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Scraps- how small is too small.

Scraps- how small is too small.

Old 01-03-2013, 07:02 AM
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Default Scraps- how small is too small.

All quilts come with some scraps but when do you say this is too small to keep? Also do you square up odd shaped pieces or keep them as they are? I have several bins of small pieces I'm not sure are worth keeping.
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Old 01-03-2013, 07:06 AM
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I have the same issue. And this is my solution: I cut a 2 1/2" strip from any piece with length. Any thing else I cut 2 1/2" squares. I'm not really a scrappy quilter but I might make one some day! Or I will do a PIF here on the board
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Old 01-03-2013, 07:06 AM
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When they are an irritation to use and/or store, rather than giving you pleasure.

When I get down to the remainder of a piece of fabric I cut it into 2.5" squares. Less than that is out of here.
I won't live with scrap bags and boxes, that would seriously drag me down mentally.
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Old 01-03-2013, 07:15 AM
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Check out Bonnie Hunters use of "crumbs". If this is not for you then pass them on. I love making quilts out of others "trash" fabric. http://www.quiltville.com/crumbs.shtml

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Old 01-03-2013, 07:41 AM
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It is time to go to www.quiltville.com and find the pattern for the Spiderweb quilt. I have been working on mine for couple of years and you can use quite small pieces at the end of the triangles. I keep my papers next to my scrap bin and if I just have a few minutes I can sit and sew a couple of blocks.
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Old 01-03-2013, 07:51 AM
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Hi, I've been trying (when I finish a quilt) to cut my scraps into useable sizes and store in plastic shoe sizes containers. I have a 1", 2", and 2 1/2" and then larger. I don't plan to make a crumb quilt so I don't keep anything smaller than 1". I do draw from these containers when paper piecing. Good luck. This is really a mystery as what to save.
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:28 AM
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everyone here has given you exncellent suggestions. My scraps were becoming so overwhelming, I chose to go through and cut mine all down into squares. It took me quite awhile to get it all done and organized. But, I absolutely love it. Now, a great friend of mine gave me all of her unused/scrap fabrics to use before we moved to Oregon. I have at least 3 eighteen gallon totes to go through and organize. I love scrap quilting, so this is going to be a Fantastic project for me. This time though, I am just going to do it off and on.
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:30 AM
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Sorry, I forgot to mention that I chose to only go to a one and a half inch square as my smallest. It is just totally a choice.
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:34 AM
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I make 2.5 inch strips,a few 3/4 inch strips from the smaller than 2.5 inch remains for corded bowls-the rest is out of here.I am ok with neat precut strips but I am not ok with jumbled up piles of wrinkled messy shapes.
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Old 01-03-2013, 08:37 AM
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Log cabins are my favorite, with 1" finished logs, so I can use strips that are 1.5" wide. I'm thinking about doing the next one as an offset log cabin, so one side will have strips that finish at .5". That means I can use 1" wide strips. I don't cut everything into strips though, because there are other patterns I might want to make. The last one I made used squares cut at 3.5" and 3".
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