I started as a way to use up scraps let over from making garments , because thats what my mother did. Having started making my own clothes in 5th grade ... mom never discarded any of the scraps from any projects any of us kids or she made. They went into a special pile that was destined for quilts. We saved anything over a 2 inch square. It just always seemed that natural progression of fabric .. first clothing .. then the quilts. The only time I recall purchasing fabric for a quilt was for the backing . This was all pre - rotary cutter!