luana

When making a scrappy quilt, do you include all of your scraps, or do you sort by brights, pastels, colors, etc.? Are there some scraps, such as black and whites, that get put back for another project? I have been looking at some of the quilts on this site, and they are so pretty. There is no fabric that stands out, or looks out of place. Does that really happen by random selection?

deemail

people do both...you have to look online and at shows and in books and decide for yourself which look appeals to you... personally, i like a little color definition, so i sort them by colors when storing... then when i'm in the mood for a few donor blocks (my 'watching TV while sewing in the evening' project), I just grab the blue bag and the yellow bag and go have fun... but that's JUST me.... the very next person may want to sew whatever comes out the bag next... my neighbor and quilting buddy has a regular trash barrel with all her scraps and she literally stirs the barrel till a nice piece comes up on top and calls to her.... to each his/her own....

DebraK

I think value has more importance than color. Lights next to darks always looks better to my eye.

ckcowl

there are definitly different (types) of scrappy quilts- some people simply can not (deal) with going totally scrappy- them make what is called (Controlled Scrappy) where they meticulously sort their fabrics and decide on a color scheme- then there are people who actually toss a bunch of scraps into a paper sack- sit down and their machine- reach into the bag pull out a piece- then a second- sew the two together- grab another----these are often done on foundations- and you just keep adding fabrics as they come out of the bag until your block is the size you want- then you might choose a (predominant) color from the over all & decide to use that for sashings- or borders---often these types are put together with black or white- or some other solid- some people sort their fabrics into lights, mediums and darks- then start creating blocks.
there are literally hundreds of scrap quilt books and patterns- string quilts- or log cabins are a good way to make your first scrappy- to see what appeals to you- a log cabin (generally) has lights on 2 sides & darks on the other 2 sides; string quilts can be done by just putting all of your 1"-2" strips into a bag- and sewing them onto a foundation as they come out of the bag- with no rhyme or reason- you really wont know what (kind) of scrappy quilter you might be-until you try making one---if you find you simply can not-will not put 2 random prints/textures/colors together---but find yourself sorting according to color/theme- you are probably a (controlled scrappy) type of gal- if you can (throw caution to the wind) and go for it- you are more of a (traditional- use it up) scrappy quilter-

scraphq

I agree with DebraK. For a nice example, see today's post by anne0886 and scroll down a bit to see zigzag quilt by Peckish. Very simple pattern, but also very attractive. Have fun with your scraps!

May in Jersey

I've tried lots of different scrappy quilts. First one I made was at a guild sewin and we picked a fabric out of a bag and sew it to whatever fabric we picked out next and so on. Really didn't care for the quilt at all so I decided that I like a little bit more control when I make a scrappy quilt. I made one with all different blues, yellows and creams, make string blocks with the same color in the middle and add strips of various fabrics that sort of go with each other. Recently made a log cabin that was controlled with rows one and two in the same white fabric in each block and rows 3 and 4 in the same black in each blocs and so on. I used about 4 different whites and blacks. So you see scrappy means lots of different things.

luana

Thanks for the comments. I will have to do some more looking. I think I need a little control.

Lori S

I toss my scraps on the floor, stand back a few feet and toss the ones that just scream "get me out of here" into a seperate pile.

luvTooQuilt

for me it depends on the pattern..

Ill use light VS dark for HST
Ill use ANYTHING for 2in scrappy
Ill use controlled scrappy for pretty much everything else.. .

JenniePenny

I've made a few scrappy quilts. One was scrappy with Civil War type fabrics. Anything batik or bright would not have looked at home in that quilt.

Another time, I found a great pattern that had me separate my scraps into lights, mediums, and darks, and then I sewed them together in five types of pairings: light to light; light to medium; medium to medium; medium to dark; and dark to dark. The shift in values made for a phenominal quilt. If there was a fabric that I couldn't classify as either light, medium, or dark (ex. big pink flowers on black) I didn't use it in that quilt.