Last week I shared how I redesign papers that don’t really speak to me.  You know, those sheets that it if I wasn’t so “frugal” (read, cheap, spendthrifty, etc.) I would just toss out.

This week I want to share what I do with papers I can’t live without.

Let me be clear.   These sheets are the ones I actually will use, not those perfect beautiful sheets that will live on in perpetuity in my stash because they are just TOO good.  That’s a different post, with  underlying themes of sentimentality, organizational goals, and hoarding.

I’m talking about those pieces of pattern paper that you love to use and you save every little scrap of to add to a card, an art journal page, or even just to write the grocery list on, those pieces.

In my studio, these pieces get new lives by being sewed back together to form new, one of a kind sheets of patterned paper.  I use my sewing machine, thread, and regular sewing needles (you actual sewers, please don’t cringe) and just go to it!  It’s a great game, matching up the patterns and colors (or not), and choosing cool stitches and colors of thread.

It is even easier to store these Frankenstein’s Monster sheets than that big bin of scraps I’ve got sitting around.  I just tuck these in a big envelope and on the shelf they go, just ready for new life. If your sewing machine is gathering dust, I recommend trying this out.  Recycling and reusing at its finest.