Quiltingboard Forums - Question for today is: What size is considered a crumb?

Quiltingboard Forums (https://www.quiltingboard.com/)

- Main (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/)

- - Question for today is: What size is considered a crumb? (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/question-today-what-size-considered-crumb-t302379.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustAbitCrazy (Post 8196159)

I cut all my scraps into squares and strips, and store them in drawers. I don't do "crumb" quilts or string quilts, and for me, that's anything smaller than 1.5" (my smallest cut square or strip). Those get thrown out.

JustAbitCrazy I would not mind taking the ones off your hands that you throw out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by charley26 (Post 8195952)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]607031[/ATTACH]
This is a 'crumb' type quilt. I used many very small pieces, some larger than others. They were attached to a long strip, with a gap in between, cut in the gaps, more small pieces sewn on, some of these attached to long strips and cut again. Each small square about 6 inches, and several months of scraps used to make this quilt. Completed as a QAYG quilt.
The photo was too large to upload, so I have reduced/cropped it, and not sure how it will turn out in this post.

Your quilt is so awesome. What does QAYG stand for? Thanks for showing your quilt and the block size and pieces size you used.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeanne S (Post 8196314)

Any piece smaller than 1 1/2” square is a crumb to me.

Thank you Jeanne S for a size to use.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandy l (Post 8196279)

That is a great looking quilt, really like it. As you are sewing the fabric scraps together, do you press the seams open, or to one side. Then when you are assembling the 8" block, how do you handle the seams, just let them fall where they may?
Thanks, and your quilt makes me want to try one.

sandy I thank you for asking this question. I was wondering also.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teddybear Lady (Post 8196102)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]607053[/ATTACH] I sewed all sizes of fabric scraps together, cut into 8 inch blocks then used black in between them.

Teddybear Lady your quilt is also awesome. Thank you for showing use.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJBlaine (Post 8196049)

You crumb quilt is lovely! I'm currently working on a crumb quilt myself, using crumb blocks that are 6-1/2 square and hope it turns out half as nice as yours.

I think a crumb is anything smaller than you would find useful, so it can vary from person to person. For someone who likes to make big block quilts of applique, anything smaller than 12' might be a crumb. In my case, I like to do scrap quilts, so anything that cannot be cut into at least a 2"square or a 1x3" strip is a crumb. Anything under 1" gets chopped into confetti to use as filler for pet beds.

JJBlaine thank you for letting use know what size blocks and crumbs that you use. I find every ones information very helpful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macybaby (Post 8195959)

here is the only one I've made that I might consider a crumb quilt, though for me, I would consider peices less than 1" as crumbs. Anything larger is just a regular scrap to me.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...psk2oyws9h.jpg

I had cut my scraps into strips and larger squares, and then used everything left over for this. I sewed smaller peices together to create bigger pieces, and then sewed them together until I had it large enough to trim to 8.5"

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...pslfahf2at.jpg

Macybaby, thank you for showing us your crumb quilt in all these bright colors of a crayon box, the sizes you use and the demo. I have some crumbs in these colors that would look great for a small child quilt box of crayons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by craft (Post 8196326)

JustAbitCrazy I would not mind taking the ones off your hands that you throw out.

I think I can scare up a few. PM me your address.

As far as pressing seams, people do both open and to the side for various reasons. All the mainline quilting texts, instructions, etc I've read say to press to the side and then one thing I read finally said, "When seams are pressed open, there is a greater chance for the batting to beard through between the exposed stitches." The light bulb really switched on for me with that.

I think the other reason we press to the side is that the seams pull open very easily in pressed open seams, unless the stitches are very short, or you backstitch start and end. I'd never noticed when sewing garments, but my backstitching isn't always aligned with the seam, and it does make a difference with the much smaller quilt seams.

Of course, this is for machine stitching. Hand stitching is not likely to pull apart, but the bearding problem might still apply.

The other issue to consider is the intersection of seams. If pressed aside, the way to handle bulky intersections by spinning them is well documented. For pressed open seams, you're on your own. A simple intersection can use garment rules, but there's no way it will work at the center of a block like a pinwheel where 8 points meet. Sometimes we just have to follow the "rules" and have faith that someone else did the trial and error experimentation that made the rule.

I think any fabric trimming can be a crumb. I kept tiny scraps for a long time but never used them. I don't keep them anymore. I give my crumbs to a guild member who will hand sew them together to make one big enough to make a hexie. She spends most of her time piecing the crumbs to make one piece big enough to cut. I guess she likes it or is very broke.