juliasb

I got up at 5:48 this morning, made my coffee and started my day by setting up the computer then going over to my cutting table where I have a large bag of scraps that were awaiting my attention. So I began to sew.
So far this morning I have made 7, 8-1/2" blocks for another new quilt top. I will post a picture later when I have more completed. Now let me see, since I became active here again I have completed 2 baby quilts, 6 quilted bibs, 6 burp cloths for charity. I also have completed 6 quilted folded star trivets. I then ventured to making a scrappy Double Irish Chain that is now on the quilting frame. Here is a big one, not that you would know it this morning, I cleaned off my cutting table! Oh yeah, I also have a new quilt in 4 sections for my bed (king sized) ready for quilted. And now I have begun another scrappy quilt and the cutting table is no longer visible.
I figure this quilt top won't take to long to complete since is is a simple strip pattern. Maybe I will be able to use up a fraction of my scraps. I went through a small portion and filled a bag with just left over strips of all sizes for this project. Whatever falls into my hand is going next in place on this block to make them truly scrappy! The truly scrappy is the hard part because your eye wants to naturally move colors around. So I am doing the pull and use method not asking a single question as to what is next in line then throwing things back in the bag mixing things up a bit and starting again after about 6 blocks so It will be as scrappy as possible.
Now for the question I have for the day, When making scrappy quilts how do others decide the placement of their fabrics or colors? Grab bag like I do or other ways?

toverly

I grab bag. But in my very first block, I intentionally put two like fabrics together. Then when it happens in a block or side by side, it doesn't matter, it's intentional. Sure avoids alot of stress.

nanna-up-north

I want to be good at scrappy and I try to do scrappy but I just can't let myself do the grab anything style. I don't fret over things too much but I do try to keep two of the same fabrics from getting too close together. I do wish I could be a little less OCD about it.

Here are a couple of scrappies I've done this summer.

juliasb

Good idea, something I might adapt, you are right it would take a great deal of stress from figuring out a layout in the end.

juliasb

They look absolutely perfect to me you would never know you stressed over them the flow is perfect nice job on both of them

Tartan

​You are on a roll today! I do controlled scrappy. I have tried random and I just can’t do it. I started one using the paper bag trick and ended up with 2 fabric next to each other so back to controlled.

QuiltnNan

i usually do controlled scrappy

Irishrose2

I do controlled in that I don't want the same colors near each other, but for my Arkansas Crossroads, I used all colors and types of prints instead of using a coordinated palette. That is a first for me. I won't know how I feel about it until it's sewn together.

Mumto2

I don’t do scrappy well.......when I attempt it I do the grab bag method but then I drive myself nuts if it isn’t truly random.

Iceblossom

I mostly work in controlled scraps and I have all sorts of rules for what can/cannot touch each other. I've said it before that while we want randomness, true random can result in ugly and so what I strive for is aesthetic randomness. Usually I am looking for some sense of movement or "meta" design with my scraps and not just random.

I've developed many techniques for achieving aesthetic randomness but recently I did a project with very few rules using fabrics I wouldn't ordinarily choose but got in a bag at the thrift store, my "Wonky Bright". 9-patch where other than all seams were sewn straight and each block did have exactly 9 patches, fabrics I wouldn't ordinarily let touch (like a green stripe and a green polka dot, or a green polka dot next to a purple polka dot, etc.) were allowed to fall where they may. It came out just fine, pretty much exactly as I visualized (a quilt too loud to sleep under!).

So this is my advice: Personally I prefer to do my scrappy by blocks rather than each block have each piece different I'd rather have coordinated fabrics for each block. But all over works too and I will be using it for an upcoming project even though I find it rather chaotic, it is what that project and that collection of fabric calls for.

If you are going to do an "everything in the pool", then make sure you have adequate representation of the different colors. If everything is very pale but a couple of dark pieces, love the dark pieces because you are always going to see them, or take them out, or add more to the mix.

People tend to like particular colors or styles and their stashes reflect that so their scrap projects are already pre-sorted. Sadly, my stash is a bit all over the place but I can tell you I have very little orange in it (even though I like orange just fine). My friend in Arizona works almost always in batiks so batiks is what she has as scraps.

What I've found is no matter how hard you try to keep two fabrics away from each other, they end up there in the end so unless it makes you physically sick to put them together, just go ahead and do it. Likewise, if there are only 4 pieces of orange in the entire quilt, somehow they all end up within the same square foot of each other.

Don't stress, have fun, and I have to give myself a time limit when doing layout. Good enough is indeed good enough. If I mess with it past that I find more and more issues.