Am I crazy to cut all my fabrics into scraps?
04-04-2010, 01:37 PM
#32
Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Florida, British expat.
Posts: 99
Ah - the feel of fabric on the hands. The smoothness of rotary cutter through fabric. The "eye candy".
The sheer bliss of just working with fabric is enough for me.
Who says you have to use it? Just cut and enjoy the sensations - it can be as wonderful as chocolate :-)
The sheer bliss of just working with fabric is enough for me.
Who says you have to use it? Just cut and enjoy the sensations - it can be as wonderful as chocolate :-)
04-05-2010, 03:23 AM
#33
Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 3
I've been quilting since the 70's & have LOTS of fabric. Here's my system: over a yard gets folded onto shelves. !/2 yds. & fat quarters are sorted by color into bins. Strips are sorted by size from 1 1/2 to 6 into drawers, squares by size from 1 1/2 to 6 into bins by size, triangles into bins by small, med, lg into bins and small irregular pieces into a paper piecing box. I don't deliberately chop up scrap into small pieces. I try to straighten the piece into the largest category and chop up what remains. I rarely throw anything out. I make almost scrap pieces exclusively and can put together a king-sized quilt in most any pattern at the drop of a hat (& have!). My system is pretty organized and works well for me. My advice is to get a system and don't waste anything. Don't cut up fabric just to get a stash. Just quilt, quilt, quilt, and the stash will come. Margaret :lol:
04-05-2010, 04:57 AM
#34
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 3,769
Originally Posted by Chele
I'm just like you! I'd much rather play with a bag of scraps than coordinating yardage. If you're not going to use the bigger pieces, chop them up so you will use them.
If you won't use the bigger pieces, cut them up into scraps and make something beautiful! :D
04-05-2010, 05:19 AM
#35
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Home town: Rehoboth, MA Now living in OK
Posts: 7,774
Originally Posted by Quiltmaniac
Ah - the feel of fabric on the hands. The smoothness of rotary cutter through fabric. The "eye candy".
The sheer bliss of just working with fabric is enough for me.
Who says you have to use it? Just cut and enjoy the sensations - it can be as wonderful as chocolate :-)
The sheer bliss of just working with fabric is enough for me.
Who says you have to use it? Just cut and enjoy the sensations - it can be as wonderful as chocolate :-)
04-05-2010, 07:37 AM
#36
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Sun City, CA
Posts: 487
I have a friend who is regional manager for the Quilts of Valor and she makes "Crumb" quilts for the soldiers. You just keep sewing bits and pieces together until you have at least enough for a 12-1/2" square (she has us sew together about a yard worth of fabric to cut down to several 12-1/2" squares) and then throw the scraps from the trimming back into the scrap bag to be added to more scraps. Then the blocks are sashed together to make a sashed "crazy" quilt. It works especially nice for the QOV because you do not always get large pieces of red, white and/or blue fabric to work with.
04-05-2010, 07:44 AM
#37
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: New England
Posts: 1,653
Thanks everyone for all your thoughts and ideas!! I love scrappy quilts, in fact I recently made a cute little purse and I was thinking it might be even cuter if I patchworked one with scrappy pieces of fabric! The ideas for using scraps are endless. I have decided to keep my scraps whole, but I will sort them in with my other scraps so at least I have them ready to use when I need them. :)
Cheers!
Rachel
Cheers!
Rachel
11-30-2010, 11:51 AM
#38
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Central Washington State
Posts: 5,997
Originally Posted by Rettie V.Grama
Hello, Hello, friend after my own heart
If I were you I would cut them up. I have a box of 5 inch square that I add or use from all the time. It.s a lot of fun to make a Drunkard's Path by taking one square of print, then a square of plain for the other corner, sew it together at the curve, trim the print from the back and toss the cut out piece in another box for a smaller block of Drunkard's path. I've done this for years. I also make 9 patches, table runners, jackets, you name it, a 5 inch scrap goes a long way.
If I were you I would cut them up. I have a box of 5 inch square that I add or use from all the time. It.s a lot of fun to make a Drunkard's Path by taking one square of print, then a square of plain for the other corner, sew it together at the curve, trim the print from the back and toss the cut out piece in another box for a smaller block of Drunkard's path. I've done this for years. I also make 9 patches, table runners, jackets, you name it, a 5 inch scrap goes a long way.
WHat would our quilting projects look like if we selected a FEW patterns we enjoyed making, dedicating just our scraps to those blocks and when we had enough, make a quilt?
You may have just been the catalyst for something that has been brewing in the back of my mind for years. I can't remember if the name of the block is churn dash or hole in the barn door, but it is a nine patch. The center square, the north, south, east, and west patches are a single color, and there there is a HST in each of the four corners.
Hmmm ... maybe I should commit to a size, and just plan on that block and one or two others ...
http://www.quiltville.com
if you want a scrap organization encouragement site - - and, she has some grand quilt patterns for free PLUS!
right now, she is having a mystery quilt going on ...
I went on a kick one week (it may have last a couple of weeks) and started through the containers, cutting all my FQs into strips - - a FQ cuts into a 1.5",2",2.5", 3", 3.5", and 5" ... if it was smaller than an FQ I just cut it into the next size on the chart.
Now! I have a huge container of strips. And, would you believe????
The book that suggested this idea hardly used ANY of these sized strips !!! (If I hadn't had a friend at my elbow trying to convince me NOT to cut all that fabric, I would have been REALLY, REALLY< REALLY !!!! mad! LOL)
11-30-2010, 05:37 PM
#40
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
I did exactly that one day...well actually i think i spent a whole weekend..
i cut everything up that was smaller than a 1/2 yard into what i considered (usable) size scraps. i started with the largest pieces and if there was a fq i would cut that, then cut the next size piece from what was next (i think 9" squares) then 6" squares, 4" and 2 1/2" i also had strips of various widths and lengths. i sorted, ironed, cut, stacked...filled an under-the bed sweater tote with Usable, ready scraps. i sorted strips if they were 1" or less wide they went into a basket for rugs, if there were small triangles, odd shapes that did not (fit into my sizes) went into another basket for applique pieces. it was fun to spend a couple days just playing with the fabric :thumbup:
i cut everything up that was smaller than a 1/2 yard into what i considered (usable) size scraps. i started with the largest pieces and if there was a fq i would cut that, then cut the next size piece from what was next (i think 9" squares) then 6" squares, 4" and 2 1/2" i also had strips of various widths and lengths. i sorted, ironed, cut, stacked...filled an under-the bed sweater tote with Usable, ready scraps. i sorted strips if they were 1" or less wide they went into a basket for rugs, if there were small triangles, odd shapes that did not (fit into my sizes) went into another basket for applique pieces. it was fun to spend a couple days just playing with the fabric :thumbup:
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
leatheflea
Pictures
8
08-25-2011 06:36 PM
craftybear
Links and Resources
4
07-27-2011 07:29 PM
