When I do a scrappy quilt I just start putting fabrics together and If I don't like one next to the other, I save it and add someplace else. I for one love the way a scrappy quilt looks, the riot of different colors is so eye-catching. Good luck on what ever you choose.

In my humble opinion, the reason some people cannot make scrappy quilts is that they over think it. As long as it looks good with the neighboring fabric it is ok and will look good in the long run. Even purple and green or orange and purple. It is the overall picture and not the individual shapes that matter.

I just love scrappy quilts. They make you step out of your comfort zone and let your creative juices flow. And the best thing about it? You get to use up all those wonderful pieces of fabric you hate too throw out. So throw caution to the wind and let your hair down. Enjoy!

I think this is the key...have one fabric the same throughout, either as a background or part of a repeating pattern. It ties the quilt together while allowing the scraps to shine.

I organize mine by donating them to quilters who love to do scrappy quilts and have the 'eye' for it. It works for everyone involved!

I just loooooooooove scrappy quilts, they look so "quilty" :) - don't understand me wrong I also very much like all these other fancy quilts, never one I could truly say it's ugly, but with the scrappy to me it's what an original (from the good old days...) quilt used to look like. Like AlienQuilter said, it was done with what people had at hand. I don't think the scrappies I make are very organized in colors- just follow your heart - but I always find they turned out great and from the comments I get from friends and family I know I'm on the right track. Good luck with yours and I'm looking froward to see what you have done :)

Great question! I've learned a lot reading everyone's posts. Thanks to all who gave their thoughts on scrappy!

if i am doing a scrappy one [not controlled of course .....i chain piece the first and second row [don't cut apart ] then sew another block to all rows ..[don't cut apart ] then you can make sure that the neighbor at the top and bottom are different also .....when i get enough rows for the quilt [at this point it looks like swiss cheese] then i fold and sew the other way never cutting all those pieces apart ....

I've had NO art training, but I've found, in all things really, that I don't like things with a cool base being mixed with things that have a warm base. So that's how I divide fabrics, and that's what determines if a fabric 'goes' with another.

(In my life, I have found ONE person who understands me, not that I've told many. I went to a paint store - just paint, that's all they sold, and told the guy I wanted a red for my front door, but I wanted a cool red, not a warm red. He knew exactly what I meant.)

For a quilt, that would determine if I used a white, or a ecru, for instance.

Cut some strips, put them in a bag, pull them out one at a time and sew them together. Makes a very interesting scrappy