Cleaning my sewing room!!!!
 

One of my goals being on vacation this week was to organize the sewing room. Let me tell you - that chick Eleanor Burns has nothing on me when it comes to tossing fabric over my shoulder!! Yikes what a disaster. Finally got the cutting table cleared off. I have come across a lot of scraps that are less than 1/4 yard. Question - would it be best to cut them into 2-1/2 inch strips to use for braids, log cabins, crazy scrappy jelly roll quilt, bindings????

Yes that would be a option or better yet fold and stack good luck either way

For me, I personally see absolutely no sense in pre-cutting scraps. Then again, I'm not into scrappy quilts. So, I'd leave it all in it's current state and just file/store as you would anything else. Never know when you might need that odd piece for a pp'ing project or something else.

This is what I do.

If the scrap is a fq- gets folded and put in the fq section of my room.. if its smaller than a FQ then:

I cut the largest shape i can get from the scrap using my go dies.. and i keep using the left over fabric- matching fabric size to die shape- till all i have is threads- because even an inch piece gets put in the crumb basket...

I am a scrappy quilter, so when my sterilite drawer gets full of what ever designated size it is- gets turned into a scrappy quilt- already precut, and ready to be sewn...

I'm thinking of cutting 1/2 yard or smaller pieces into 2-1/2" strips and later using them to make scrappy quilts. These would be some that doesn't really much any I have.

This is such interesting info for me reading the replies. My stash is still pretty small. Anything FQ or larger, I've folded and have in one bin. All of the smaller pieces in are in my scrap box. Not sure if I'll ever do a scrappy quilt, but should I decide on one, I'll be ready. :) Plus other fabrics that I've bought for specific projects are grouped together in their own project box and marked as such.

luvtooquilt...
Can you go a bit more into your scrap organization and the creation of your scrappy quilts?
K

Well when you are done there .. hehehe .. LOL Good luck on your cleaning .. don't forget to write a note as to where you put things !LOL

I need to do this next week when I'm off. I want to move my fabric from the closet where it's in a huge stack and fold it on core boards and put it on the shelving unit where I currently have precut squares(I used to buy these before I learned to cut properly) in fabric boxes? Don't know what to call them. Plus every surface in the room is a mess-can't even think in there right now.

I love your idea of using to dies to precut shapes. I'm thinking I'll start doing that too. I make quilts for charity and it would be so easy to pull out 12 of my little doggies or cats or Sunbonnet Sues, etc. and do a quick applique quilt with a little sashing between blocks. Great idea!

Be careful, after I reorganized I couldn't find anything!

I like to cut into 2 inch strips because they hang nicely on a hanger. Then when I have plenty I make a scrappy charity quilt

I don't cut leftover fabric. I might want to use it later for a fussy cut.

I don't cut leftovers as I like to make purses and quilted zip bags. http://threebears.wordpress.com/2007...ouch-tutorial/ is one that I love and have made in oodles of sizes. I also make wallets and do a little paper piecing.

piney

I should have done that too. My hubby says my name should be Piles cause I have piles all over the place. So I cleaned it all up and now can't find a darn thing !! Used to be able to find anything cause I knew which pile it was in. hehehe

That sounds like the plan I would choose. 2 1/2 strips our great to have around.

Well needless to say the cleaning is a bit overwhelming!!! haha! I decided the best way to do it and not get overwhelmed is getting a couple of large totes and putting the small scraps in there. keeping anything 1/2 yard and larger out ( my sister and I are going to be making some ten minute table runners in the near future) That way I can slowly start to sort thing out. I have a ton of small clear plastic totes to be able to sort by color and theme.i did find a lap quilt that was almost finished just need to stitch a little bit more on it. may donate that to hospice house in memory of the groomsman in our wedding who passed away in july. i also am putting projects that need to be completed in a laundry basket for now - amazing how many darn potato bags i made or are almost done.

Depends completely on your quilt personality. I leave batik scraps as is because I am using them for pping. Other scraps I cut to use for scrappy quilts. I only want 2.5 inch strips for scraps or 5 inch squares so that is what I do.

I never pre- cut scraps . There are too many possibilites for patterns that need dimensions other than 2.5 inches. I sort by color and have scrap color bins. Batiks have their own bin.

My method now is anything 1yd and smaller goes in its own area I call Remnants. At one time I pre- cut a whole bunch of fabrics and later on wanted to kick myself for it. I had nothing for repairs or for the occasional 'But Gramma its to short now' and a new quilt just isn't the same.So for me its easier to not pre-cut scraps And besides there is always enough scraps for Log Cabins etc...Why make extra work for yourself. Organizing is a lot of work all by itsself

not to mention the tumbler or apple core, squares and hst dies.....that is what I do, and when there is a good amount these work well as leaders and enders....my machine has "auto knot at beginning, but I hate it..looks like a bird's nest not a knot, so I resort back to L&E.........thus two quilts at once........

I just love to throw those cut scraps over my shoulder or straight to the floor--so much fun. Afterward, I put the small scraps into a plastic bag to donate at my quilt guild. They have a table for free stuff and the bags always get taken. However, I do save small, at least over 2"x2", scraps of fabric that I really like and can't part with. Those go in a drawer--either light or dark. I have a separate drawer for batik scraps and another for fabrics with gold threads. I don't keep scraps of solids.

well i am about halfway there!!! yippeee! i found the large tote works best for just putting small stuff in. now i gotta go get another tote! haha!

I never ever throw my scraps on the floor. My cat would have a field day, pouncing and rolling in them. I try to keep them in a pile and then put them in a fabric box I have just for scraps. I keep most everything except the super tiny. When the scrap bin gets fullish, I work on my paper tape roll. Someday I will have enough to make something out of .

I love all the ideas here for the scraps. Mine are all in a huge tub that I dig through when I'm looking for something. This gives me lots of ideas for what to do with all those scraps now.

I do that to all my scraps and if I am bored with no inspiration everything at 1 yd gets cut-then 2 yds.21/2 strips are so versatile.I have 2 large totes full. I have a bin of average cotton and a bin of LQS quality all ready to use.

I love Dresdens so I cut my scraps into Dresden blades. When I have a little extra time, I sew them together. So it is a project in progress.

Do check out "quiltville"... it's a blog by Bonnie Hunter... queen of scraps in my book.... she has a whole tutorial all about what to do with "scraps"... how to cut them and store them ,, and wonderful free patterns of what to do with them.!!

http://quiltville.com/index.html

Have you seen Bonnie Hunter's scrap user's system?
http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/...rs-system.html
She has a lot of patterns for using the S.U.S on her webpage www.quiltville.com

Love all these ideas myself. I have a great system that works for me, but I'd say set up your own system for whatever quilting you like to do. It makes sense that you'd precut for scrappy quilts if that's one of the types you make; or precut for applique if you use lots of the same shapes, like flowers; but it might make even better sense to leave the scraps in pieces as large as possible if not. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Anything smaller than a fat quarter (and even some of those that are less attractive) are cut up into pieces, using the Bonnie Hunter system. It works -- and I have already precut pieces ready for quick quilting, organized. By doing the cutting upfront (which I am still doing, as I have been quilting over 38 years) I am getting the part done I like the least, and its easy to put together scrappy quilts then. By the time I'm done I'll have more room for the new fabric I just bought at Goodwill for less than $3 a yard (way over 100 yards)...