I am cruious to what is the smallest size scraps you collect? all of my fabric is LQS quality, I won't use them, is it worth collecting and giving to someone or is it just a waste? I'm going to keep all this info in my mind.
I would hate to send someone a box of scraps and then have them think oh my gawd, I paid postage on that!!
Thank you
Sandra

the smallest I keep now is 2 1/2" strips. :)

I have been doing some minature projects in which I am using 1 in scraps.

I know Rhonda has many projects with teeny tiny pieces!

i do mimitures so a cut scraps down to a inch and a half either a strip or a square and keep them in a shoe box for small projects

1.5" square is my limit. I'm going blind as it is!

I have a large popcorn tin that I throw small scraps in. Who knows, maybe someday I may have to look for scraps for a quilt repair.

That is hysterical!

atleast an inch in width but it need some length too for paper piecing.

Depends on what I'm in the mood for-if it's WOF, I'll keep everything at least 3/4". If I have a lot of the same size scraps, I'll keep them all together if they are less then WOF. Then when I get a bunch I'll sew them all together as a crumb block or something similiar.

If I'm feeling completely overwelmed with scraps I'll only keep WOF strips ~1" or so.

I think if you let the person know what size scraps you have when you sale them it should be ok. If you say you have a box of crumbs, quilters will understand that you mean little tiny pieces. <hopefully>

Some crazy fool will want them. OBTW my quilt guild friends save those sizes for me! LOL. I get as small as 3/4" pieces.
If you offer them free for postage or a Pay It Forward (PIF) with a size description then receiver know what they are getting. Save them and send them on.

i save everything except the slivers...i donate to the scouts, 4-H, the senior center, the preschool, the public school art department and give them to anyone needing scraps when i am accumalating lots of them with no desire to do something with them . i am an appliquer so i always have a box of scraps to go through for appliques and i keep 3 stacking drawers of scraps for my granddaughters to play in when they are here. if it is 1/2" wide or wider it's usable in my world...1/2" strips are used to hook rugs or wrap clothesline for those projects.

Smallest for me - and Im a scrappy lover - is 1 inch square.. Anything less is too small for me..

Heres my crumb quilt - still a WIP..http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-67955-1.htm

I like "crumbs." Google "crumb quilts" and get some inspiration!
Nell

the smallest that I work with easily is 3/4". And I *love* miniatures

The smallest size that I keep is 2.5 inch sq.

I quit saving small scraps because I never use them. I had a tub full and put them all in small baggies and off they went to the Hospice Thrift Store. I'll save something if it's about 10" or larger.

There are people here who can take and use whatever you don't need. A lot of people who are on limited income who love to find a use for anyone's leftovers. Or just people who love scraps!

I save it all and sort it down by group size and put in 30 gallon trash bags to use later on in projects....mixed media.

I about died on Tuesday night when I went to a group meet of ladies where we meet in a friends screen printing place.

One of the gals there was telling us how she throws away left over triangles and such after she completes a project. She was saying another lady had shown her how she stitches those smaller left over triangles, squares, whatever leaving a trail of thread after each stringing them along while she works on the project she currently is sewing and how to snip it and save those for later use.

This gal that was being shown how to accomplish two things at once and use the left over for other projects stated she thought it was a nuiance. I asked her what does she do with it and she said I started throwing it out.

Oh my God your joking right.............I gasped! She said no.

I asked if she would be kind enough to just throw them in a bag and give them to me or anyone else there who would use them. A few ladies gasped at what she was telling us.

My friend the owner of the shop made comment that there is a church group (I forget where) who will take that and even smaller pieces and make quilts, blankets and such to send to needed people and she would take them of her hands as well.

Gal said she would start bringing them and giving it out to those who want it and I hope she does and gives it to the lady who said a church makes quilts for needed.

This gal said she throws a couple garbage bags full of this stuff every couple months. To me that is such a waste of good money and especially when there are so many that are in need.

I throw away less than 1.5 inch. rest I save for a while and then when there is a lot and I am cleaning I do PIF.most of my PIF's are strips WOF not junk just can't store it all for ever and let some go to people who will use them.

I just crocheted a little square mug rug with those 1/2" strips using an I crochet hook. I'll try to do a tut.

Nothing is too small for me! I use it all! Anything smaller than 3" I put in a wastebasket with the rest of the scraps and when I get enough I make doggie beds for the humane society! So, I think there are many people who appreciate small scraps for sure!

I take anything not useable for a quilt plus thread. Dryer sheets even some
dryer lint and make pet beds for humane society.

i save anything that is at least 1" both width and height.

Here's my little mug rug

How adorable! And useful, too!

Thanks Melrose V. It measures about 4 inches square. Hey and welcome to the board from an Iowa girl.

:thumbup:

I keep really small crumbs because I am trying to make blended collages similar to Susan Carlson - hope I can get to be half as goods as she.

I donate my scraps to the local quilt group that does quilts for the county abused women's center, since they often arrive with nothing. They would be glad to have fabric from anyone. There is one elderly lady that uses pieces everyone else won't mess with. I am sure there is a local group like that in your area.

I donate my scraps to the local quilt group that does quilts for the county abused women's center, since they often arrive with nothing. They would be glad to have fabric from anyone. There is one elderly lady that uses pieces everyone else won't mess with. I am sure there is a local group like that in your area.

I keep one drawer for PPing scraps and another for snippets and landscape art.

Alot of paper piecing you need very small pieces. Also some times you can create your own fabric from them. Just take a piece of muslin and sew the little piece on to it as if you are paper piecing. Then you can cut your shapes from it. Works great
Have a Blessed day
Ellen

I'll go as small as 3/4".

I do minis, crumbs, and an Omigosh quilt. Uses lots of tiny pieces.
Someone would be happy to take your smaller pieces if you don't want them. :)

I normally don't keep anything smaller than 2-1/2". I do a lot of applique, but I rarely need anything smaller than that. All of the rest (including trim off pieces), goes in a bag too be given to a woman who uses it for stuffing for dog beds at the local shelter

I keep everything. The scraps that are too small to sew I put into pet beds. I even save the threads that I've cut off to make thread bowls.

I just use the small scraps for stuffing pillows and mix it with scrap batting and cut up foam. The smallest scrap I sew with is 2 inches.

I just started throwing ALL my scraps in a box under my cutting table. I just saw a really cute pillow made with left over selvages. I don't know when or if I will use them but I started saving them. In WI my LQS charges 10.95 for batiks. They have rows and rows of gorgeous batiks that I love. At that price nothing is a "scrap" anymore.

that is a good idea. I have wondered how to store small scraps if I decided to save them.