I have had a lot of people asking me how I am keeping my scraps under control.
They know I’m not big on having LOTS of scraps around. I have a small home and studio space so I have to work very smart. I can’t keep lots of bins of scraps.. and honstly i don’t want to.
I love NEW FABRIC… so my scraps are little treasures.. but treasures that need to be USED.
First I do not keep tons of scraps. I enjoy what Joan Ford told me, she only keeps so much then she makes quilts with it. I love this idea. I was talking to Heather Valentine on the radio show yesterday and she said the same thing. Once the bins are full.. make a quilt or donate the fabric!
This works for my space and my interest level for scraps. I want to USE them.
CLICK HERE to listen to my talk with Heather on April 7, 2014 and to Joan Ford on June 10, 2013
I’ve been working on a lot of quits lately. They generate lots of scraps. I either put the scraps into one of my small shoeboxs or into a large box. If both those boxes are full.. ahem… then I pile on my cutting table. yes… there is some overflow allowed
The cutting table pieces ALWAYS get addressed first.. I wonder why?
I am cutting scraps into
- 2″ squares
- 2.5″ squares
- 3.5″ squares
- 5″ squares
- 2.5″ WOF strips.
There are a lot of patterns using these sizes available. Joan has written two great books worth of patterns for the sizes she cuts.. you can get them on Amazon
First i try and squeeze out something from the scrap. 2.5″ won’t work here
So I have a 2″ square
Triangles produce smaller triangles
Sometimes when I’m feeling very thrifty… I will sew these randome triangles together to make squares. then trim those down to a regular size.
When I am short on time or not feeling very thrifty… they go in the bin
So how BIG a piece do I keep? if I can get a few 5″ squares out of it.. and I’m NOT excited about the fabric anymore.. they get cut.
BUT.. if there is a piece bigger than 5″ square and I’m super pumped about the fabric.. you might call it.. hoarding… I call it excited… don’t judge…
Then I do not cut it.
I… Save… it… maybe for a very.. very.. long time…. but that’s another story.
I have at times sewn strips and chunks together.. but I’m trying a new thing to just keep the sizes standard. So for strips… I keep just the WOF strips so they become ‘jelly roll’ strips and allow me to easily use a jelly roll pattern
smart right? Well it works for me.
This bin is getting very full of 3.5″ squares and 2″ squares… soon they will need to become something!
5″ squares are charm packs.. right? PERFECT for many things.
I have been sewing my ‘low volumne’ 2.5″ squares into 6 x 6 blocks for a full size bed quilt. I am SO excited about this one.. it’s going on my bed this summer!
I’m keeping 3 small shoeboxes.. and the 2 large ones.. that… is it.
Once you cut up the fabric it takes so much less space then when you throw it in a bag.. I’m so amazed by that!
Tell me
What are you doing with YOUR scraps?
And click to my FREE PATTERN PAGE for 2 free pieced patterns using 2.5″ squares and one using Charm and more!
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85 Responses
I like strips of leftovers I use a constant color/unifying color and sew alternative light and dark cut into a square when it’s big enough. Sew together for a scrappy quilt!
I sew my scraps into pet beds and use all the ends that are to small and can’t be used for stuffing them. I then donate them to animal shelters and animal rescue groups.
Hi Pat, thank you for the tips, very handy advise. Janet
I cut my scraps into 2 1/2″ squares, 5″ squares, 2 1/2″ by WOF, and 1 1/2″ strips (for my string quilt). I also have 10″ squares and I keep some fat quarters. I find I use these sizes constantly.
I want to do the half square triangle quilts but not so small. I was katlady3147@hotmail.com and some reason they deleted hotmail. so now I am wethmom@gmail.com
If you use them for starters and enders how do make them into a quilt? I assume they have lots of stitching across them?
I came back to review your Scrap busting process, Right now I am only cutting 2-1/2 strips and squares; 3-1/2, 5 inch squares and giving all the rest away to MQ Inc for The Heart String Quilts projects. https://www.mnquilt.org/quiltforothers.html These have really helped me deal with the balance between hoarding and being wasteful.
thanks for all your work setting this up
Miss Pat, I’m a new return quilter after 30 year break. I too cut up my scrapes to 2.5 up to 5 inches. If big enough strips 2.5 to 4.5 or 5 inch. I absolutely love your videos and tutorials.
I recently realized that I had 3 reusable grocery bags full of scrap fabric and needed to start a 4th. It was just too much so I’ve spent a lot of this pandemic cutting them into usable blocks. I do 2.5 squares and 2.5″x5″ strips, 2.5″ , 1.5″ and 2″ and 5″ strips. Never thought about a 3.5″ anything.
Very good idea .I’m hoarsing was to much scraps ans in the end I can’t Devise, what to do with them. I also will look for the book in Amazon
I have done some small presents, but there are so many left
that is what I saw first as well – love my FBC!
😂 love the explanation of hoarding vs excited!
Beautiful!
I recently created my own scrap system. I mostly use 2.5″ and 5″ sqrs and 2.5″ strips for scrap quilts. So that is what I cut all my scraps to. I do enjoy doing random crumb blocks and string blocks as well, but I limit myself to 1 bin of each. They can get out of hand so quickly! I also cut all my scraps of batting into the 2sizes I use the most. I had a ton of scraps before I did this!!! boxes and boxes and bags and bins……. it was kinda frightening. It took 2wks to go thru and cut it all. Now I make a point to clear off my cutting table and deal with all my scraps once a month. It is so much easier!! and when I am in the mood for a scrappy project, I know right where they are and can get right to it instead of spending a whole evening digging thru the boxes, bags and bins. More time for quilting! 🙂
HA HA I didn’t notice that, I was busy noticing the Longaberger basket in the other photo.
I cut 5 1/2″ L O N G strips of unbleached muslin and
then sew, “willy nilly” to make “fabric>’ These long
strips will then be set with parallel sashing to make
whatever size quilt that I want. I use the pieces that
I don’t want to bother cutting, or that are too small
for a basic size.
I sort through my fabric and make a tote and donate to a church. They make lap quilts for the nursing home or the homeless. Helps me and them.
OMGoodness that’s what I have been doing with my scraps for the past 12 months.
I have 2 in. 2.5 in. 5 in. 8 in.. 10in. Plus 2.5 strips ..
The 10in. Came in handy when making microwave bowls.
I like to use 3 1/2” squares to make 9 patch quilts. Small or large I give them to various organizations. They are always gladly received
Our quilt group just for nished a scrap quilt. We all made blocks from our scraps and took a day class and joined all our blocks together. After having it quilted we donated to the church group were we meet and they are having an auction and the proceeds are going to a village in Africa. This will help to pay for their schooling. Thanks for your ideas. Gloria Chesney.
Easy enough to keep a bin beside your trash bin just for too small scraps. Makes good filler for dog beds or small items to fill. Mine is a trash basket like yours . It’s taken only a couple mos to fill. MJ
I’m just finding this page. I’ve been quilting for 10+ yrs and never really organized my scraps. I thought it would take too much time to do it but I’m beginning to think it might be better to get organized because I’ll probably make more scrappy quilts because I’ll know what I already have when I look at different patterns. Thanks for the encouragement.
Joan Ford … the hummingbird queen … I love her books. I made her scrappy fish quilt years ago, no two fish alike, and it’s still my favourite quilt. I went beyond her design and actually quilted fins onto the blocks, and added fish-eye buttons I ordered from eBay. I’ve also taken up her idea of cutting scraps into specific sizes. This morning I actually made a flower block, using some of those scraps, from a free pattern found on Pinterest. It turned out so cute, I can see a bunch of flowers coming out of my scrap boxes soon, and hence a flower quilt to donate.
Thanks, Pat, for all your wonderful patterns and ideas as well. You’re a gem!
That should have been “Frogaholic”, DUH!!
Candy frog? I thought it was a Christmas ornament at first, but youre right. A friend has several ornaments just like this. She, also, is a “Frogahilic”.
I started this process last year and I even cut 1.5” squares and have a Hexi box. I take this places with me. Hospital. Doctor. appointments. Camping. I have been making hexi flowers with fabric I’ve made quilts it. It’s my working quilt scrapbook.
Thank you for sharing, I have set up a tub for all my scraps after seeing this post. I have 2 more quilts to make, then, I will be trying one of the strip quilts using these scraps. It is amazing how much scrap you accumulate.
Hi Pat
I’ve been reading your blogs for a while now and love your ideas. Now when I’m feeling I just want to be in my sewing space (The Hut) I’ll use my feeling time with the fabric to sort my stash to useful pieces. Thank you for inspiring me.
I keep all scraps tiny or big, and thread scraps. Using denim from old jeans bought at the Salvation army Store or Goodwill, I use 5″ block of denim to make pillow pads for animals at the Shelter. I drop them off and the animals have something that smells human inside the strange cages. (my husband and I hug the pillows before donating them.
Ha! I must be a hoarder… I keep all scraps. NO matter the size, including threads. The littlest scrap goes into a denim square Pillows for animals at the Human society. I also do lots of Tiny blocks. I am addicted to teeny tiny “cute” blocks. Then I have my bins in a book case (Bonnie Hunter size squares, bricks, strips)
I enjoyed your articles and plan to make more quilts. I do have a stash of Fats that I plan to cut into my BH bins. I like the idea of not having more than one bin of one size and when it’s almost full….make a quilt.
So glad to see I am not alone! My scraps get cut into various size circles for yo yo quilts!
I put scraps that lend themselves to triangles in a bin. Then I make half square triangles out of them in different sizes. I sew the triangles and then cut them. I go down to 1 1/2 inch but I never met a scrap I didn’t like. One of my favorite patterns is the split ninepatch. You can lay it out in many different ways. Right now I’m doing 3 different sizes for 3 quilts in different layouts.
MY spouse and I are RVer’s and when we are away for a season, I like to have my small machine with me. I cut my scraps into useable sizes according to whatever pattern I want to make. Pack them up with the pattern and take them with me. I can spend time when we are just staying in the RV doing something productive. As you can see, sitting around doing nothing is not for me. But I have to admit that I have bins and boxes overflowing with scraps. so NOw I do not buy new yardage, I am using my stash and my scraps for projects until I clear it all out. By that time I will be in a home, and whoever has to go through my sewing room will have to deal with all of it.
sure Barbara! you might want to keep it to all flannel, but i’ve mixed flannel and regular cotton. Depends on the flannel as there is printed flannel, tight woven, loose woven. try a block
Do you ever make quilts out of flannel scraps? How?