Studio Organizing, Week 30

Posted on July 23, 2015 by prairiemoonquilts in Studio Organizing Challenge

Whew! Thursday again already! That week sure flew by fast.

I swear I worked on my cutting table mess, but it doesn’t really look like it:

islandmess

Seriously, most of that is stuff I’m working on. In another week, it’ll still be loaded with stuff I’m working on, but it will look entirely different!

I did make note while working on it that I have a lot of little scraps piling up — not just fabric that needs to be put away, but little pieces that need to be dealt with.

Which leads me to this week’s task:

Deal with the scrap pile

The fabric that I keep in bins is larger pieces. The smaller pieces I sort into various places, according to how I’ll use them. Some of them I cut up into certain sizes, and I have bins for those. That’s what I need to do this week. Sort all the little pieces that are slowly building up in piles everywhere.

How about you?

Do you chuck your little pieces in a pile, then seem to never have time to deal with them?

This is your week, too, then!

It’s time to deal with them. If you cut your scraps into certain sizes, then that’s your task. If you sort them by color, it’s time to get sortin’!

I cut mine into the following shapes and sizes:

1″ squares (for a work in progress)
1 1/2″ squares
1 1/2″ strips
2″ squares
2″ strips
2 1/2″ squares
2 1/2″ strips
3 1/2″ squares
3 1/2″ strips
4″ squares
5″ squares
6″ squares
7″ squares

I also cut 1 1/8″ strips for locker hooking.

All triangular or irregular pieces go into a metal bucket to use for “made fabric” a la Victoria and her 15 Minutes of Play, or for applique.

All my tiniest pieces get sorted by color into baskets to use for applique.

That’s a lot of sorting! But it’s very very handy when I want to work on something scrappy, to have it all at hand and ready to go.

Normally, I don’t devote any time to it, I just make the cuts while I’m already cutting — that way I don’t have to handle it twice. But sometimes, it gets ahead of me, and then it has to be dealt with. That’s the stage I’m at.

I’ll be dealing with my scraps this coming week — will you be joining me?

9 responses to “Studio Organizing, Week 30”

  1. Karen says:

    That’s a great idea, to cut scraps to sizes. I just sort them by color right now, so this will be good to try this week.
    I have been busy re-organizing, so here’s my update on the challenges: http://fortheloveofneedleandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/07/studio-organizing-update.html

  2. Sue Hook says:

    I did get my cutting table cleaned this week. I finished a couple of projects I have been working on for a while which really helped. Scraps – I could really be more organized with this. I have four bins I keep my scraps in no matter size of color. Once the are to full and no more can fit – it is time to make a scrappy quilt. I am able there.

  3. Kathy says:

    I save all my scraps. Long short big or small. When I have enough I make a flannel pillow case and stuff it with them. then I take them to out humane society and the dogs love them. I make big ones and small ones. Our guild president made a T-shirt quilt and gave me enough to do a pillow for a big dog. I save even my batting scraps etc. They love them.

  4. Meloney says:

    I had a hard time figuring out what I needed to tackle on this one. I finally decided pressing and trimming my hst.
    http://melsquiltingblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/prairie-moon-organization-challenge.html
    It should be something to help.
    I thought I was going to report I finished going through all my magazines. Well, not so. I found so many more from the downstairs bookshelves. 🙁
    I want to keep some of the books I found too, so they will come upstairs. have room on the shelves, so they will be home in the studio.

  5. Rose Marie says:

    my way of coping with these scraps…………I give you all of the little ones. The rest go in a bin. That bin is almost full. I gotta do something to take stuff out of the bin. I also throw away some things that “could” be used, but will they? Remember that old quilting sister, now long gone to her reward, who had a bin labeled, “pieces too small to be used.” ? I always thought I would avoid that madness.

  6. swooze says:

    My table is cleanish. I did do some sorting of scraps and got the strips containerized. I need to decide how to proceed with the rest and get to cutting.

  7. I am president of my local quilt guild and we got a large donation of fabric from a deceased quilter. After I had sorted out to give to various groups in our guild who make charitable quilts, I pressed, cut and folded a bunch of fat quarters, eighths and layer cakes to use in our guild. I now have a pile of scraps which I am cutting up to go into my scrap saver system which is almost identical to yours. Whew!!!!
    Kathy

  8. Before I get to my scraps, I realized my de-stash was one big mess, so I rearranged that instead. I found as I handled them pieces I no longer wanted so I’m giving 20 yards to my guild for our Pay and Take table – proceeds toward community service – mainly batting.

  9. Karen says:

    I know I’m behind, but I got side-tracked playing with my scraps, and just got around to posting about it. http://fortheloveofneedleandthread.blogspot.ca/2015/08/studio-organizing-update.html
    My 7 year old daughter really likes helping me out with these challenges!

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