The Process of Processing

Posted on March 20, 2023 by prairiemoonquilts in Stash Tales

Dealing with the scraps can sometimes be a process. There are all sorts of ways to deal with them. You can throw them all into one big tub (I have several tubs full). You can sort them out by color, no matter the shape or size (I have some sorted like this as well). You can box them up and give them away (I also do this, simply because I have too many, and there are certain types of fabrics that I don’t ever sew with, so I pass them on to someone who will).

Or . . . you can “process” them — turn them into usable shapes and sizes that work for your projects. This is my favorite way to deal with them. I know this takes time, and at the time you’re doing it, it can seem like time wasted, but I have found that the time spent processing now is time saved later on down the road, and it feels good then.

If you have a good system in place, you can process your scraps as you go, which prevents them from having to pile up in tubs elsewhere. With my new scraps, this is the point I am at. I keep a basket on my cutting table, and as I cut out quilt pieces — for any quilt — I either cut the scraps up into specific sizes right then while I’m cutting, or I put them in the basket to be dealt with on weekends. If there is anything in the basket on the weekend, I spend a few minutes processing it so that I can start the next week out “clean”!

But what about those tubs of older scraps? Or the bags or boxes given to me by other people? Well, I always say you can’t use it if you don’t even know what you have, so I spend a few minutes each week processing stuff from the bags and boxes.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking this is a quick thing (even if your bag or box is small). It takes time. Since my scraps are all crammed into said bag or box, they first have to be pressed. I just do this a handful at a time.

During the pressing process, I sort them.

Strings are put aside for the string bucket. Selvages and triangles are set aside for my friend, Barb. Pieces too small for anything are thrown away. The rest are pressed and taken to the cutting table to be cut into usable sizes.

Here’s what that handful looks like after being sorted and pressed:

If I have time, I cut them up right away, just to have them done. If I don’t have time to cut them up right then, they go in the basket to be dealt with on the weekend.

Here’s what that pile looks like after being cut up into my preferred sizes and added to my little stacks:

As for HOW I cut them up, I cut them into my preferred pre-cut sizes that I keep in my rolling cart, but I also cut any pieces that I can for any scrap quilts I have going on. So in that pile above, you can see some regular pre-cut sizes, but also lots of pieces for scrap quilts I’m working on. If any more triangles emerge while cutting, I set those aside for Barb, too.

The last thing to do with them is put them where they belong, either in the drawers of the rolling cart or stored with each ongoing project so they can be used.

The main reason I don’t consider this to be time wasted is because . . . when I’m ready to start a scrap project, or I just want to make one scrap block at a time, or I need some filler pieces for another scrap quilt, I can simply go to the appropriate drawer and pull out pieces that are already cut.

I recently started a new scrap quilt, and the first thing I did was pull from the pre-cut drawers, and by the time I did that, my new quilt was already nearly halfway cut out — it saved me so much time cutting out the new quilt, that I got it done in a short time and could begin sewing right away! And it keeps my pre-cut drawers from overflowing!

I’ll talk a bit more about that in a future post — about how I use the pre-cut pieces that I store in the drawers. I know this method is not for everyone — it all depends on how many and what types of scraps you save, how you work, and what types of quilts you make. But if any little bit of this information helps spark an idea on how to organize and use your stash a bit more efficiently, then I’m happy to help!

7 responses to “The Process of Processing”

  1. Sandy says:

    I can’t deal with scraps without feeling overwhelmed. I am thinking about following Jessica’s approach from Sew Sweet. She recommends making something with the scraps from a project immediately, like a coordinating pillow or runner, before putting the leftovers into scrap storage. Unfortunately, I have packaged coordinating leftovers for that purpose, but they haven’t made their way out of the ziplock bags yet.

    • Moira says:

      One simple suggestion that I saw recently on the lat homely house was to create a belt for the quilt from any left over binding. You make a ‘bed roll’ of the quilt then use the belt to hold it.

      I’m not explaining it very well but it’s a super simple idea.

  2. Marilyn Holder says:

    Mine get cut into leaders/enders, 2.5 inches and 2 inches and usually get sewn right away because I am sewing and need them.

  3. Moira says:

    I process my background fabrics (WOW’s, COC’s, and others) into the sizes that I typically use for blocks. But any other colors I leave as is because I never know what sizes I’m going to need them cut into or if I’ll need something for fusible applique.

  4. Candice says:

    I, too, usually take the scraps from a quilt I just finished and make it into a pillow. My deadline is when I pick up the quilt from my longarmer. The remaining scraps get stuck in tubs sorted by colors. My smallest scraps are thrown into a bag under my cutting table. I’m fond of crumb quilting. I just started working on the Tile Quilt you showed us, so hopefully that will use up a lot of the smaller pieces.

  5. Debbi says:

    I get so torn up over scraps…should I spend all the time managing them or should I just sew from my yardage…I have a bazillion fat quarters I like to use for scrappy quilts. Scraps can feel defeating due to their breeding habits 😂 I’ve just got to sew faster! Or share more with others.

    I’m trying to keep it simple so I don’t make a lot of precuts. I do keep 2.5, 2, and 1.5 strips and squares that are leftover from projects but I’m not actively cutting them anymore…sometimes a square if that is all the bigger the scrap is. I’m sorting by color and will cut for projects as needed. The only problem I see that I might have with this system is that my drawers aren’t big enough. That may be the clue that it’s time to cut a new project or purge.

    I used to cut all the fabric left from a quilt into a multitude of strips and squares. It takes a lot of storage and I found I didn’t use them. I also don’t like how the edges of the pieces get frayed over time.

  6. katie z says:

    I love the convenience of the processed scraps too! I keep 1”, 1.5”, 2”, and 2.5” strips, squares, triangles, and bricks. Each one fits in a 12? quart box, and as I don’t have a huge stash, the scrappy remnants of things add variety.

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