3000+ yards of fabric....really? Will we see you on TLC's program Horders, in the not to distant future?

I am very lucky. I have a friend who makes paper. When we get together I give him bags of all scraps from retreats, friends and me. He will take anything that is cotton. Sometimes it is hard for me not to go picking in the bags. As many of you have said...some scraps are big enough to make a quilt :-)

I found the "mile-a-minute" pattern on the internet. My friend who did a lot of RV traveling recommended it as a way of eliminating scrap clutter in her limited space.

I just have to comment, there are non-quilters (and non-sewers) that absolutely get it and I love it. I started quilting about 4 years ago now. My sister lives across the country from me and I've probably seen her twice in that time. She LOVES visiting quilt shops and fondling fabric. Seriously, she's not a sewer, quilter, crafter...but she loves fabric. She's actually been collecting fabric for a while and she's given me so much. She's up here visiting right now and stopped at a shop in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan on her drive up here and picked up a $140 fat quarter bundle of Japanese fabrics, fresh from the last market. She walked in the door at 1 a.m., after driving for 3 days, and promptly handed me the bag and said you have to look at this! We were up to 2 a.m. fondling and dreaming of what I could do with it.

So trust me, there are those out there that totally get it!

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I don't make little scrappy squares, but do save my scraps for a lady who does. I just don't have the patience smile. Big and simple is my motto........lol..I do understand.

QUOTE=Lori S;5345560]You are so right .. they really do not get it... at all. But I have run into some quilters that don't get it either.. when it comes to smallish pieces... they just say pitch the scraps... but some quilters don't get the scrap thing either.
I am glad my sewing space in in the basement.. guests don't see my "stuff" unless they are very "quilter friendly". That way I don't have to provide any "reason" for the "stuff".[/QUOTE]

I save everything except for crumbs - defined as less than 1"x1"! I have reupholstered my daughter's dining room chairs with selvedges and they are sooooo cool! I have only been quilting for 4.5 years and I have been saving my strings and selvedges since the beginning. I love making my own fabric by sewing my strings together as leaders/enders. If a strip is less than 5" long I will cut it into the largest square possible, down to 1" sq. I honestly don't need to buy any fabric for the rest of my life, but it does give me pleasure to find great deals on fabric. Most of my stash is in tubs now since I took most of it to Florida for my 10 month stay there and then brought it home again. I am lucky to have a daughter who is getting into quilting, so she will get my stash of material, thread, embroidery machine, sewing machines and longarm.

But I have had even quilters be surprised at the size of my stash!!! What can you do when a store is going out of business and the material is $2.67 a yard??? Even if it is "ugly", I can cut it small or use it in a backing!!!

Now I need to get my behind back up to my loft and quilt!!!

when my husband was alive he never gave me grief about my quilting because he had his hobbies too, he collected coins, stamps, guns, and many other things. my son has a computer room that matches my quilting room for sheer volume of stuff, so he understands. my poor daughter-in-law doesn't keep anything that isn't functional, at the moment, even if it will be needed soon. she doesn't get it.

i appreciate looking at the tidiness of people who don't get it but wouldn't want to live there. where do they go for comfort when feeling down? how do they get warm when it gets cold? what do they touch for that warm, fuzzy feeling? i need to pet some fabric!

You're absolutely right about non-quilters and some quilters not understanding about our fabric "stash". I admit I had quite a "stash", and when we were forced to leave our home of 33+ years, giving it back to the bank I suffered with every piece of fabric I had to leave behind, including the fabric I got from my sister's stash when she passed away the year before. It was gut wrenching to say the least. I logically knew that I could not take all my fabric, but I gave the bulk of it to a friend of mine, then I just put my foot down and said "NO MORE:". I knew that I had to keep quilting for my sanity, being with mydisabled husband 24/7, so I have bins in my bedroom and a few more in the dining room. I knew I could not afford to buy more fabric, and knew that eventually I would use it up. Case in point, when making the family reunion quilt, I had the background and backing fabric in my "stash", although I had to ask my friend for one large piece back for the quilt backing, but having that fabric and my niece who sent me the batting, I made that quilt and didn't need to buy any fabric. Now that is a fantastic proposition, and the quilt was a big hit at the reunion. Sometimes I just need to pick up my fabric and plan what t o make, but at least it is there for me to use. You just have to realize that some people never completely understand and probably never will.

By any chance do you mean Quiltiques? They have such nice displays

Too funny!

After several years of one project at a time... I am finally buying at least a half yard extra of anything going into a project. Scrappy quilts are the best medicine for using your brain to select and make do with the "almost" right colors and patterns.

I have a quilting friend who drives me crazy throwing away fabric. If it is less than 1/4 yard, she pitches it. I just follow right behind her and retrieve it. I'm not too proud to dumpster dive. I love scrappy quilts. lol

It is not necessary to understand everything, just to be happy the person has things that satisfy THEM!

I used to think, "Why would I need to save strips an inch wide?" I put a whole bunch of them into a bag, thinking I could give them to someone, instead of throwing them away. Well, recently on a major reorganization of my sewing room, I found that bag and reclaimed them. I used 3/4" strips on a quilt a couple years ago. So I know the possibility of me using those inch wide strips could happen.

When someone makes a comment about my fabric or machines or etc....along the lines of expense or extravagance...I always ask what they do for pleasure...what are their hobbies? My husband has a wood working shop and kayaks...he never says a word to me about my hobby and the expense and I never mention his tools or toys....If we can live with it, who else matters?

I love scraps they make the best quilts- it si so much fun going through your stash to find what color combination you can put togather without going out to buy every piece you need. I LOVE IT!!!!

I also have a friend like this....luckily she quickly recognized my almost heart failure at her tossing "scraps". I am now the recipient of bags of "goodies". Some I am able to use, some go to the dog bed project. All is good!

I am only on my 2nd finished quilt, and have one ready to put in the frames. I love to buy fabric, and find it lots of fun, but I do need an inspiration or pattern to decide what to purchase. Although I am building a small stash, I do have to wonder when I see these sewing rooms with more fabric than my LQS. It would be impossible for the owner to use all that fabric in a lifetime. I don't mean to offend anyone but it seems like an addiction or obsession to me.

Well, if they are willing to PAY you for it, that would certainly justify it! (Not that you need to justify anything to anyone other than yourself.)

I never ever throw anything away. The really small stuff that I don't think I will use I give to a friend. I have told my only child, a son, that all this is very valuable and that it is inherance so he had better be thankful for all those pieces of fabric and the machines I have. I feel very fortunate to be able to have what I have.

I have a pretty good stash of fabric and so far this year I have not purchased ANY fabric at all. I have made 7 quilt tops that use scraps and smaller pieces from my stash. I am trying to use up a lot of what I have and much of it is smaller pieces left from other projects and scraps. I have a friend who does not use any scraps and she gives me hers. She recently gave me a piece of nice home dec fabric with poppies on it and I have made two quilt tops, a purse, and a cover for my Kindle out of it and they are all beautiful! Thanks Ann!

Oh wow- I save way to much. But oh well. Big scraps (around 1/4 yard) are folded and put in order by color on my closet shelves. (they are used for scrap quilts, small purses, potholders etc) smaller scraps are in large clear plastic bags (wonderful for applique and wall hangings ). The small strings you get when squareing up, those go into a very large clear pickle jar (I use the pieces to tie as bows on gift packages of all kinds). And finally the slavages with color dots and brand names go into a plastic bin.(I've seen projects for these but haven't done any yet). I guess I save use everything. But at least it's organized.
I am not sure at what point I will have too much. NOT!

You should have seen what the person in Iowa still had after I got this. LOL

All your comments sound like me kind of people. I save all scraps and love every scrappy quilt I have made. My sister and I cut 2-l/2 inch blocks and made a quilt tried not to put the same print in twice we paired them with two plain pieces to make a four block and sat together with sashing it's one of my favorite quilts we had so much fun borrowing blocks from all our sewing friends and cutting corners out of all our fabrics. Sraps are fun too. I have to admit that I am one of the older quilters but I sure hope the next generation keeps it alive.

This year I have decided to use up some of my scraps. I now have 3 queen size scrap tops completed just need to quilt them. All four of my kids will get one for Christmas and perhaps my 7 year old grandson too. I have some others in the works. A sister wants a crumb basket in greens and reds. I have the green baskets done. I also have a yellow tulip scrap quilt I'm working on. (Ran out of a variety of yellows for now so will do more of those blocks later.) I have an X's & O's in blues - just need to do a few more blocks to finish.
Non quilters really don't understand. My kids kind of do. Mostly they're glad I do something I enjoy. Hubby does not complain even though I use an entire room for sewing and storage.
Anyone who has had bad times financially in the past may understand better. They get using whatever you have available. I even use those tiny little pieces as mulch in my garden. What the birds don't use for nests gets tilled into the soil.

As long as they give the scraps to a quilter, they can get rid of whatever they want! I had a woman in several classes that I taught who did that - got rid of anything leftover from a project and buy new for the next one. But she DID bring all her scraps in to share with me and others, so they didn't go to waste. I can understand "wasting" money for huge sporting events, but, to each his own, I suppose!

I don't have a lot of fabric but I am 79 and could not use it all up if I wanted to. Just don't want fabric to go in the trash when I'm gone.

I am doing a scrappy gfg and some of my fabric is so old I have no idea where it came from or what project it was used for but all I need are 2.5" squares. My daughter loves receiving my quilted items but can't understand how I can sit and work on a project for hours at a time, I tell her she needs a hobby then she will understand & it is the same as she can sit and read a book for hours (so can I but that is beside the point) or work in her yard.

i know what you mean.. but they sure love getting a quilt dont they.... i just got a really good deal on a huskavarna viking 20" quilting machine with a Q-bot ... cant wait to get it set up.. but then lessons cuz i dont have a clue how to use it.. but i have four quilt tops waiting to be quilted so i am sure it will be wonder.. oh yeah i got it brand new for $2500.00 it is so nice.. cant wait...

LOL you are correct! Non quilters do NOT understand...:thumbup:

hahahhh. Escorted her away from the fabric that was funny. She is just not right. lol

My favorite remark on all my fabric is ""I wish I had a nickel for every yard of your fabric"" -my response was with all those nickels I could have paid cash for 2 brand new Harleys and the lessons to drive one of them.I think my baby brother has a better understanding of how much my "Collection" is really worth.-( he's making payments on his brand new Harley)

This ought to be posted as a motto in everyone's home! Excess or hoarding is only a problem if it causes the person difficulties. If you watch the Hoarders shows on TV, what is obvious usually is that the person has a situation that is a fire and health hazard. They often have vermin and filth, or they have a child who has to find a spot to sleep amid a pile on their bed and can barely walk through to get there, or they spend money they don't have to buy things they don't need. A person with a huge stash that doesn't cause any of that kind of difficulty does not have a problem, and it's nobody's business to judge. It might drive me nuts, but if I don't have to live with it, where would I get off criticizing? Btw, I do tend to save and use small scraps. I love Bonnie Hunter's method of getting them under control.

psthreads asked for a mile-a-minute pattern. I was curious, too, so I googled and found one that seems well written:http://patchworkpie.blogspot.com/200...ute-quilt.html I'd suggest doing a Google image search for them. Some look a lot better than others. I like the ones that have alternating plain colored blocks or sashing, but it's a personal preference.

An unrelated scrappy quilt pattern for those who like strip quilts also turned up: http://sugarnspicecreations.blogspot...-tutorial.html

I save EVERYTHING and have just spent the past three days SORTING thru only SOME of it; sorting (and folding) the yardages from the fat qrtrs, the less than fat qrtr and the scrap PIECES according to color or design (juvenile, seasonal etc). I even have the little triangles cut from the corners, and use my selvages and squaring up 'strips' for pillow stuffing. One day will look for an interesting pattern to use those different size and colors of the triangles. (Hint: Any suggested patterns?) Nothing goes to waste here. I have an 11 foot wall, 8 foot high, all fabric in totes and want to put it all on shelves so I can SEE what I have. Been a fabriholic for a LONG time. This QB is the best thing that has happened to a lot of us. Love the sharing.

I'm a scrap saver/user (Scottish blood - what can I say???) and make no apologies for it. A number of guild members who are not inclined, nor interested, bring me bags of their precious scraps. (Don't forget what was paid for all of that they would otherwise toss in the trash!) Here is the latest made entirely from other's castoffs.

Amen to all "other activities" Plus quilting, of course. Keeping busy is great in so many ways and keeps you young too!!

I too am a scrap saver -- I just got done sorting wayyyy too many scraps (I was raised by parents and grandparents who survived the depression and they saved everything). DH was looking at my stash and asked if I had $500 -- I said over $2,000 and he was shocked. Needless to say, I did not say how much over.

I am going to do a mile-a-minute quilt -- I need to do something fast and fun. Someone was wondering about the mile-a-minute quilt -- here is a great link because it has pictures:
http://patchworkpie.blogspot.com/200...ute-quilt.html

You have a good outlook for "life", quilting, trips, helping the world, etc--keep it up!

Love your attitude--and interests other than quilting--no two people think alike, that is what makes the world go around! Keep quilting and enjoy things as they come along, those who don't will never know what they are missing!!