Hey From Georgia
09-14-2021, 03:10 AM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,058
There are many different ways to "get rid of" scrap pieces... you can actually trash them which is hard on many of us. You can use them. You can give or sell them.
I am primarily a scrap quilter, yet I decided a few years ago that I just didn't want to spend my fabric time dealing with little bits. Whatever I wanted this time was not the sizes I had, however I had it organized it wasn't the way it worked for that project. For me, I decided that I simply did not want to store anything smaller than 6.5" x something larger than a square. My theory is I can always cut down but I can't cut up.
So I gave all the small bits away. Some I sent in flat rate postal boxes at my expense -- it's actually good for me to know there is a cost associated with getting rid of the surplus fabric. As a piece of yardage gets smaller than a FQ, I cut a 6.5" strip and put that in my one box of small, throw the rest in a box that goes to a lady that does crumb quilting and when that gets full, it gets mailed. I'm happier with that than throwing it away.
I'm currently helping a friend organize her stash. Tuesdays are our general quilt lady day, Wednesdays have turned into organization days. Tomorrow we are actually going to have to have a talk about why exactly does she save small bits because she has so many yet never actually uses any of them. I'm going to talk about her planned projects and goals and advise her to just get rid of them too. For her, she might want to go through and pull out the vintage bits and pieces but considering the closet sized pile of boxes and bags and other things, in all the years I've known my friend -- she's never actually made things from the leftovers.
You might want to visit us in the Fabric Moratorium thread -- we try to not buy and we try to use what we have.
2021 Fabric Moratorium
PS: You don't need to read through the whole thing (or even join the moratorium), just browse and look at pictures.
I am primarily a scrap quilter, yet I decided a few years ago that I just didn't want to spend my fabric time dealing with little bits. Whatever I wanted this time was not the sizes I had, however I had it organized it wasn't the way it worked for that project. For me, I decided that I simply did not want to store anything smaller than 6.5" x something larger than a square. My theory is I can always cut down but I can't cut up.
So I gave all the small bits away. Some I sent in flat rate postal boxes at my expense -- it's actually good for me to know there is a cost associated with getting rid of the surplus fabric. As a piece of yardage gets smaller than a FQ, I cut a 6.5" strip and put that in my one box of small, throw the rest in a box that goes to a lady that does crumb quilting and when that gets full, it gets mailed. I'm happier with that than throwing it away.
I'm currently helping a friend organize her stash. Tuesdays are our general quilt lady day, Wednesdays have turned into organization days. Tomorrow we are actually going to have to have a talk about why exactly does she save small bits because she has so many yet never actually uses any of them. I'm going to talk about her planned projects and goals and advise her to just get rid of them too. For her, she might want to go through and pull out the vintage bits and pieces but considering the closet sized pile of boxes and bags and other things, in all the years I've known my friend -- she's never actually made things from the leftovers.
You might want to visit us in the Fabric Moratorium thread -- we try to not buy and we try to use what we have.
2021 Fabric Moratorium
PS: You don't need to read through the whole thing (or even join the moratorium), just browse and look at pictures.
09-14-2021, 03:27 AM
#12
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Portage, Michigan
Posts: 7,369
One more welcome from the Mitten State. Please wander about the site. There are a number of groups, AKA threads, that focus on making use of fabric that we hand on hand... Fabric Moratorium is one. But there are others. Lots of encouragement to use what is on hand but no condemnation for shopping for more! Sometimes fabric just calls our name, other times we have just what is needed in our stash, so lets put it to work in a project. I dare say we ALL love pictures, so view ours and post yours when you get back to sewing again. So many kind and helpful folks here when you have a question. Welcome, welcome, welcome.
09-14-2021, 07:25 AM
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Greater Peoria, IL -- just moved!
Posts: 6,058
Hey hey -- you might want to visit Bonnie Hunter's site on scraps and the ways she uses/organizes them. Warning, you could get lost for days!
https://quiltville.blogspot.com/
Each year starting on Black Friday (Friday after Thanksgiving), Bonnie hosts a Mystery Project -- it's a lot of sewing if you try to keep up with the clues. Can be a good scrap/stash buster but mystery quilts are not for everyone... We've had threads here and they are fun to lurk even if you don't participate. Last year was rough on me... I crashed pretty badly towards the end and had to take some time off of most things. So I'm just now quilting down last year's project -- and I still have the year before to do as well! But here's the thread from last year:
Bonnie Hunter 2020/2021 Winter Mystery: Grassy Creek
I'm hoping to use a box of solid fabrics I have this year which is not a standard choice. They just otherwise aren't getting used. Sometimes Bonnie will have something that is clearly a background of some sort or usable for a single piece of fabric, I'd probably use a tiny print to help pick up the solids. LOL, solids will need to be picked up because they are mostly 14 different pieces of very close dark blue, or things like that.
https://quiltville.blogspot.com/
Each year starting on Black Friday (Friday after Thanksgiving), Bonnie hosts a Mystery Project -- it's a lot of sewing if you try to keep up with the clues. Can be a good scrap/stash buster but mystery quilts are not for everyone... We've had threads here and they are fun to lurk even if you don't participate. Last year was rough on me... I crashed pretty badly towards the end and had to take some time off of most things. So I'm just now quilting down last year's project -- and I still have the year before to do as well! But here's the thread from last year:
Bonnie Hunter 2020/2021 Winter Mystery: Grassy Creek
I'm hoping to use a box of solid fabrics I have this year which is not a standard choice. They just otherwise aren't getting used. Sometimes Bonnie will have something that is clearly a background of some sort or usable for a single piece of fabric, I'd probably use a tiny print to help pick up the solids. LOL, solids will need to be picked up because they are mostly 14 different pieces of very close dark blue, or things like that.
09-14-2021, 10:41 AM
#14
Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 281
Welcome from northern Arkansas! I see a lot of people making dog and cat beds for the animal shelters using their scraps as filler. I have often thought of doing that, but never did. I used to have a group who took the scraps for such a project, but they have discontinued that.
