I don't save scraps, I give them to a friend who makes 'minitures', she calls them 'yardage'. :)

I place small scraps into zipper sandwich bags and store them by color. When I need a color the bags slide easily without fraying the fabric and it makes it much easier to find what I need. I just cut up lots for a log cabin. The bags get used over and over. That way I can cut the size I need when I want it. I have the plastic drawer/carts in my sewing closet.

I get alot of fabric from garage sales, which I only use for charity quilts. But I took Bonnie Hunter's suggestion (quiltville.com) to cut them into strips. So I cut 2", 2 1/2", 3", & 3 1/2" strips. When you want to do a scrappy they are all cut & ready to go. She has free patterns. My 2 1/2" drawer got so full I started sewing them & it's a "no brainer" for times when you want to sew, but not think!!

I sort entirely by color---color drives my planning for a quilt. Anything left from a project, or speculation fabrics I bought not knowing what I would use them for, all go into color piles---piles at the moment because I am moving in two months to a bigger space. I love the look of those colors on the shelf! They are my fabric rainbow of inspiration!

For me, cutting in advance is work I don't need to do. I cut when I am ready to make the fabrics into something. If I cut into squares, strips, or whatever, chances are those would not be what I need for what I plan to do. That works for me!

Once I am in a bigger space, I think I will still do color sorts, though I may put them into tubs as my new space will be flooded with light--can't wait!

its like learning to color outside the lines...

Yeah, whats that???

I don't cut them into squares, because I use them a lot to applique... a store them in plastic "zip lock" bas, shared by colors...

Like some others, I cut anything smaller than 1/4 yard or a FQ into 2.5" squares, 3.5" squares, 5" squares and rectangles 2.5 x 4.5, etc. I keep all my batiks together, and have a plastic box each for Christmas, Halloween and baby/kids (which I am rapidly outgrowing!). All the rest go in together sorted by the size of the cuts. I had been doing this for a while then discovered Scrap Therapy which is very similar. Scrap Therapy has patterns based on using up the precut scraps. The trick, for me at least, is to force myself to cut up the scraps immediately after I finish a quilt project because if I don't that pile just keeps growing bigger. IMHO, you can find a way that works for you as long as it's not giant black trash bags since it's pretty horrifying to sort through those!

I realized the other day that I really need to sort my scraps and I'm thinking that by color would be best.

I don't want to pre-cut because of also doing applique and you never know what's going to work until you start searching for that special something.

I started saving sm. scraps of all sizes when I came across pcs. I just could not toss into the wastebasket. Now I have a lg. wicker picnic basket stuffed full. No way to organize that mess.
One day I will offer it out to this grp. I made a great paperpieced quilt out of it that I called my "free quilt" since otherwise the pcs. would have been trash. That was a beaut. quilt. Even the backing was an old pc. I found in my stash.

I have a cardboard box that fits under my fabric bins.
I have them divided into half the box is scraps for regular quilts and the other half is scraps for childrens quilts. These scraps are pressed and stacked in the box so they are neat when I pull them out. Easy to see what I have.
When my box gets full I make a quilt using the scraps, the childrens quilts are donated to charity.

Just saw this blog - THANKS!

We just had a guest speaker at our guild meeting last week.They have a pattern out just for scraps. Glowing Crazy Eights. It is a scrap management system that you can make quilts with fabric 2 x 4s....A Quilters Lumberyard by
Cheryl Coffman & Patty Bowers. You can email them at
[email protected] don't know if they have a website.

this was the inspiration i needed! I have a scrap mess in my studio, and i just didnt know what to do with it! i was resisting the urge to toss all those little scraps, but i love scrappy quilts!

I have 4 plastic drawers- with a certian color in each one -when I get spirited I make 4" squares 3"-2.5" and 2.5" strips

Mine are in plastic tubs by size. I try to cut immediately after finishing a top so I don't have a big pile of leftovers.

:thumbup: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Mine are sorted by color, but that's it.

I am still finding all kinds of things to try (scrap quilts, paper piecing, sample sew out of a block to see how it goes together, never knowing yet what size I want/need) - so for me, I have the larger Sterlite drawers on casters (3 drawers to each set) and I made a drawer for greens/blues, a drawer for pinks/lavenders/reds, another for tans, brown, yellows, etc. - and I am working out of those. Obviously I don't have near the stash YET (or experience) that most of you do. :-)

Marysewfun

i go by color only.

Organize!! Is there someone out there that is a Professional Fabric Scrap Organizer as if there is and I need to organize I will need professional help. LOL

Scraps you say? Well, I go to the second hand shop and buy big baskets because I love baskets. Then I begin tossing my scraps into them until my sewing room is lined with big beautiful baskets. Nothing matches and for some reason, the scraps are multiplying and have become a wrinkled and tangled mess! :) With the cost of fabric going up, I plan to begin making charity quilts from my baskets. Grab without looking as to color or pattern and stitch on 10-1/2 squares. Since I received an Accuquilt Go cutter for Christmas (along with the heart die cutter), I will place a plain-colored heart where the four squares match as they are made into a quilt top. Not sure how I will arrange the blocks but imagine any design will be well accepted by any charity. About all I will be out in expense will be the thread and muslin but I have plenty of that too.

I haven't gotten to the organizational level of cutting everything into certain size squares or strips. My scraps are in bins labeled for strings, chunks, and less than quarter yards. I also keep my batik scraps in a separate container.

I started organizing my scraps by size. I would cut them in strips and square sizes that I commonly use. For example, i use many 2 1/2 squares and 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 rectangles. They are good for redy scrap quilts.

I started organizing my scraps by size. I would cut them in strips and square sizes that I commonly use. For example, i use many 2 1/2 squares and 2 1/2 x 4 1/2 rectangles. They are good for redy scrap quilts.

Ummhh... big clear plastic tote with lid. We then cut them into 1 1/2x 3 1/2 inch strips and sew them by color families unto 3 inch wide adding machine paper to make "new" fabric to be used in quilts.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-56940-1.htm
tute that was posted on the board
I got the idea from this except I sew the pieces by color families.

I have two tall plastic laundry hampers by my cutting table. I fill one with light fabric and one with dark fabrics. The med. tone fabrics fall either light or dark, no overthinking it or I'd have a dozen different hampers. I can grab one scrap from each and know they will work together. Those two hampers fill up fast. I take them to guild every now and then and dump them on the tables for everyone to pick through. The hampers never seem to get or stay empty. My rule for myself is not more then the two hampers full of scraps. Fabric scraps compact easy!

Mine are in gallon plastic ziplock bags by color.
I applique and it saves so much time, by having the yellows
or greens together, when looking for "just the right shade".
or if I want to make a strippy patriotic something well...
just shake the contents of R W B bags together in a brown grocery bag, and sew away!
I throw all the bags in a drawer.

I put all the same general color families in ziplock bags.

I don't cut them until I need them and I have a tendency to organize them by color.

I am in the process of organizing all my fabric and of course scraps are a part of that. Right now I have conquered them into a few small plastic containers and plan to cut them up using the Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User System when I finally get all my fabric in some kind of order.

I see several people reference Bonnie Hunter...will go see how her method works. I have a few "flats"...bottoms of 24-pk pop (get them free at the grocery store) with strips cut. I do have a few shoe boxes with 1 1/2 to 2 1/2" squares. My 3 year old granddaughter loves the 1 1/2" squares...I got tired of helping her put them back, so I decided to make 9-patches...can you believe I have OVER 300? Looks like I'll be making a scrappy quilt. Have fun reading everyone's method...I decided NOT to let the scraps get ahead of me....too overwhelming.);)

Organized - what does that mean. I have three plastic tubs full of scraps and they are a mix of everything. I tried cutting some of them into squares in various sizes, using the largest size I could get from each piece, but I've had them in boxes and have never used any of them.

Mine are organized but not in an OCD kind of organized of way. I do have blenders,tone on tones, batiks and fabrics that read as solids together and others in large loosly defined categories like childrens, patriotics, brights, stripes and dots. It is a little easier to find what you want but I do not want to go crazy oversorting and lose out on all that quilting time. I am currently helping a group of ladies learn to do a simple pattern called a lattice garden quilt and they are shopping my floral scraps for 6 1/2 " floral and so far we have about 4 large throws worth of scraps gone out of my stash. I am liking the stash reduction, they are learning and I am making a bit of money to boot. But I do have to spend less time here and more time quilting. Gotta go now. Byeeeeeeee

Mine just get put into a big tote...as is! It's good for doing applique. If I would ever get too much, I would probably just get another tote!!!!! HaHa

I only buy kits, and I keep the fabric leftover together in ziplock bags (but I don't close them) that way the fabric is already color coded for me.

Organize - hmm what an idea. I put mine in cloth groacery bags and then when between projects I cut them into strips. Then when I am going to sew a scrappy quilt, I toss them all into the dryer tumble for a quick minute and then sit down and sew. I havee three bags full now, time to start on my scrappy court house steps again.

nope...I don't sort either....just start searching when I am ready to make a project.

We are suppose to organize them??????

I sort by main color and place them in a plastic tub - shoe size. large pieces (1+ yds) go into those clear totes -sorted by color or type - which I pick up when they are on sale. My pieces that are for a 'nearly there' are out on a glass shelf so I can look at them and tin about my possibilities - also acts as a motivator to finish the current project. I have one tote with flannels which I use for quilt backings for beds frequently so they don't slide off.