Scraps

My grandmother is an amazing quilter.  There have been many quilts made and gifted to me and my family.  Each one is a treasure, and different than the one before.

I enjoy quilting myself.  I find it frustrating to do without the expertise of Grandma, but with the help of YouTube tutorials, I have survived.

I made this quilt for my dad out of my Nana's clothes.  That made me smile, and remember a lot of precious memories with her.  What makes the quilt are the memories that go with it.  Her Blue Blouse with the paint brush that always had a tissue in it.  Her white keds, her house slippers, and her red and white heart dress in the very middle.  That is what she was buried in.  She also wore it for Christmas and other special occasions.

I made this Christmas tree skirt for my mom and dad last week.  I loved praying for them the whole time I cut, pieced and quilted it together.  All the fabrics are different, and that reminds me of my very large and different family.

As I was cleaning up and organizing my quilting stuff to go back in the closet until the next project, I was about to throw out a big bag of scraps.  I felt like the Lord whisper, "dont waste it".

Waste it?  It's just scraps I thought.  Surely nothing of use could come out of this pile of trash.

But as quickly as I thought that, I had the urge to look through it to see if I did piece things together.  I wondered if I could make some 6x6 inch squares.

I don't like throwing things away or being wasteful (thats thanks to Nana and my Dad), especially if something beautiful is only a few hours and a few yards of fabric and thread away.  I began to piece, praying silently.

Wondering who it would be for, or what it would look like in the end.

Scraps.  I am a scrap.

I wonder how many scraps I have thrown away that really could have been used.  

I sometimes wonder how many truly beautiful things I've written off as trash.

As Gracie slept this afternoon, I stitched, and this is what was on the other side of that bag of trash.  

This trash now has the potential to bring joy to someone, keep someone warm, or just remind me-that my scraps complete something.  Without them, without me, God's masterpiece wouldn't be complete.  

There is something freeing about knowing that you can be used even with your trash.  

Be encouraged friends, God has a beautiful and elaborate plan for you...and those scraps.