My first quilt teacher said never to throw anything out & let me tell you that stuck with me! I saved, I saved & I saved! I did use some of it & later when I started applique, it came in handy! But you have to draw a line as to how little of pieces you are going to save. I think we all go thru this. I had a girlfriend that saved 1-1/2 - 2-1/2" strips for later use like others in this thread. Then later used them for another scrappy quilt. Just depends on the sizes I guess......

I save as much as possible, making mini blocks for future projects,
and cutting scrap into 2" up to 6" squares, strips: 1 1/2" - 6", etc.
and store in containers. When wanting to sew, but not having a
special project in mind, will make simple 4 patch/9 patch/pinwheel blocks
and set aside. I try to keep stash more or less "organized" by color and
planned project.

This does not answer the question as to how much waste you will have but I have a suggestion for using the waste when it comes to tiny pieces... if you have a Humane Society or Pet
Shelter in your town or near by - make pillows out of the left over pieces and donate those pillows for puppies, dogs and cats to lay on - they love pampering too - and most places will lovingly accept any donations like that, that you might have to offer; they are easily washed, and dried and reused once again... Just a thought. My sister-in-law does many quilts, and custom sewing - so she has many scraps! She also reupholsters furniture - so the old seat covers, she washes, regardless of what they look like after they've been washed, and stuffs them with left over fabric and sews them up into a nice pillow and she has taken a pickup load to the shelters and they just give the biggest smiles - their animals will have nice fresh new beds!

I agree totally with the "waste not" but I am not a saver, so I give them all to the local quilt shop which loves when they see me come in the door :) I'd never qualify for a stint on "Hoarders" and my daughter is a professional organizer specializing in hoarders. ha ha

Make a string quilt, so nice and always turns out great, make some minatures to donate to ami simms altzheimer web site, such an easy way for her foundation to make monies to donate for research, a win win situation, and save squares and triangles for future projects. JUST DON"T agonize ! life is way to short.
Donna

Small strips or pieces of batting can be used for puff quilts or pulled apart and used for stuffing animals.
Small squares are saved for log cabin pieces, strips an inch wide or more for strip quilts but I do throw away selvedges. When you run out of room, you have to get rid of something.

Carol J.

I never feel like there is any fabric "waste". Even the tiniest of pieces I give to the local Elementary School and the teaches let the kids use them in collages, or some other form of art work, even the selvage edges, its amazing what an imaginative child can do with little pieces of color

I love the idea of pillowcase pet beds my hubby has even offered to help. I am just to promise not to bring home any creatures. BUMMER/

I am very conservative, especially with my fabrics.
I cut my quilt pieces carefully, so there is little waste.
Making my blocks smaller/larger to fit the fabric I am using.
If I run out of a fabric, I head for my stash instead of my LQS
for a fabric to subsitute that will coordinate with the
fabrics I am working with.
The scraps are saved for scrap quilts/crazy quilts.
Small pieces I know I won't use, under 2 inches, I toss
or save for starters when piecing triangles.
Being on a fixed income and fabric $8.00-$10.00
I don't waste fabric. :thumbup:

Here is a thread on my string quilts. I also have some for sale.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-74944-1.htm

I will post some of DH's in the Pictures section - they are amazing.

I save pretty much everything. :oops: But, I like to make string quilts and crumb quilts for charity and have recently joined a group of ladies that makes quilts for foster children and there are ladies there that love to applique and make yo-yo's so my smaller pieces will go there.

Susan

Waste won't feel so bad if you jump on Connecting Threads today for cyber Monday. They are selling their samplers for 50% off. You can get a load of fabric in your $50 free shipping order. I just did.

Swore I would never make a DBL Wdng rng quilt when I first started this artform, there is one calling to me. I have been saving scraps in case I can't resist the urge.

My local quilt shop accepts "donations" of our clippings that they use as stuffing for pet beds they make & donate to the local pet shelter. I keep a plastic grocery bag hanging on the door knob of my sewing room. When the bag is full I take it to the shop, and start filling a new one!

When I make a quilt, I study the pattern first and then cut the large pieces out first and then the smaller ones. Before I even do that. I tear off the selvages first, always. I will then tear all the borders off too, as I like my borders to be on the straight of grain always.

The selvages are very strong. I roll them in a ball and put them in a special bag. I use these to tie my quilts onto rollers. All my quilts are rolled on cardboard rollers. The kind fabric comes on...The selvages are used to tie many things, I find a good use for them, even hubby uses them and they must never be include in your quilt. Tear the selvages of the backing too.

I never throw my scraps away. I use the smallest of pieces. I just joing them up and create something. The trick is to make a S&C quilt, ever so often so the scraps don't pile up. I love making scrap quilts.

Edie,I wouldn't worry, it sounds like you have enough fabric. I understand that cutting and tossing 26" long strips can add up no matter the width. so to minimize that, What I'd suggest is that each time you need to cut a patch, cut a strip that width and cut the pieces you need. You might eventually have 5 different sized strips of each fabric. Save what is left of the strip for future blocks. The next block you may need to cut a new strip but maybe you can cut the pieces from the strip left from the last block. Probably few strip sizes will actually be needed. Could be even less if you work with the EASY Angle ruler and Companion Angle ruler. Keeps number of strips down. I explained those rulers in my new book, S is for Scraps.

You guys are great with your suggestions for those tiny scraps. I have a bunch of strips up to 1 1/2" that I thought I could use for one of those rugs, crocheted or otherwise or a wrap bowl. Anybody have any luck with odd widths doing either of those?

I just got done looking at these! Here's the link:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-79481-1.htm

Enjoy!

our quilt guild saves all those scraps and stuff dog and cat beds for the animal shelter. Jean

I cut up what's left into a mix of 1.5" strips (braid quilts of any size),4" squares (to be used in a number of quilt blocks, 3x6 rectangles (for brick or Chinese coin quilts), and one 3" square for a small spool block for a spool scrap quilt I'm planning. I store these "cut ups" in clean large plastic cat litter jugs until full, then either turn them over to one of my guilds' bees (miniature bee, a crazy-quilt bee, or community service quilts), OR BETTER YET negotiate the fabric for a finished project (small wall hanging, doll quilt, table runner, etc.) which I then keep for myself or regift (guild exchanges, door prize donations, hostess gifts, holidays).

I make scrap quilts for Project LInus and would LOVE any donations you want postage for. I would be so grateful!!

It seems to me there is more waste in strip cutting. If you are cutting each piece of a patch individually (fussy cutting) you can line the template up and have very little waste. With strip cutting there is the cutting off the ends to line up and cutting sections to line up the ruler for triangles etc.

I, too, was raised with the idea of "save it for a rainy day, you might need it later, we might not be able to afford another one" crap so that now, since DH died, I'm left alone to get rid of 40 years of what we collected, or, the stuff we had left after all our years of having a happy time collecting stuff that's turning out to be just junk. The material I'll keep, sheets and short cuts and squares over 2 inches of course. I want to make two quilts, one for sister and one for me, hers in pink shades and mine in blues.

I have absolutely no idea, but I know I waste too much. I save for a while intending to make something with scraps, but always end up throwing them out to make room for new fabric. With the price of good fabrics, I'd probably shoot myself if I knew how much I wasted.
Janet

You can always cut leftover fabric into fabric strips of 2 inch,3 inch 4 inch. Set up basket for each size and you a ready to go for strip quilt without the fuss. Tons of strip quilt projects. :lol:

I love the pot holder idea. I make pot holders so now I have something new to try. Thanks!

YOU MIGHT FIND THAT sUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SMALL SCRAPS. PICTURE JOSEPH'S COAT OF MANY COLORS WITH SCRAPS.

Amen! Liberating isn't it?! It's the only way to live. I've been downsizing and downsizing over the years. Friends say "but your home is very decluttered and organized, so why more downsizing?" to make sure it stays that way! I have 1 neighbor that has NOTHING in her attic! Wow now that's an accomplishment! I'm not there yet. We live in condos, so space is tiny and at a premium. Fabric can get out of hand quickly. Donate what you don't need.
Blessings,
MaryAnna

I like to get out my accuquilt and cut left overs into different

sizes for quilts for kids, scrap quilts or applique. Strips are good

for strip quilts or log cabin quilts, as the price of fabric goes up

we will learn to use every little piece.

Happy quilting
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I have found there are a good many here on the board who will gladly receive our too small for us to use pieces for doing their crumbly things. I just keep a container handy that I toss all such things into and when it is full I pass it on for postage. Why throw it in the trash when there are others who would love to use it?
Hugs and smiles,

I don't waste any of it - when fabric costs $21 - $26 a metre on average, and some more than that, one has a tendency to make quilts that use up the lot.e.g. Bargello, colourwash and X - block quilts use up most of he fabric and anything left over is used for applique.

I subscribe to the idea of not wasting. You don't need to use it yourself; if you can pass it on to someone else who will use it then it still is not wasted. And as stated here there are lots who will pay postage for unwanted fabric. and if you aren't sure if it is scraps or crumbs just ask- you will find out. I think I read here some will have the postage envelopes or boxes, and put their unwanted in;then post and send out. You can even have 2 one for the scraps and one for the crumbs. And if you belong to a guild you might even find a taker there.

I keep 2" and above in one spot and occasionally add to my stash of 2" squares for postage stamp blocks done either random or monotone, then stored for future use. The others are trimmed out at 2-1/2", 3-1/2", and 6-1/2" so I can use them in combo blocks. The smaller strips are saved to use for covering cord of various thickness for coiled baskets, mats, etc.

I don't waste a whole lot for the very reason you state - lots of coins going in the basket if not used.

Scrap cutting day is when I need a complete diversion from whatever, i.e., a real no-brainer. Just make sure you're cutting on the weft or wale (cross or length). It's easy to cut a square out of a wonky scrap on the bias which doesn't work too well. Just a little tug on the piece will tell you.

Sometimes I like the scrappies better than the original piece from which they came! And I feel ever so frugal in the process.

I usually keep most of my scraps as if I don't use them I know several people who will. And there are always string quilts and clothesline rope bowls,etc.

I even save the threads that I cut. They make coasters--place them over coaster shapes, put stabllizer (scraps) over them and zig zag over them. Make whatever you can think with them.

DON'T THROW AWAY ANYTHING OVER 1". I have made at least 60 quilt tops for the Quilts of Valor program, all from scraps---either my own or 'gifts' from fellow sewers. I have a basket full of scraps beside my sewing machine, to be turned into crumb squares at odd moments---like waiting for the clothes dryer to finish. Crumb squares can be used as a focus fabric in a star, set 4 together in a unit, set as a strippy, just about anyplace your imagination takes you. So if you do not want scraps cluttering up your space, I would love to relieve you of the burden! (My husband will think I'm off my rocker, for sure!) I would gladly pay the postage for a boxfull. I am in southern AZ for the winter, West Central MN in the summer, have a sewing room both places. Phyllis

I love scraps. Little strips or anything I can get a 1.5 in sq out of. I evenhave used the earsyou trim off the triangles. I usr those for cologe bags and scarf's.
Smile So please do not toss those scraps if they are good 100% cotton.....

My friend uses 1/2 inch strips to make fabric bowl. You can always use leftovers in something else. It's only waste if you waste it by throwing it away.

Find a quilt guild close to you - - an older women's group at any one of a number of churches should be able to help you find an outlet for your scrap stash. <wave>

I just don't understand this comment. What does it mean to cut "sections" to line up the ruler for triangles etc. when cutting from strips. It sounds like someone needs a lesson in cutting. Do you mean there is lots of extra left from the strip after you cut the pieces you need? Or do u mean the useless ends of strip sets? To me strip piecing is when sewing strips together first then cutting your units from that.