How long will it take to use up all these scraps? Walking down memory lane to a day when I was envious of the quilters stash, dreaming of the day that I could just open up a cabinet and make a quilt. No running to the store for fabric. What on earth was I thinking! What you see below is just the tip of the iceberg. My honey stash of fabrics I love most....at least for now. There's several more of these bins scattered about the studio with not so loved scraps. Is it possible to use up all the fabric purchased over 20 yrs? Not if I don't stop buying it!
Well one things for sure, whining about my quilting disorder doesn't make a bit of difference if there's no action. The best way to use fabric up fast is to make quick simple quilts, right? Well I spent all day yesterday sorting and cutting.
(68) 4.5 squares and (136) 2.5 squares is all I managed to get cut. Barely even made a dent in my stash. But they sure look pretty, and I'm anxious to stitch them into a quilt today.
So do you have any tips on scrap reduction and storage? By the looks of my scrap bins I could use some good advice!
Linking up with SheCanQuilt for Scraptastic Tuesday in hopes of getting some scrappy ideas and advice.
~ Lea Anne ~
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What a gorgeous pile of fun you have there! These scraps are going to make a beautiful quilt. Hopefully you have inspired me to do the same! My scrap basket is waayyy too full!
ReplyDeleteNo suggestions. I'm overwhelmed with scraps too. Maybe we should organize a swap or something for the ones we don't love and force ourselves to make quilts with them. It's a problem. Love your scraps though.
ReplyDeleteNo great advice, but I manage my scraps by making blocks as I'm going along. I make strip pieced blocks, courthouse steps, the odd log cabin, and so on - in groups of colour families, then store the blocks. When I have a good stack, I pull them out and decide if I want to make a quilt, table runner, etc. - then put them together and find I've gone from a lot of scraps to a WIP pretty quickly! Your colours are beautiful...can't wait to see what you turn them into!
ReplyDeleteScraps -- the universal dilemma for quilters. I'm not sure it's a strategy, but when beginning a quilt, I almost always begin by pulling the "scraps" in the target color way(s) from that basket in the corner of the studio where all the little bits go.
ReplyDeleteI learned lots and am inspired by Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.com, her blog is Quiltville.blogspot.com. She has loads of free patterns on her blog site, so might help you to USE your scraps, fabrics! Best of luck, Leslie
ReplyDeleteMy only suggestion is to spread the "wealth" to other quilters especially those in other states. May I suggest South Louisiana. Have you seen the traditional Mardi Gras costumes. LOL
ReplyDeleteI love using scraps for small projects. But fabric scraps like rabbits always seem to multiply! It's a never ending thing and unless you don't like scraps and donate them to a guild or charity who make charity quits, then you will always be accumulating them. I actually like my scrappy projects better than ones I cut from larger pieces. You have such a lovely assortment of pretty fabric scraps. I know whatever you make will be beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love your 1st pic! I cut all of my scraps for years ala Bonnie Hunter. In 2013 I decided to stop doing that when I joined RSC13 so I'd have scraps to cut into. Now I'm thinking I'll do a bit of both to clear my bins this year and go back to working from my precut sizes for RSC16. Yes, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.
ReplyDeleteI recognize some of those fabircs, ha ha! The yellow with the white flowers, the yellow with the little black specks ( LOVE the last one!)
ReplyDeleteI am thinking these would make awesome rainbow quilts. Simply adding squares....
Should be addictive too, just like fabric shopping.
My really unloved fabrics goes to work with me. At school the kids love these bits for crafting.
Have fun!
Esther
Yes! I have decided to giveaway my scraps at the end of projects by hosting giveaways on my blog. I am not a scrap quilter, and they become a burden to me. Of course, there will be some scraps I keep because I love them so much.
ReplyDeleteYou've got some yummy scraps there. How about sewing them together in strips and then cut them across and make a Sweet 16 for a charity quilt along. See the button on my side panel. I'm using my 16 patch squares and X squares to make a Good Night Irene.
ReplyDeleteHugs
I love scraps! I always go to my scrap bins before I pull full pieces of fabric.
ReplyDeleteWhat help me use up my mountains of scraps, is making a spiderweb quilt. I used the tute on Quiltville
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to make scrap quilts for charity - it feels like a free quilt top! Bonnie at Quiltville is a great resource for patterns as people have already said! Search through the linkups to #scraptastictuesday and you are bound to find inspiration. Thanks for joining in!
ReplyDeleteOur local quilting group recently had a "bring your scraps" day. Knowing that I would never actually use them I loaded up my HST pieces and other scraps I had been collecting and brought them to donate. One of the ladies took them home to use in prayer quilts their church group makes for cancer patients or others who need them. It feels good to knowing they will be put to good use! :o)
ReplyDeleteYou at least made a start and have some squares to play with. No strategies from me either. Though I've been playing along with the Rainbow Scarp Challenge over at Soscrappy. If you are looking for ideas on scrap quilts you should check out the Saturday link up. There are some really beautiful projects popping up there.
ReplyDeleteI see some beautiful fabric in those scraps
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I think your fabrics are so pretty and cheerful. I will enjoy seeing what you make with them.
ReplyDeleteI setup bins by size (1-1/2", 2", 2-1/2", etc). I'm still tackling the huge scrap box and trying to get them cut to size and sorted, but as I finish a project, I immediately cut the scraps to size and put them in their bins. Then making scrap quilts is easy because the pieces are ready to go. I follow the Rainbow Scrap Challenge over at So Scrappy and I use leaders and enders and keep a scrap project going at all times with it. I host a monthly linky for sharing the leader/ender projects and that helps keep me on track with them (next Tuesday, btw!). Hope some of this helps! And if not, you're always welcome to send them my way. I love your scraps!! :)
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