I am referring to "enough" of saving the odds and ends of materials from projected finished. I save almost everything that is at the very least 2 inch by 2inch. sq.

I know this is what is done but, at what point is it an obsession and not just thrifty.

I have not done a scrapy quilt (probably because I have no idea how to do such a thing) and my collection is of various sizes not to mention becoming totally out of control.
I hate to toss some of the scraps because the materials are really beautiful, just not much of it.

Any thoughts about this situation? Thanks!

get on making some scrappy projects? maybe start with something easy like a crazy quilt?

Give some away, many of us would love to have some scraps.

If scrappy just isn't your thing, you might consider packing up some of your scraps for PIF (pay it forward).

Some people charge a minimal amount for shipping, others just send it out gratis.

That would be fun to make a crazy quilt. I'm using up my Christmas scraps right now...just making table toppers, pot holders, and place mats. Just to use them up. I have alot of them, because you pay good money for the fabric, you might as well use it!!!! lol...I just play, don't have any real patterns or any design picked out. Just start cutting and sewing, you would be surprised what you can come up with. And, if it don't turn out, they are only scraps. You've got nothing to lose. :lol:

There's a place on here called "Pay it forward" You can donate your scraps to someone who really needs them. This will make you feel good about getting rid of them & Knowing they are being used

That's one thing on here that I have really enjoyed...giving to those that ask for a little here and a little there. I really don't need anything (my stash is HUGE), so it makes me happy to think parts of my stash are going out there to be made into other peoples quilts and crafts.

It's kinda like an organ transplant...LOL...

quilt birthing is taking place all over the country from the scraps I'm sending out.

Happy Friday everyone.

Our quilt guild has a "Put and Take" table that I usually put scraps on every month, and some that are bigger than scraps that I just probably won't use any more I give to the charity quilts project. If it is a fabric that I love that there isn't much left, I will sometimes cut 2" or 2-1/2" squares and add them to boxes that I have for making 4 patches or 9 patches, and work them into scrap quilts.

Do a PIF - Pay it Forward. Send to someone on the board that will use them

I did this with mine and I sent them to the 17th person who messaged me because I like the number 17 :)

Try a scrappy you may enjoy the finished piece, one of the tutorials show to sew on to a strip of adding machine tape, to make a long colorful strip, then these could be put to good use around larger blocks, or between solid long strips, and quilt as you go, can mix all up pr go with lights and darks or single color combo squares, no rules just sew, with basic outline.

May end up being a memory quilt of your quilts made, and run a log with it telling where the original pieces went :)

Sell or Pif if you don't want to use them all, I would never just throw them out. You could always mail them for postage cost too.

I have collected many scraps as well and thought I'd love to make a scrappy quilt but I find that sewing them all together willy nilly is just annoying me. So I am still saving them and going to use them for stuffing a dog bed.

I do not have an even middle size stash, all projects require that I purchase fabric so I save every little scrap!. I have read so much about giving to charity, the animal shelters use the tiniest scraps to put into a pillow case or something similar to make a bed for animal that are taken in. They are washed until it falls apart. Someone can always use what you can't.

for me the scraps did get out of control and last year i started responding to peoples request and giving them away...i donated a big black garbage bag to the local high school art department. i sent boxes of scraps out to people here on the board, i started making myself look through the scrap baskets for applique pieces instead of cutting out of larger pieces...the thing about scraps are they multiply like rabbits! it is so easy to turn 1 simple piece of fabric into 22 pieces of fabric...and they add up and add up. i still wont throw scraps away, i believe in recycling and sharing, if they are building i give them away to someone who has the need, desire, or motivation to put them to use :thumbup: our pre-school makes quilts every year; there is a (young-gonna be moms) school where they students are learning life skills, cooking, sewing, parenting ect...they operate on donations. when your scraps start getting out of control pass them on, they've served their purpose :-D

If you go to Bonnie Hunters site, www.quiltville.com it will give you a lot off ideas to use your scraps. I have made several quilts using her methods.

I agree completely, if your're not gonna use the fabric then it seems like hoarding and it really is just sitting there collecting dust. My plan is once my scraps box is full and it is, its time to start making quilts. You might check you local area to see if theres a group that makes quits for the homeless. We have one here that works completely on donation. They use anything, they are a church group that has a store for the needy. Everything is free if you go to shop. Any clothing or fabric that is not good enough to wear they cut up and make quilts. Once a week they meet and sew. All sewing machines were also donated. You could even make the quilts and take them to a local homeless shelter or nursing home. Nursing homes dont care what they look like either. I worked in one that used 30 x 30 lap quilts donated by local quilters. Most of the quilts were simple 5 x 5 squares sewn together. Theres many ways to take care of that stash. And Im sure that someone here on the board would be more than happy to take them off your hands.

I use scraps for paper piecing projects. Most of the spaces to be covered are small and then I seldom need to cut into large pieces of fabric for one of my little paper piecing projects. I always have a paper piece project on the go and try to use a lot of my scraps as I accumulate them.
Paper piece projects can be made into lots of things, other than quilts. I've appliqued them to blouses and jackets and made mug rugs and candle mats using them as the center focal point.

You could box them up and sell them here, or give away the box and have them pay for postage, if you have too many.

my DD uses them when she sends things to her quilty friends..she has a GF in AZ and she uses them instead of "peanuts" LOL

I would love to have them would pay for postage. I love making scrappy quilts. You don't know how pretty they are until they are done.

it is my #1 thing on the list for 2011. Make a string quilt. My ideal is to catch up with what I have, and then after each & every project sew the strings into blocks. That's the ideal. lol... It's the kind of person i Wish to be. I'm determined.

Insofar as the other kinds of odd cuttings... I know they can be turned into bricks and squares and then into quilts. I just don't think I'm that organized. Maybe I don't even Want to be that organized. lol... Others' suggestions about PIF, sound good and since I've already planned on doing that in 2011 with larger fabric & goodies (am already filling my basket), will do a scrapbag too.

Why not make crazy quilts? I have at least a bushel basket full of scraps and wanted to use up some of them. I cut up old sheets, starched the squares quite heavily (13x13"), and used that for the foundation. Then squared them up to 12 1/2 i ". I sashed the sqs. with black and they are really striking. Have made a lap quilt for a friend, a throw for the sofa and am now working on a queen for a DGGD who just up-sized her bed. I'm still going to have more scraps than I'll know what to do with. Oh, yes, I used decorative stitches on the blocks. It's a tedious process, but it is one way to use those scraps. Have fun. Marge L.

My LQS takes donations to be given to State Womans Prison so that the ladies have things to make. Perhaps you could donate scraps to local battered womans shelter or other needy groups. check with your church to see if they accept fabric scraps to have church group make quilts for needy. I was also told that some groups accepts unquilted tops and they quilt them which saves on costs. Then you could have fun of making tops but not expense (or aggravation ) of finishing quilts.

I often give my scraps to my friends girls that like to sew. I end up with way too many scraps too!

There is a thread or two on here about making crumb quilts.
Put crumb quilts in the search.

I was doing the same thing. I spent time cutting them into sqares one year, whatever size I could get from the scrap, they stacked nicely that way. Then I stumbled upon hexagon quilts.
I found templates at moxyideas.com and the rest is history. When I don't feel like thinking but want to sew, I get out my little basket of hexes and enjoy. It is truly addictive. Now I guage the size of the scrap on whether or not I can use it for hex piecing.

our small group started having that problem.My sister NANCY came up with a solution! She got a large tote and put her scraps in it. she brought it to a meeting. CHARM QUILTS- told everyone they could start cutting for as many as they wanted BUT couldn't just take it, or use it to cut a whole quilt. I started by cutting4.5" squares-3 of each fabric (I have 3 kids). I then added my scraps, that I was willing to part with.passed it to the next person. by the time it gets back to you, there's all kinds of NEW fabrics to look at! People have new things to talk about-STACKED BRICKS, APPLECORE, BRAIDS, ect, -depending on what charm they decided on! We resorted, & took really small pcs out for a "applique" bag. CUTTING STRIPS AND SQUARES AS YOU GO MAKES IT EASIER TO USE SCRAPS LATER!

So many wonderful suggestions here. I recently got the book "Crazy for Scraps" by Sally Scheider. It has patterns for 19 different scrap quilts and strategies for how to make an effective scrap quilt like "coordinated block method", "fabric menu" method and just seperating into values of light and dark. I have several scrappies on my bucket list in various stages of production and many in my mind. For examples I have a lot of red and green scraps that I am saving for a Christmas quilt. I have a scrappy log cabin done in 1 1/2" size logs that has been a WIP for a very long time now. That one is fun to watch come together as my tastes in fabric has changed so much over the years. I want to do one in all blues. I also have a bunch of HST in light and dark value of all different colors left over from another quilt that I have big plans for. I did a PIF here as well with some of my older stash that the fabric just wasn't my taste any more.

I have difficulty getting rid of any scraps and right now I am making a "Bonsib" pattern that requires putting squares together diagonally then cutting away part of it to make a square of 2 colors and I now wonder what I can do with the triangles that are left.

OH, I like this idea. I recently made a quilt for a sick little girl and wanted to make 7 more quilts for her siblings...making sure to include colors from the main quilt. This will definitely be a way to do that. I can make 7 piles of scraps and sort out the main colors equally among them, yet still give them all a different look based on how I line up the squares. Thanks!

Thank you all for these great ideas. Now these scraps will be placed in a safe enviroment instead of the trash can. lol

I was saving everything until I got overwhelmed. Now I'm throwing away anything less than about 3 inches. I guess you need to decide. Some people save their scraps in sandwich bags and then sell or give them away. If you have a hard time throwing anything away, I like that idea.

When you become overwhelmed with storing scraps you won't use - get rid of them. Watch one episode of "Hoarders" and you'll realize how quickly being thrifty can turn ugly!

I made a charity baby quilt with the left over 2-1/2" strips. I made the strips 36" long. I put 2 strips together, then a full length plain strip. I made the strips about 7 across. Then added borders. The colors in the quilt were lavender,medium lavender, pink and white on wite.

I save the little bits that just can't be sewn and stuff decorative clear glass jars or lidded candy dishes that I no longer use with them and "decorate" my shelves with them. I like this as I'm not into buttons as some have used.

Lots of good ideas here.

I donate mine to the Amish ladies in my area and they love them.

Go here and say that you have scraps to give away ... someone may even be happy to pay the postage so you won't have to ...

http://www.quiltingboard.com/s-18-1.htm

warm quilt hugs, sue in CA

I agree! This is a great site to explore and get inspired for scrappy quilts.