Well I have been having discussions at Facebook and My Internet group about
- What Size scraps I keep
- How I manage them
- What I do with them
I have a SMALL home. No basement, Cars in the garage (yes.. the shipping dept likes cars in the garage)… and we run our business IN our home.
That means I do not have a lot of space for a 'scrap management' system.
Plus.. it doesn't interest me to do that … it's not how I work.
So my scraps are in THIS basket
Let's look inside
I have plastic bags by color..
sort of
Here they are!
I ONLY keep what fits INTO that basket.
Once that basket is FULL I have to either USE them or Give them away!
And for SIZE of scrap that I keep. I do not keep little bits and slivers. I keep fairly large CHUNKS. And I keep 2.5" squares … and 2.5" strips…
for awhile.. then I sew them up!
Like the patterns I've been giving you in my newsletter..
How do YOU deal with scraps?
Watch for a contest on Tuesday to NAME THE PATTERN!!
See directions for the block in my latest Newsletter
You can read it online here
Let's get to it!
16 Responses
What I have started to do is anything smaller than 1/4 yard, or a fat quarter is to cut it into my scrap bins, and then give the rest away to people who use smaller pieces than I do. I do end up with quite a bit of strips just under 2-1/2 so I am glad Minnesota Quilters can use it for the Heart String Quilts.
Originally I threw scraps of all sizes into shoes boxes by color. I still have those with odd shaped scraps. The rest are now cut into strips that range from 1″ to 4 1/2″ and put in bags. I do it as I finish up a quilt. The 2 to 4 inch are probably what I find the most useful. They were by color at one time, but not now. Recently donated wonky log cabin blocks made good use of a bunch of them. If I was to do that again, I would sort by length instead of width.
I have started cutting the scraps into strips. The strips are sorted by width in drawers. The smaller ones are all together in another bin. Most of them have already been cut into 2 1/2″ squares. I save a few pieces for applique. Once that bin is full I need to purge.
I am trying to get organized in my scrap management. I just have boxes per color of mostly chunks of fabric. Starting to work on cutting into strips and squares for easier use. I do have several “gifted” boxes of smaller scraps that I need to go through and decide what to do with.
I’m just getting into quilting and I’m trying to decide how to best store my scraps. Right now I don’t have very many. I love reading how others store theirs and which ones work the best.
I will gladly accept any scraps that anyone doesn’t want. skysnaina5@gmail.com
Thanks Nancy
One of my projects for 2013 is to organize my sewing room. It really isn’t too bad, but I wanted to make it more user friendly.
I started with my fabric stash because it was the most difficult thing to use. I had it stored folded in stacks in cube storage shelves inside a closet. It was easy to lose things and browsing was difficult. I took the shelving unit out of my closet and installed two more full, wall-to-wall shelves.
I then bought into the Fabric Organizer board system. All of my quilting fabric that is one yard or more is on a large board and standing up on a shelf and organized by color a lot like a fabric store. Pieces that were less than a yard but at least 18 inches (mostly fat quarters) were put onto small boards and stored in two tubs on the shelf. Anything less than that is considered a scrap.
I just finished dealing with my scraps. They took up a 1’x1’x2′ bin and were impossible to use the way they were. I cut them all into strips anywhere from 1″ to 4-1/2″ if there was at least 12″ of fabric. Anything smaller than that was cut into either squares or rectangles and put into smaller boxes inside rolling drawer units and organized by width. These drawer units fit in nicely below the shelves.
I’ll admit that it took me a bit of time and expense to do this, but I’m hoping that it will save me time and money in the future. I also hope to be more inspired since I can actually see what I have and it is readily accessable.
I still have some more organizing to do because I also have home decorating fabrics and other types of fabric I need to deal with. I also have trims and other notions to go through. But at least now I can get to my quilting fabrics and the fun can begin!
I am a new to the Quilt World.
Began my 2nd piece last night and haven’t finished the first. 🙁 Went to a Quilt Show yesterday and found this *easy/peasy* table topper I just HAD to piece.
You all are *spooking* me about scraps. 🙂
I love Katie’s idea of an under-the-bed shoe container for scraps.
I live in a small apartment and keep most of my scraps since I make small quilts. However anything smaller than 1/4 inch goes. I keep everything in a basket also.
I save scraps until they get on my nerves and then I take them to groups for charity quilts. That goes for larger cuts that I am tired of too. I like for favric to be used, not saved.
Katie that shoe organizer is a super clever idea! I’d love one that fits on a shelf, as I don’t have an ‘under the bed’ place. Wonder if there is a divided container out there somewhere.
Love the name Tina!! Be sure to enter it Tuesday!
Love hearing your many ways to ‘scrap’!
I LOVE scraps!! I’ve made lots and lots of quilts over the years and I keep my scraps. Anything bigger than a 2″ square I can’t throw away. Even though I do give some away to friends who are just starting out, I still have many big plastic totes filled to the top. I’ve cut lots of them into strips in multiple sizes for string quilts (I now have about half a dozen big boxes of strips LOL) I have a good deal of space to store my scrap boxes. And since scrap quilts are my very favorite thing…this works for me! I’ll be making charity quilts for the rest of my life so I’m good with a big scrap collection. I hope to organize them by color some day, but it’s a huge job. LOL
I too have a lot of scraps I keep them in a large basket and shoe boxes too. I have been using my scraps making different kinds of blocks. I also started a border of piano keys 6in long and each one is a different width this will be ready if and when I need a border for a quilt. There are so many nice quilt blocks you can use scraps and they are so pretty . I have been spending a lot of time trying to finish my UFO’s , I didn’t realize I had so many. I read your blog everyday love all the inspiraction you give so have a great Sunday I am off to get ready for church .
I have a suggestion for your new scrap block. Since it looks like a big plus sign, how about Positively Scrappy?
Although I may have the space I find scraps multiply, like rabbits, when left alone for too long. I use scraps to make sample blocks before cutting into “the good stuff.” Otherwise I donate all of my scraps to a wonderful lady who makes tons of charity quilts.
I recently wrote a whole blog about my scraps because they were taking up to much room (three paper boxes worth of room) and my solution was an under the bed storage system that is designed for shoes because I was still able to seperate things out by color. http://karmawillowdesigns.blogspot.com/2013/01/conquring-mt-scrapula.html
I did have to make hard choices about my scraps to keep and decided not to keep anything less than 2 inches, Now when I make scraps they go right away into the box and once scraps won’t fit any more then I’m going to have ot purge again. I find knowing what scraps I do have helps me to be able to use them more. I recently did a queen size paper piece quilt using 80% scraps.
Love the blog.