I love scrap quilts because they remind me of my great grandmother's quilts....they used what they had. I like to pay attention to some colors so that there is a contrast of sorts. I lay the blocks on the (clean) floor and take a picture as somehow the picture gives a better view and then you can rearrange them to suit your taste. Best wishes on your endeavor.

thanks ckcowl. I am just learning about colors and placement too and am looking forward to making a scrappy quilt. I will keep in mind your information. I love this site!

Recipe for scrappy quilting. Do not fret over matching. Cut your squares and put the lights in one paper bag and the darks inanother paper bag. Pick one from each and sew. It will look like a mish-mash but it works. My daughter is obbessive compulsive and she made a quilt using this method. Muslin for sashing usually works well. Good luck on your adventure.

Have you thought about a log cabin? it would create visual intrest, and the pieces would be small so that if you had any that didn't really 'go together' it wouldn't be that noticeable! Here is a great tutorial I've used for a sampler quilt - http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2...eek-day-3.html

Well it depends on the pattern. I like to use both light and dark fabrics for contrast. Have you decided what to make?

There are many ways to approach a scrappy quilt.
I tend to favor using contrast: darks vs lights.

I'll find or design a pattern and decide the position
of darks and lights within the block and roll with it.
(Perfect example is my avatar using a block I designed.)

String quilts are so much fun!
You can randomly grab a strip of fabric and go at it..
Or you can plan the position of color values and use that plan on each block and turn out some very attractive quilts.

...and you will have never really looked at the colors while you made it because the values have done all the work!

one of the most fun quilt classes I ever took was a scrap quilt from Mary Ellen Hopkins she had everyone bring some fabric lights and darks ant the lights went in a paper bag the darks in another and you drew one out of each bag sewed them together and we had some neat looking quilts oh yes if someone wanted to get chosy on picking a color they got blind folded and Marty Ellen is also the author of Its OK to sit on my Quilt

It is whatever you like.

I am a real scrappy type person, but I think that I am beginning to lean toward either color planning each block, or doing as you suggested - - one color in a certain place in the block with the other spaces being a mixture.
Have you been to http://www.quiltville.com
yet? She specializes in scrappy and you will get to see many free patterns with Bonnie Hunter's unique perception on scrappy <wave>

Most of my scrappy are of the controlled variety. I tend to pick from a set number of colors and stick to that. I sort my scraps by color so it's easy for me to do it that way. The other way I scrappy is by theme. IE: Panda quilt, horse quilt, florals. So that still falls into the controlled area. I have never done a full out scrappy where you just grab and sew, although I will do that within my controlled choices.