Scrap Policy

Katie, a nice reader of this blog, contacted me over the weekend, and raised such an interesting question about scraps.  We'd love to know your "Scrap Policy" and hope you will take the time to comment and share what types of scraps you bother to save.  There are so many amazing quilts that can be made with scraps and I am curious as to what the ideal size is for saving.  Do you bother with tiny pieces?  Or do they end up in the trash bin?  How small is too small? 

I wanted to rummage around in the sewing room a bit and see what sort of scraps I had thought to save from leftover projects, and discovered a zip lock bag packed full of colorful Civil War scrap squares, most around two inches square.  There are a lot of them, and I must have thought I could use them for something. I sure haven't, but now that I see them, the wheels are turning in my brain.

Typically, I personally do not tend to save super small scraps.  If I have a leftover scrap that is 5 or 6 inches square (charm square size), I will keep it if it is a fabric I love.  Otherwise, meh, I will probably toss it.  Bigger scraps, definitely.  I save those in bins according to color.  These range in size from fat quarters, fat eighths, ten inch squares, whatever could be incorporated into a project when I need a certain shade.  For instance, I have been extremely happy on more than one occasion when I have been looking for just the right shade of red and found it in one of my red scrap bins.  Blues and greens are even trickier to match and can be worth saving.

I have color coordinated bins of fabric in my closets, and loads more in tubs in the garage.  The fabrics are folded and easy to access in bins labeled according to fabric theme and color.  I feel that I am an artist, and those fabric scraps are my palette.

I know some folks cut their leftover fabric into strips to use in Log Cabin or other strip style quilts.  Have you ever done that?  It seems like it would take too much time for me, but then I guess you would be all good to go with your strips ready if you made a lot of strip style projects.  I must have done it at least once though.  Look, I found a bag of 1 1/2 inch purple strips I had cut for something.

Speaking of extreme scrap saving, I knew a woman who saved even the tiny dog ear snippets from half square triangles.  I think she may have used them to stuff dog beds or something, but never the less, she never threw them away!  I also remember a gal I used to sew with who saved all her folded corner clippings to make tiny little half square triangle squares!  She would use them to make inner borders of half square triangle squares on some of her quilts.

You should take a rummage around your sewing room and see what hidden scrap treasures you might find.  I discovered an entire basket of scrappy two inch half square triangle squares.  What?  There must be close to a hundred of them.  Evidently I thought those small scraps were worth saving!  I think I need to come up with some projects and use these scraps up, don't you agree?

So, what's in your scrap basket?  Do share!

Comments

[Barbara Anne]

I save anything larger than 2.5" and I certainly save larger, especially 5" squares! I also sew that extra short seam to make small HSTs when putting triangles in a corner. You just never know what you'll need!

Hugs!

[patty]

I have at 6-8 bins of scraps that I have saved for years and years. About 6 years ago I did make 18 baby sized zig zag quilts and one queen sized zig zag quilt using mostly scraps married with strips cut from Kona snow yardage and my scrap bins were still full! I am declaring 2018 the year of the scrap and see how many quilts I can make out of my scraps and stash without buying any fabric. I don't save any scraps that are smaller than an 1" wide, but everything else I keep.

[Shasta]

I am one of those who save everything. Those folded corner HSTs get sewn to become even smaller HSTs. I am working on the Ringo Lake mystery and those tiny HSTs are going to be really tiny finished, but I am making them anyway! I even save slivers and shavings that are too small, because I can use them in snippet quilts or sew them into junk journals.

You may consider donating your extras instead of throwing them away.

[Sharon]

I keep scraps one inch and bigger, mostly because I make miniature quilts as well as larger quilts. And I also sew the extra seam to get the half triangle squares when adding triangles to corners. I use most of these scraps eventually in scrap miniature quilts that I give as gifts and some that I keep as well. They make cute little mug mats and table placemats for the elderly, who are often forgotten at the holidays. They appreciate all these little gifts, whether made from scraps or not. And my scrap bins maintain some type of control!

[Tracey Holzer]

Your post is perfect timing, Nicole. For years I have saved the leftovers from my quilts in ziploc bags and I now have 15 years plus years saved up in 2 huge tubs in my storage room. 5 years ago, I decided to try and use some of them up, so I cut up thousands of 2.5 inch squares into hsts and I've been pairing them up and then sewing them into an enders and leaders scrappy pinwheel quilt. It'll take me another ten years to get it sewn up! I also cut out strips from my leftover yardage at the same time and one day I'll make a scrappy string quilt or four.
But what I'm most excited about is last week, I again went thru all of my darker scraps and I cut out 1.5 inch strips and I started sewing Bonnie Hunters Garden Party quilt. Its my first official scrap quilt from a pattern and I'm over the moon in love with it so far! I even have more than one background fabric, Nicole!! And it one of those "free quilts"!!
Joan Ford and Bonnie Hunter both have scrap systems and I've been going to pick one and trust their method, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe your post will motivate me into choosing?? So until then, I guess I'll keep saving everything in ziploc bags and feeling guilty about all of my tubs! In making my three scrap quilts, I have used about a tenth or so of my scrap stash!
Have a good day, Nicole!

[Carolyn]

I generally save any Jo Morton scraps and scraps of fabrics I really like. If I'm not as fond of it, or it's really old, they will get pitched, no matter what size they are, since I'm not quilting as much as I used to and my tastes have changed quite a bit. I do have several boxes of scraps and leftovers that I should do something with, but I definitely don't want to start another quilt until I clear out some of my older UFOs!

[Lori]

I'm kind of OCD when it comes to scraps. I call scrap anything less than a 1/4 yard. Most of it is in drawers of rolling bins, by color. When the scraps get small, I cut either 1.5" strips or 2.5" squares and sort by color. If I have a significant amount of a particular collection I keep it all together in a zip bag. It works for me. I know exactly where to look for what I need.

[susie q]

After Christmas..... no time to rummage around... need to finish things on "the list"

I can tell you that NO scrap goes in the trash.... if not used it goes in the compost pile.

[Mary Kastner]

MY intentions are good about scraps but my lack of attention to them is winning. I have several zip locks clearly marked with different measurements of scraps and lots of bins full of scraps of all sizes and shapes that need to measured, cut and placed in the appropriate bag. True confessions!

Mary

[Jody Randall]

I save anything 1" or bigger. I have 2 rolling carts w/6 drawers that I sort by color. I make a lot of mini quilts and I always look thru my bins first before I cut into a fat quarter. There have been times I've miscut a bunch of squares only to have been able to reuse in another quilt. I do need to go thru these drawers though as some are so full I can't hardly pull in or out. I mainly use civil wars or tone on tone and some of the scraps are other types or cheaper fabrics from years ago. Need to clean those out!

[gloria g. Walls]

I save a lot of scraps.........I have made lot's of things from scraps.....would love to have your trash can.....could do a lot with it.......

Thanks for sharing.....gg in Wellborn, FL

[Jan]

I keep scraps that are big enough to use in something else. Scraps from a quilt get put in a zip lock bag together. But, often I don't have many left because I like to piece part of the back in a pattern similar to the top using leftover fabric. I also use scrap fabric for projects for my art quilt guild's monthly challenges.

[Ramona Chester]

If it is smaller than 1.5 inches I generally get rid of it. If the fabric is very project specific, I get rid of those scraps unless there are pieces large enough to use in something, but often these don't blend well with other stuff - like a specific Christmas or bright line trying to be leftover to use in a Civil war quilt or something. I love buying charm squares and did the entire Moda Shuffle sampler out of just two charm packs and a couple of coordinating fat quarters - so it is amazing just how much you can get done with very small bits of fabric!

[Hildy]

I plan to get ride of a lot of scraps during my Christmas holidays when I plan to tidy my sewing room. I love to save scraps (and a scrap is 1.5" or larger for me) but I rarely use them. I'll throw plenty of my scraps in the trash during my clean up I'm sure (unless it's Bonnie & Camille then I'll save even the tiniest scrap).

[Betty Meyer]

I save scraps of fabics I love but most of them are sorted by collection and donated to thrift shops. When I have used the fat quarter bundles I have a good amount to donate. I do save certain colors for sampler quilts too.

[Anita]

I used to save almost all of my scraps, now not so much. I have 5 bins full of scraps seperated by color. I’m feeling like I’ve got more than enough scraps. I will save small pieces of coveted fabric scraps.

Happy holidays!

[ina]

Scraps HAUNT me...A couple of months ago I went through one bin and cut all my scraps into 2.5" squares and strips. It took a lot of time and I decided it wasn't worth it because I still have those scraps sitting in the bin.

I have 2 large bins of scraps of various sizes but nothing less than 2.5". Truly, scraps haunt me....

[Susan Ramey Cleveland]

I save all scraps and often share them with friends. It has to be a really tiny piece for me to toss it.

[Anita]

I save my scraps thinking I'm going to do something with them but they end up getting shoved in a drawer somewhere. Then I discover that I can use scraps as small as 1" wide for little logs or nine patches so I feel guilty tossing even those itty bitty scraps away. I think this is the year I bust them out and start slashing the scrap stash!

[Cathy]

I'm kind of afraid of what I might find if I root around in my sewing room! I usually save anything that's about 4" square or bigger but I'm saving even smaller pieces of my Fig Tree fabrics because I have a scrap quilt or two in mind for them. But I don't have any storage system, the scraps are just stashed here and there.

[Michele Klein]

Oh my! I save 2.5" or bigger and keep telling myself that I will do something with these scraps but so far nothing. I'm really not a big fan of scrappy quilts...things have to coordinate. I have learned not to throw any fabric away from a project until it is completed because you never know when you might need it, no matter how small!

[Patty Fowl]

I confess... I am not a scrap saver. I have more than enough fabric to last me a lifetime that I don’t need to save all my scraps.

[Donna]

I am a scrap saver! I save any piece that is at least 2" square and any strip that is at least 1" in width. I have a large plastic bin full. I used to do a lot of hand applique so the little pieces were always handy - a yellow beak on a bird or a black boot on Santa. Last year I made an orange peel quilt with scrap pieces and I was thrilled to use them up. I'm hoping to make another scrap type quilt this year because my bin is starting to overflow!

[Jane]

In a fit of organization last year, I cut large scraps into 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2 inch strips and some smaller scraps into 2 1/2 and 5 inch squares. Still have a full scrap bin! ! I think planning at least one scrap project in 2018 is a great idea. I only save scraps bigger than 2 1/2” square.

[Vivian]

I pretty much save everything but also try not to wait until I have scraps to pick a project. Since I love scrap quilts, I like to pick the projects first and then cut the leftovers from "planned" projects into the scrap sizes needed for the scrappy projects. I guess I need to make more regular projects because it takes a long while to accumulate the scraps for the scrappy ones!

Since I like my scrap quilts truly scrappy, I've also had to start using Bonnie Hunter's and Joan Ford's scrap saving systems because I don't like to put all of one project's scraps into just one scrap project (got to spread the scrappy love around)! Their systems help manage the "overflow".