As a person at the other end (in my 60's) I can offer my humble opinion. If you continue to quilt throughout your life there will come a day when the money is a little or a lot tighter and in terms of quilting I wish I'd planned better for that day. Until the last few years I didn't save anything smaller than 6 inches square/wide. Now I save nothing smaller than 2". I never saw myself making scrappy quilts, working with small pieces or doing applique. I struggled with putting colors together so fat quarter bundles and jelly rolls were my friends. Sometimes I got rid of fabric I decided I didn't like. Now after years of quilting and getting better and more confident I look back and wish I'd kept the fabric I ditched because I could have cut it into 2", 3 1/2" or 5 inch squares and used it. Instead of just making quilts I now make mug rugs, pot holders and table runners which uses smaller cuts. One day I will learn applique! I also wish I'd taken the time once a month to cut the scraps into manageable pieces and organized them by size. It's frustrating and overwhelming to cut years of scraps not to mention it kills your arm and hand. I bought the book Scrap Therapy, Cut the Scraps by Joan Ford and made that my system. Off the subject but I wish I'd purchased more backing fabrics as I went along. No matter how much you want to do it don't throw away the first things you make and photograph everything!!! I gave two of my first quilts to Goodwill because I was ashamed of them and I kick myself every day. Happy quilting!
Last edited by marge954; 02-22-2016 at 07:03 AM.