Scraps...
 

They just keep multiplying! A friend and I are doing a scrappy block exchange to try and use up scraps. I'm having a great time going through mine finding fabric long forgotten. But......how in the world did all that fabric get in that box??? And how is it going to go back in? I seriously don't need to buy fabric for a long time I need to use what I have. How do you keep your scraps tamed?

Sad to say, but I don't and they're running wild in my basement!

I made 2 scrap quilts that took 4 yards of scrap fabric each. Needless to say, I still can't get the lid on the box.......

Keep making those scrappy quilts and only buy to fill in or buy a large piece backing, I know its hard because they scream "orgy" when the lid snaps on.

I wish I could keep them tamed. Seriously! And there is no such quilt pattern that will ever be a "stash-buster" despite their names! I am still using bits of fabric purchased over a decade ago.

Welcome to my world!

I cut my scraps into strips,sewed them together and donated 19 quilt tops. I emptied the whole bin in January. It is growing again and I use a lot of left over fabric on the quilt backs. Moral of story: scraps multiply!

Face it, it is impossible. :( Just try to do you best. Maybe ask friends who could use some of them.

At least you were smart about it and have scraps left from other quilts. When I started to quilt I loved scrappy's so I went out and BOUGHT scraps. Which now, looking back, was stupid. I should have started with a quilt or two and made scrappies AFTER. Oh well.....I am trying to get into the challenge of finding fun patterns for the same materials so they all look different. That is the biggest or hardest part for me. After a while I just want to start on something new and not look at "oh....THAT fabric" again. Live and learn for me!

I do string blocks and crumb blocks but I don't like to cut scraps into exact pieces. I think it takes too much time. I use my Go to cut a pile of scraps into squares and hst but then I have a pile of them just like the scraps. LOL

Mine are untamed, too. I should probably just give them all away. There would soon be more.

I think I have far more yardage in scraps than I do in pieces of a yard and more, even though that is considerable. The scraps take up more space in my quilting room, and in my mind. At my old guild there was a "free" table, and the wiser ladies brought in the leftovers from each project and left them for us dummies to pick up. At the time I didn't understand why they wanted no scraps around, but now I get it. Of course I'm still accumulating scraps.

Answer to scrap problem
 

There is an easy answer. Just take the time to separate all of your scraps into a pile of the males and a pile of the females. then, don't let them get together. Unfortunately, I have never been able to tell the difference, so my scrap bins, yes binS. are out of control also.

I cut my scraps into 5, 6 and 6 1/2 squares to make disappearing nine patch tops. A lot of 2 1/2 inch strips for scrappy jelly roll tops and the rest into strings for string blocks. I make pet pillows out of pieces I can't use. But everyone is right, the scraps just multiply.

I give mine to a lady in our church who cannot afford to buy much fabric.

I need to have my scraps neutered.

I was just thinking of Planned Parenthood for Scraps!

This made me laugh!

I donate most of them to my guild -- or make flannel board clothes for my niece to play with. I bought a pinking blade for my rotary cutter & she just thinks it's the best thing ever that each time she comes to visit Auntie, she leaves with a couple new outfits for her imaginary dollies (for real, maybe I should make her flannel people one of these days -- but that would involve going to fabric store & we all know will happen if I end up there! :D)

When I'm trying to use up my scraps, and the "oh... THAT fabric again" comes up, I deliberately look for enough of "THAT fabric" to try to use as the backing, just so I can get rid of it. There comes a point when I'm SICK of seeing it - but that OCD in me won't let me just throw it away.
If I really, REALLY hate it, it becomes the backing for kennel quilts. Just to get rid of it.

I deal with my scraps by deciding that anything fat quarter or larger sized doesn't count as a scrap so that gets put back with yardage or fat quarters. Anything smaller than a fat quarter that is an irregular shape gets cut into the largest sized "precut" I can get out of it. I have a drawer unit that I store my precuts in.

Anything smaller than 2" gets used in string quilts or crumb quilts. I have a shoebox that holds those and when it gets to the point that the lid doesn't shut then I pull them out and spend time just sewing them together. That's also a fun thing to do when I feel like doing some "mindless" sewing.

Since I'm one of those folks who likes to have multiple projects going at once I usually have a crumb quilt, string quilt, scrappy quilt and/or improvisational quilt going at the same time that I'm working on something more structured. I also use scraps to make test blocks... My test blocks get stored with orphan blocks which usually end up getting used on quilt backs, or put together as a sampler quilt---all of which means that I manage to stay in control of my scrap heap, but seem to always have a huge number of UFOs.....:D:sew::sew::sew::sew::sew:

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Rob..I do the same thing, but keep my larger scraps (less than a FQ) sorted by color as I make minis and like to have small chunks on hand. I seem to have plenty in the sized bins, I don't need to create more. I have developed the habit of trimming my backing trimmings to size rather than throwing into a string bin..

12 yo DGD has selected her next quilt... word play quilt with a black back ground...she's going to use my bright scraps to make her letters...I think she's itching to start later in August when I have time..

I have been unpacking boxes from my move 2 years ago and I am finding many more boxes scraps than I remember packing --obviously I mixed up the males and females and they multiplied like bunnies.

I don't. I have been cutting 1.5", 2" and 2.5" strips this year, and thought I was mostly caught up from 3 years of neglecting my scraps. Then, my sister just came over in July, and she sorted out a lot of fabric. I now have a rather large box and a very large trash bag filled to the top to cut into strips. I'll be working on that in August.

Scraps are a challenge..that is for sure. Here is a top I recently finished which I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I wish I could say the same about every scrappy quilt I've ever made.

It used quite a few scraps which I cut into 2" strips and then made 16 patches from. I've named it Confetti.

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I love that confetti quilt...but looks quite daunting as far as piecing. I have been working on an Enders/leaders project in conjunction with my Gypsy Wife so I have been using up a few of my scraps... But will be looking for another scrappy project as soon as summer is over. Maybe Judy will have another mystery train coming up.

I have a big plastic tub, with a lid. When I'm putting scraps in, I check to see how much more room there is. Once it gets too full, I bag it all up and take it to the local food pantry. They will give it to any elderly-confined-to-home individuals and those individuals usually make quilts for the less fortunate. I'm blessed that my fabric is mating during the times I'm not in my sewing room. It just keeps expanding on my shelves!

It's hard. Yes, they must all be hippies that make love, not war, when they congregate. I'm thinking I should call my stockpile "Woodstock".

To kinda/sorta help diminish the scraps, I keep a ziplock bag on my cutting table. When it's full of scraps that need to go bye bye, I have a giveaway with a guessing game every 6-8 weeks right on this board. That finds a new home for some. You could fill a flat rate box and either offer it free for postage if you really want to get them out of the way without sorting.

I have bins of scraps and my theory is that they multiply and divide at night when I am sleeping. I have made several tops from the scraps. This week, I am donating a bin to the local thrift shop.

I know what you mean. I did the same thing. I also keep dragging home scraps from my quilt guild. Now I have tubs and tubs of them.

Mine have multiplied until I've gotten over 3 bins full and I keep saying I'm going to make string quilts for donation quilts, but I never quite get around to it. I really need to work on nothing but that!

Sad to say, I have not figured out a really efficient way to tame the ever elusive scrap bin. Honestly, I am so tired of making scrappy quilts that from time to time I consider just give them all away. I have not gone out to shop for a specific fabric for a specific quilt in years. Admittedly, I do pick up fabric bargains and have a good stash but the scrap bin wears me out. Oh, boo-hoo! Whine, whine, whine. I really am blessed to have so many scraps that can be made into beautiful quilts.

I do have boxes organized by color for mine (now if I just didn't get frustrated with them and cram them into the first box I see :-( ) but they just keep growing and its just easier to me to use fabric I see on the shelf rather than dig thru a box. Sigh...my friend makes really good scrap quilts but she has boxes and boxes and boxes of scraps and I don't think she would be my friend if i gave her mine!

I went back and began reading all of the posts to this thread. Woodstock!!! :D One thing that I have done in the past year is that immediately after cutting pieces for a quilt, I cut the remainders, scraps into standardized "pre-cuts". This is particularly useful when trimming and squaring up the quilt just before the binding go on. I cut off that excess backing and cut it into usually 2.5 strips or 2.5 squares. this often gives me 10 - 12 squares of the same fabric. This seems to neuter the little things and they stay under control. I make 4 or 5 quilts per year using 2.5 squares and having so many on hand helps.

I also am liking the post about just donating the scraps when they get to a certain amount. Why am I keeping all of this when someone else could use them? This is thought worth considering. Ah, a deep breath of fresh air!

I love to read how efficient each one of you quilters are with your scraps. I quilt for a charity only. They give me scraps to work with. Sometimes I receive a panel--like a book panel. Or just a piece of fabric with one main animal or theme, like a dinosaur or one care bear. Ladies, take one or even several of these printed scraps, put them up on your display board. Now sew up some scraps in a clever pattern and fill in around the main theme of the quilt.
Use print fabric scraps and plain ones. In fact, you can call it a conversation style quilt. You will use up your scraps slowly, but use them up! I sometimes use some orphan blocks to "fill in" an area. It truly is a "unique" way to quilt and help a charity, and use up your scraps that you feel are a burden. Try it.

I am lucky to sew with a small group of ladies that love scraps, so I don't have them taking up all my space in my small sewing area. They really do make great comfort quilts to donate to different groups in my city.

LOL, when I first started quilting I wanted to do a storm at sea quilt (all scrappy), I too went out and bought scraps to make it. Since I was still a beginner and storm at sea is more of an advanced quilt pattern, none of my blocks matched up, I had missed all of the points on the blocks and it was a mess. I ended up putting the sorry looking blocks that I did in the scrap box with all of the scraps and BOOM, there started an orgy that has yet to stop. No matter what I do there are always scraps.

At our guild quilt show one year I sold 12 big plastic garbage bags of scraps for 50 cents each. I can imagine what a population boom I started and I bet they are still multiplying.

P.S. Every once in a while I come across those storm at sea blocks and I have a good laugh. But it does make me realize how far I have come in my quilting abilities.

Love this scrappy...don't sell yourself short, JFI, I so enjoy the pieces you have created in the past and this one is a winner.

justflyingin - I love your quilt!
Yesterday I had lunch with a friend at a sandwich shop near the library and because I was a bit early I pursued some quilting books at the library. Since i'm also needing to tame my scraps, I checked out a book called Cut the Scraps! 7 Steps to Quilting You Way through Your Stash by Joan Ford. I haven't read all of it yet, but it's motivating me to get into those drawers and organizing. She has some pretty patterns I'd like to try.

Love that quilt, justflyingin. <3<3<3

I love to make Sampler quilts and all you need is a piece of this and a piece of that. I am in the process of making a sampler now and one of the blocks is "Depression Block") It has 36 pieces and that uses up a lot of little pieces. Oh yah, I got it from quilterscache.com and it is a 12" block. I am also doing Log Cabin - also from quilters cache and that is 20 pieces. I am doing this quilt in all solids, so I am matching blends of colors rather than the pink rose matches the white daisies. And the 21st piece is the red square in the middle. It really is neat. I am going with the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and bright colors in the lower left and then pastels on the upper right! I have the colors all picked out. Never did a quilt in all solids. An Amish Sampler (so to speak). There is a lot you can do with your bits and pieces. I give some of my leftovers to my sisters and when I go over to her house I can see pieces of this or that in a crazy quilt designed valances she has in her home. Not to mention her table cloth.
I won't get rid of anything unless it is just to small to sew. Enjoy. Edie