Bunny for Grannie

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When my Mom and I worked together to finish a patchwork quilt left by my great-grandmother when she died, we were awestruck by her thrift. I mean, we knew she was a saver of fabric. Having first managed her own household and marriage during the Great Depression, she was a saver of everything. But this irregular log cabin quilt drove the notion home like nothing else. There were some pieces so small they were almost entirely eaten up by their own seam allowances. We were inspired. From that day on, Mom and I swore that in honour of Grannie, we would save every single piece of fabric that was at least one inch square.

Of course, as much as we love making scrap quilts ourselves, it just doesn't fit the schedule sometimes. What to do with all the scraps? It finally occurred to me: why not patchwork animals? I used a stuffed dog pattern of Grannie's the first time, then started making up my own. To continue the theme of thrift and environmental responsibility, I stuff them using my fabric waste scraps - those that don't make the 1-inch cutoff.

I thought the animals would be a mere novelty at first, but these days I keep getting requests for baby gifts. Here is the latest addition to the patchwork family:

I'm still thinking about adding a tail.

One side is patchier than the other.

For scale:

I'm daydreaming about The Velveteen Rabbit.

This little guy will be in the shop within the next few days. If I can let him go ;)