little squares of fabric

When sourcing fabric, my goal is always salvage, re-purpose, upcycle, etc.  I love these words, their definitions, and the inspiration they can offer.  What I love most is recognizing the good in a textile that already exists in my world.  Looking for beautiful colors, textures and patterns right under my nose.

These little squares are the perfect example.  You might be thinking plain old white fabric, but I'm thinking simple, crisp and the perfect backdrop for bright, muted and neutral color palettes.  These little white squares were once a men's cotton dress shirt.  This shirt could have made it's way to the local Goodwill store, perhaps someone would have purchased it despite a few stains.  I decided it should stay with me and I proceeded to cut them into these tiny little squares.

I can't recall the actual size of the shirt, but it was definitely on the bigger end of the spectrum for men's shirt sizing.  It generated nice large pieces of fabric to work with, including the sleeves when I cut them open.  I now have more than 150 little squares in my stash just waiting for a new exciting life.  If you've been shopping my Little Valentine collection, you may have noticed them.  The white contrasts nicely with both the magenta and grey.  White is a neutral but necessary color in this fresh and sophisticated scheme.  You will be seeing more of these little squares in my future goods.