lynnie

i'm like that, afraid the minute I cut them up. i'll need that fat 1/4 for something else.
how to do it??? afraid to cut into them, but I have friends that make such lovely
quilts from scraps. i'm just a chicken to do it. if there was a pill to take to cut your scraps,
I'd be the first one to take it. And I know I can buy more, but of those fabrics??

mac

This isn't exactly about scraps, but it reminded me of a lady that I once knew. She belonged to my guild, which is a rather large one. She used to box up her UFO's and anonymously mail the box to someone in the guild. This went on for years until someone finally caught on. What a hoot it was when she finally got busted. Either they were annoyed when they found out who it was or she was thanked for her generous donations. I would love it, if someone sent me their scraps or UFO.

Jeanne S

I usually keep scraps whole until I have a specific use/size in mind, then cut them. But I don't do a lot of scrappy quilts. I always worried if I cut them I would find a pattern that called for larger pieces or strips.

Mamaw322

Ha! Thanks fellow quilters! I am glad I am not alone in the Scrap Twilight Zone!

busy fingers

Yes I guard all my fabric very possessively just in case I may need it for something more important. I do not know what!!!!!.

sewmom

This is how I cut mine. Fat quarters, fat eighths, 6, 5,4, 3 1/2, 3, 2, 2 1/2 and 1 1/2" strips. I will also cut 10" squares and random sizes if there is a weird shaped piece. Then the rest of the scraps either go into the string box, crumb box, or dog bed bag. After I cut up my pile of scraps that took me a week or more, I swore I'd never let it get that high again. Well it's a large box sized.

PaperPrincess

I was also afraid to pre cut my scraps. I had mine divided into batiks & quilting cottons, so I decided to cut the batiks, which was a smaller pile. I modified the Bonnie Hunter system a bit, cutting everything into 6.5, 5, 4.5, 3, 2.5, 2 and 1.5" strips. I start with the largest strip I can get out of the scrap, then continue cutting the largest strip until it's less than 1.5". I didn't cut anything smaller than that, but did save the strips that were down to about 1" for strip quilts. I will say that it does make it pretty easy to just grab something pre cut to one of these sizes, and have been using them up quicker than before I cut them. I like quilts where you use multiple fabrics of the same color group. I do not do applique. I would also like to cut my cotton scraps, but I have lots and it does take a while.

pennycandy

I don't have enough scraps to make a quilt at this time so I'm waiting to cut mine after I know what pattern I'll use.

SuzzyQ

Gee ... I have six or seven LARGE totes of scraps since I collect from other quilters to make dog beds. I can't bear to throw anything out. DH gave me a GO BIG for Christmas and now I am sorting and cutting merrily. If I really don't like the fabric or it's not good quality I IMMEDIATELY rotary cut it into bits for the dog beds. Otherwise it's 2 1/2" down to 1" strips WOF and 10" 5" and 2 1'2" squares - and I will be donating a lot of that to my local 4-H clubs to be used for a quilting project (modern) that I'm writing.
Yeah I have a way to go. But I figure it gives me a reason to get up in the morning - I was just diagnosed with breast cancer ... but my prognosis is excellent and I have no reason to believe otherwise.

ube quilting

Organizing scraps as you go makes the task so much easier than what is happening in my sewing room. Right now the business of sorting and cutting down left over fabric is taking up a lot of time. There s an assortment of piles on the cutting table and every piece is being handled and there is almost 20 years worth of scraps, so it is a lot of fabric.

first to sort the colors, then into strips of different widths. Odd sizes get cut into the largest size piece up to fat quarters.

I love making scrap quilts so I am not daunted by this task. Once it is n relative order I will get many wonderful quilt tops of the scrappy fashion made.

This is making me happy to even think about.
peace