To me, controlled scrappy doesn't mean using one fabric line. This is an example. The quilt reads as blue, but there are all shades of blue, some purple, some green. No two of the fabrics came from the same line. When I made it, I was a new quilter and didn't even realize there were such things as fabric lines. (Maybe because I shopped mainly at JAF back then.)

dunster, that quilt is gorgeous and exactly the kind of scrappy I love!

To me a scrappy quilt has too many different fabrics to count. I love them and think they are the best kind of quilts. Somehow my scraps never run out... I always have plenty!

I am a fan of the controlled scrappy and the themed fabric lines. I have made one quilt that used only two fabric colors, another used only three colors. To my way of thinking, they were not "scrappy" but did look beautiful. Making a totally uncontrolled scrappy, such as grabbing whatever comes out of a bag, is just not in my comfort zone. My mind says I would hate it and feel bad for putting all the time into it. So, to answer your question, I guess I consider a scrappy quilt to have at least four or more colors.

I like the phrase that there are scrap and there are scrappy quilts!

I'm more with controlled scrappy although I like the ones with a zillion fabrics too. I just don't make them because I don't like saving scraps. I donate mine so I feel okay with letting them go. Someone else can enjoy them. The one exception is I have a crumb quilt going (I think that's what you call it.) I'm taking pieces from some fabrics I really loved and stitching them onto bakery paper. It's quite addicting! Now that I think about it, that one is rather controlled too though.
Dunster, that's gorgeous!!!

I agree with oksewglad...and that’s why BH’s mystery quilts work if you follow the colors/value she suggests...even though there are thousands of pieces in her quilts. : )

I am definitely a controlled scrappy quilter...I have OCD to prove it. LOL

I make uncontrolled scrappy quilts, ((whatever piece of fabric/color I pull out of the box I use.) I just make sure that I don't have the same two fabrics together. I usually make blocks that will be separated usually by solid sashes, so I guess it's somewhat a controlled quilt

I frequently fall into the monochromatic scrappy group meaning that I will choose one color and use all my scraps and odds and ends within that color family. On occasion I will toss in a "pop" color. Why do I scrappy this way? I can see the volume in my scrap bin decline when I use one color way. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png

Dunster, your blue/white log cabin is amazing and beautiful.

I have all my scraps in a big bin. I randomly pull them out and sew them together and it becomes a quilt. I don't select any specific color or value, I just sew them together until I get a 6-8" block and then trim them up.