Confession: I've always been a scrap quilter. There's just something so magical about taking all those little pieces of fabric and giving them a new purpose.
I was recently accused of having a "more is more" outlook, and that's oh-so-true. I got bored way to easily to just work within collections!
Someone once told me, "I would actually use my scraps if I knew what to do with them." Wait, what? What do you mean you don't know what to do with them? You sew them together, silly goose!
That's when it hit me that not everyone's brain is wired for using fabric scraps. Kinda like not everyone's brain is wired for using up the leftovers in their fridge (which is my other specialty!). Here's the thing: there's zero judgment if you don't use your scraps. Just pop them in a bag and donate those suckers, because there are plenty of people out there (hello, it's me) who would LOVE to get your scraps and make something pretty from them.
Life is too short to be overwhelmed by your hobbies. So if the scraps are piling up and keeping you from being creative, toss em.
For the rest of ya (the ones who didn't just go throw away all of your fabric scraps), here are three reasons why you're overwhelmed by making scrap quilts, and what you can do about it:
Reason One: Your Colors Are All Over The Place
This one was where I went wrong for so. many. years. I had nursery fabrics, Halloween, Christmas, Americana, flannels, florals, and solids all mixed together.
Ummmmm...that's too much!
Making a scrap quilt is kinda like making fridge cleanout soup: you don't put ALL the things in it. Yes, that chocolate cake is good, but if you combine it with leftover taco meat? Gross!
Same with fabrics. Just because it was really pretty in the first quilt you made doesn't mean it'll be pretty in a scrap quilt.
Instead of sorting your scraps by color, try sorting them by occasion first:
Baby
Christmas
Halloween/Fall
Fourth of July
Etc
The holiday/occasion fabrics you can use in their own small scrappy projects. How cute would a set of fall potholders be? Or a Fourth of July bunting?
Then sort whatever is left by color, and don't feel obligated to use ALL the scraps in a scrap quilt! You can make a quilt that's mostly new fabric, and sneak just a few scraps in so it isn't completely scrappy.
Reason Two: Your Fabric Scraps Are Weird Sizes
This one tripped me up for SO long. What on earth am I supposed to do with these wonky pieces? Then I came up with a method of cutting them to uniform sizes, so they go together really quickly:
Cut all of your scraps into the sizes above, and then sew them together into 6 1/2" squares. They come together like magic!
Reason Three: It's Time-Consuming
I get it! Sorting through scraps is so much less fun than buying new fabric. However, it's like a lot of tasks: it isn't fun to do, but it feels much better when it's done.
I've been working a LOT on my mental stamina and making myself do things I don't want to do, and this quote shook me out of a serious funk (it was more like a grown-up tantrum).
Sorting your scraps is like cleaning out your junk drawer: yes, you can ignore in until you die and it's your kids' problem. But it feels SO GOOD to have it done. One of the easiest ways to get out of a creative funk is to clean your work space, and getting those scraps organized will definitely give you some inspiration to start a new project (like you needed inspiration!).
Soooo...are you a scrap quilter or no? Do you use a pattern when you make a scrap quilt? Let me know!
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