Today I attended our local quilt guild's first meeting for 2009. They had a presentation given by some of our local quilt shops. One of the shops made a big deal of "scrap therapy", which I think is a way to cut up leftovers to be used in quilt patterns sold specifically for those sizes. Before you can take a class, you are required to take a "cutting" class to learn how to cut. Has anybody done this yet? What is so special about the cutting classes? Economically, things are getting pretty ugly around here, and I have to be more judicious with my quilting budget.

I Googled and found these websites:

http://www.scrap-therapy.com/

http://tinyurl.com/7fzd2p

http://www.patchesplacequiltshop.com/id13.html

Looks like it would be fun, but also looks like it is a way to sell people on a "system" that includes buying patterns made specifically for the size squares you cut. I think you are paying for participation in a group and for the patterns. Could be a good deal for someone with lots of fabric leftovers that need to get used up.

Oh boy, if you use the rotary cutter regularly and do it without slipping, I'd say you don't need the class. You can talk to the shop owner and see if they would waive the requirement class, sometimes they do, but if they wont I'd wonder how much they care about quilters vs. making money. :cry:

That's what I mean -- I don't want to spend more money to learn what I already know and hate it when anything new usually ends up in the form of a simple handout. I wonder if this is just another sales pitch for another "cutting tool and ruler we can't live without". I already have a drawer full!

To me it just looks like a way of organizing your leftovers. How to cut them so you can use them later.

I live in Crestview, Fl...I am in a Scrap Therapy class...it's alot of fun. Yes, you must buy the patterns, but they are very usable. The first class is the cutting class...if you're like me, from that class on, you will automatically cut your scraps as you finish each of your projects...if I have enough scraps to cut a whole strip, that's what I do...odd shapes get cut into the actual squares. Class meets once a month...some classes last 2 sessions. So far we've made "Charming Buds"(turned out really nice and I made it a donation quilt for "Safe Child", the potholders (I wasn't interested in potholders, so I made 6 of the potholder squares and turned them into a reversable tablerunner), and right now we're making the "Scrap Sack" that holds 3 of the containers in, but is an excellent size for shopping bag. I am a crafter that does about a dozen shows a year, and I have mountains of scraps...this really helps to use them. It's using the patterns and other ways to use them...no rulers, etc...Plus, I enjoy the companionship. :wink: If someone will talk me through how to attach photo, I will post a photo of the Charming Buds Quilt I made...I tried to attach the file on this, but don't know if it took. VickiM

Ask if this "cutting class" is something that's geared toward real beginner quilters and not someone who's done it for a while. It's probably just a class going over some basics so you don't cut yourself.

For beginners, intermediates, and advanced...anyone can do it as long as you can do 1/4" seams and know basics. Like I said, it's lots of fun.

:oops: forgot, yes, you do need to know how to rotary cut with accuracy. And you get lots of tips to make things easier.

I just cut my leftovers into 2" strips and toss them in a Rubbermaid tote. I also have a tote for 1 1/2" strips (for the pieces that aren't wide enough to cut into 2").

I use those strips ALL THE TIME. For Christmas sales, I made 7 tablerunners and 2 babyquilts just from those totes. The totes don't look noticeably emptier, either. :oops:

I don't mean leftover yardage - just the odd pieces.

I usually (but not always) cut my scraps into 2 1/2 in squares to use down the line in a trip around the world. I'm hoping in a few years to make a decent sized quilt using pieces from each quilt I've ever made!

That's a GREAT idea! It's sort of like a memory quilt of quilts.

I like the idea of 2 1/2" strips - especially with all the jelly roll patterns out there. Then there is still an option of cutting further to squares. Any other recommended sizes to cut to? (It's not that I don't want to go the the class, it's just that there aren't any nearby that I am able to get to.)

www.quiltville.com has all the information you could want on making your own scrap system and Bonnie offers lots and lots of free patterns for using the scraps.

If you don't want to pay for a class, I would recommend going to Bonnie's site instead.

YES - I love that site, and it's where I got inspiration for several of the runners and quilts I made from the strips.

Nancy - totally off your subject, but what part of Rochester did you grow up in? I grew up in Irondequoit.

I too don't understand why you would need to take a cutting class if you have been doing it forever. The scrap class does sound fun though.

I have my own scrap therapy as I sew and fabric gets cut to a size I don't know what to do with it I place in a box next to the machine. Some scraps I will cut for strip quilts or cut the remander of fabric into square sizes I often use . This way I am no longer tossing the little bits or saving the for who knows what? You can make crumbel blocks wiith the real scrappy stuff. My friend decribed it to me as sewing all the pieces together no what color and then choising a block size you want and using you rotarty cutter and template ruler cut .
I find this way I always have something to work on and You really don't have to pay for scraps,swap and trade with others.
Have fun with it. I talked about this in the what are you recycline
christinaBennett

FYI:

The current (January February 2009) issue of Quiltmaker magazine has Bonnie's Scrap User's System in it, plus one of her scrappy quilt patterns.

Have you ever gone to www.quiltville.com? She has a great section about how to cut and store scraps and has lots of free patterns. She is a phenomenol quilter and has pictures of her scrap quilts - 1 is more beautiful than the other. You might find it helpful.

Redquilter

Here is another view point.
I work in a patchwork shop and the number of customers who do not use rotary cutters safely or correctly is amazing.
Maybe rather than have a extra class the tutor could spend a small amount of time at the beginning of the lesson to check that customers are doing the right thing. So that their pieces turn out the right size.
Unfortunately just because they have made a few quilts doesn't always mean they know what they are doing.

Y :) ou are correct,We all think we know about cutting. I have been cutting nicley ,I use the blade until I have to add pressure to cut one layer. This I thought was a good thing,Wrong, By having to lean into a cut to add pressure we sometimes put our fingers in the wrong place. I learned the hard way, sliced off the top of a finger. That quilt cost a lot of money at the emergency room.
By Taking the cutting class I learned about a saftey guide for the long rulers that keep your fingers out of he way . I also learned when to and how to change the rotary blade with out any bloody fingers.A refresher is good to remind our selves saftey first.
Christinab

YES! I always teach proper rotary cutting at the beginning of a class. Of course, if someone wants to skip that, they can start sewing, but I do think it's a sensible idea to review and possibly learn good things.

The other thing is that a blunt blade will wreck your mat - and a wrecked mat will blunt your blade.