when is a scrap too small to save?
 

I'm new, and I was wondering what size scraps I should be saving. I realize that even the tiniest scraps can be used, but as a general rule what is the smallest scrap worth holding on to?

i'd use the criteria: do i have the room to store it; is it a color that i like?

When cutting for a top I save (and cut right then) any leftovers into 3" and/or 2" strips. I keep them in gallon zipp bags (by size) for future strip and other scrappy tops. Any smaller, I toss.

I save strips for scrappy quilts which I love to do. But I also save scraps because sometimes in doing applique you need a little piece of a color and it's better than making a cut in your fabric. I don't save anything smaller than an inch square.

If it's a strip and it's smaller than an inch, I throw it. If it's pieces, I don't keep anything smaller than 2 inches. I might be wasteful, I don't know, but I know I would never work with those small pieces.

I save strips that are at least an inch wide and four inches long. Odd shapes have to be over two inches wide. If you don't use the scraps you will soon have more scraps then fabric to store. Have a pile of string or scrappy blocks ongoing to use the scraps as you go. I take my scrap barrel (use to be small bin) when it's overflowing to guild and and dump it on a table and I start sorting. Dump it and they will come! LOL. With all the help my scraps are sorted and lots given away to live somewhere else.

I don't keep any scrap smaller than 1" wide as only 1/2" shows after the seams.

I'm with jcrow... Any strip thinner than an inch but longer than 8 inches I give to hubby for the garden to tie up the vines... But anything bigger than that gets saved.. And put in its appropriate sterilite see thru boxes and drawers for later use .

I keep most scraps larger than 2in sq.after a year or so I sort them into what I may really use and give them away.

I don't keep the lint......well maybe not that bad....but close:)

I'm with LavenderBlue...nothing smaller than an inch...even then I think before I throw due to my thriftiness! I go through them once in a while and make bags of scraps for my yearly garage sale, or for trade.

We recently started cutting all of our smallish scraps into 1.5" strips to use in pineapples (we bought the "Trash to Treasure" ruler by Gyleen Fitzgerald). Anything smaller than 1.5 by 2.5 got thrown out.

Darren

it truly depends on what kind of quilt s you make---if you never make anything with peices smaller than 5" squares---then anything smaller would be ...just storing...if you are an appliquer & use itty bitty pieces for all kinds of things---then itty bitty peices should be saved...if you like making water color quilts with 2" squares---then 2" would be the ones to save...
so, decide what you will use===then pass on the rest- there is always someone working on a postage stamp quilt (sometimes 1/2" squares) or something and willing to take your scraps you have no use for off your hands- keep the ones you will use- there's not alot of reason to hold onto ones you will never use- that will just take up space-
many people appreciate your leftovers you would never use.

I have some scraps that are less than an inch, that I use in my string quilts.. When I try to throw anything away I get shakey and begin to feel ill!!

I LOVE this idea!! I am going to steal this idea and start doing this too. Anything I can do to keep stuff out of the landfill... :)

We use scraps down to 5/8" square for DH's tiny piece quilts. Narrow strings, I use to make my string quilt miniatures. Or if they are long, I crochet with them.

I put anything less than 3/4" into a plastic bag. When it gets full, I will offer it to anyone who wants to use the pieces to make art quilts. When I see tuts of people using their rotary cutters to make shreds, I think maybe my shreds would be valuable to someone.
For me, I save 1" to 2 1/2" to make string quilts and squares from 2" to 7". I am still somewhat of a beginner, though and, so far I am not overrun with scraps. I have mostly 6" and 6 1/2" squares right now because I like to make I Spy quilts.

Me too!! I love scrap quilts!!

For me, nothing smaller that a 2 1/2" block or a 2" strip. I do save 1 1/2" blocks for a QB member who making postage stamp quilts for her sons. I have a bag for her now.

Cotton fabric strips are great to toss outside. The birds love it. I like to see my scraps woven in the nests. It's like quilts for the baby birds!

Neat idea! Baby bird quilts :)

My guidelines exactly. Trust me, no matter what size you end up saving, they multiply like bunnies!

Oh I'm LOL here. I've been working on some mini blocks again. The center crazy patch measure 1.5" finished in this little quilt. And yes they multiply like bunnies and now my quilting friends give me little ziplocs to broaden my quilt palette! [ATTACH=CONFIG]348339[/ATTACH]

I also tie these little strips around our suitcase handles. I also use them on my scissors handles and on the handles of my rotary cutters. I make loops for the scissors and rotary cutters and use the loops to hang them on hooks -- and it helps mark them as mine when I am at a class.

Gladie how do you ever do such small blocks! They are so cute and the mini quilt is darling.

I keep them all. Those that I can sew with go into a pile, those that are too small to sew with go in a small pillow and then the pillow is full, I sew it shut and then it can be donated to a pet shelter, used in a room, or whatever.

I toss the thin strips and really small pieces, but if it is 2 or 3 inches, it goes into my scraps. I use it when I paper piece. I did see a video once of a lady shredding fabric to make a picture. She piled them into colors, took a foundation piece of fabric, spread the shreds according to her picture she was making, covered it in black toile, and then stitched over the whole thing to hold it in place. It was a wall hanging. I don't think that technique would work for a quilt.

Kelly, that's a great idea to make a pillow out of them. I wouldn't use it for a dog, however, unless you want to come in one day and find all of those bits all over your house. Cats would love them. Heck, so would hubby's, too.

Keep tiny pieces of batiks , marbles, almost solids - for appliqué

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I think the most useful information I've found on this subject is Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User's System. She also offers up a lot of free patterns that can be used with this system.
http://quiltville.com/scrapusersystem.shtml

I save everything.

I am with you, but just this week thought maybe I should downsize the scrap bag and give them to someone who might want them. I was cutting 2 3/4 inc squares for the centers of a large cathedral window, but I keep thinking of those who piece small piano keys on adding machine tape, and those who are sane enough to make a grandmothers garden.

lol!!...I too keep small scraps,if not for scrappy quilts,I use them for starter scraps when I'm piecing on the sewing machine.

and what you don't keep...regardless of your criteria...small children with a glue stick , paper or cardboard , just LOVE 'EM !!

Smaller than 2 and 1/2 inches gets chunked.

I started saving even the tiniest scraps for my grandson to make scrap pictures on white contact paper. He loves to cut up the scraps and stick them down. It's good for at least 20 minutes of "play".

As I do a project, I save all the odd bits. When I'm done, I play a childhood game with those pieces. The game came with different geometrical shapes of brightly colored wood and the idea was that you would make figures with them.

If I can make an interesting shape or figure with the odds and ends, I keep them. If the shape or figure is particularly interesting, I take a picture of it and include the picture with the odds and ends to be used later for something. I think I am collecting for a "something" " quilt.

Pat