Help Please - Strings, chunks, crumbs - sizing question
 

My husband lost weight so I'm trying to get all the big shirts cut up before he puts it back on. I'm trying to sort all the shirt pieces that I have left after cutting and storing the front & back sections. I want to do strings from 1-2" wide but would like to know how long a piece should be before I can put it in the string bin? Given a choice what would the best length to work with be? I've been doing the sleeves Bonnie Hunter's way so I end up with an angled section that I can cut strings out of. I figure I'm going to have some straight strings, and then some slanted pieces (from the collars, cuffs, top of the yolks and the close to the underarm seam sections of the sleeve) after everything else has been cut.

What are the slanted pieces called (for labeling purposes), I'm going to start using them for a paper pieced border?

I took an old Martins Point info book (feels like cheap phone book pages) up to Office Max yesterday and had them cut off the binding and then cut the rest into two 4 1/8" wide pieces that are almost 11" long, so I now have 488 pages to play with. It cost me $1.50, he said the price per cut had just gone down.

How big should it be to go into the chunk drawer? I take it for granted anything smaller than a chunk but bigger than an inch is a crumb.

I have been sorting the main parts of the sleeves and yolks into 1 1/8" (for when something calls for a 1" strip I'll use these and then cut it to size after it's sewn) 1 1/2" & 2" strips. 10", 6", 4.5", 2", 1 1/2". & 1" squares. I've also been cutting 3.5" x 8" for lozenges and 1.5 x 6 for rail fence to be cut down to 5" square blocks. Can you tell that I like to have a ton of projects going at once? I started out using the rail fence blocks and lozenges as leaders and enders then I got to alternating them and now I can't remember what the main project is.

Hi Jean,

I also love to quilt with old shirts. They make the coziest quilts!

What I do with my shirts is "debone" them Bonnie Hunter style and then fold the large flat pieces and store them that way. It's fine to cut them into precut shapes then, but I don't. I never know what my pattern will call for so I don't precut.

Can't answer all your questions but I am really impressed by your organizational skills!

I'm not at all organized. I'm just trying to get that way. I'm removing the collars, yokes, sleeves, cuffs, button and buttonhole strips like Bonnie does but I'm leaving the fronts and back attached at the side seams, removing the hem, then folding them and putting them on a shelf as a single unit til I need them. I tried separating them but could never find which part had the pocket til I got them all unfolded, this is easier, plus I have plenty of material all in one spot. I'm just cutting up the sleeves, yolk and collars, that is giving me plenty of cut up scraps, I'm taking the big pieces out of one sleeve and stripping up the second one. But I'm not sure what I should put in the strings bin, or the chunks. I'm just starting to play with crumbs and strings. I had been throwing them all into a big box (huge mistake).

I would not cut unless I have a specific pattern or project ready. It is my opinion that cutting beyond deboning limits what can be made.

That's why I leave my sides and back together, if I need a larger piece then I can cut it as I need it but the rest of the shirt gets cut so I don't get stuck with a lot of time consuming cutting at the last minute because I tend to lose interest in the project when I do that. Plus, this way I have a huge selection of the sizes that I want to use the most.

Pockets can be used as a center piece for the quilts you make.

I have been making string quilts for kids. My smallest pieces have been about 5-1/2" to 6" at the largest part of the triangle. I mark a square ruler in triangle shape and mark with painter's tape. I sew 2 - 2-1/2" strips together, sew two more strips, put dark fabric strip on top, second piece I flip it to put light strip on top. Sew on each side, lay triangle ruler on bottom seam and cut both side. It takes four of those squares to make a block. I hope this helps.

Tartan, I use a good quality flannel sheet for the backing, I want the quilt to be very usable and no one is going to see the back.

Cathy, I never thought of doing that with them. I usually just put them aside.

Jingle, thanks for the idea for a kid's quilt.

I'm just finishing up a quilt that I started in 2011 and then put aside because of health issues. It's to the point where I just have to add one more column and then it's down to squaring it up. It's copied from a picture I saw on this forum back in either 2010 or 11. A lady was asking if anyone knew what the pattern was, I dithered a while but I really loved it so I just went for it. I'll put a picture up when I take one and if that lady is still around, I'll try to explain how I did it.