How scrappy do you get?
 

While cleaning out the sewing room, I've found a shoe box full of 2 1/2" squares. So, the cleaning stoped and I sat to sew while watching a TV program. Doing my best not to be so matchy matchy in colors, but finding it hard to do. When you do scrappy, how wild do you go? I'm mixing Civil War with brighter colors left over from my Project Linus Quilts. Is this ok? Can you show me some of your 2 1/2" that you made into quilts?

My scrappy plan is whatever! I just grab and sew me if a few squares of the same color or even the same fabric end up together, oh well! For 2.5 inch squares I like the versatile split nine patch. Pictures to follow.

If I found a box like yours I would just sew them all together. A friend gave me a box of 1 1/2” squares. I sewed them all together and put a border on. It is small- about 18” square. I backed it with muslin and quilted and bound it and it is hanging on my wall and I like looking at it. Other times I try to go with “controlled scrappy” depending on what I have to work with.

Here's my scrappy hexie quilt top. It's pretty scrappy!
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When I do scrappy like you are doing, I just grab and sew. The only rule is no 2 identical next to each other.

That's pretty much how I do it.

I love seeing scrappy projects. It seems like everyone has the prettiest scraps. I have tried to use scrap fabrics and they just don’t play nice together.

My Pineapple blocks are a mish-mash. Some are planned, and some are Friday vegetable soup, if you know what I mean. They are all pretty in their own way.

Scrappy
 

I have a LOT of scraps in different sizes. My only rule is to try not to have the exact same piece right next to each other, but it has happened before. If that does happen, I try not to get bent out of shape about it. After all, either I'm not in the room with it, or, if I am, my eyes are closed and I won't see it anyway. If I give it away, I still don't stress over it, because after all, I'm not perfect. I tend to just use whatever comes up and don't worry if the color/design don't match. The "old-timers" used what they had available, and so do I.

Its whatever you like - but my personal taste runs to have something in common. Usually that's a background but I just did something with internal and external borders and that controlled it. (The project Linus quick quilt if you need to know).

So you've got two choices as I see it. Make 16 patches and sash with a common color or just treat it like a stamp quilt and put everything together willy-nilly.

I make four patches and nine patches throughout the year, dividing my squares into darks and lights and pulling them at random. Eventually, I have enough for a quilt.

i know what you mean. I love everyone else's scrappy quilts but mine! I think, though, its because when i'm making mine i'm too close. scrap projects are best observed from a distance and without the close up inspection eye of the maker...

I mainly used 1 1/2" but I guess 2 1/2 could be used also.and I do the same as Mkotch by sewing them as leaders enders and I have used them différently and a lot of time, for the back of a quilt.
I just make sure I sew a light and a dark fabric together
I am currently sewing 2" and 2 1/2" four patches
I see a "scrappy jewel box quilt" in my future

Scrappy is as Scrappy does. I make many quilts with 2.5s. Some are "planned" scrappy meaning they may be all of one color family or in rainbow groupings AKA my avatar. It is your choice. My thought is if you are going random, go really random so all the colors and prints and just jumble together to create a overall look of playfulness with no color popping out as dominant. If you feel hesitant about diving into a bin of scraps of any size, combine them with a neutral. I have used white, cream, black, medium blue and even cheddar and purple as a neutral to soften the "scrappiness".

Slip over to the 2022 - 2.5 Birthday Swap thread here on the QB for more examples of scrappy. We love scrappy.

2022 - 2.5" Birthday Swap

another way to be scrappy is to use a pattern. and if it calls for 2 yards of a certain fabric, then just pull out that many yards of related colors. in this one, I used scrappy pinks and creams instead of one consistent fabric.

I just grab and sew. Don’t put any together that match. There are all kinds of ways to use 2 1/2 squares. I once cut out (with a rotary cutter) 9000 and made a queen size quilt and a full size quilt.

Picture
 

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A great resource for free scrappy patterns using mostly squares is the blog " Wedding Dress Blues."

Many years ago we were commissioned to make a scrappy log Cabin by a quilt store owner. We asked what colors, and she said, just mix them all together. So we did, and that has been our most popular style, made dozens over the years. It helps that the pieces are small.

I do controlled scrappies. They are usually based on color and value but some on styles of fabric.

I think one color quilts are often overlooked as a design choice. I have 3, two purple and one orange, and I really love the effect.

I usually make up silly rules as I go. For a scrappy string quilt made of 12 inch blocks. I put all my strings and pulled them out blindly. My rule for that one was I could not use the same fabric twice in a block. It turned out fun. Sometimes I divide my scraps roughly into "dark" and "light" and alternate them. This is especially fun for a string block made on the diagonal where one half is light and the other half is dark. I also used this light/dark idea for a scrappy jacobs ladder made with nine patches and half square triangle squares. in this one, I used any scrap as long as it was light or dark. In another one of large print fabric made into fairly large tumblers I just alternated "warm with cool" colors. That was fun. And then there was "scrappy" bed runner made up of "orphan blocks" from a lot of projects made over that years. That did require a bit more planning as the blocks were different sizes but I made them all fit by using "scrappy parts of leftover cuts from making blocks" Go for it. Just have fun. Make up whatever rules you want. I am currently working on a bunch of left over grey batick 1.5 strips in different hues and value. I decided to dig out my green scraps and cut some more 1.5 strips and alternate with the greys. This is actually being used in Bonnie's bitcoin pattern. It will just end up being a table topper.

I just use whatever scraps I have. Totally scrappy.

I string and crumb scraps and never think about red next to red or whatever. Scraps don't deserve all my brain power. They are pretty no matter how much thinking goes in it.

I try to keep like colours from being next door to each other, but I don't obsess. Here are three scrappy quilts that I've done as random as possible. I just reached into the bag and whatever came out went together.
Watson

So funny, I am totally opposite. The first two I sew together are to be the same. Then whenever it happens again, and it will, it's serendipity. This way I don't drive myself nuts trying to keep them apart. For me, it makes scrappy fun.

I sort thru my scraps and chose the same color shades, like dark or medium or light and then start cutting. My theory is a pretty block will make a pretty quilt. It all goes together when the quilt is done. I am working on square dancing with the stars pattern now and it used a lot of scraps. It also takes a lot of time to make because it has so many pieces. I used anything and everything in this quilt and it is turning out beautifully.

Watson, these are absolutely wonderful! They may be scrappy but you have skillfully tied the scraps together by your choice of colors, values, and fabrics. I especially love the one with the black in the blocks. Reminds me of stained glass.

Watson, I've got some tumbler blocks cut out using the MSQC template, but not enough to make a whole quilt as of yet. Need to think about that as I do the 2 1/2 blocks. I also have some 9 patch and some 1 1/2 in half square triangles. A little of this and a little of that. Seems as if I just can't concentrate on working on one set of anything at a time.

I try hard to use up scraps too, after all, we paid for all of that material! I like scrappy quilts, but I tend to be a bit of a "controlled scrappy" type person.

lindaschipper...if you look close, you'll see that I didn't have enough large pieces of fabric, so I sewed scraps together and made tumblers out of the "scrap" fabric for some of the blocks.

Watson

I've been using medium and dark 2" squares as leaders and enders with the goal of someday finishing "Confetti", an Augusta Cole pattern: https://augustacolequilting.com/bed-sized-quilts

Watson, LOVE the batik quilt! Was it inspired with a pattern or just self created? I have a shoe box full of odds and ends of batiks that need to be put to use. Batiks all seem to play well in scrappy quilts..

When I make a scrappy quilt, anything goes. I am using scraps. I sort my scraps into lights, mediums and darks and go from there. I use anything. Scrap quilts are my kids' favorites. They are the ones that are loved to death. The memories of other projects are in the scraps. I keep an eye out for scrappy patterns. I am currently working on Square Dancing with the Stars by Darlene Deon Designs. It's a great pattern.

Remember this thread? https://www.quiltingboard.com/vbulle...e-t135936.html Whenever I need inspiration, I revisit it. I have never seen so many different scrappy quilts in one place.

I love the scrappy quilt show! So much inspiration! And unlike Pinterest, you can usually get the name of the quilt pattern and even where to purchase it.

I have made 4 baby quilts, a double bed quilt and an extra large king-size quilt along with its backing out of scraps. I have crocheted baskets and rugs out of narrow scraps and I even made a shower curtain and valance and I am still drowning in scraps. I use whatever is at hand and even if 2 end up next to each other it doesn't matter in the big scheme of things. I love the scrappy look and my next project is a log cabin made of scraps. Just have fun with your scraps from 10" to 1" you can always make something out of them.

And if you want really really scrappy, AngeliaNR has a wonderful tutorial here https://www.quiltingboard.com/tutori...s-t295413.html

I actually 'stole' from the dog bed scrap bin and made so many strip and string scrap tops for our community quilts, that I got a guild award--as a 'Strip Teaser" :shock: !!

I've just started on a true scrap quilt - I went through my "scraps" and cut the bigger stuff into pieces, down to 2.5" squares. Now I'm randomly sewing what was left together. I grab out a handful and start matching up edges and sewing them together. Once I get a bunch sewn, I'll press and trim so I have straight edge, and then start sewing the already sewing pieces together. Making some more square and some longer, I just keep that up until I've got big enough pieces I can cut 9" square out of.

I love making scrappy quilts, where i use an assortment of fabric. but the pieces are specific sizes. I try not to sew the same fabric together, but find that even if I am careful at the block level, once I sew all the blocks together I will end up with the same fabric touching somewhere (if I don't have sashing) so I don't worry about that.

Check out the Trash Quilt on YouTube. It's rather fun. Been doing one and up to 5 whole blocks now.

I go really scrappy. Put my scraps in a box, reach in and grab two and sew them together. They may not look great in pairs but when you join everything together, I find it reaches my happy place.