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r/quilting•
jgwave

Using orts in quilting--good idea or terrible?

Beginner Help

I've been knitting for over a decade now, and for the last ~two years I've picked up sewing and embroidery in part because I'm trying to reduce waste by repairing clothes. And as part of that, I've felt too guilty to throw away the little bits of odds and ends I have finishing a project! I've been saving small scraps of yarn, thread, and fabric for over a year now and my original container is starting to get full, so I figure it was time to either use my orts or at least have a plan.

I've seen a lot of people online using their orts in art projects (frames, ornaments) or as stuffing for pincushins and stuffed animals, but the former isn't really my style, and I don't think I'm skilled enough to make stuffed animals. I could make a bunch of pin cushions to give away--but I recently started my first solo quilting project, and it occurred to me that it would be silly to spend money on batting if I could use all my orts for free.

So my question is: could this work? Is there a way I could "stabilize" my scraps beforehand? Or should I only use them as stuffing for smaller projects? [Some potentially relevant info: it's going to be a full/double size quilt, and the majority of the orts are cotton but with a substantial amount of acryllic, too. Red Heart yarn giften by well-intentioned relatives. Oy.]

Posted Sep 14, 2021, 5:26 PM UTC

915
houseplantpunk•

You might be able to, but I would shy away from it, personally. If you did, you'd probably have to quilt super densely and it would still shift around a lot, making it very lumpy and likely difficult to wash. It would behave more like a comforter/duvet combo, but... even more chaotic. Those are the problems I would foresee, at least.

If you're avoiding the cost of batting, you can use a blanket instead (I've heard of folks using many different kinds, particularly from thrift shops and clearance sales or just blankets they don't care for anymore, since the pattern doesn't matter). That way you're still recycling/reusing something.

As for other scrap projects, you can look into crumb quilting. I'm also slowly working towards making a large floor cushion/pouf that will be stuffed using my yarn and fabric scraps that are too small to use for other purposes. If you are ready and willing to be extremely patient, you might be able to use those scraps as the batting for a jelly roll basket/rug type of project, but that would also be painful to do, since I imagine you'd have to basically sew an inch, stuff with scraps, sew another inch, stuff again, etc etc.

I have seen a few art quilts (I can't remember who or where, though) that used tulle "pockets" with scrap yarn/thread in them. If you're interested in collage/art quilting, that is a possible way of using yarn scraps.

6
jgwaveOP•

Yeah, I figured the moving around would be a concern--thought it was worth asking in case more experienced quilters had some kind of magic trick!

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slightlylighty@kristyquilts•

I think the other posters answered your question.. But... What in the world are "orts"?

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jgwaveOP•

It's the little bits left over from sewing! I just learned it recently--a lot of times if people are talking about "scrap" from projects, they mean like a few yards left over from a skein or spool they bought for a specific project that can still be worked like normal thread/yarn. I think the term is more common in embroidery compared to knitting, but it's helpful to distinguish between those more useful leftovers and the six-inch yarn snipped off after weaving in ends, for example.

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AncestralFoil247•

Gosh. I always used "ort" for thread only, I always thought it stood for old raggedy thread. Like after you sew and cut the leading tails off from your machine, stuff like that. And I always called fabric scraps cabbage and the teeny tiny pieces coleslaw. I guess you learn something new every day.

I saw a lady somewhere use her tiny scraps and kind of sprinkle them all over a piece of embroidery stabilizer until it was comply covered, put another piece of stabilizer on top, then sew back and forth and all around until they were all connected, then wet it to dissolve the stabilizer and cut pattern pieces from the new "fabric" that was made. It might be worth a try to do something like that on a small scale and see what happens.

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slightlylighty@kristyquilts•

Interesting there's a word for that! (Id just call those small bits of yarn trash and throw them away...)

It's such an uncomfortable word to me for some reason.. And I don't think there really is an equivalent term in quilting.. Maybe crumbs or snippets..

Anyways, I stuff my dogs bed with those too small to use bits! I wouldn't use them as batting though. Maybe for a puff quilt?

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strawberryemery•

i'm definitely hearing a sea lion "ork ork" sound when i see ort. i've heard of crumbs. in garment sewing, there's cabbage for pieces that are off-cut from yardage but still large enough to make something else small, like a scrunchie, then you turn cabbage into coleslaw if you need to make stuffing. i'm always impressed when people have the space and patience to keep the small bits around for crazy quilts and such. i've made one hideous scrap quilt, and three tailors hams stuffed with quilt coleslaw, and i think i'm done for the rest of my life. if i can't make a mask out of it, it's trash.

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slightlylighty@kristyquilts•

Cabbage/coleslaw.. Lol, I love it!

Cries a little you..throw away pieces that are just too small to make a mask.. But.. Those are still useable..

(I keep pieces down to 1.25" square..I may have a problem...)

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Good_crisps_73•

I’d never heard the term before but I looked it up on Google

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knitmeriffic•

Antique quilts were stuffed with all kinds of things - rags, worn out older quilts, even straw. Your approach will have an historical authenticity! You're not going to get the precise results of batting but I bet it would be really cool.

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dana19671969•

My tiny pieces, thread ends and serger bits go into a bin to be reused as stuffing for animal beds.

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Good_crisps_73•

I wonder if the orts would work for smaller Quilt As You Go blocks ? I’m trying to visualise how else you would use them to lie evenly and fill a larger area.

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mary206•

I save all fabric scraps down to 1" size and assemble crumb squares that are colorful and interesting. Each square tells a story

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IdontknowhowIfeel13•

One think you could do is make a dog bed. Use an old pillow as a liner in a trash can. Scraps of all kinds go in until it’s full. Sew up the open side and then give it to a dog owner you know or donate it to a shelter.

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