ok what is a crumb, how big or not big is it? does anyone use them?

A crumb for me is something I can make a 1.5" block out of. That's the smallest I'm willing to go right now!! :lol: :lol: Some people may use as small as a 1/2".

is that 1.5" before the seam allowance or after it is sewn together?

A crumb for me is one of two things. A. a piece of cookie that the fluffs missed or A. nothing smaller then a 3 1/2" square. Anything smaller then that (for me) would end up as a string...

Blue

I'd have a hard time sewing something small like that!

for me a crumb can get pretty small, being an applique-er, so any little piece that is smaller than a strip, or usual size scrap (like smaller than 2 1/2" square") odd scraps triangles cut off corners ect. and there are lots of people out there who enjoy making minature blocks and quilts, so little pieces get used.

1.5" before seam allowance. That's as small as I'm willing to try. Right now I have a ziploc bag of squares and one for HST's that I'm going to put together one day ( :lol: ) Just sitting there multiplying. I'm not sure how many I'm going to need to do something with so I just keep adding to them.

I've never worked with postage size, but a lady on the board did the most beautiful scrappy of one. So I figured instead of throwing away, lets try something new!!

Check out Bonnie Hunters system. Makes sense. I've been doing something similar to this - It works for me. Find out what collection you need to make to make a quilt. She also recommends - 1. find the pattern 2. figure out what size they want you to cut everything down to 3. start saving that size.

http://quiltville.com/scrapusersystem.shtml

Check out the crumb quilt she posted on her blog (it's near the bottom)
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2010/...nd-mo-too.html

Great....now I need to go find 30 bins!

(I'm a Sterlite-rubbermaid-plastic container addict!)

Dollar Tree! I got plastic shoeboxes (small small stash and small small space) and I've been doing her method.

To me crumbs are 2 1/2" down to 1 1/2" anything smaller? I may save for applique or get rid of.
Strips 1 1/2 inches wide is the smallest I save for quilting, the rest go in a bin to be used to wrap gifts instead of ribbon :wink:

Not sure if my scraps are considered crumbs but I toss my leftover bits (of varying sizes) into a large bin. My plan is to make random blocks and treat them like a cotton crazy quilt. I have the first block done and plan to test out my fancy stitches on the machine for decorations.

I also rifle through my stash on a regular basis when I need some applique bits. Did it last night when I needed the parts for a Sunbonnet Sue.

Sometimes, when the bin runs over, I pare down and share with someone who makes minis or needs some scraps.

wow, i love what I do and the quilts I make BUTTTT that looks like a lot more work than i willing to give. Beautiful quilts. But i would never live long enough to see it to the end :) . Thanks Ronda

LOL - that one may make my to do list - one day - when I'm old and don't work - and I'm very very bored! LOL I still think it's neat though that she DID IT!

I'm at the point where I need to sort my crumbs and strips by size, because they're all just thrown together in random bags under my cutting table. It's probably going to take me at least a week to go through it all, and I don't want to stop WIPs to do it. The problem for me is this is another excuse to never throw anything away!

wow, love reading this thread

I was thinking of this thread and someone mentioning about buying 30 bins when I was at a garage sale this week. Sometimes I buy new totes when I have the money and when they're on sale. Lots of times I'll see them at garage sales - resale shops - or just repurpose ones I have around the house.

At a GS I saw a huge Christmas tree in a Rubbermaid tote with snapping lid ($$$ new). They only wanted $5.00 for the tree - I was thinking of buying it just for the tote! I didn't because I already bought a Singer sewing machine in a cabinet and didn't have any more room in my car! LOL

Keep your eyes open!