Onebyone

Sewing long strips of adding machine paper is not that easy. The paper has to go width wise under the needle, I have two long ends right and left to deal with. I guess I could cut the paper to a manageable length first.

Kwiltr

i like this idea! I would think with the advent and growth of fiber artistry and raw edge appliqué, there are every few scraps that aren't "big enough to save". I'm of the camp that cannot throw anything I might think is usable away. I'll probably be buried alive with it all some day...but what a way to go !

Mariposa

I'd suggest checking out www.quiltville.com. She's got a system, and lots of free scrappy patterns.

wesing

We save anything 1.5" by 2.5" or larger. Our plan is to use the 1.5" strips for a pineapple quilt. I'm wondering if we should go to 1" square. That is the traditional size for postage stamp squares. If you think you would ever make a quilt with these tiny pieces make that your minimum and start saving. I would recommend that you cut all your leftovers down to usable sizes as you work on your quilts. As others have said, it is much harder to cut them up when you have a huge collection.

Boston1954

Anything smaller than 2 1/2 inches, I give to a lady in church who does not have $$ to spend on fabric. She makes good use of them.

jmoore

I didn't use to save small pieces... but I do now. Currently I have my scraps in three totes labeled crumbs, strips and larger scraps. In doing some of the mystery quilts and now enjoying the process of making scrappy quilts, my bins are real handy.

JoyjoyMarie

Being brought up with parents who survived the depression, and were frugal on top of that, I took on their habits and save every scrap. I keep my fabrics in a glass front dining room buffet- anything fat quarter and above is folded, labeled for size, and stacked by general color in there. Smaller pieces- cut fat quarters and down to 3 inches go in under bed boxes sorted by color. Tiny pieces are in color categories in labeled shoe boxes on top, and the littlest are in boxes called "tidbits" and "strips."

That said, I enjoy little things and little experiments. For Valentines day, I just did a project making crumb fabrics in color groups, cut 5 hearts out from them and made a little wall hanging for my hubby. I love using the little pieces and making this and that - I also did the bitty squares project from QM last year, and my scraps were perfect for that.

As you develop your own quilting "fingerprint" you'll know better what to do. Until then, keep a few scraps to mess with, or send them on to someone who enjoys them.

nancyw

Not to repeat but I save 1.5 " squares and cut strips 1.5".

FluffyPuppy

For squares the smallest I keep is 2", for strips 1 1/2" wide.

If you want you could save strips 1" wide and squares 1" big to make a crumb quilt. I haven't tried one yet, but they look fun!

quilterpurpledog

I save everything except selvages. I keep them in plastic bags by color. Sometimes I spend some time cutting them into strips and squares- the largest size possible-for later use. I can always cut them down further but I can't make them bigger. I guess you would say that I try to cover all of my bases. I have great plans for them-someday!