Cutting & Sorting Scrap Fabric in a Simple Way

Already 10 days passed, but Happy New Year 2023 🥳 Everyone!

One of my sewing & quilting goals this year is to USE scrap fabric 😊, and I am sure many of you have the same goal! In order to achieve this goal together, I am going to share every scrappy project I do this year in my blog. So, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter to get some ideas for your scrappy project!

In this post, I am sharing my tips on cutting and sorting scrap fabric for useful sizes in a very simple way. I want to make this sorting process simple as possible for us, busy quilters 😉 as we all have multiple projects. So, if you agree with me, here it is.

Brainstorming

Before jumping into this, let’s ask a few questions to ourselves. “What kind of projects do I enjoy making?”, “What shapes do I use the most?”, “What size blocks do I make often?” and so on. Also think about the precut sizes. There should be good reasons why those sizes are used. As you think this through, you can narrow down the size options for future projects.

In my case, I like to make small bags/pouches and quilts, use lots of squares and half square triangles, and tend to make 12”, 9”, 8”, and 4” blocks. Depending on the options you come up with, you can probably think of a few sizes you normally cut for your projects.

So, here is what I do for my stash.

Categorizing

Once I have some ideas for the ideal sizes that are frequently used, I make a few categories to sort. I decide to go with 1) 2.5”square, 2) 4.5” squares, 3) 2.5” strips, 4) Exterior for pouches, 5) lining/backing, and 6) Binding tape. So, total 6 categories. What do you think? Too simple? Too much? or Just right? 😂

Here are some examples of my fabric selection for each category.

I think these will make good pouches and small bags.

I also keep unsized strips for strip quilts.

So, as you can see, my sorting procedure is a part of planning for future projects. Once I know what I plan to do with those fabrics, I am positively motivated to continue the next project with them.

Other Options

If you want to be more detailed, consider 1.5” and 3.5” squares. Those sizes will be useful for blocks in multiple sizes.

Although I am not so picky about sorting them by color, if you want color coordination, possibilities are endless! Here is a simple suggestion to start with. Even though I don’t use this technique for my scrap fabric (I want to keep it simple as you know), I use it with my students in my art class. And, it works well. I suggest 4 main categories to begin with.

1) White/Cream/Black, 2) Neutral (brown/gray), 3) Warm (Red/Yellow), and 4) Cool (Blue/Green). And, I guarantee you that you will have some challenging colors and prints! Don’t think too much. Just see if the color has more red/yellow or blue. And, if there are too many colors and pattern, think generally what you would consider the color of that fabric. What fun!

I hope this helps you motivate to use your scrap fabric. I have a fun and easy scrappy quilt project coming soon. Stay tuned!

Happy quilting!

Kate D.