Using Up Scraps
 

I've been really motivated to start using my scraps after reading so much about it here and on other sites I follow. So, after looking through some of my scraps and not feeling motivated, I bought a really nice book, Happiness is Scrappiness. I like to study books and patterns. This is a great one. Great ideas for organizing scraps. Then realize that one of my favorite set of scraps and left over fat quarters is very directional. Start searching patterns on internet that might work, I find a good pattern, order it and oh look, it requires a specific ruler set. OK, add to cart, I really want to use up this fabric. Receive the ruler and pattern and make two practice blocks. Don't seem to have the right background fabric. Must go to fabric store today and purchase coordinating fabric. So far, I'm really saving by using up those scraps! HaHa- typical for me!

Is that called the domino effect?

Tell me about it....

I decided to work from my stash, then realized didn't have enough of the fabric that I needed. And, can no longer get the matching fabric. So, since this quilt if for someone else, I needed to get the fabric to do it, then another quilt was put in the works as well. I only had the backing fabric for it, and was able to find and order the same line of fabric for the front.... more expense, more fabric

-- Then two more quilts were needed and they need to be matching, with the same pattern. Had to start from scratch for these as they not only needed to be the same pattern, but the same front material in different colorways. Finally found it and all is on order.

Then of course, feeling what the heck, at the moment, I had to buy some yardage just for me for the quilt I'm planning for me. And around it goes.....

I've pretty much decided that making a rule, that I need to use up my stash first, is a rule that was made to be broken. It's like going on a diet and gaining 20 pounds in the process of being on a diet.

Thank you suern3 and quiltsfor for the wonderful laughs. Glad that I am not the only one that has her plans thwarted one way or another.

So here are some trueisms I have learned over the years - do any sound familiar??

- the goal of all scraps is to reproduce. They do it on the sly, in the dead of night when all quiilters are asleep - it is a conspiracy
- all fabric in the stash that has been used must be replaced by more than was used
- there are never enough fabric in the stash to make the needed make the number of blocks needed for the quilt
- there is never enough matching fabric in the stash to complete the quilt
- there is no fabric in the stash that matches the focus fabric of the quilt
- if you have enough of the matching fabric, then your rotary cutter slips or your fabric is folded when you cut out the most critical or largest pieces
- if you give away half of of your scraps, the remaining ones expand to fill the space
- when you buy all the fabric you need to make a particular quilt you either loose a pattern, put the fabric in a "safe place" and can't find it or (my most common problem) you make another quilt first and use some of the special fabric.
- when you go to the store and find the same fabric you were short of, you get home and discover the dye lots are different and it doesn't match

I make Scrappy quilts. If I run out of 1 cream background, I replace it with another different cream background. The same for the actual pieces in the quilt, replace 1 blue with another blue. Saves me a great deal of stress. the only thing I allow myself to purchase is backing fabrics and every now and then some lights for backgrounds. I still haven't run out of scraps though! LOL

If you haven't gone to Bonnie Hunter's website, go there! She is the Queen of scraps. She uses anything and everything and no fabric is too ugly to use. Her yearly mystery which usually fun, if not a marathon to do is coming up this fall. The mystery is free while it is being run and she also has a lot of free patterns and hints. I have really learned a lot from doing the mystery.

Exceptionally Valid Observations
 

EVERY SINGLE ONE! Some of these are definitely t-shirt quotes I need to wear!

If any of you have an abundance of scraps, perhaps you should join BOOM 28 that is getting lined up right now. Perhaps you can use up some of your stash being wonderfully creative with a bunch of folks who love to talk while sharing their skills with you? Take a look https://www.quiltingboard.com/vbulle...a-t318987.html

Save yourself now from falling down the Scraps Rabbit Hole!! LOL. After my first scrappy quilt left pieces of fabric literally covering my sewing area, I organized and said, "Never again!"...Until next time! I'm currently working on a scrappy quilt. Finished all the blocks and waiting to be joined together. I like a method (don't know what it is called) where each scrap strip is added next to previous. Here's my first.

Nice job !