Nearly all of my quilts are scrap quilts.

Most of mine go to the mini quilters in our quilt guild. They like the smaller pieces. If they don't want the tiny tiny ones I give those to our grade school art teacher. Everything gets used somehow! :D

I use mine. I have been dwindeling down my stash to where that's about all I have now is scraps.

Thanks!! :D

I haven't used mine yet. Maybe someday.

Thanks, I can see what you did with the close up. My Monday students are always looking for scarppy quilts. I'll have to post the picture of the one we did with shared scraps.

I have always saved my larger scraps--over 6 inches or so but now I sometimes regret it. I just can't save all those smaller pieces or I would need another room.

http://quiltville.com/index.html

If you need any inspiration to scrap quilt at all, visit Bonnie Hunter's site. She was just at our guild meeting and her quilts are terrific! I just bought her book "scraps and shirtales" and am really looking forward to trying some of her designs.

Quote from her site:
"I'm sure we've all heard "Oh, it's just scraps." Have you ever stopped to realize that your scraps cost you just as much per yard as the original fabric purchased that they came from? Your scraps could be worth $9.00 or more a yard. Makes you think twice about tossing them out, doesn't it? Or relegating them to the lowly position of "just a scrap"? :c)

It used to be if I wanted to make a 'scrap quilt' I'd have to dig through all my scraps, big chunks, odd shapes, pieces of this or that all stuffed in a basket or box for 'some day'.....I'd have to iron them, sort them, cut them...even before I started sewing. I think I would lose interest before the quilt even got started! Are you the same way?

I thought first about calling this the "Scrap Saver's" system, but the point is...we want to USE our scraps, not hoard them! The purpose of this little explanation is to show you how I continually work my scraps so they are always at the ready for scrap piecing. I've been doing this for years now, and it WORKS for me. I have shared this with many quilters who ask how I get so much done. So this is my effort in explaining how I work with scraps, and make my scraps work for me.

Remember when you were little that wooden blocks came in different pre-cut sizes (or legos if you aren't that old!) and you could make things with them? Build a house, build a road....certain sizes just went together and FIT. I think of my scraps like building blocks...and that is what they do go for, building QUILT blocks!

I love scrap quilts. Trying to get my requested regular color controlled ones done for this year, so I can get back to scrappy quilts.

Check out Bonnie Hunter's website:

www.quiltville.com

She has over thirty quilt patterns for free for scrappy quilts.

I would love to be able to take a class from her.

Keep up the good work.

Anne in AZ

I SAVE all my scraps. I recently started putting together a sunflower sue quilt using the scraps because I have so many. But darn it, I went to the quilt shop to pick up some different threads to match the appliqueing, and some how :roll: some fat quarters jumped into my bag. Then I went to another store, and they were having a big sale, and MORE jumped in my bag. To make a long story short..........I now have MORE scraps than when I started! :mrgreen: My feelings on this are that if you try to get rid of the scraps, they'll multiply. I think it's called "survival of the scraps".....it's a natural instinct. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I use mine for applique, paper piecing, strip piecing and the I've actually use the snippit (iddy bity) pieces to create falling leaves in a Autumn Quilt for my mom.
Then there are the trims off the edge of fabrics I'm squaring up and the debris from when I use my serger. I collect these to stuff in pillowcases that I fill up 2/3 of the way, sew it closed and donate it to our local animal shelter for the doggies & kitties to sleep on. It amazing what those leftovers can be used in.

Hahahaha. Too bad the big pieces don't multiply at night too :D

Thanks for the Bonnie Hunter links. Y'all might be making a scrapper out of me yet!

I'm just finishing up my second scrap quilt. I get quite a charge out of making a quilt out of my "salad bowl", which is what I call the bin that is full of scraps.

I like you saved scraps for the one day I would make a scrap quilt. RIGHT. Now I save my scraps for a friend. Each time she brings one of her BEAUTIFUL quilts to our club. She always comes by and says " do you see any of your fabric in there". I love looking at her work and wishing I done that, but enjoy the fact that I contributed something to another quilter. Not everyone can afford lots of material, but through scraps they to can have beautiful quilts and works of art.,

I have two big plastic bins with scraps, but am so involved with my stash, can't seem to open the scraps up, LOL. I have plans tho, lots of plans, Bonnie Hunter's site is amazing!

Here's another way I used my scraps

Deb Watkins
Do you mind to send me a copy of your courthouse steps pattern so I can use it with my scraps to?

Thread

If you join the quiltville group at Yahoo! there is a PDF file with a chart for the scrap sizes for the free patterns on quiltville.com. I used it to devise a detailed plan so I can collect pieces for the quilts that I will make for my seven nieces. Each quilt is a different pattern, but my diagrams help me cut strips from each fat quarter so that they are shared among several quilts.

I labeled the drawers in two rolling carts with the strip sizes that I am using, and have started sorting strips as I find time to cut from my stash of FQ's. I am forcing myself to finish two other quilts-in-progress, but every now and then I invest an hour or so to cut some more for the "nieces pieces" drawers. One of the quilts has string piecing, so I have a use for the leftovers from each FQ.

I am having to restrict myelf to FQ sizes for blocks right now. When I get further along, I will start stashing more fabric for the borders, sashing, backing, and binding.

I use scraps a lot. To make blocks for donations, etc. I love scraps. I am a scrapaholic.

I gave mine to my local quilt guild, and they were used to make community quilts. It made me feel good......I know, what with the size of my "stash", I will never use my scraps. Someone needs to invent a device that prevents my car from turning into the parking lot of my favorite quilt store........

Yes, I'm an ADDICT too. :oops: I have made a heart scrap quilt in PP
and all the hearts are out of scraps given to me. I recently was given
lots of solids, now to decide what to make out of them :?: I take all the
scraps I can get. :mrgreen: I think all things from scraps are very
homey! :wink: So yes,I'm addicted to scraps :lol:
Marilyn in Oklahoma :thumbup:

I plan to.....I like Bonnie's site www.quiltville.com. She is very helpful about how to organize the sizes/colors of scraps and offers alot of free quilt patterns to use up those scraps.
And NO, I haven't done it yet. I just surf her site, sigh, and print out patterns. But at least I will be ready when the time comes! Right?

Scraps are scraps. I like to cut as many 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 blocks as I can. I toss them in a pizza box so they remain flat. When the box gets full, I make a Triple Irish Chain. I once bought fabric for the larger block in this pattern, but now use pieces from my larger left overs. Left overs are pieces of fabric 1/2 yard or less.
These quilts are very colorful and lovely. They make a most wonderful gift, no one ever knows they are scraps.
I also make the reversible quilt as you go quilt using 1/2 square triangles and strips. Again very colorful and fun gifts, especially for charity.

I usually have one or two of these quilts in my closet to give to people who have suffered a setback. The colors and variety seem to give the people a much needed gift.

I am a strange quilter as I do not like having a large stash. To me it is work that is not completed, so I keep my scrap bin as empty as possible! I don't like to be behind on my work! :D
I usually have 2 projects going at a time, but UFO's are not for me!

My quilting friends laugh at me and shake their head in wonder, no stash?

I've been using my scraps (less than 1 yard pieces) more since I take the time to cut up my scraps into useable sizes, like 5, 8 or 10" squares, 2 1/2 or 3" strips, etc. I sort them into groups and put them in containers so I know what size is where. I don't cut up my scraps until I've finished a project just in case I need an extra piece. This really helps to keep my sewing room organized (somewhat).

Yes I do... on a regular basis? Not sure if it is considered a regular basis.

I use them for my fabric postcards all the time but that doesn't use up much scraps. I do make 'crumb blocks' with my scraps as well as foundation strip blocks. These make great quilts for kids for cozying up in a car on a cold day/night, or to sit on in the park or on the beach. Looking forward to making other scrap quilts too. Lately I've seen some wonderful scrap quilts.

I LOVE scraps!

warm quilt hugs, sue in CA

I use mine because it saves on the budget. I tend to be quite frugal so I try to use every bit that I can. I like my quilts to have some color boundaries/structure so haven't made an "anything goes" quilt yet. My avatar was made all from scraps, but only red, yellow, green and blue on the white background.

wraez, I really like your avatar. It mixes things up more than I've tried before, but I like the nine-patch look. I'll have to try one of those.

I also use mine for applique a lot.

Sew Cornie.... I was looking at YOUR avatar and thinking how I love the bright scraps....I wanna make one like that too!

My avatar is actually just a bunch of blocks from a 'floral block swap' at my guild. I got enough to make 3 small quilts, which I have not done yet but definitely want to finish and give one to my dd's mil for Christmas.

mutual admiration society? But your quilt is finished!

warm quilt hugs, sue in CA

I use my scraps to make Rhonda's boston mini blocks. I try them on to see how I like them. Then go and buy the big material to turn the knowledge into a lap quilt.

Katrina

I have 4 bins.
1. 2" squares
2. 4" squares
3. 5" squares
4. Fabric for prairie point edges

Once in awhile, I make a scrap quilt, when time allows.

Your long cabin scrap quilt is just lovely, I love scrappy quilts!

K.P.

I stand in awe of people who actually have their scraps organized and use them regularly. I always have plans to get my scraps in a condition to easily use them for projects. I'm just at the point where I think I'd like to make a scrap quilt......but guess it will have to wait until after Christmas....I am so jammed with projects that need to be done by Christmas I could probably sew 24/7 and not get everything done. But thanks everyone for all your ideas on how to use your scraps. :-o

I am guilty of having a LARGE bin of scraps. I do use some of them when doing a scrap quilt. I also save all my half sq triangles, neatly pressed. I usually wind up giving my scraps to my daughter's qult guild as they make fire victims quilts and and also lap robes for the couty home residents. So they really never go to waste. Although this question has me thinking, because I have a great pinwheel pattern that looks great with scraps. Don't hold your breath waiting for me to get at it though.

I love pinwheel patterns and have a lot of scraps; do you have a name, picture, or source for your pinwheel pattern? I'm dithering between two at the moment; maybe yours would be the tie-breaker!

I throw anything away that is smaller than an inch wide.
Not everyone likes scrap quilts, and some people are better at combining their scraps than others, but I like scrap quilts, while admiring those who make complete quilts in complete colorways.
I'm thinking that some day I will just pick one block and make it until I pass on ... like a signature, but that hasn't happened for me yet ...
and I do make scrap quilts, probably because the first quilt I remember was the one on my babysitter's upstairs bed where I had to take a nap. I could spend hours up there tracing the quilting with my finger. I will show pictures later ... but, yes, I use my scraps! <g>

I thought it was something in the air! LOL
See Charismah? I told you <g>

WHen I first started quilting, I watched every quilt show on tele. It took awhile for me to be convinced to cut off the "dog ears" on the triangle blocks, but finally I did.
Well, I don't know how to make a "few" blocks, I always do it for DAYS, so you can imagine that I had a lot of dog ears that I had to cut off. It would really bug me to look in the trash can and see all those pieces of fabric.
Even for me, who have come by hoarding by hereditary (my grandmother did it - - this is NOT my fault! :wink: ) I understood that I had to throw scraps away.
The day my daughter suggested I use my little scraps and dog ears to fill a bean bag for grandson, I thought I had died and gone to heaven! I proceeded to make scraps small enough to go in there! Made quilts to add to the filling, and I just flew through fabric making quilts and scraps/batting for the bean bag ... don't get excited people ... it does NOT work!
so, depressed, I went back to grinding my teeth every time I had to throw away the dog ears! I wasn't quite manic, but it was definitely having an effect on me.
I don't know where the idea came from, but the day my daughter came out to the bunkhouse with a pretty half pint canning jar and lid, I KNEW what I was going to do with it! And, I did!
I don't remember how long it took me to fill that jar up with JUST dog ears ... but, it is now part of my decor and I have not worried about the dog ears, ever again!
But, I still develop a tic every time I have to trim a block and throw away .5" on one side ... four times ... that is TWO inches!
And, when I have to square an end to fabric? I purposely cut it very generously so that I have more than slivers -- of course, not so much with fat quarters.
I will post some pictures of some of my scrap blocks ... waiting for inspiration for a quilt! (trying to think of a background that will tie them all together -- or something :lol: )

I have been layed off since June and if it weren't for my scraps I wouldn't have been able to sew any quilts. My friend got my sister & I on to what to do with them a couple of years ago. Now we create and sort at the same time. keeping the 1.5'', 2'', 2.5'' etc. in separate containers. Then you can make all kinds of 9 patches, stripes and so on. If you google scrappy quilts, you will be surprised how many sites there are !!!!

yes, I now use scraps down to the tinest scrap. make a pillow for your Humane Society, fill it with all the batting & fabric scraps. Sew shut. the animals love them & so do the workers. amazing how fast you can accumulate enough for a pillow.
I cut scraps into 1.5" strips for foundation block piecing and log cabins. make a jelly-roll out of these strips (sewed end to end). then make a log-cabin block around a bright middle. 10" squares make good charity quilts.
you don't match ends, just keep sewing on each side, trim, keep going.
I also cut 2.5" squares. I have made 2 big tops out of these. 2.5 strips & 3.5" strips are useful sizes. one of our quilters loves small sizes, so we give her anything over 1.5" that we don't want. she makes the nicest borders out of our scraps. don't get hung up on too many sizes.
I have found that cutting the scraps up into usable sizes right away is the easiest way to control them. if you need a leaf, etc, you can easily use one of the squares you have cut. with 20+years of quilting, I have seen a lot of scraps. elaine

I save mine in zip locks by color family. You never know..............LOL