How to Organize Your Scraps... and USE THEM!!

We all keep our scraps of fabric, no matter how small. Some use them as bedding/filling for a blanket for a pet, others, cut them into squares...down to even a 1"x1" square and then later, sew them together to make Postage Stamp quilts or just "scrap quilts". Either way...we tend to think of it as a chore. I admit, I kind of do! I let them pile up for a year... just stuff that plastic tote full as possible all year long. Then...I finally get energized to do some cutting and organizing and spend a few hours with the scraps and come out feeling great, energized and ready to start a new project!

Today, I did just that. I was going through all my fabric yesterday, getting ready for a move. I was adamant that I was NOT going to pay to move and possibly pay to store, this large plastic tote of scraps. So, last night I decided today would be my Scrap Day. I had done this last 2 years in a row and cut the pieces to 2,1/2"x2,1/2" squares, put them all in baggies of matching colors and then into a decorative photo box on the shelf.  I did make some quilts with some of them, but I had so many, I still have some left!  I made these "Postage Stamp" quilts with 2,1/2"x2,1//2" squares.

 These are all 40"x60" lap quilts.  I added the white squares, just because I am an over organizer, and all those colors next to each other just looks sloppy and junky! But the white was enough to organize the many colors to look nice. Then again, I always forget, just because I don't like it, doesn't mean others won't like it! I gave these to the ladies at my church and they loved them!

 The first one, the color squares were organized in a rainbow pattern.  This one they are in order of  just whatever came out of the box next.!

 This one I had to use graph paper to design the pattern for where the colored squares went to make the words, but it was really easy!

So, I intended to cut 2,1/2x2,1/2" squares and then thought.. why? I really don't like working with that small piece anyway! And I still have 3 boxes full of the little squares from last time, so I decided to cut this years stash into 3,1/2"x 5,1/2" pieces (rectangles)

This is 1/3 of the tote content! Doen't look like much, but I pressed them all last night and have them nicely folded and organized into stacks! There is more than it looks like!

 

I lay out 4-6 scrap pieces and use my 24"x3,1/2" template.  A note for a quick cutting spree..use a template size that is easy to work with. In this case, it is 3,1/2" wide so that is how wide my scrap pieces are. Then I used that removable tape (or just masking tape) to mark the 5,1/2" where I would be cutting the pieces.

Then the cool part starts! When I get them cut, I stack them according to color  so I have a place to start looking for color when I what to use them.  Really cool stack, right? It is inspirational to me... makes me want to just cut more!!!

And make more stacks!!!  

 Then, I put them in a decorative photo box, mark the size on the front and in no time... have a box of beautiful rectangles, ready to use!  This took me 2,1/2 hours to cut this many... and that was the fastest 2,1/2 hours I ever spent! I couldn't believe it was that long...I thought sure I had only been cutting an hour or so. But then when I saw the stack of beautiful rectangle...it was all worth it!  Then, mark the front of the box and Done and Done!!!!

 

I have other boxes of cut squares...2,1/2 and 3,1/2 and 4x4 and 5" squares. I cut all fabric scraps into the size I want, and then take what is left and cut those scraps into smaller sizes. I have a small stash (really small!) left from cutting these today and will hang on to those until I get enough to continue and cut 2,1/2"-ers out of those.

So, there you are. Organized scraps.. the fun and easy way!  Hope you are inspired to go cut your scraps!  It is such a inspiring feeling or "ready to start sewing now" to see that empty scrap tote box!


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