Home

Scrap Obsession

Blog 

Dolls

Patterns

Contact Us

About

Scrap Obsession

When I'm piecing a new quilt top, I generate a LOT of scraps.  I'll slice a strip across the whole width of the fabric, but only cut part of the strip into patches, leaving a scrap strip.  I often find it necessary to cut strips from several fabrics to "audition" them.  Many of these don't make it into the quilt:  more scraps.

For a long time I wrestled with the basic question of scrap management:  whether to save scraps with the rest of my stash, folded into the main yardage they were cut from, or file scraps separately.  Finally I decided that a separate scrap system was the way to go. 

The next question is deciding how to define a scrap.  What's too big to call a scrap?  What's too small?  There's no absolute right answer.  Anything much smaller than a fat quarter is probably a good candidate for the scrap basket.  Strips cut off from the main yardage are definitely scraps, UNLESS they are big enough to stand on their own, as might happen when you cut a wide border or quilt back.

When is a scrap too small to save?  Well, that depends.  What is your personal minimun tolerance for little pieces?  Mine is 3/4-inch (I called this article Scrap Obsession, right?).   After taking a 1/4-inch seam on each side, that will yield a 1/4-inch patch, not really useful for much other than the tiniest miniatures.  A 1-inch strip will yield a 1/2-inch patch, still pretty small, but very useful for lots of blocks. Think miniature log cabins, for instance.

Whatever your minimum tolerance, whether 1, 1 1/2, or 2 inches, you'll want to start there and work up until you are cutting 5-inch strips.  Some widths are definitely more useful than others.  You can skip 3 & 4 inches.  Just cut 1", 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/2", 3 1/2", 4 1/2" and 5" strips.  Starting with your smallest scraps, trim them into strips of the largest measurement you can get.  An irregularly shaped scrap may need several cuts to produce strips of varying sizes.  At this point, you don't need to bother with measuring the length of the strips or cutting them into squares.  My scrap method is designed for maximum flexibility, so we'll delay making further cuts.  For now, just slice and sort your strips into stacks of the same width.

Click here to download a handy chart to help combine your strips into larger blocks.

---