oooohh...I just HATE this....don't understand it at all..what a waste of TIME and $$.....

They probably are using pieces cut from the fabric for applique.

How on earth did you get into my sewing room?

I like this-"Back in the olden days," My mother taught me how to sew (more or less) along with 6 years of Home Ec in school...
My 8th grade Home Ec teacher in school finally gave up when I kept telling her I could not cut my pattern out according to the cutting directions in the pattern. She "suggested" that I take my material and pattern home and let my mother help me cut it out.
A direct quote from my mother, "They just show you how to waste fabric on those patterns!" And, we did have quite a bit of material left over from the velveteen that I was making a pantsuit out of, even if it did look like your picture. However, I do not remember making anything else out of the leftover fabric.
That being said, I sometimes cut a strip, but often only cut the "square" for what I need at that time, and much of my fabric looks exactly like your photo since I can square off the ends later.

Happy Quilting.
Susan

I do exactly the same thing. When you cut out a clothes pattern you end up with lots of weirdly shaped scraps.

Yep, it does bother me, that is why I clean it up. I do use the scraps for other things, so I am not wasting fabric. It cost too much.

Back in the olden days! HaHa This is me!

Mine sometimes look like that. I do not necessarily trim it off clean across. As some have said, later you might regret it if you need a long piece (this is esp. true for garment sewing).

I sew garments etc and that is what my scraps look like. Sometimes I take the time to "square" up but very seldom. I haven't taken up actually piecing quilts yet.

The projects I work on determine what my remaining fabric looks like. More often then not, I do what you do, but not always. Thus, I have a few wonky cut pieces of fabric in my stash; I only trim off & throw away pieces that I know are too small to use for anything that I might make. (And I save for applique work, too, so what I trim off & toss is REALLY tiny.)