I sort thru my scraps and chose the same color shades, like dark or medium or light and then start cutting. My theory is a pretty block will make a pretty quilt. It all goes together when the quilt is done. I am working on square dancing with the stars pattern now and it used a lot of scraps. It also takes a lot of time to make because it has so many pieces. I used anything and everything in this quilt and it is turning out beautifully.