Scrappy quilts
 

I've been looking at pictures of "scrappy" quilts and many of them don't fit my definition of scrappy. When I think of scrappy, it means grabbing whatever is in a scrap bag filled with odds and ends and putting it into the project somewhere. I have seen the term "controlled scrappy," but it seems to me that if you are planning colors and layout, you may not really have a "scrappy." If the definition of scrappy is just using what is at hand, that's one thing. If it means using leftovers from a particular project, that's another. I'm looking at two one gallon bags of scraps from dozens of projects and am thinking of using them to make a couple of strip quilts. But I'm not sure I can randomly put those strips together. It might turn out to be chaotic unless there is some unifying color. I would appreciate knowing what you think about scrappy. froggyintexas

There are no rules and no quilt police. You can define scrappy any way you want, and it may be different from what someone else calls scrappy.

I couldn't put completely random fabrics together. I would have to have some control over the fabrics. That's just me. Do whatever makes you happy.

It takes a certain sort of talent to do a good scrappy. It's a talent I lack. I'm not good at color.
Rodney

Your definition was the same as mine - more than once I watched a lady on "Simply Quilts" pull scraps out of a bag and then sew them to another random piece. And I did try it a couple times - but always would change a piece if I didn't like it. Maybe it's a control issue with me - because I have seen others and thought they were beautiful.

I have no problem just pulling out strips to make a strip quilt, I might look at the block and think it could do with a strip of yellow for example other that that it is just as it comes.

I love my scrappy quilts. I use random colors that are quickly pulled out of a basket. But I also use a solid neutral to help hold it together. I have also used several cream colored neutral batiks in a scrappy batik. I have grown away from using "all color" in a quilt. I think the eye needs to rest.

Froggy have you seen the scrap quilt show here on the board? There are some wonderful scrappy quilts posted there. And Bonnie Hunter is a queen of scrappy quilts. Recently I resumed working on two scrappy postage stamp quilts (PSQ) which I am using fabrics from my stash and fabric from the many postage stamp swaps I have been involved in. I would consider both of the PSQ scrappy.

I recently saw pics of another truly wonderful (imho) quilt that I would call scrappy and planning to make. I have already begun to gather the fabrics for. It is the Maple Leaf Rag quilt by Sara Fielke, Sara Fielke used no repeat fabrics in her quilt. I will strive to do the same.

But in the end, I would think that scrappy can be what each quilter defines for themselves with their own artistic eye. For me I would define a scrappy quilt project as one where I have used a variety of uncoordinated fabrics, to include a plethora of colors, a variety prints such as 30's repos, modern , traditional, novelty, neutrals, solids, stripes, blenders, batiks and everything in between to create my masterpiece.

And I will have most likely included in my scrappy projects some fabrics purchased from local & online stores, yard sales, estate sales, swap fabrics, scraps from other projects, gifted fabrics, stash fabrics, fabric from clothing I once loved & deconstructed, memory fabrics I kept of others.

This is my idea of scrappy.

I love scrappy quilts!!! I am a fan of what I call grab and go scrappy. As long as I do not grab the exact same fabric, I sew them together!! The only thing I do is obviously separate the light colors from the rest!! I have decided that I really like this method! Whatever you decide is scrappy to you go ahead and try! If you really don't like it, donate it!

i begin with scraps.. all sizes.. cut them with my go - which die will determine the size of scrap. ill utilize ever scrap from less than a FW to selvage strips.....

when my tubs of specific sizes cut are getting full i sew.. i have sqs from 2x2 all the way up to 10x10 ( including half sizes)... small and large tumblers, 3x6 bricks, 4.5 Triangles, strips from 1in all the way to 5in.. including half sizes..

ill make crumb quilts with the leftover crumbs of 1/2 hst and up..

Scrappy to me means anything that once was scraps turned quilt using a variety of colors ...

When I decide to make a totally scrappy quilt, I grab an arm full from my scrappy tub and just sit and sew the scraps together. I don't pick and choose or think about it, I just reach into the pile. My last scrappy was so much fun to make.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...d-t228155.html

I agree. But there are all sorts of scrappies. And if you have bags of scraps, why can't scrappies be only in a certain color palette, or all different colors? Let's say I have 3 trash bags of scraps. I can go through them and pull out all the reds and blues and make a red and blue scrappy. Put the reds in one corner of a 4 patch and the blues in the other and make a nice scrappy design. Bonnie Hunter does this all the time. They are definitely scrappy.

But your definition of scrappy may definitely be different from mine. I've seen some scrappies that definitely look like a very well planned quilt--and not very scrappy at all. But since each person is the one defining--maybe to them it is. Maybe they are used to a two color quilt, so using 12 in one quilt makes it scrappy. Or maybe they are using their leftovers and even though to me, it doesn't look like a "scrap quilt", it actually is.

I've heard the terms 'controlled scrappy' or 'planned scrappy'. To me this means that you maybe use some yardage in addition to the scraps to add a bit of coordination to the blocks. Or perhaps you pull all the reds, or blues etc. or even lights & darks. These are the scrap quilts that I'm most drawn to.

I agree with everyone here, one person's scrappy may not be another's. A few years ago I decided to make a "green" quilt for my son, who has green eyes. It had over 200 different green fabrics and 50 or so background fabrics yet looked very unified because it was basically a two-color quilt. To me, it qualifies as scrappy but maybe someone else would say, No, there's only two colors in it.

I frequently do scrappy quilts and pick the fabrics by a theme -- fall, or all solids, or all brights. When I do make a "grab and go" scrappy there is still some organizing factor to pull it together -- the solid diagonal stripe in string quilts is an example, or a consistent background. Otherwise they are not enjoyed as much by my family, which is where most of my quilts end up. The quilt in my avatar is an example -- a wide variety of fabrics, but the consistent black and white pulled it together.

For me scrappy quilts are fabrics left over from my planned projects.

I made four of the same quilts for my staff that look like the one that brandeesmom made. I did QAYG, and put the sashing after six blocks.. I love the way they came out, but would never do QAYG again.. I think it took me twice as long, and hated every minute of it.. I grabbed pieces out of a bag, and as long as they weren't the same fabric, it got sewed.. I would do this technique for scrappy again.. I am not making string quilts for nieces, and nephews, and they are all using scraps, and I'm pulling pieces that same way I did the scrappy, except, I have the same strip in the middle of all the blocks, and the blocks are 10"..
One day when I figure out why I can't post pictures, I will post them.. I have tried all different ways, and it still doesn't work..

My idea of scrappy is pulling from your stash and using odds and ends, usually not larger pieces cut down. That said I buy small amounts of fabric to start to make scrappy style quilts. I like civil war reproduction fabric and quilts designs from the past. I hand piece and hand quilt my projects and think the handwork element combined with the variety of reproduction fabrics used in the projects lend themselves to scrappy looks since people in the 1800s often had to work from what they had on hand or what they could find in stock and afford to purchase. Mine are controlled in that I am buying small cuts of fabric, charm sizes, reproduction scrap packs from vendors, etc to begin with and all my scraps are from the same era so there are no modern prints mixed in.

Agree. There's more than one kind of scrappy. I like making both.

Here's a picture of my most recent. It's kind of :rolleyes: controled.. in that I used a black strip in the middle of each block.

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HillCountryGal, I love your use of black in that quilt above. It makes all of the other colors stand out. ~ Cindy

I'm cleaning my sewing room and have found a Mystery Quilt that I did several years ago. I never got around to finishing it. It's the ugliest thing I have ever made. I'm thinking that maybe if I "unsew" the squares and rearrange them adding a solid unifying color maybe all won't be lost. I'll never do a mystery quilt again. Need to know where I'm going.

I love to just reach in the tub and pull out at random. Just don't put two of the same fabric next to each other, and if that happens the quilt police can just move on. As Kaygoodhand said, you can always donate it. Just have fun and enjoy yourself!

I have noticed that even if you think two (or whatever number) fabrics that you don't think would look good next to each other, it somehow works when making a quilt. A large number of quilts that I have made, have been leftovers from other projects. I do the "reach in the bag and use what comes up" method, and I have to say that the quilts always look very good when they are all put together. The only thing I really try to do is to not have the same fabric in close proximity to the first one.
I just finished a(n) Arkansas Crossroads, and before that, a truly scrappy Irich Chain and they both really looked nice.

I agree with you totally...if you sort them or pull them randomly, they are still scraps!!

I've made four of the "grab and sew" scrappy strip quilts. Put a plain border on them and then a border print border (because I have a whole shelf of border prints
I need to use up) and they are quite attractive. The plain border gives your eye a place to rest and makes it a little less busy. The border print corrals it all and gives it a finished look. I just finished one with a red strip down the center and black, white, black strips down one side and white, black white strips down the other. I had a border print that was black, red, and white and that was the finish. It is a gorgeous quilt and is at the quilters now.

I think your version of a scrappy is just that, Your version. When I first started doing scrappies I started with log cabins and that was a good choice I think, because it made me concentrate on value, rather than color. I pick thru my bins and put in what I want, but always, light, medium, dark. I do the same with my string blocks when doing them. Many times I have a unifying neutral, or black, or gray, or dominate color. Just something that ties everything up and gives control over the chaos. When I first started, there were certain colors I couldn't use next to others. Soon as I put the quilt together, there would be the colors I didn't want together right next to each other. Some things you just can't control. I just finished a spoolin around quilt, it has over 2,000 spools, no repeats, but...in two cases similar blocks are right next to each other - How does that happen?
As I said, my first quilt was a blue/yellow log cabin - I still love that quilt, just because all my scraps are either yellow or blue doesn't make it any less scrappy in my eyes.
Love, love, love my scrappy quilts. I would be so bored working on 2, 3 or 4 fabric quilts - couldn't do it.

[QUOTE=HillCountryGal;6591110]Agree. There's more than one kind of scrappy. I like making both.

Here's a picture of my most recent. It's kind of :rolleyes: controled.. in that I used a black strip in the middle of each block.

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Really pretty string quilt and I love the black in the center. You could do the same thing by cutting the blocks in half & mix the blocks up, or quarter your blocks - excuse me I have to go play now! lol

When I first stumbled on Bonnie Hunter I had never done a mystery quilt, but she had just finished Carolina Crossroads. So, I saw it, loved it and made one in just her colors. I've done all of her mysteries and never been disappointed - I do have favorites and one I wasn't wild for, but it taught me something, so that's fine. But I was a member of another group who did mysteries and I was going to do their latest mystery, but was busy with another project. I picked my fabric and right away, the first block or so, I saw this was lame and did not start mine. Boy was I right. The plume ugliest quilt ever. So you have to look at the previous mysteries. If you like them then go for it. If not, be warned!! Bonnie has never let me down.

To me, I think of scrappy as using random left over pieces and putting them together to make a quilt. The pattern and layout are not important to me. I just like using assorted "odds and ends" pieces that are to small to do another project with.

I like scrappy quilts: lots of colors, lots of patterns, no particular order to anything. My friends at First Saturday wouldn't know what to think if I made a plain, orderly, carefully planned quilt. They would think I had been taken over by aliens or something. I think the appeal of scrappy quilts is the brightness of color, pattern, and texture. HMM! Maybe that's what appeals to me about stained glass windows.

I had trouble picking fabrics for a Bonnie mystery until I paid attention to value. If she uses a bright...I use a bright. If she uses a dark, I use a dark. My problem comes when I use something like yellow that can get muddled or disappear if its next to a light/neutral. I have a small plastic spatula that is clear red. If I cannot decide if its a light/med/dark, I look at it thru the spatula! A medium can become a light if its next to a deep dark color or it can be a dark when its next to light/white. When I started I had ALOT to learn about color and value! I still learn something on EVERY quilt. Some quilts I like better than others...but I LOVE to make 'em all!

I remember in the 70s when I first started quilting, I used discarded clothing to make scrappy quilts. I'm not sure but I think at one time, quilt shows might have had a restriction of what material went into a scrappy quilt. I could be wrong. I think all scrappies are beautiful.

I choose fabric by value for scrappy quilts. I don't care what color the scraps as long as there is lots of contrast.

I, too, cannot just go totally random scrappy, but I sure love the quilts of those quilts that are done that way. I can be fairly loose with my crumb block quilts...you can see my quilts here. At least I hope the link works. The meaning of scrap quilts has evolved for me over time. My mom made true scrap quilts...she was lucky to buy enough yardage to make sashing and have for a backing. Her tops were made of scraps of fabric left over from dresses she made us girls and herself. And scraps from a sewing factory every now and then.

Now I consider a scrap quilt anything that is not planned...with a variety of fabrics. It doesn't matter to me if the fabrics come from leftover projects or from fabric collected over a period of time just to have.

I cannot do a truly scrappy quilt - the randomness makes me nuts. And I'm not a huge fan of scrappy quilts either ... to each his or her own, though.

I enjoy looking at my totally random scrap quilt as I see in it all the different projects the scraps came from. But I would hesitate to give a scrappy quilt to anyone unless sure they could tolerate it. They are not for everyone.

I love the look of many scrappy quilts. When it comes to making one, I freeze. As someone who totally missed the "anything goes" of the 60s, I have problems just choosing a few fabrics for a particular pattern. In one of my UFO boxes, there lurks what should be a wonderful bargello. It will probably never get finished as the stress generated isn't worth it. So all you wonderful quilters, please keep making and sharing scrappy quilts for those of us who blanch at the site of a mystery bag of fabric. Joyce in DE

I also love making scrappy quilts - they are so fun to make, but I don't seem to use up my scraps at all - they seem to multiply overnight!
Since I do have so many scraps, I can control the look of the quilt . Sometimes I make blocks all in one color way, other times I just make it as it comes out. They are all pretty.

I think that scrappy can be that bag of scraps you have. The most fun scrappy was when I just when I grabbed a piece no matter the shape and sewed it, then cut into squares and sewed. Some of the squares were so ugly, I thought I might have to throw them away. It is a very happy quilt.

I TOTALLY agree with IrishNY. I have too also have control over what goes where. I would go NUTS if the same fabric was next to the same fabric !!

I like scrappy but tend to like it somewhat controlled. I buy a lot of fat quarter bundles and other pre-cuts, so my projects have a lot of variety but all go together. So..for the scraps of these I separate the cool colors from the warm colors, each have their own tub and batik scraps are all together in a tub. I end up with tons of cool colored scraps to make a quilt from and lots of warm scraps for a quilt also...but I don't like mixing the warm and cool colors together in a scrappy quilt...lol..drives me crazy! BUT...in the batiks...all of the ones I have are cool colors, so no need to separate them :)

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Try the Spider Web pattern. It is strip pieced and has a background that will unify the whole quilt. Here is a small sample that I am working on. It is for Halloween.
peace