Scraps- how small is too small.
 

All quilts come with some scraps but when do you say this is too small to keep? Also do you square up odd shaped pieces or keep them as they are? I have several bins of small pieces I'm not sure are worth keeping.

I have the same issue. And this is my solution: I cut a 2 1/2" strip from any piece with length. Any thing else I cut 2 1/2" squares. I'm not really a scrappy quilter but I might make one some day! Or I will do a PIF here on the board

When they are an irritation to use and/or store, rather than giving you pleasure.

When I get down to the remainder of a piece of fabric I cut it into 2.5" squares. Less than that is out of here.
I won't live with scrap bags and boxes, that would seriously drag me down mentally.

Check out Bonnie Hunters use of "crumbs". If this is not for you then pass them on. I love making quilts out of others "trash" fabric. http://www.quiltville.com/crumbs.shtml

Hi, I've been trying (when I finish a quilt) to cut my scraps into useable sizes and store in plastic shoe sizes containers. I have a 1", 2", and 2 1/2" and then larger. I don't plan to make a crumb quilt so I don't keep anything smaller than 1". I do draw from these containers when paper piecing. Good luck. This is really a mystery as what to save.

everyone here has given you exncellent suggestions. My scraps were becoming so overwhelming, I chose to go through and cut mine all down into squares. It took me quite awhile to get it all done and organized. But, I absolutely love it. Now, a great friend of mine gave me all of her unused/scrap fabrics to use before we moved to Oregon. I have at least 3 eighteen gallon totes to go through and organize. I love scrap quilting, so this is going to be a Fantastic project for me. This time though, I am just going to do it off and on.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I chose to only go to a one and a half inch square as my smallest. It is just totally a choice.

I make 2.5 inch strips,a few 3/4 inch strips from the smaller than 2.5 inch remains for corded bowls-the rest is out of here.I am ok with neat precut strips but I am not ok with jumbled up piles of wrinkled messy shapes.

Log cabins are my favorite, with 1" finished logs, so I can use strips that are 1.5" wide. I'm thinking about doing the next one as an offset log cabin, so one side will have strips that finish at .5". That means I can use 1" wide strips. I don't cut everything into strips though, because there are other patterns I might want to make. The last one I made used squares cut at 3.5" and 3".

I have two big scrap containers under my cutting table. One for tiny pieces and one for larger pieces. I use out of it as I want but don't make a point of using the scraps just to be using them. When the bin gets over flowing I bag the scraps and take to guild. Everyone has fun going through the scrap fabric and I come home with a small bag of scraps that look great once I see them out of the bin and then I start all over. LOL

The question of how small is too small is one we can only answer ourselves. If you paper piece or like to do small blocks, then you would want to keep smaller scraps. If you only do bigger blocks, them gift your smaller pieces to someone who will use them. I used to save every single piece, including pieces from other quilters from my group. It was crazy! I have a friend who is helping me. Also, we need to take into consideration how much space we have for storing. Not a lot of space means that we can't save as much as we might want.

I do a lot of applique so unfortunately, I keep it all in the shape it's in

Thks went to Bonnie Hunter site ... Great information!!

I have squares cut from my scraps from 6 1/2 inches to 2 1/2inches..I also have 2 1/2 strips cut and some 3 1/2 in ones to use with my Hickory nut template...strips thinner than 2 1/2 and wider than one inch (even those uneven strips) go into strip quilts..Anything smaller goes into a large fabric square sewn to fill for a dog bed...I throw away nothing`

2 inches is the smallest I will precut. Sometimes I get the bug to piece just scrappy scrappy pieces and I will use small irregular pieces. Most of the time, I put the smaller than 2 inch pieces in my dog bed pile. When I get a tshirt back that is unwanted, or fabric that no one will use, I make up a rectangle pillow case shape and fill it with my scraps. Serge the edge when its done and its off to the dog rescue. One lady there told me, they give out a bed with the dog when it goes to its forever home. I also use strips and strings for string blocks.

Check out http://heartstringsquiltproject.com/ for more info on Heartstrings quilts or to donate blocks, quilting time or quilts.. They are a charity quilt group only.

the famous...how small is too small topic...
first off---what will you use? not a lot of point saving anything too small for you to use---if you never use anything smaller than a charm square-anything smaller is just taking up space- if you are an appliquer & use tiny pieces in your creations...well- tiny is not too small.
that being said---in my book it's never ok to send your scraps to a landfill! there is always someone out there who would love to have what you have no use for. there are members here on the board who use small scraps- there are people who use the really small pieces to stuff pet beds--and other uses- there are preschools & elementary schools that would love to use some scraps- there are scout troups...the list goes on & on- someone will want/use what you have no use for. so= decide=what will you use at some point- if you will not use it box it up in a flat rate box & offer it- or donate it- check with the local guild, senior center, care facility, scout group, lqs, here on the board---pass them on-

No scrap is to small for me. Shoot I even keep threads and such. Sometimes I square up odd shapes pieces but mostly I don't. By not doing so it gives it character.

How small are your pieces that you have in your bins.

I save anything 1.5 inches wide by 1.5 or longer for my FAVORITE Log Cabins.

I also save 2.5 inches wide a la Bonnie Hunter.

Odd unusable (by me) shapes go into the "stuffing" box which will be used to stuff dog blankets or sent to my DD for art projects with our DGKiddies. :)

The smallest I save is 1-1/2" squares. I have plastic boxes full of squares 1-1/2", 2", 2-1/2", 3",3-1/2", 4", 5" and I use them as "leaders" and "enders" and it is amazing how much you can get done with the "inbetween" sewing. I also have boxes with strips 1-1/2", 2", and 2-1/2" and go into those when doing strip piecing. Anything smaller, or odd shaped that I do not want to deal with goes to my quilt guild "put and take" table.

Made a log cabin hexagon block using paper piecing. Used 1.5 inch strips. Turned out great

I do a version of Bonnie Hunter... I keep 2", 2 1/2", 3", 3 1/2", 5" and 6" squares. And 2", 2 1/2" 3" and 3 1/2" strips. When I have a leftover chunk, I cut the biggest of those I can, then cut the rest. For me, a strip needs to be at least 8". I then keep the odd pieces and do crumb blocks. They are especially nice when I need to retreat to my sewing space, but don't want to have to think too hard.

I do a lot of "sew and flip", so I keep irregular pieces, but only in certain colors. I give away the tiny pieces to the art center for their summer kids programs. A person has to decide what they might do with scraps in the future and save accordingly, also depending on space available.

I LOVE to make crumb quilts.....

I have just been inspired. I have a scrap bin that is now overflowing. I am going to cut all my scraps into usable 1 inch squares and then I am going to make a scrap quilt with all my left overs. I love the scrappy blocks made in the crumbs quilt. I love this quilt board. Can't believe I have not found it earlier. Thanks Ladies and Gents

NO scrap is too small. Use the tiniest scraps for postcards, chop them up even smaller and use them in confetti applique where you arrange them as you wish and then cover with water soluble material and then sew the heck out of them so that everything is fastened down securely and then wash to dissolve the water soluble stuff for interesting 3-D effects. Fun and easy. Makes lovely postcards, small appliques, etc.

Someone the other day gave a link to a lady named Gail Hunt. She does "confetti" wall quilts. Thats what I am doin with mine.

Anything smaller than my hand gets thrown away.

I have a lot of scraps to organize so I just started cutting mine into 3"4"5"and 11/2"strips 2"strips and some smaller strips that I piece together for strip blocks but the smallest I do is 1 1/2" blocks for postage stamps. Anything smaller is tossed into a box and when I get it full there was a lady on here that uses scraps for dog beds for kennels or the pound or something but I don't remember who you are so if you see this pm me who you are.

http://www.quiltville.com/crumbs.shtml

I went to this site and had a heck of a time finding the Spiderweb quilt. I looked around for quite a while and then found it. I printed it out and then went out of the site to see if I could find it again. Couldn't! Then I looked again and found a list of quilts at the right side of the home page, quite a way down the page. There is the list of quilts in alphabetical order. That way I got back into the Spiderweb site.

I don't cut up my scraps. If I would have them cut into squares, how would I make a string quilt of any kind? I cut up scraps as I need them. With confetti quilts, sometimes the piece is just a little too small. Maybe a half inch of triangle is missing at one corner. You'd be surprised how much it takes to fill in that half inch! The piece needs to be at least one inch. But I cheat sometimes. The smaller my pieces are, the smaller I make my seams. Many of my scrap quilts have 1/8 inch seams in many places.

I love using up my scraps.
Happy scrapping!

Now this is what a cal a scrap quilt, that's the way I make them. no waste

The smallest I go is 2" squares and 1.5" strips or strings. My favorite sizes to cut are 5" and 2.5" squares and 2.5" strips since they all play nicely together so I do that first and work down from there.

Odd pieces can be used in paper piecing and in applique. I keep them at about one inch or so.

this is what I do, I have about a hundred paper strips 2-1/2 inches width. when I have a few small scraps I paper pieced them on the strip in a crazy quilt sort of way. I then used the strips as sashes on quilts. I take the paper off last.

1 1/2" squares are about as small as I go!

It depends on how much I like the fabric and how much I have left. If I LOVE the fabric, I keep every scrap down to 1" - otherwise, I keep anything that can be used with a spiderweb design from short and squat to long and skinny.

You can just start sewing scraps together and eventually have a crazy quilt. The only scraps too small to save would be those YOU don't want to sew.

I have several sizes that I am cutting from scraps - 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 2.5 x 5, and 4. Three of them are being saved for a scrappy quilt I want to make and I only cut one or two from each fabric so it will be very scrappy. I love Bonnie K. Hunter's site and have several of her books and have made five or six of her quilts.

One summer, I took to my bins (about the size of shoe boxes) and anything smaller than a FQ went into a paper grocery sack. It took me awhile to go through them and I took that bag to our beach house that summer and pressed, cut and stacked my little squares that I cut - I ended up making four or five queen size quilts from that bag and all I had to purchase were borders and backs.

Right now, 5" or more is left alone til I get to it. I'm making a batch of 2" & 2.5" squares out of anything that I can only get that size out of, anything longer than that, I'm just cutting into 2" or 2.5"strips so I can cut them to size as needed. Anything at least 3/4"wide x 4" or more I cut into the widest strip I can (doesn't have to be a particular size, just the widest I can get) and put it in my narrow strip bin to use for string quilts. If it's too small for a string or a 2" square, I put it into a bin of smalls to use to make some pieced fabric. This site shows an easy way to do it.
http://www.15minutesplay.com/p/tutorials.html