Remembering Memorial Day with Fabric Wreaths

There are many ways to remember our fallen brothers and sisters on Memorial Day. For veterans and their families, it is a solemn event that needs prayer and reflection. For others, it's an annual family celebration with food and drinks. But for crafters, it's an opportunity to create new patriotic craft projects.

One simple way to let everybody know that you remember those who gave up their lives in service is to hang a wreath on your front door. Here are some DIY Memorial Day wreaths to inspire you if you're planning to make one. 

This Memorial Day wreath from SheKnows.com is made up of Jersey fabric scraps in red, white, and blue colors. Cut up 3-inch squares and fill in a wreath form.

Here's a wreath from Etsy.com. You may use Memorial Day inspired printed fabrics and cut them into strips. The M plate in the middle makes a great accent. 

Another from Etsy.com, the crafter used pinking shears for finishing fabric edges then added 3 rustic stars for decoration.

Memorial Day Grapevine Wreath by CrookedTreeCreation Etsy Shop. An Easy-peasy project. Grab a grapevine wreath, a flag (or a fabric with flag prints), raffia bunch, and a rusted metal star.

FabricLovers.com has a variety of patriotic fabric that you can use for Memorial Day crafting. You may choose from plain reds, whites, and blues or from fabrics with stars, stripes, and flag prints. The samples below are perfect for inspirational quilts, buntings, throw pillows, and more. Check out the Patriotic Fabric section to view more patterns and designs.

Quilting Blenders Make a Well-Balanced Fabric Stash

Whether you're new to quilting or you've been obsessed with it for years, you will need to stock up on quilt supplies to help you make quilts with ease. You surely don't want to be interrupted in the middle of your work just because you've run out of blender fabrics to fill up the gaps.

When you plan on making a quilt, you will need a fabric stash full of different prints and colors. To make the most out of your stash, you have to develop a keen eye for versatile fabrics. These versatile fabrics called quilting blenders will help you to easily connect or match different fabrics.

Quilting blenders are fabrics that blend well with other prints in a quilt. These are mostly monochromatic (though not solid in color) but a bit mottled, or have an abstract, tone on tone, or washed appearance. The photo below from Craftsy.com is a perfect example of a blender.

This Basic Baby Quilt by ThirtyHandmadeDays.com used quilting blenders in green, turquoise, brown, and yellow shades aside from the main animal-printed fabric. It is a good idea to include blenders into the quilt because it makes the main fabric stand out.

FabricLovers.com has a variety a quilting blenders in different shades. These blenders effectively add depth and texture to any quilting project and makes it more beautiful. The quilting blenders are currently on sale so now's the perfect time to grab them and add them to your ever growing fabric collection.

Shades of burgundys and reds for a bold statement

Oceanic Blue shades

Purple Tones for a quilt worthy of royalty

Blender fabric in Olive tones

Different Ways to Store and Organize Fabrics

Do you have loads of extra fabric lying around, leftover fabric scraps and swatches from your previous sewing projects? You might want to start an organization system that will work with your space. If you still have no idea how to come up with your own fabric storage, here are some smart ways to keep those fabric scraps safe and ready for future use.

Why organize at all? Well, organizing your fabric stash will give you a sense of control, make you more productive (yes to more craft projects!), help you save time and money, and more importantly, clear your cluttered mind. Store all your leftover fabric from FabricLovers.com and wait for the opportune time to use them.

DesignMom.com shows us how to organize extra fabric scraps using letter holders. These letter holders not only serve as storage but a wall decor as well. Fold fabric in same sizes to display them uniformly.

We seldom use compact discs or CDs nowadays so put your CD shelf or CD cabinet to good use. You need to cut or fold fabric pieces into same sizes to fit into the shelf. This photo from TwoMoreSeconds.com features a versatile space-saving furniture.

Have you checked out the ClipItUp.com store? They offer quality storage solutions using Clip It Up mounts, bases, and extensions. This setup from KatiesQuiltingCorner.com is great for small cuts of fabric. You can purchase more clips from the online store to fill up the spaces.

Wire bins also make interesting storage for your fabric. ShannonDarrough.com shows how to organize your stash by color. Color coding and labeling are both fun ways to organize. It would be easier for you to search through layers and layers of cloth.

ThinkingCloset.com has this DIY fabric filing that uses Pendaflex hanging folders. Cut the folders in half and hang the folder together with the fabric inside a filing cabinet. This is a great way to keep textiles neat and dust-free.

By getting your fabric stash, craft room, and the rest of your home organized, you'll be surprised to have more usable space (for more fabric). If you haven't stocked up in a long time and you're running out of fabric to use, visit FabricLovers.com for new arrivals.