Organize Your Scraps

You took the time to get your scraps cut into a few sizes. I think that deserves a celebration! It's the biggest step you will take towards getting your scraps under control. But now what?

Precut scrap squares and rectangles in red and pink

I’m sure you're exhausted. I remember undertaking that massive task and by the end I wanted to throw them all out. Nevertheless, you made it this far so congratulations to you!

The next task is deciding how you will quilt with them. Are you the type of quilter to quilt in only 1 color? Maybe you like to make color combinations of 3 or 4 colors for your quilts. Maybe you are more like me and tend to work with color temperature. Quite possibly, you are one to not care about colors in your scrap quilts and love an “anything goes” scrappy look. How fun! Whatever inspires you should be how you store your scraps.

A string log cabin quilt made using my warm temperature and low volume strings

I am not a color expert, nor will I probably ever be. You don’t have to be one either. Just pick how you want to organize those beautiful scraps. Here are 3 possible ways:

1. Color (however many color groups you want or however many fit in your space)

2. Color temperature (cool vs warm colors)

3. Size (by square size and strip width size)

My fabric scrap organization system within my cube shelf

I organize using a combination of all three of these. And I don’t get wrapped up in what color is technically a pink or a purple (that's a rabbit hole I’m not going down today). Bottom line is when sorting your scraps by color, whatever color you think it is or view it as, is how it gets sorted.

I use a cube organizer to store my fabrics. I had 8 cubes available for my scraps so I divided them into 8 colorways. These are color groups I made:

• Low volume/white/off whites

• Reds/pinks

• Yellow/oranges

• Green

• Light blues/aquas

• Dark blues/purples

• Gray/brown/blacks

• Solid colors

Then, all my precut scrap squares and strips are stored in containers by their precut size. One container stores the various scrap square/rectangle sizes and the other organizes the precut scrap strips.

Light blue/Aqua precut scrap storage bin organizing 2 1/2”, 5” and 6 1/2” strips

Next, I store my string scraps by color temperature. I have a basket for cool colors, warm colors and solid colors. Once again, don’t get wrapped up in the details or undertones of a color. There is no right or wrong. For example, I often put my purples (which can often be viewed as a cool color thanks to cool undertones) with my warm colors simply because I love the way pink and yellow combine with purple.

String scraps organized by color temperature and solid color strings

I hope this and my first post on scrap management has inspired you to maybe make a scrap quilt or two. Or better yet, take the time and organize your scraps. Next up on the blog are, my top tips and tricks for staying on top of scrap management.

Your fellow scrap wrangler,

Kate