The Evolution of a Stash
Posted on February 20, 2023 by prairiemoonquilts in Quilts, Stash TalesWhen I first started quilting nearly 50 years ago, I started out with one big garbage bag of scraps that was given to me by my Great-Aunt Charlotte. It wasn’t sorted in any way, shape, or form, and I just riffled through it for what I wanted to use.
I also started out making completely scrappy quilts because that’s what was in the bag, and as a teenager, I couldn’t afford to go buy yardage for quilts.
Fast forward about 25 years: I had a good job, and was attending big quilt shows quite often — quilt shows that had vendors! I bought a lot of fabric, and told myself I was building a stash. And boy, did I build a stash! And from what I saw at some of those shows, I wasn’t even building mine as fast as some of those other quilters– haha!
I also accepted just about any fabric that other quilters wanted to throw my way. Bags of scraps, boxes of yardage, goodies I found at yard sales, estate sales, and antique stores, and opportunities to clean out abandoned houses, even.
Sounds like a mess, huh? Well, it gets better . . . (or worse, as the case may be . . .)
I’ve found that, over the years, as you make scrap quilts, you simply end up with smaller and smaller scraps. So I became really interested in using tiny pieces to make large quilts. A few cases in point . . .
My MixMash quilt:
Mad Dash (I’m on my third one of these):
My Log Cabin Challenge quilt:
Plus more!
And . . . you can probably guess that I have several more in the works.
A Snowball quilt:
A quilt using triangle trimmings:
And some more I’ll show you as this series continues.
Even tho I keep the bigger pieces in my stash sorted by color, I don’t generally keep my tiny scraps sorted by color (but some of them are). I know this makes no sense. There’s no rhyme nor reason why I do some of the things I do! To each his own, huh?
All of my odds and ends of scraps are in a couple of large tubs for now, and I keep working my way through them (slowly). I may change my scrap storage method, once I get the tubs gone through, but it takes a really long time to work through a tub of tiny scraps. Right now, I’ve been working on this bag for the entire month of February, and I still don’t have it emptied out!
But as I work through the bag, I’m cutting pieces for all of the scrap quilts I have going on, so each of them is getting moved along quite nicely.
At some point, I’ll have enough pieces cut for those quilts, and will either have to store what’s left, or come up with more scrap quilt ideas!
As I work through bags like this, I also cut a few for my pre-cut sizes that I keep in my rolling cart (which are not sorted by color, just by size).
Strings go in the string bucket:
Some chunks go in the chunk bucket for my Tile quilt and for use in appliqué projects:
So if you like to use the smallest of scraps, and like me, have trouble throwing any piece away, maybe some of these links will inspire you. None of these quilts is a race for me . . . I just keep throwing stuff at them as I process more scraps.
Years ago, I wrote about how I store some of my scraps and pre-cuts HERE, but I’ve since changed it to make it easier to use, and I’ll talk about that later.
I’ll also post more about how I store the scraps that aren’t in use at any given moment. And I’ll have some new scrap quilt tutorials for you as well, for even more ideas on how to use them up! Stay tuned . . . the series will continue.
I love your mixmash quilt. Of course I do have a fetish for tiny logs. 😉
And you do such wonderful things with them!
Love this post. I have forwarded this email to a quilter friend who, like you, doesn’t toss fabric. I need to get busy sorting out my scrap mess.
Your story is very similar to mine. It differs because you make fun quilts with your smallest pieces! Let me say your post warms my heart! I was just thinking earlier today that my small scraps, which are in baggies and small containers and then placed in bigger bags, take a lot of space “underfoot” making it hard to use my cutting table!
Your story reminds me of myself. I try to use what fabrics I have instead of buying more. My quilting friends give me their “left overs” so now I end up making scrap quilts because I like them the best. I have a very large box in my sewing room closet filled with cut squares in baggies of all colors but sorted by size. When I need a certain size, all I do is use the baggie with that particular size. My scrap treasures are not sorted by color but my larger cuts are. Trying to use up what I have.
yas. I may be one of the people giving Bev scraps lol.
I love all your scrappy quilts, they are beautiful. Thank you for sharing your truths of how your stash developed over the years. It is inspiring to see how you keep trying to use it up & tame it.
Happy Sewing
I have been practicing scrap birth control. I seem to not use yellow very much I don’t have any yellow scraps??? Or perhaps the Ukraine Heart quilt ate them. I have been tossing all but my Fassett/Tula Pink scraps that are less than 2.5 square. Hard hard but I am really trying to use up YARDAGE… Damn. I love the quilt you showed. I may do a snowball scrappy. Oh I am making scrappy crayon blocks as well.
horrors!
I think I have every scrap that was ever given to me. I really must make a postage stamp quilt!
This is one of my favorite subjects. Loving this series!
As previously mentioned, I don’t keep scraps. But one thing I just can’t seem to throw out are those triangles made from “snowballing” corners or the one HST from two blocks piecing. I sew, press, and trim as I go. Smaller than a 3″ (2.5″ finished) HST and the pieces are in the trash. I trim to even numbers. I have dolly quilts in a drawer near my sewing machine and as I clean up, I add HST’s to them until they are doll bed size and creating a never-ending supply to give to little ones as the “need” arises. Have made quite a few into Barbie-sized sleeping bags, too.
Oh Shelly! If I had known at the very beginning of my quilting life that scraps could accumulate the way that they do, I may have thrown them all out! When you save them, then you are never justified in throwing any scraps away, and subsequently have to dream up ways of storing and using them. Like stray cats, you may even end up with others’ scraps! It’s never ending!
I love this blog!!!! I keep a bag under my cutting table where I throw all my small scrap pieces. Until now I’ve only used them for crumb quilting. I’m thinking about going thru them and start a postage stamp quilt. What size are your scrap blocks?
Shelly, Your scrap projects are lovely! I have a lot of scraps, squares, triangles and they just sit there. I really need to do something with them. Thanks for the inspiration.
I love you, Shelly!!!! You are so real!!! All my triangles go in the see-through plastic Still Stripping bag for when I feel the pinwheels calling me. I’ve used most of the dark ones so need to go through some more boxes. I might also keep the Postage Stamp in mind. But….I’ll wait to see what else you have to share with us. You are such a good person! Hugs…..
My stash accumulation has similar roots to yours except friends are who started my stash. If people give me their scraps in clear recycling bags then that is where the scraps live until I use them. I’m firmly convinced that quilting cotton contains at least 50% rabbit fur since scraps multiply so fast in close corners. I think I have 4 scrap quilts going currently: String quilt, Chain of Diamonds, Strippers Delight 1 and Strippers Delight 2.
I have made dozens of community service quilts from scraps…………some quite small and some pretty large. But I am moving to a new agenda. I am going to make regular quilts out of the stash and scraps. I have a Missouri Star one under way and another magazine published scrap thing almost ready to start. My sister down in Arkansas will be relieved. No more scrappy quilts sent to her to quilt and find homes for. Whew!! If you think about it, our grandmothers and great-grandmothers made their bed size quilts out of leftover sewing scraps. We can do this too!!!
Shelly you are definitely a scrap master! The quilts are beautiful. I love the MixMash and I have the pattern for Mad Dash….and your post comes just when I’ve been toying with the idea of passing on my scraps cause I just can’t keep up. Now I’m thinking I might have to start the Mad Dash…just can’t decide on colors.
I’m planning a move, hopefully this year, that is going to force me to downsize. The choices are so hard! I’m a scrap quilt lover for sure, those quilts made from a line of fabric just don’t sing to me the same.