One of the things that makes a scrap quilt 'work' is to have color families spread through out the quilt. for example, if you have 50 different redish fabrics.......they need to be spread everywhere in the quilt. Same goes for other colors. On most of the scrap quilts that this form is showing........you've all done that. This is what makes the scrappy quilt 'sing'!
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I agree with you wholeheartedly! So I do it, well, not scientifically, but in
my own way. I count how many squares I'm going to need, then grab all my
black (or whatever color) and toss them in one pile. Then another pile with
another color, so on till I've used all my solid or patterned scraps of each color.
Then when starting it on muslin squares, I grab one from each pile and sew them together, with no careful matching as to what goes with what. Usually
turns out looking more or less like a crazy quilt, and I quilt as much of it on
the machine that I can easily, then sew all these together. Hand quilting the
remainder isn't that difficult. I like doing lap quilts best, I can make so many
more of those and be reasonably sure that they are used all the time.
Usually turns out nice, and I know that by how strongly I'm asked for it by kids and grand kids of all ages.