The very first step to making a scrap quilt is understanding what your âscrap situationâ is. If that sounds made up - it is. I made it up đ but it's also a very real thing. What does your scrap bin look like? Are all of your scraps in a giant pile on the floor mixed with dog and cat hair (guilty!)? Maybe they are all stuffed into a pillowcase and wrinkly? Are you a magical unicorn goddess and your scraps are all neatly pressed and folded and organized in separate bins? The only right answer here is whatever works for you. And if your scrap pile is feeling like it's not working for you, here are some of my favorite resources for organizing scraps, and what works for me.
I have been quilting for 10 years and have gone through many different ways of organizing my scraps. I feel like this will constantly be a work in progress, but what I have found to be most successful is organizing my scraps by âWarm Tonesâ, âCool Tonesâ, and âNeutralsâ.
These bins are 12" x 12" x 9" and I really try to keep them from overflowing (i.e. when they start getting full, it's time to make a scrap quilt). Other than that, there is no other organization. Any piece of fabric smaller than a fat quarter (18" x 21") gets thrown in.
I do also separate my solids scraps from my pattered scraps, but only because I have a future project in mind for my solid scraps. Maybe I'll share more on that later. But for now, here is a look at my solid scraps organized in separate bins by color. Once again, any piece smaller than a FQ is thrown into these.
I highly recommend organizing your scraps similarly, especially if you don't have any system in place yet. Something as simple as a warm pile, cool pile, and neutral pile is great. Going through your scraps like this will help you physically see what size, type, and color of scraps you have. More on that soon.
In the meantime, here are some blog posts from other creators about scrap organization that I have found helpful if you'd like to read:
Now that your scraps are in separate piles, have you noticed a common size within your scraps? Do you have a lot of strips? A lot of squares? Is it totally random? This is probably the next most important thing to analyze and understand about your scraps - how big are your pieces? Take a moment to really sit with this. Maybe even consider separating the piles down even further by size. This doesn't need to be exact or take a ton of time. The goal, like I said earlier, is to just get a feel for what you have to help guide you on what quilt pattern you should choose.
If you have a lot of small squares, start looking up scrap quilt patterns that use smaller squares, like an Irish chain quilt, or a simple postage stamp. If you have strips, can those be cut down? Maybe you have larger 5" squares that can be cut down into (4) 2.5" squares? Do you have a lot of one fabric?
If you have a lot of strips, how wide are they? Could you make a bunch of scrappy log cabin blocks? Maybe a String Quilt?
Also look at the scale of the prints you have. I mostly use blenders and small scale prints, so that's what type of scraps I have. But if you have a larger scale design on the fabric, you might not want to cut them down too small. Consider looking up quilt patterns that have larger pieces to accommodate larger scale designs. You can also use them to fussy cut, etc.
Lastly, see if there is a specific color family/palette you'd like to use. DO NOT finalize colors this week. We will work on picking colors next week AFTER you have chosen a quilt pattern. But, maybe decide what types of colors you would like to use. Do you have a lot of bright colors? Maybe consider a rainbow palette. Are your scraps are muted and moody? Filter out the occasional bright tone and pick a palette that's more toned down.
Here is what I pulled after playing in my scrap bin for 5 minutes. I had a few dark and muted tones that I put back in the bin to keep everything nice and bright. From there, I put back any large scale prints I had because I really wanted to use smaller scraps this time around. I noticed that the majority of the scraps I had after that were at least 3", so I put back anything that was smaller than that. This is what I had left - a mix of strips, squares, and larger pieces that were all 3" and larger:
To recap, the main questions you should be asking yourself while playing with your scraps are:
What sizes of pieces do I have?
What is the scale of my prints?
What type of quilt pattern can I use to feature these?
I think a lot of people get really focused on color and in the beginning. At this point, picking colors is not important. Picking a quilt pattern that will already work with what you have is best.
Picking a Scrappy Quilt Pattern
Picking the perfect scrappy quilt pattern can be really overwhelming. There are so many patterns out there, and there's no way to know if they're going to be good or what the finished quilt will look like! But I'm sharing some patterns with you that either I have personally made, or can pinky promise will turn out no matter what colors you end up using.
After you have analyzed your scraps, look at this list of quilt patterns and see if anything catches your eye. I've also saved a Pinterest board for inspiration, and saved a highlight reel on Instagram called âScrappy Inspo". You can find both below:
This list is HUGE but hopefully it narrows down a few options for you if picking a pattern is overwhelming. You also dont need to make a quilt! There are endless scrap fabric projects you can find on Pinterest.
I'll also add that many quilt patterns can easily be modified for scrappy. One of my favorite ways to do this is grouping my scraps by color, and then going âscrap fishingâ to find the pieces I need. For example, if a pattern says you need (5) ½ yards, group your scraps into 5 different color piles, and then follow the cutting instructions from there. As long as all the scraps in that color pile are similar in value and hue, it should read easily across the finished quilt.
I love helping people pick patterns, so if you really have no idea where to start, shoot me a message. I'd be more than happy to help guide you to find the perfect pattern.
After recognizing that the majority of my scraps were 3", I decided to make a Wonky Star quilt. I made one of these a few years ago, and I was able to use up so many scraps. The pattern is great for any size square, too. Last time I used all 2.5" squares, but this time I will use 3" squares because I want to show more of the designs on the fabric. I also like this pattern because its great for showcasing a lot of different colors. Here are some pictures of how that quilt turned out:
A few final thoughtsâŚ
The goal with this QAL is to use up scraps we already have, but sometimes we don't have what we need. A few of our QAL sponsors have put together color family FQ bundles to help fill in any color gaps that might be in your fabric stash. Feel free to shop around!
Also, there is no rule that says you can ONLY use scraps. I absolutely need to pull from my FQs or yardage from time to time. It's pretty rare that I have exactly how much fabric I need to finish a scrap quilt. I'll be doing a scrappy low volume background for my quilt, but you can use yardage for your background if you need (this also helps make a quilt look less busy if you are worried about that).
Ultimately, the word âscrappyâ means whatever you want it to mean. I want you to be happy with what you make, so do whatever you need to do to feel confident about the fabrics you are pulling.
Lastly, the scraps I'm using are very bright and colorful because I use bright and colorful fabrics very frequently. But not everyone does that, and fabrics that aren't bright and colorful are still beautiful. I have seen many incredible scrap quilts using muted fabrics, limited color palettes, two-toned scraps, etc. As long as you are using fabrics that you love, you will end up loving your scrap quilt - I promise! We will talk more about color palettes next week. But definitely spend some time dreaming up all the beautiful color combos and quilts you can make with the scraps that you have.
Images below are NOT by me. Click for credit.
WEEK 1 GIVEAWAY
Our Sponsor for Week 1 is Full Moon Fabric Company! Tara has generously offered one of her Build Your Stash color bundles to one lucky winner! To be entered into the giveaway:
Share a picture of your âScrap Situationâ to Instagram and let everyone know which quilt pattern you will be using.
If you've made it this far, thank you so much for reading. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. This step can be difficult, so if you are struggling I can help. I will also be going on Instagram Live at some point this week to answer questions and talk more in detail, so be on the lookout for that.
