I find it hard too but that is how you do it - good luck

Looking forward to see this one!

I do all my quilts scrappy now, the more different fabrics the better! I did one in batiks & nearly every fabric I used, was different. Got tired at the end, so repeated a few near the end! Wanna see? You just have to go for it & play! Remember, once it is altogether, you see all the fabrics together, not which match which! It's fun, once you get the hang of it, get over worrying about what matches what... You might try one with a charm pack first. That way, it's small & all from the same line, but each square is different. I play with charms alot too, exactly for this reason!

While working on a large strip star pattern (all from scraps), I discovered the best stars were those when the strips almost clashed with the ones on either side. If the colors in strips to either side coordinated, they took the eye away from the overall effect.

I try to find a solid color and coordinate different scraps that will go with it. You would be suprised how good some fabrics look together.

Here's a picture of my latest scrappy quilt top. Scrappy Double Irish Chain. I just put my pieces into 2 bags - dark and medium - and grabbed. I think it turned out neat.

What would be a good size to cut the fabric? I would love to make one but really don't know how to do it. :roll:

I just pick a pattern, usually one with smaller pieces and go from there. It's just a great way to use up scraps and there are no two alike :wink:

Variety is the spice of life and lots of fun when you use up scraps of fabric in quilting. You can't get away with variety in many things but it is a blessing when piecing a top. All the quilts we make for charity are from scraps and even the ones I have made from my own sewing projects is fun. I like to pick out and remember the familiar prints.
And think of what you are saving by not buying more fabric.
Carol J.

Loved reading this forum. I NEED to make a scrap quilt. My bin won't hold any more scraps, but I have been kind of afraid to make one. They just seem so overwhelming. I do spend time organizing them once in awhile. I bunch them together by color and then rubber band them together and put them in by bin. I do use them for appliqué and small projects, but I still have enough for a large project (or two). Maybe in 2011 I will go for it.

I don't make scrappy quilts myself. I don't know why, I just haven't. I will someday. One gal in our guild does beautiful scrappy quilts and what she does is uses scraps, but uses one color for the light. Or a couple that look close to each other and the quilts she makes are absolutely wonderful.

I know some people do have a problem with that. However, I have made a couple scrappys and I just love the way they turn out. I think you will too.

I read once that if you don't like the color combination, your pieces are too large.

I just cut my pieces and lay them all out together on the living room floor and keep moving them all around until I'm happy with how it looks. THEN I take a picture. and only move a couple pieces and put them together and back in place.

I've always had my colors match, but am working through several scrappy patterns. On www.quiltville.com site, I am cutting strips to do a scrappy bargello, and crumb blocks. Need to tackle all those small pieces piling up!!
I figure that if I don't like it even when it is done, I can always give it away!! But now it is play time! :)

If you really want adventure, take a paper bag, throw your scraps into it, and just pull out a piece and the next and next,
it is amazing how it just goes together. It is so fun to see
the outcome! Good Luck.

I made a tumbling blocks scrappy quilt. I took all my scraps and divided into lights, mediums and darks. Then I went through and decided what went with what. I did a small section at a time and layed it out on the spare queen bed. It got hard towards the end because I used up a lot of scraps. I couldn't just take any two pieces and sew them together.

Here are my two new favorite books that helped me "get over" the scrappy coordination hurdle. I got them through my local library's INTER-LIBRARY LOAN program - I was able to read the books and try a few things before buying:

Simple Strategies for Scrap Quilts by Lynn Roddy Brown
Published by That Patchwork Place in 2006
ISBN 13: 978-1564776853

Simple Strategies for Block-swap Quilts by Lynn Roddy Brown
Published by That Patchwork Place in 2009
ISBN 13: 978-1564778581

Each book approaches the "problem" from a different angle. I joined an on-line quilt block swap group that swaps every other month, and participation is optional. The coordinator posts the schedule of swaps which set forth the size, color, theme or whatever of the swap. ALSO, this book helped me use up my fat quarters in such a way that the resulting nice-looking quilts are scrappy without any swapping. (Does that make sense?)

To quote Harriet Hargrave, "Scrape quilts depend more on the effect created by the use of light, medium, and dark, as well as texture from the print, than they do on color. If you look at many old quilts, you'll find that more times than not the colors do not relate to one another, but the pattern emerges because of the value changes and surface (print) interest in the fabric.

"Begin by sorting your fabrics, scraps and all, into three piles: light, medium and dark... As you sort through your fabrics, you may find that these piles are becoming stunning color combinations for a quilt. You almost can't have too many fabrics when making a scrap quilt -- often the hardest part is deciding which ones to eliminate.

"We often buy fabric because it's 'pretty,' ignoring the value and texture completely. If you were to examine old scrap quilts, you would find fabrics in them that you would not consider buying. There are even complete blocks that we don't care for when examined individualy. However, when you look at the overall quilt, the effect is wonderful. If you're serious about making stunning scrap quilts, you need to make an effort to break out of buying only the pretty fabrics and start collecting some 'dogs' and 'uglies' so that your quilts will have life and depth."

To quote Harriet Hargrave, "Scrape quilts depend more on the effect created by the use of light, medium, and dark, as well as texture from the print, than they do on color. If you look at many old quilts, you'll find that more times than not the colors do not relate to one another, but the pattern emerges because of the value changes and surface (print) interest in the fabric.

"Begin by sorting your fabrics, scraps and all, into three piles: light, medium and dark... As you sort through your fabrics, you may find that these piles are becoming stunning color combinations for a quilt. You almost can't have too many fabrics when making a scrap quilt -- often the hardest part is deciding which ones to eliminate.

"We often buy fabric because it's 'pretty,' ignoring the value and texture completely. If you were to examine old scrap quilts, you would find fabrics in them that you would not consider buying. There are even complete blocks that we don't care for when examined individualy. However, when you look at the overall quilt, the effect is wonderful. If you're serious about making stunning scrap quilts, you need to make an effort to break out of buying only the pretty fabrics and start collecting some 'dogs' and 'uglies' so that your quilts will have life and depth."

I too love scrappy quilts. I sometimes take odd or left over blocks and make a quilt. My grand- childern fight over them.

I just remembered another scrappy quilt that I liked the result. I had a lot of blue scraps.
Using 8 1/2 x 11" paper. Draw a line from left upper corner to right bottom corner on half the sheets on the other half of the sheets draw a line from upper right to bottom left. These are guidelines.
Then starting in the middle of the sheet place a dark fabric, then on each side of it do a lighter shade. Continue doing a lighter shade as you go on each side.
When you get to the last corner on each end again put in a dark fabric.
The strips don't have to be perfectly centered and I use all those strips that were cut off the fabrics to make straight edges. (You know the pieces that are 2" on one end and 3/4" on the other) Because the paper keeps it stabilized you don't need to worry about the bias sides.
These rectangles will make a x's and o's pattern when put together.
Remove the paper after you have sewn the blocks together. The easiest method of removing the paper for me is to run the handle end of a steel crochet hook (or something similar) along the stitching line with the paper on an old mouse pad.
You don't have to worry about matching corners, etc. It makes a very attractive quilt.

I just finished a D9P for my DGD (age 4) for Christmas. I used Moda, Me & My Sister Charm Packs and I put the 5" squairs in a bag and sewed them as they came out and I Love It. I had so much fun!!!
Sharon

I do scrappies. They may look funny going together but when done you will be happy and wonder why you haven't done them before

Y'all are making me smile - big time. I thought I was the only one that tries to "control the fabrics".
I tell dh there are other ppl at least somewhat like me...called quilters ;)

qould 5x5 squares be too big. Also do they all need to be squares? I'm in the dark on this one, sorry. ;)

Last year's New Year's resolution was not to buy any more fabric until I used up my stash. I must admit that I did buy a small amount of fabric - but over the year I spendt only $45 on fabric every thing else came from the stash. I have to say that using up scraps has actually made my quilting projects better. After all, our ancestors didn't have books, rulers or easy access to fabric and they made outstanding quilts.
Another benefit is frabic from the past rekindles wonderful memories.

Thank you for asking this question - I look forward to all the responses. I am drowning in scraps.

Oh Nancy, this is gorgeous! That border is so awesome! I am so inspired!

me too. no offense, but I don't like the unplanned scrappy look. I need to like what I do.

If this is your first, I'd be tempted to use a controlled scrappiness.

Choose a value that you love. Do you like bright jewel tones? Or do you love pastels best? Choose one of those and then add one darker fabric and one very light fabric. And start sewing. And let us see what you make!!

This is exactly what I do... you will be surprised how those fabrics that didn't go together look so nice in a scrappy quilt. Post photo when done. good luck :)

You dont have to just draw out pieces with a blindfold either... if you take, for instance, *autumn colors* golds reds oranges greens tans autumn colors, maybe scrappy off white/tans for background, you can have a gorgeous scrappy without it being *blind mans bluff*....

You could use any color scheme.. 20 blacks 20 reds 20 greys 20 whites... these are all gorgeous scrappies too

I love scrappy quilts and just grap and go with them. I understand your view because if you don't like it, you aren't going to finish it. Maybe a semi scrappy quilt might work for you. By that I mean one part of the block (the center or star points) would be the same color or fabric and maybe that would coordinate it for you. Just a thought.

I love to make scrappy quilts. I made several bleuish quilts and for the scrappy ones I love to use blue or navy to combine and that ends up very well. Amazing how well blue combines all the colours

Here is my favorite scrappy quilt I recently made. I thought all the fabrics were very ugly and all I did was put lightish with darkish and turns out I love the results. I think that's the "beauty" of scrappies. Have fun with it. Sorry it is so blurry. There are some patterns in the fabrics and they don't follow any rules either.

I just read you should make 4 piles. dark, light, and medium light and medium dark. I have my scraps by catagory. Baby girl, baby boy, western, flowers, 4th of july, vegtables, woodisy , southwest, xmas, fall, haloween. I think it will work for me. I also have to get into what is not scraps to help put it all together. Hope this helps a little. It is difficult with Scraps.

That's the best way I know to do it, or else you end up getting matchy, you do it without even knowing it. They always turn out so beautiful. Just jump in and do it. I am dying to do another one, but have too many unfinished projects I have to get done.

thats the way to do it , but i have the same problem you do , i want to change things around !!!!!

Make sure when you put your scraps in a bag, it's a brown paper bag, so you can peek while pulling.

If your really uncomfortable about doing a quilt scrappy, just do a small table top scrappy, and see how it comes out.

Scrappy can mean so many things. The most recent one I did used lights, mediums, and darks. And there was a method for combining them.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-81391-1.htm

Another one I did was a Civil war fabric scrap quilt. It would not have worked if there were novelty or children's or bright colors thrown in. However, it did have over 50 fabrics.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-39328-1.htm

I think that picking out a pattern first has helped me make scrappy quilts. Knowing which pattern then helps me organize my scraps and use them to get a good effect.