Limit of Patience?
 

This statement will surprise most.. I have accumulated scraps from all of my projects. I sort through them every so often and now is one of those days. I have some odd length and width of strips/square fabric. Part of me says "toss it all", the other says cut strips and squares, the other says sew'em all like a jelly roll race. I actually saved these scraps to use with dryer sheets for a scrappy quilt. I may have just enough scraps to wall paper my sewing/guest room hahaha

I would not toss, unless you have made an actual scrappy quilt and decided you don't care for them. If you do not want to bother then I suggest you offer them to someone on here who would like to have them, or perhaps someone you may know who also makes quilts. To me, a scrappy quilt looks best with lots of very small pieces. I know that takes lots of patience and time, so I would suggest just working on it a little at a time, perhaps in conjunction with another quilt.

I take my scrap bin to a retreat every year. Others go through and get what they want. By next year I have it full again. I have never missed not having piles of scraps. I have the bin for a year and rarely use out of it so I let them go and start over.

I keep a very small bin of scraps to use as leaders, I'm talking about a 4 x 4" rubbermaid food storage container.

The only 'scraps' I keep after making a quilt are scraps that are basically extra pieces I cut for the project, such as a couple of extra squares, or a long piece of binding left over. Only scraps that can be incorporated with that fabric into another quilt, as being already cut. Then I keep those pieces with the left over fabric yardage, so I don't have to go digging for it.

The rest of the 'scraps' I just toss.

I have a personal challenge going to see how many different scrap/strip quilts I can come up with. I aim for at least twin size and have lost count and the scrap bins remain full to overflowing, thanks to friends who donate their scraps to me.

I don’t cut them down right away like some of the QB members do but I sort them in bins by size (crumbs, strips and larger scraps) and color. When I run low of 2 1/2” squares for leader/Enders, I cut more.

Just this week I bought three great scrap patterns for quilts. I am thinking this is the year I make an honest effort.

I love scraps and always have. I am currently working on finishing some scrappy Log Cabin blocks my late husband started. Pictures shows 16 of them sewn together. I have them in all stages of being finished, and all lengths of strips.

Scraps can get overwhelming fast. I had to come up with some sort of understanding as to what to keep and what to pass on at Guild on the Donation table. I decided to keep all my batik scraps as small as 1 1/2 inch square. If I couldn't get a square out of a triangle piece, it went. If I make a quilt out of a fabric line, and have say a gallon bag left over of scraps, I put on the donation table. After all, I made the quilt I wanted to make with it so, I'm done. Quite freeing not to have odd scraps hanging around.

Update on my scraps... I have been just taking pieces and sewing them together and making some random blocks. Some are about a little bigger than a dryer sheet. I've put them away for now to see what other quilt top I will make. You all have always been so inspirational! Love the input! Happy quilting everyone!

Forgot to add, DH passed away 7 years ago. No one can accuse me of being speedy.

It takes time for sure!! It took me about 8 years before I could cut up my son's shirts for a t-shirt quilt for his daughter. I am sorry for your loss.

If you have senior centers or church groups that quilt, you can donate them there.

The current issue of "Block" from MSQ has a great article of turning scraps into what I think is a beautiful quilt.

I use to think a scrap was the tiniest piece of fabric left after cutting as small a workable piece as possible. Now they are called crumbs. I don't save these very small pieces. Everything else is cut up into workable pieces.

Not have almost no patience so no scrappy quilts here but I do save my scraps for leaders or trying stitches on machines I am repairing or if I have enough I usually donate to someone who has more patience than I do.

I have been accused of having patience when it comes to scraps. When Missouri Star came out with a video sewing random pieces, I didn’t let my quilt of valor scraps go to waste. Below is the results. I dashed my blocks and made them bigger than Jenny’s but that’s the beauty of scraps. Do what you want with them-lol-I just wish I had other scrap fabrics than red/white/blue!

Every few years I am just so tired of looking thru the scrap pile and making things from the same material. I gather it up, check it one last time, and give it to my neighbor who loves it. She just got out of rehab and has a big box of scraps to play with.

There is just something so freeing about playing with scraps. I just put a good movie on, pick a basic shape to do. And go for it. I am finding out I find "normal" quilts a bit boring now. I love looking at a finished scrap quilt and all the wonderful, and yes, maybe even ugly fabrics in it. I think...oh, I remember that one, I picked it up off the free table at the quilt guild meeting, or that one, I rescued from a garbage can at a quilt workshop! Or maybe, oh, that one I used to make my nephews wedding quilt, or that one, a baby quilt for my friend, or hey, that was gifted to me from my friend who thought the fabric in her zumba shorts was to cute to toss when they wore out so she cut them up for me to use in my quilting.

Barb, this is just beautiful! I love that it will be a collaboration between your husband and you. Good job!

I will surely look into that!!

Squares of patchwork are Very big in fashion right now. I have seen skirts, handbags and even patched jeans. Just a little bee in the bonnet, girls