give you 9" is good.

What will we make in the class? To start off, I will teach you the concept of how to sew the selvages, so we will be making a Mug Rug. You will have 3 choices of how to finish your edges of the mug rug: birthing pillow method (not pictured), regular binding like a quilt or curve the corners and use bias binding (Note: bias binding will not be included in the kit, but I will explain how to finish the mug rug using this method, if anyone is interested). Then we will move on to make a small basket.

Regular binding on Mug Rug.

Curved corners with bias binding Mug Rug.

Selvage Basket sample that I will be teaching in the class:

The class basket will be the size of the basket on the right or left (not the taller one in the center). Kits will contain everything needed to make the basket and the mug rug, except the thread and possibly enough selvages, however there will be several selvages included in the kit, just not sure how many at this time.

For inspiration here are other things you can make using selvages:

Here are a couple of selvage zippered pouches that I have made a while back.

Another zippered pouch.

Small basket or thread catcher using selvages.

I will be announcing the class at the first meeting each month and start taking sign ups in December. Please pay $15 as soon as the sign ups begin so that can start putting the kits together. The deadline for payment will be the second February 2019 meeting. I will not be making any extra kits and will need payment no later than the 2nd February meeting in order to assure your spot in the class.

So start salvaging your selvages right now!!! Ask your sewing friends for them too. You will be surprised at how many people will save them for you if you ask. Ask them for cotton fabric selvages only. We will only be using the printed edge that includes one of more of the following: the dots of colors that were used in the print, the name of the designer, the name of the fabric company, the year the fabric was printed, the code number of the fabric line, the country where it was printed and possibly more. Some selvage edges have a fringed edge and that is okay to use too. We will not be using the opposite side of the fabric's selvage edge which will either be white only or the fabric printed to that edge. (see photo above for example of cut selvages).

I will post the additional basic sewing supplies that you will need to bring to class in a later posting. This will include to bring things like your sewing machine, iron, etc. I will bring the kits on the day of the class so that all you need to bring with you is your basic sewing items.

I have lots of tips and tricks that I will be sharing with you in the class on how to sew the selvages as well as the basket assembly. I hope you will join me at the first March meeting for Salvage the Selvages class. Believe me the tips and tricks are worth the class alone!