Whenever we're out shopping, my wife always wanders off to the craft department. One of the bins she always checks out are the fabric scraps where she finds a yard of corduroy here and a polka dot cotton print there. She likes to get a variety of fabrics because she uses them for pictures on her blog, but as you know, those odd yards of fabric start to add up. There are a few simple fabrics and patterns that she likes to reuse, but generally the others sit until she winds up selling them at a yard sale or donating them.

It seemed like a waste to me, not just in money but in craft potential. I figured there had to be something she could do with that fabric, rather than letting it sit or giving it away. So, I was looking around and I found the book, One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins, on Amazon.com. It's full of different sewing and craft projects that are designed specifically to use one yard of fabric or less.

What impressed me about the book is the versatility of the projects and the time they spend explaining basic techniques for those new to sewing—like my wife. Along with patterns and pictures, there are also explanations of various, useful stitches and techniques that make it easy for newbies to get their bearings and really enjoy the book.

The projects run the gamut from clothing to pet beds and toys to handbags. When my wife received the book in the mail she went nuts. She's used a couple of the apron patterns and lined the backs of the kids' toy room shelves. It was definitely worth the $9.99 I invested and she's making good use of the fabric she's collected.