Cutting scraps??
 

Do you cut your scraps or just put them into storage as is? If you cut them up what size do you cut them into. I want to do something with mine before there get to be so many I just give up and pitch them all.

DON'T pitch them. There are so many things you can do. I'm in the middle of making scrap quilts, and having tons of fun. There is a thread that is on the board with wonderful pictures of some of the quilts from scraps. They go together very fast. If you want to not use them, there are plenty of quilters that would be happy to tak them off your hands.

Go to Bonnie Hunter's site www.quiltville.com There are lots of ideas for how to cut your scraps, how to organize your scraps and lots of quilts to make with you scraps!!
I also recomend the Scrap Therapy book by Joan Ford.
I have used both methods and I have made several quilts from my scraps.
Have fun!
Colleen

I put scraps from quilts in a tote under my sewing table. When it starts hollering at me, I go through and cut out 6" square (or sometimes 4" squares) from the larger pieces and use them for Linus quilts. The rest I save and use for strip quilts or scrappy log cabins. I throw away any piece that can't be a 2 1/2 x 4" rectangle. Some of the reds I might save if they're 1 1/2" wide for bright strips in a strip quilt. Don't throw your scraps away. If you don't want them for quilting, make a pillow and take it to your Humane Society. They love them for the animals.

In this order:
1. Fat quarter if I can get it.
2. If there's width of fabric, first cut 5 inch x WOF(these can later be 2.5 x WOF,or charms or 2.5 squares)
3. Then go to 2.5 x WOF
4. Then 1.5 x WOF (I'm planning to use these in a log cabin quilt)
5. If I can't get WOF then I cut squares, 2.5 then 3.0, then 3.5 4.0

Absolutely don't pitch them. Remember you've already paid for the fabric so anything you make out of them will be free! I love scrap quilts so 6" and 5" squares are my go to size..but I did the scrap therapy so have other sizes as well.

What size is too small to keep and be useful? I've been struggling with the whole not wanting to throw any piece of fabric away and I might be getting too carried away.....

Why would you want to cut scraps at all if you don't have an immediate use for them? Short of cutting a long string off a side or so.

I just sort by color, as I have no idea what pattern they will eventually turn into. Don't toss them , so many beautiful quilts have come from scraps... and the more scraps the better is my philosophy.

I don't cut my scraps as I never know what I will need for paper piecing... I toss in a tote, then find a pp project to do.. lots of fun!

I am learning a hard lesson now after either giving away or throwing away my scraps. I had pieced a queen size quilt about five years ago. Before finishing it I had decided to wait to use it because we got a puppy and she slept on the bed sometimes. My DIL saw the quilt and loved it and I said I would finish it for them. She asked if I could make it a king size because they were going to get a new bed. I've been using every little scrap I can find to finish it. I know I took a lot of fat quarters and fabric yardage to Goodwill, and I wish I had not done that. At this point, I swear I will never part with my scraps. Besides the quilt for DS/DIL, I love making scrap quilts.

I also don't precut scraps so that I can use it however I want when I use it. There are lots of ways to make quilts with scraps. I read a posting on the board last year about mile a minute scrap quilt. I haven't made one with it yet but I know I will. I am trying to get them together by color though. to me that seems like the best way to keep them. But for those who are highly organized and want them all in precise order, then maybe you would prefer the method of precutting before storing. It is really how you want to use them.

Jill I wish I had been at the goodwill store you took them to a minute after they put them out for sale;)

Hi Cheryl
Here is an idea....join us at the candy swap...it is here on this site (somewhere I am new) anyway the candy swap is 2.5 inch squares to make a postage stamp quilt. You cut 50 2.5 squares and send them to the group leader then she swaps them and send you new ones back...you can send up to 20 sets.
If you don't know what a postage stamp quilt is just google it...they are wonderful!
Barb :)

One day I was reading a thread and found a person that wanted scraps so I sent her all I could find, along with fabric I knew I was never going to use. I need to prepare another box to her. It goes against my grain to throw it away and yet I know I will not use it.

I never cut my scraps until I'm ready to use them in something. I do some applique and some paper piecing so I don't know what size scrap I might need later on. Plus I love digging thru the bins hunting for that one fabric that's perfect for a pie plate or a scarecrow shirt or corn or, or, or. And scraps have to be small enough I can't get a quarter inch seam on all sides.

I don't cut mine until I need them. I use some scraps for embellishments or applique. Then again, I may cut them down and make a scrap quilt. Depends on what I have and what the mood du jour is. I keep two bins (one darks and one lights) When they get full, it's time to use the scraps.

Don't throw anything away (unless it is ridiculously small)! That is an absolute guarantee that you will need it within a month of getting rid of it.
I just learned yesterday how to do reversible QAYG table runners. It's going to make Christmas presents a joy, I can tell you! :)

I started cutting my scraps about 6 months ago. I cut them into 2 1/2 4 1/2 5 1/2 and 6 1/2. I put them into separate buckets.

This week I started sewing. Because the strips were cut I was able to sew 40 half log cabin blocks in 3 hours. I am hoping to make a number of lap quilts for Christmas. My machine was in the shop for a good part of the summer so this was the first chance I got to sew.

I know in my heart that I can use 2 inch squares but find it so tedious to cut them. So I take misc scraps and first cut the biggest square that I can get up to 10 inches. The the next biggest from 8.5 down to 3.5. (I get a lot of scraps.) They are filed by size and when I am kitting up, I just go to the size I need and pull them for use. Not enough to do by color or design except for the 5 inches.

There are times I just want to cut out pieces and not sew. Lots of patterns out there for 10 inch and 5 inch squares that can be adapted for all the others.

I cut mine into 2 1/2" squares or various size strips. I have made several scrappy quilts from the strips and have a large box full of squares.

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I am sure that the minute I cut my scraps that I will need something 1/4' bigger. That is Murphy's Law of quilting. I would never cut until I know what I will be making. I recently made a very nice log cabin quilt for a class using left over fabric from other projects--that translates into FREE. Can't beat that.
Sue

I hate that Murphy, don't you? I'm like that too, I don't cut scraps unless I have a reason to

I am working on my first *real* quilt, and decided to start out right by cutting all my scraps Bonnie Hunter-style as I cut my quilt pieces. Big mistake!! Of course I had miscut several pieces. Then many pieces shrank when I starched the pieced blocks for squaring up. Since my scraps were all ready cut into smaller pieces, I had to order more fabric, and beg for i spy squares. Next time, no cutting scraps until the quilt top is DONE!!!!!!!!! But I like having the scraps ready to go.

Put me on the list of those quilters who now save scraps as is without cutting. Many years ago I would cut all of my scraps into strips thinking I would make string quilts with them, but as I used those strips last year to make a braided rug I looked at some of them and wished I had the larger piece to use in a quilt. As for the size that should be saved, take a look at "crumb" quilts. Those use scraps less than an inch!

I was cutting my scraps into all different sizes and decided not to do that anymore. Maybe I need a 3 inch square and the color I want has previously been cut into a 2 inch square so I can't use it. I'm going to cut all my scraps into 3 inch strips. That way i can cut off what I need as I use it. I can always trim it smaller but I can't put it back on,

I put them all in as baskest till I get a lot of them, then I spend a day cutting them using Bonnnie hunters system. Then when I want a day of mindless sewing, I pull them out and make 4 or 9 patches to use in scrap quilts.

I keep scraps/trimmings from each project in a small plastic zip bag so they are already color coordinated. Strips go into a storage bin for future LC's. Tiny scraps get used for leaders and enders because my Bernina is picky and tends to snarl thread on the first few stitches. There is quite a bit of information on this Board regarding leaders and enders for you new quilters. It took me awhile to find out about them, but once I did it sure saved me a lot of grief!

I have mine in large plastic bins. I definitely would go to Bonnie Hunters site. She is amazing. I met her in person this spring at a show. What a lot of energy she has!!

I am one who saves everything. If it's 1/2 inch wide, I make 1/8 inch seams. Of course, it depends on the color and the type of fabric. I have made several confetti quilts. If the piece is missing a little bit on one corner, add a little piece there. You would be surprised at how much it takes to put on a little corner. Those seams eat up a lot.
I have made several freedom quilts. Start with a small piece of a very bright color, any shape and start sewing another small piece to it. Just be sure your seam is a straight line. Trim with ruler and cutter, not "by eye". Add pieces log cabin style, on each side as you go around and around and around. They can be any width that is 2 12 inches or less. I get 4 or more blocks going at once so I can chain stitch. When the square gets near your target size (8 or 9 or 12 inches etc.) add what will make it come out near that measurement. Around the outside I sometimes add a strip made up of lots of small pieces. Then square to the size you want. When you have all your squares made, put it together with sashing: white or black work wonderfully, or use your favorite color. Just keep this sashing as plain as possible; if it is big print or too busy, it will make the whole quilt look way too busy. Corner stones would be very nice. On the last one I made, the cornerstones were 2 1/2 inches square, and one of them had eleven pieces in it. I always tried to make them at least 4 or 5 pieces, so you can see I use really small pieces. Another thing: the smaller my pieces, the smaller I make my seam allowance. Those small squares all have 1/8 in. seam allowances.
Anything left from this goes in an old pillow case to give to the animal shelter or sprinkled outside for the birds. LOL

I don't cut mine. I put them in a big trunk along with any left over completed blocks from projects and then when a pattern says cut something from a variety of pinks or browns or whatever, I go through and pull out what I got and use them up that way. I hope one day to figure out what to do with the completed orphan blocks but at least they are all in one place.

I don't cut my scraps until I'm ready to use them and then never throw anyway anything too small or unwanted-all those scraps go into a pillow (made from unwanted fabric) for the animal shelter.
I also have my grandchildren & children with disabilities next door help me with these-a teaching moment on sewing & compassion.
Maire

Madquilter, what a great idea. Separating the lights from the darks. Right now, I have old doctor bags full of scraps. But I am guilty of throwing away small pieces of fabric. I only save the bigger pieces. Maybe I should rethink my method because I do applique an awful lot.

I cut up anything less than a fat quarter.. I am a scrappy quilter..

I cut with the Go so Ill match up the scrap size to die ..My biggest Go is the 9in hexie and the smallest is 2x2 so ill have plenty to match fab to die with.. and Ill keep cutting till i have nothing but threads left... Toss in appropriate sterilite drawer - each die cutout has its own.. When they get full I sew, sew, sew to make more room..

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IF there is anyone who tosses out their scraps shoot me a PM.. Ill gladly take them !!!!!

I make a lot of donation quilts for Newborns in Need....

Every lil bit helps..

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I just finished a 2 month project of cutting up my scraps and cleaning out my fabric. First figure out what sizes you want and the smallest you will use. I decided the smallest for me was 2.5 inches. Anything else can be thrown out. Yes I said Toss it. Unless of course you are or your know someone who is going to make a crumb quilt I think they are called .. Not me. I did
Fat quarter
10 inch
5 inch
3.5
3 inch
2.5
Some I did leave in strips 2.5 wide There were a few strips that I thought I may use for borders so left them wider at 4 and 6 inch.
Not many though.
I figure with the larger pieces I can always cut them down if need be
I now have everything in small baskets.
I am much happier. LOL

I am an obsessive scrap cutter
Starting with 6" squares, if the piece is large enough
5" for eventual Nickle Quilts
4 1/2", 3 1/2", 3", 2 1/2", 2" and triangles out of odd sized scraps.
I gave away my 1 1/2" squares to a bunch of Board members awhile back and no longer save them.
The 2" and 2 1/2" will eventually become 8" finished squares (each with 3 solid blacks in it) with resulting quilts for charities.

Call me crazy..or something...but I saved my scraps and leftover fabric for all my projects since 1999. Yes, I'm a bit of a pack rat anyway but that's another story. Occasionally I used a bit of leftover scrap in something new I was making but mostly the scraps grew and grew. I bought new for any new project. Well now...fabric is much, much pricier that was 12 years ago so guess what? I have quite a lot of very good fabric to use..and I paid a lot less for it. I haven't cut it all because I can use "string" sized pieces or larger chunks. When I cut scraps my favorite sizes are 2 1/2" strips, 5" squares 2 1/2" bars, etc. I have been using the precut scraps in a couple of Bonnie Hunter free patterns. I completed Pineapple Blossom (Quiltville Blog) and I'm working on Bonnie's "My Blue Heaven.". I love them. And you know what? I haven't even put a dent in my 12 year supply of scraps.

depending on the size and shape, tells me what to do with them.....I make a lot of Charity String Quilts so have one large box of nothing but precut strips. If the scrap is square-ish....I cut into strips, 1-/2", 2, 2-1/2"......If the scrap is fat-quarter size goes into my color sorted drawers, if on the smaller odd shape size goes into color sorted bags for applique work.....Have also started cutting 5" squares for twisted pinwheels......

Mostly, I don't cut my scraps until I'm ready to use since I don't know what I may want to use it for. If I do cut ahead, it is blades for a Dresden Plate or hexies for a GFG because they are a work in progress for me. I only throw away scraps that if I make a 1/4" seam on both sides there wouldn't be anything in between the seams (Like someone else said if you make it from scraps, it is free).

I'm doing a project with 2 1/2 inch squares I dont precut any unless for a project