2025 Final Countdown, Task Two
Posted on December 30, 2025 by prairiemoonquilts in The Final CountdownI know we worked on this one earlier in the year, and it’s also been a part of The Final Countdown several times, but the reason for that is because it usually always needs work! And based on some suggestions I got from a few of you, I’m including it again.
We’re going to:
Deal with the scrap pile
I know a lot of you have made fantastic progress getting your fabric and stash under control, and so many of you now have working systems that you love and are able to keep up and use easily, myself included. But . . .
If you’re creating at all, there’s always a few stray pieces that can use some attention, right?
Every single week, I’m digging through the drawers, pulling pieces off the shelves, riffling through the scraps, dropping random pieces in a basket, and getting things all in a mess again. Dealing with it sooner rather than later will certainly keep it from becoming a gargantuan task that seems way too overwhelming. I try to spend 15 minutes every weekend going through it and putting away what I can in the 15 minutes. But sometimes it gets ahead of me and needs a bit more time.
I mean for this task to just encompass scraps — leftovers from finished projects, bits and pieces a quilting friend gave you, trimmings from making blocks or backings, all the little pieces that pile up that seem to come out of nowhere and have nowhere to go.
However, if you want this task to include parts of your stash as well, go for it! You get to decide what parts and how much of your fabric and scraps you want to deal with for this task.
I’m still working my way through one final giant box of scraps that were mostly given to me by quilting friends. When I say giant, I mean it. The box is probably 3 feet high, and three feet square, and when I started, it was full and heaped over the top.
If you’ve ever processed even a small bag of scraps into whatever system you use, you know that it takes time, and even when you’re done, it doesn’t seem like you even made a dent in it. It reminds me of the time I went to spend the day with my friend, Rose Marie, and we sat in her studio and both cut pieces for scrap quilts from ONE brown grocery bag of scraps she had. We cut ALL day, with a break for lunch, and at the end of the day, there was still fabric in the bag! Two people, cutting all day, and we couldn’t make it through one grocery bag. So don’t ever fool yourself into thinking that “this’ll take no time at all!” Haha! The scraps are gonna win, if you don’t consistently keep after them.
And you may not get done with this task during The Final Countdown, unless you don’t have very many to start with. I know some of you don’t make scrap quilts, so maybe it’s time to gather all those scraps up and gift them to a friend!
I’ll be working on my giant box some more. I foolishly thought I’d get it finished up during 2025, but the box is still about half full. So I’m really hopeful that at some point during 2026, earlier rather than later, I’ll finally get it emptied out.
I know that once I do, I’m gonna be itching to start a brand new bunch of scrap quilts, so I’ll have to curb that enthusiasm until I get some things off that list I made yesterday! That’s gonna hurt.
For this task, I also want to make sure that I’ve gathered up any random bags or piles of scraps that came from other places besides the box. Those leftovers or abandoned project pieces that need to be given a place to live.
And once I’m done with the scraps, I intend to go through all the drawers in my cutting table again, and make sure I still love all that fabric. I told myself I’d give it a year after moving, then go through it all again, but it’s been well over a year, and I simply haven’t had the time. But once that big box is empty, I’ll be taking a look at all the drawers again. So I have future plans for fabric organization long beyond The Final Countdown. But it IS fun to play in the scraps!
Tune in tomorrow for Task Three!
Wow.. okay, now I have really been on top of this so I should enjoy putting the final touches on it.
I finally got my scraps in order in 2024. I keep them in clear, marked boxes based on square size or strip size thanks to my AccuQuilt (a life saver). I collect scraps in a basket, when the basket is full I put my AccuQuilt to work! On my list for 2026 is another scrap quilt to keep the amount of scraps I have “in control “!
I have an accuquilt. What sizes do you find most useful? I would love to use your method to get organized!
I recently did this as my stash is ever so growing. I went thru my drawers of fabric, usually under a half a yard and pressed and refolded all of them. I have drawers by color. I was able to eliminate some fabrics which I bagged up in small ziplock bags, with some orphan blocks that match along with some thread. These will be for our quilters guild action. Orphan blocks and some scraps that have marinated a bit, but not found away into a project.
My scraps are way out of control and it will take me a long time to get them organized. I’m not much of a scrap quilter, but I have friends who are! My plan for 2026 is to spend at least 1 morning a week working through my scraps, cutting and organizing. Thank you for your encouragement!
I have been folding my larger scraps and placing in bins where it is easy to pick out something. I have decided to attack my smaller scraps for twenty minutes a day to cut into usable squares. Hopefully this will help me get some order to the scrap kaos.
I successfully coordinated my lists of projects for the next year into one list with 2 short-term side lists. I am happy with that for Task #1.
I think Task #2 is specifically for me. I have been trying to tame my scrap blessings for the last couple of months. I was exceedingly blessed this year (& I am grateful because scrap quilts are my favorite), but the sorting is taking a LONNNNG time. However, my goal is to at least have all of the large baskets sorted into my color bins and into baskets of current projects for easier use by the end of the Final Countdown. No processing, just sorting by color/project. This is my usual method and I am happy with it for now.
Scraps! Every so often I re-manage them until I can see that particular idea isn’t working. More recently I revamped what I have and it seems to be working better. One thing I’ve started to do is keep scraps from each project together and make a quilt block from them. The only rule is it must finish at an even number. At the end of the year, hopefully a quilt will be made from the project blocks. After the block is made, the fabric is managed and put in the right scrap bin. Darks, lights, neutral, 2.5″ or 5″ squares.
Thank you for the push. I have finally emptied the clothes basket that was full of scraps that I “inherited” from somewhere.
And the basket is going to a friend so it can’t reproduce those scraps.
I went through my scraps in October and processed it into my scrap system or donated it to my guild’s yard sale. I’m sure there will be more by now.
My biggest bugaboo is the extra fabric left over from quilt backs after long arming. These are usually 12-18″ x the length/width of each quilt. That’s a lot of excess to deal with. Any suggestions?
I usually put them in my stash, with the batting removed, today I used one for a small quilt border. I now have a small enough piece to cut into 2.5” and 1.5” scraps.
those lengths are perfect for bindings. the downside is that it’s a little boring to have my binding match my backing, but it’s so convenient and avoids waste.
I have a small pile of scraps from a project left. Since we did the Challenge to cut up scraps, I do this after each project. I have found I only cut 2.5”, 2” and 1.5” sizes. Just finished a scrap quilt with 1.5” squares. Made 20 blocks, by sewing 9 patches then put them together in a 9 patch. Used 3” wide sashing and it is 80 X 80.
I also have a rolling cart that some people use for Scrapbooking, which I labeled the drawers with sizes. When a drawer gets full I start making a quilt.
Day one list…still at it. I had them all listed 2024 or was it Aug.2023… needless to say only 2 items were completed. I am rewriting it…it feels like the dictionary pages I had to write in 6th grade for misbehaving… This time around I seem to be open to let kits go, add the fabric to my stash. Not sure if that’s reality or maturity. What ever it is, it is time!
Day 2: I am up to clearing the random bits laying about. I haven’t decided on a cut plan for myself. I will reference other comments to help me decide.
We learned so much together. I am astounded that you mentioned me in the history of your fantastic quilting art achievements! I must do a few more things with my scraps. If God is willing.
I do like making scrap quilts, and since I didn’t do much quilting in 2025, this is not a huge problem, but I do have baggies of scraps that needs to be cut. Maybe I can get some cut and work on a small quilt.
I did it! I got the luckily small stack of scraps done this afternoon. Thanks for nudge.
I’ve never met anyone who manages their scraps like I do. I sort by colors entirely. When I’m looking for green, I want to see ALL my greens. Inside my green bin are all greens 3 yards or less, fat quarters, and gallon zip bags of scraps. if I happen to have certain size strips or squares, there’s another ziplock bag. This is the least complicated method I can imagine.
As you know, I LOVE scraps. I have a pretty good system that works for me: precut squares (1-1/2″, 2″, 2-1/2), plastic shoe box bins for small scraps, fabric totes for larger scraps. When I start a new project, I start with the smallest size practical and work my way up. I love the texture and variety only scraps can give.
I finished cutting my scraps last night while watching the New Years Eve countdown on tv. Only had 5 large baggies to do
Yeah! I did this yesterday. My pile wasn’t big as I try to keep organizing the scraps as they happen, but I did have a basket of stuff to go through and even found strips and squares already cut that I just hadn’t put in the correct bins. I also had a project tub of leftover scraps from 2 quilts so I cut a table runner from them and then cut the rest for my scrap tubs. As I worked on other projects, I just cut up the scraps as I went AND put them in the correct tubs!
Thanks Shelly. for inspiring us to organize and start the new year out right. I have about 75% of the scraps in a couple of totes and I will try to round up the rest of them. Hopefully this next year I can start cutting them up for scrap quilts.
I covered all your tasks!
https://swooze.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-final-countdown.html?m=1
I got a little pile of scraps worked up finally!! I know that I will be years in getting all of my scraps under control. I have accepted that as my reality.
Spent half a day cutting and sorting some of my smaller scraps. I got thru about 1/3 of what I thought was a small basket. It’s rather therapeutic but I have to wonder if it’s really worth the time. I usually end up giving them away. 🤪 I keep bigger pieces sorted by color and I go there first when I’m looking for just a small piece or want to make a sample block. Maybe next go around I’ll just sort out the bigger pieces and strips and pass the rest along. I can’t seem to throw them out but I can save them for someone else to trim up to smaller squares.
Think I’ve got all my projects listed now except the handwork ones. Oh, and there is a stack of projects set aside for deeper review. Guess I’m still in the messy middle.
Funny story here, I’m pretty good at keeping on top of my scraps and putting in their allocated locations. One of the groups I belong to wanted to do a scrap exchange. I had to start a bin and throw my scraps in there so I would have something for the exchange. I really didn’t want to give away my scraps that I had already cut into specific sizes.
Since I’ve been doing more slow-stitching types of projects lately, I had lots of scraps of various types of fabrics in numerous baskets. So I have now gone back to how I used to sort them, with one basket of just cottons and another of various types. I’m almost done a crumb quilt top, so I’ll use the cottons up in that. Thanks for another great challenge!
I have been working daily on the scrap pile, cutting only for scrap quilt projects in progress–mostly Christmas fabric lately. Since that season is past, I have started on other projects as well. Keeping at this in this manner, starting a few new projects now and then has really allowed me to keep the scraps down to one small container.