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i'm finding i have a ton of scraps .. but nothing organized.. how do you all do it??.. i'm hoping to get them organized this year and then.. tackle a bunch of scrap quilts.. this is a stash busting year for me.. and i need to get them organized so i can be more productive..

any help is appreciated..

I bought a bunch of plastic see-through shoe boxes for a dollar a piece and put my scraps in them. Most are by color, but some have a theme - like Christmas. I need some more and must mention that even though I have the boxes, I can say with all sincerity that I am NOT very organized!!! At least it is a start for me. I am not sure these boxes would be big enough for some quilters. I look forward to hearing other suggestions!
Susan

I have one of those 9-cube things from Target with 9 fabric bins. 2 are for crazy quilting fabrics, then the rest are sorted by colors: blue, purple, pink/red, orange/yellow, brown, black/white/multicolor, greens. The problem is now I need to use some up since the bins are getting full! I have a small-ish bedroom, so it looks more like furniture than the plastic bins on the shelf I had before.

If you have tons of scraps and really want to get them organized, take a look at Bonnie Hunter's system. http://quiltville.com/scrapusersystem.shtml While you are on her site, also read some of her tips and techniques (list is part of the way down on the left side).

I keep some but most scraps I pass on to other ladies who are addicted to scraps. I just don't have room for them anymore. (sigh)

I have a plastic three drawer tower that I use for anything bigger than my hand. I fold and sort by color (dark to light). The top drawer is for prints, holiday fabrics and such.

I have one shoe size tote that I use for the itty-bitty pieces. Those I use for paper piecing birthday cards and for my granddaughter to play with.

Good luck. I've been making scrap quilts for three years. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I also use the shoebox method, one color for each scrap, one for multi-colors or motifs, and a few for scraps with batting or scraps with fusible. I also have an open shoebox near my sewing machine where the scraps go til sorted.

I try to keep my scraps flat, not wadded up. That helps with storage space and keeps the scraps ready to use when needed.

Some scraps get cut into squares, although I am more likely to pull out those squares when I need a scrap of a certain color, not a block of a certain size. I have 2 bins of squares cut & stored in Ziplocs by size.

I have 4 shoeboxes of strips, about 2 colors per box. I "inherited" those from another quilter. Occasionally, I'll add a strip of my own to those boxes, if the strip looks big enough to do something with later.

I do a lot of PP (paper piecing), so I'm often digging around for a little bit of color. My scrap storage system seems to work well, and I can find what I need. The only maintenance is to sort & put away what's in the open shoebox when that gets full. Easy.

I am creating a system like Bonnie used (link above thanks to pvellelou!! ) And it's nice to have them (the scraps) all cut up into usable pieces - and no, I do not have so many that I need to colour code them in separate bags -yet!!!

But like most - it seems - on this board, this to is my year for getting my room under control. (the other day, I pulled out stuff and re-organized my room - and then when I was putting stuff back, I decided to start counting how many things I really do have on the go here..... : I have over 50 things that I am 'working' on..... I have to make this a more manageable number.... 3 or maybe 4 would be nice......) So, this is going to be a busy year for me - and I am thinking it will be going in to next year....

But getting my scraps under some sort of useable system is another goal for me.

I love to use these fabrics up and I love to have a variety of fabrics in a quilt to make it have movement and magic. If I need 'blue' in a certain square size that I have already cut up (it's in my system) I pull them out first and then use my yardage for the rest that I need to make a project!! And sometimes, I can get a good head start on my project by going through my scrap users system, and for me it feels so good to use up my collection and make a thing from scraps that some would have just thrown away!!!!

So, Shey, do not let yourself feel over whelmed when starting this adventure!! When I first decided I wanted to do this, I threw all my scraps into a bucket and when I wanted to cut it up, I just 'felt' like now would be a good time to pull out some things from the bucket and have some fun making pieces for my scrap savers system. I also, when I am sure I am done with this project, or the pieces are to small for backing or binding, I cut them up to add to my system. No stress, just fun and enjoy the process.

Yes, I also use plastic containers - shoe size ones, and put them in there, labeled on the front and I like it. This might change or it might not. For strips, I have them in bigger clear containers just because they are larger pieces to store, but they have so many uses it's fun!!

No, I do not separate seasonal fabrics from 'normal' ones in my system. They all play together when in a quilt and if it's too noticeable, save them for that 'seasonal' project!

Hope this helps.... if not, it's still how I do it!!

I started with a drawer unit on wheels by color...that filled up...moved into stacking units with much larger drawers - still by color but now I've added the bigger pieces to it. Anything smaller than a FQ go in these. Some just go into a laundry basket - DGD pulls from there

LOL, I'm supposed to organize them?

Mine are just stuffed into a pop up hamper, and if I need something I root around til I find it. One of these years....

I love scraps and cannot get enough of them. I keepmine in large containers and not sorted. My scrappy quilts are all colors and all seasons of fabrics. The crumb quilt I made for race for the cure last fall was all colors and all seasons. That was what I was asked for. The lady who asked me to make it said that that is what the people look for at that particular race.

I started to sort scraps but it was making me crazy so now I just sort into baskets of larger pieces...yet not yardage, small scraps and strips. It's not perfect but I can dump out the baskets and start to look at the scraps in a smaller grouping. Works for me. I do pass along scraps and don't keep everything as I don't have the room for it.

Mine are pretty much just dumped together. I've started a bin of cut sizes but haven't gotten very far. I have a small bin that's handy to just stuff scraps in to get them off the table and out of the way. When it gets full, they get put into a larger bin.

quote:

Originally posted by Holly in South Jersey:
LOL, I'm supposed to organize them?

Mine are just stuffed into a pop up hamper, and if I need something I root around til I find it. One of these years....

I use Holly's method.

Yay Holly!!! I was feeling guilty for the way I keep my scaps.. .all willy nilly. !lol

quote:

Originally posted by Holly in South Jersey:
LOL, I'm supposed to organize them?

Love it!

Last winter I decided to micro-organize my stash.

FQs and above got wrapped onto boards for standup storage. Then the fun began and it is still going on.

Less than a FQ became pre-cuts in all shapes and sizes, going from 1 1/2" to 10 1/2". I have plastic drawers which store squares, triangles, HSTs and strips by size. A dumb luck find at the Family Dollar store was small nested towers of three which hold the squares, triangles and HSTs of the smaller sized cuts. That leaves lots of room for the strips. The larger cuts (4 1/2" - 5 1/2") are in shoe boxes with dividers and also in one of those drawers.

The largest cuts (6 1/2" - 10 1/2"), are in flat containers now but will be rolled and kept in divided drawers as soon as I empty those drawers out.

It's been a case of divide and at some point, hopefully, conquer.

But my favorite storage is my 13" Zip-lock bags full of crumbs and strings. lolllll I can just dump them out and search for what I want. I'm intimidated by my reorganization. lolllll

This message has been edited. Last edited by: paus4quilts,

Originally my stuff was stored by color or theme. They are still sorted by color and theme but the colors are mixed. I think I may go back and do a further sort by color within their groups.

I just found a suggestion on Pinterest that I am going to use. It's just an over the door shoe organizer with clear pockets.I might need more than one if I don't start sewing again soon.

I started with Bonnie Hunter's ideas. FQ's and larger aren't scraps to me, so they reside in stash.

Set up a plastic drawer for 2" strips and there are 3 rows inside (light, med, dark). Repeat for 2.5" strips. Then, I have a plastic shoe box for all strips narrower than 2". The larger pieces which won't easily be cut into strips (3.5" squares for example) have their own drawer. I started this in Dec, so I haven't used it yet to make a quilt, but as I finish a project, it's nice to figure out where to put the leftovers and get them filed away.

y'all are coming up with some great ideas.. keep them coming!!.. i guess the first step for me is to get the plastic containers.. lol.. (i just got a big new storage rack to put them on).. and then to decide what size i use the most .. so i cut what i'll use.. (#1..def.. 2.5" strips.. i LOVE jelly roll quilts)..

another question... do you store your batiks separately??.. or are your scrappy quilts a mixture of regular and batik scraps??..

Some organizing eye candy to inspire you:

http://withinaquarterinch.word...now-where-to-put-it/

Some of those ideas are similar to what I do.

Best thing to do is look at all sorts of ideas and think about how something might work, given the different amounts of stuff to store and the available spaces in our sewing areas/houses. You have to have a system where you can find things again, and be willing to put them back where the came from or put away new pieces. In other words, it has to be a system you can work with comfortably. No sense getting drawers for FQ's if you don't want to fold them & you prefer to see them out all the time. (I don't have the time to look thru 2 separate color areas so my FQ's live among my other cuts.)

Baby steps -- try a few boxes first & see how they work before you invest in a whole room of plastic storage.

I have one last (?) suggestion -- get a label maker that prints out little sticky labels. I have to put labels on my storage drawers & boxes as "notes" to myself, or I'd waste time trying to remember where I put things away so neatly. It's especially a problem when you first get organized and you're not used to the new locations for everything. Eventually, the labels will remind you that you already bought so-and-so and it's in this drawer. Group like things together -- that's important for my memory & works for me!

quote:

Originally posted by shey..:
another question... do you store your batiks separately??

Yes -- and inside my one fabric cabinet door is a note that says, "Have you considered a batik?" That reminds me to think sideways when choosing fabric pieces for a project.

I added a second note reminding myself to think about a solid, too, as that once solved a color problem I was having.

I hate precutting fabric until I know what I'm going to use it for. I just know that I will cut the wrong size (5" squares when I ultimately find a pattern that calls for 6 1/2" squares). However, I have been sorting out my strips. I have one container of 2 1/2" strips but small pieces of those I immediately make into 4 1/2" four patches and keep in a ziploc bag. Skinnier strips I keep in a box until I have a lot then spend an afternoon making strip squares. I have a big ziploc bag of them accumulating. I have a cookie dough tub beside my machine for small scraps that I dump into another container and when that gets full, I spend time making crumb blocks that go into another bag!

I'm trying to not get overwhelmed with scraps by making them into usable pieces that will go together quickly for donation quilts, etc.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Quiltinana2,

I've been cutting 6 1/2", 4 1/2" and 2 1/2" squares from my scraps since the first of the year to have ready to go when l need them. I keep the in plastic drawers, too. I posted a pic on the StaShbusting thread of all thr squares.

LOL!! I am with Holly on this one. I pitch into a large trash bag and if someone offers to do them up for QWL they are ready to with them. And if some else doing charity works can use them off they go. If I cann't get a handle on my larger pieces of fabrics and all the bolts of fabric I have, don't think I could ever get a handle onto the scraps. But love reading this post. Maggie

Rainbow great idea.

Shey, on the question on do I store batiks separately - No. Not at all - actually never thought about them as being 'special' so should be treated differently!!

They are fabric - and get treated as such!!!

And besides, batiks and 'normal' fabrics look great together!!!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: L.L.,

I agree with Starry on storing FQs with my other fabrics. If I want a certain color/fabric, I want to look in one place. That's why I've wrapped my FQs on boards, they stand amongst the other pieces of the same color or theme.

I did want to mention that while I don't have my scraps sorted by colors they are sorted by tones...light, med or dark. I thought this would work but I really am thinking I'd rather it done by actual color. It's kind of a hassle, for me, to find a certain color when I need it.

Organize my scraps? LOL! Oh my! Isn't it enough that they're in my sewing room in several plastic boxes & some in baskets? LOL! Last year during an "in between project period" I went thru ALL of my fabric remeasured & sorted by color. BUT then I had a problem trying to find "matches" for a quilt. I love the look of scrappy but with a very bad case of OCD I have to do coordinated quilts instead. That's why I don't usually buy FQs & have so many leftover pieces of blocks/triangles etc. I would really love to do a "crumb" quilt with all those pieces but can't talk myself into it yet. Is there such a person that can come to my house & clean out & organize my scraps? Wow! What an idea! I'd pay a lot of money (LOL! Like I have THAT kind of **** LOL) for that to happen!

Anyway, now I'm "between" again & guess what? I've gone back to putting projects together by "coordinating" them by colors AGAIN! AARRGGHH!!!!!

Sorry for the seemingly long post. But, guess what? I've been thinking..a sentence that causes my DH to brace himself. In redoing what I've done in the past I have taken stock in what kind of scraps I have. Most of my quilts are done with charms & a lot with 2" & 2 1/2" strips I donna make a quilt with a combo of everything. Not a BIG one maybe just a crib size to see how my OCD brain will take to scrappy. I'll let you know how it progresses.

Gina

quote:

Originally posted by GeeGeeQuilts:
BUT then I had a problem trying to find "matches" for a quilt.

If I buy some coordinating pieces but they will be stored separately due to color differences, I either clip a note to one of the pieces telling me where to look for the coordinates, or else take snippets of them all & put them in a notebook together. I just need a little visual clue like that sometimes to remind me what I have & where it is.

If it's a project I'm going to work on soon, the fabric gets put together in one area of my sewing room that's reserved for pending projects. It doesn't get added to the "general population" of fabrics in the room.


I'd love to make a living by organizing stashes and scraps! But you'd have to check my pockets or frisk me on the way out...

GeeGee: I wanted to make some treat bags for my DGGS at Halloween and found all I had were scraps and crumbs of that kind of fabric. I spent daaayyyyssss trying to make things match or balance. No, I'm not OCD, just like things to fit together.

Then one night I realized my time was slipping away and threw everything into one shoe box and whatever came out, came out and got attached. The bags went much more quickly and were a lot more fun. lollll

You can do it, too. It's a big step I'll grant you but it works and it is a relief.

Thanks Starry & Paus

Sounds like a workable plan for me. I'll try these ideas & see what works. Probably a new example of WIP. I am working really hard trying to reduce my stash before buying anything new. So far, so good. This might help.

Gina

Holly's method for me except I use copy paper boxes! When sewing, they go into either a rwb or "all others" block. That is as much as I sort them... Chris

I use Bonnie Hunters method. That being said-all the fabric I cut strips for for the last CYOC swap I was in, is still on top of my cutting table waiting,waiting,waiting for me to get in there and re-sort and put in their proper boxes.

I just realy need to be in the mood. So far I haven't been. I hope that changes soon.

Pam

i generate a ton of scraps from my etsy purse shop, so I just give them to Rondiquilts, she turns them into awesome quilts.

geegee - i'm in the same boat - but i found one small thing that I CAN do with my crumbs! I saw a rainbow colored crumb quilt somewhere and decided that my brain would allow me to put all yellows together, all blues, etc. So i've started making yellow, blue, red, violet, etc crumb blocks when they get big enough and when i have enough, i'll sash them up and have a crumb quilt ready to go
I am extremely jealous of those of you who can make scrappy quilts - but i will get there one day!!

Char

well... i've started... decided since i primarily use 2.5" strips and 5" charms... i'll start with those.. full length strips.. less than full length.. bricks 2.5 x 4.5 and 2.5 in squares.. wow.. this is going to take a while to get under control i think... :0 .. but i know once it's done it will make it soooo much easier to do lots of scrap quilts..

so i guess i'll do the... 20 min a day or so.. of cutting and trimming... and work on ufo's when i'm done.. (i have a ton of those to work on too... )..

i have to add... OMG!!.. what a mess i'm making just trying to organize my bins.. but i do understand that in order to make it nice and organized you have to make a huge mess.. can't wait till its more functional..

This message has been edited. Last edited by: shey..,

shey, I am sitting here laughing, not at you but hopefully with you.

I started my reorganization as a way to spend time with Gary while he watched TV. Sounded like a good and thoughtful task. My living room and dining room are still a shambles. lolllll And I have worked very hard getting things in shape. I have boxes, bags, containers of all kinds scattered here and there trying to find what will work. Then I finally got the tower of drawers and that got rid of some of the mess but there is still more to go. And it's of such a nature I wouldn't dare just throw it all together and call it quits.

It takes a while if you didn't start while your stash, and scraps, were small. Mine was large. Now I've made it a habit when I cut a fabric to look at it with a critical eye and decide where it will fit in my organization before putting it aside.

I wish you good luck and a lot of patience.

My stash is in chaos at the moment. What takes weeks of organization can take less than an hour to "undo." I sort in many ways--but it does not stay organized very well...perhaps something is wrong with my plan! I keep some precut strips and squares, but not all that many. I enjoy using many different techniques so precutting sometimes limits my options. I keep some color sorted small scraps in small containers--works well to rapidly find something. I also like to keep drawers (larger than small scrap bins) with similar colors/styles of fabrics (works excellent for scrap quilts). Extra small scraps are also contained in these "color" drawers. I especially like to do this for my vintage/country style fabrics. I put smaller chunks of these together--larger pieces for the most part are grouped by color on shelves with dividers (I can rapidly see what else I can mix in when planning a quilt). I add to these drawers as space permits. I keep FQ's and quarter yards separate, stacked in a drawer with one edge up so I can see the color of all of them at a glance. I keep current projects in another set of drawers--one drawer for each started project until it is a pieced top. Batiks and flannels are separated.

I have a 12 ft. quilting table. 6 of those three drawer plastic containers from walmart fits under that table perfectly. I dont sort, when I pick up scraps off the floor or left overs from projects, they just get stuffed into the drawers.
I ran out of room so I started buying more drawers and what do you know they fit perfectly under the back side of the table. The table was made from 2X4's which I hide by putting a cloth skirt around the table. Walllaaaaa scraps out of site and out of mind until you want to look for something you need.

I dont know what I will do with any scraps in the future because there is absolutely no more room in my sewing room for another three drawer plastic container thingy.

Thanks for the question because I am in dire need of the answer!!!!!!

Warm Buns, the only thing I can suggest, short of making a ton of scrap quilts (or sending me all your scraps?) is to lay the scraps flat, not bunch them up. You can usually fit a lot more flat pieces in a given space. If this means getting the iron out & pressing, then pick an evening with something good on TV. Try it with one drawer first & see if it frees up space.

This was interesting reading! The eye candy link from Starry Sky left me with serious stash envy! But I also think that her extreme organization shows she has too much time on her hands LOL.

In the beginning - I purchased only what I needed for a project & there was always a little left over to keep. Then I started purchasing a little extra of everything & there was always more extra left over. My storage problems began when I started purchasing just because I really liked a fabric without a purpose in mind.

When I found I liked paper piecing I couldn't throw away smaller pieces from all projects "because I might need them in PP projects.

I have NO ROOM left in my sewing/craft room...and I like it.

In case you didn't see this on Facebook today, I thought I'd bring it over here to share.

With all the great advice, comments and woes, I think it is very appropriate.

I keep scraps in a file box and once it overflows I cut them up into 5",4",2.5" and 2" squares or 2.5" & 2" strips. My strings (oddball widths or wonky unevens) go into my string bin.

I love making scrappy quilts and there are so many jelly roll and charm patterns to choose from. And, I love to swap them too!

My 5" charms are in the totes bins and my 2.5" strips are in the drawer unit & the Artbin containers. They are sorted by type (batik, Christmas, autumn, floral, shabby, etc) and by color. I keep the other sizes in plastic drawer organizer bins in a plastic drawer unit under my sewing machine table (not nearly as many!).

When I get my UFOs under control I think I could spend a fun year making only charm & jelly roll quilts or maybe more than one year...

ASL, that is a beautiful & useful storage system that no quilter could resist! I love the labels, too, and that's the kind I use. It's like talking to yourself, which I do all the time anyway.

That's what I'm hoping for!!!! Wish I had started something like this back when cuz getting there now is taking forever.

wow... asimplelife... that looks fantastic.. i can only hope when i see the light at the end of the tunnel... (in other words... the organization at the end of the mess!!).. it will as look as nice as yours does!!... i do need to get me a label maker thingie..

paus... you make me laugh... and yes laughing with you.. but i am also very hopeful that it won't be years living with the mess... i am fortunate tho that i do have a sewing studio.. so i can just .. close the door if i need to.. lol... oh and... i'm starting with a lot of stash and scraps to organize.. so i've got a lot going on here.. i've resigned myself to the fact that it's not going to be a quick fix and it's going to take some time.. patience and dedication to get it done.. (not that i have those.. but i can try!)..

another question... .. you all talk about leaders and enders and crumb blocks.. what are they??.. how do you do them??.. and what are they for??..

quote:

Originally posted by shey..:
i do need to get me a label maker thingie..

I use the white plastic tape rolls in my Dymo label maker. Those labels hold up much better than the labels made from the paper tape rolls, and the plastic labels are repositionable. The other refill choice they sell is clear tape, but that's too hard to see on the clear containers.

Here's a good explanation of Leaders & Enders:

http://quiltville.blogspot.com...s-whys-and-hows.html

Oops, forgot Crumbs:

http://quiltville.com/crumbs.shtml

More beautiful scrap storage/usage inspiration:

http://www.persimondreams.com/...2012-wip-report.html

http://www.107quilts.com/2011/05/bee-blocks-may.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42497863@N07/6714456247/

http://www.dontcallmebetsy.com...d-scrappy-block.html

http://capitolaquilter.blogspo...stival-catalyst.html