Pat Sloan's Scrap Squares 

I stood this morning surveying the chaos that passes for my sewing room and wondered whether others have this ‘scrap problem’ or are they perhaps somewhat more organised than I am? I read of ‘scrap management systems’ and ‘stash organisation’ and marvel – as I chuck a few more ‘useful-sized bits’ into a large bag to be sorted at some unspecified future date. So, what do you do with your scraps? Do you actually have any, or are you ruthless in binning anything left over from a project? And what constitutes a ‘scrap’? How small does a piece have to be for it to be labelled a scrap and kept, or how large to be useful but too big to be a ‘scrap’? And what about those half-finished blocks that didn’t quite work out, or were miscut, or somehow didn’t ‘go’ with the others? In search of answers to these conundrums I turned to the internet (when I should really have picked up all the bits from the floor and put them back in the scrap bag).

Sorting and managing scraps 

Left: PioneerValleyGirl Blog, Pintrest

Pinterest boards - uk.pinterest.com/explore/organizingfabric-scraps

A Bee in my Bonnet - http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/from-my-quilty-studiohow-i-save-my.html

The Sewing Loft - http://thesewingloftblog.com/nsm-how-to-organize-fabric-scraps/

The Sassy Quilter - http://www.sassyquilter.com/organizing-fabric-scraps/

Amy Smart, Diary of a Quilter - http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2015/01/sorting-saving-and-using-fabric-scraps.html

Quiltville - quiltville.com/scrapusersystem.shtml

Pat Sloan - http://blog.patsloan.com/2014/04/pat-sloan-my-scrap-busting-process.html

Margaret Leuwen on You Tube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R65-5sw3hs

Storing fabric and scraps

Pinterest boards - uk.pinterest.com/explore/fabric-storage

Apartment Therapy - http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/10-ways-to-store-fabric-in-your-home-office-or-craft-room-191200

Everything Etsy - http://www.everythingetsy.com/2013/05/tons-of-fabric-storage-inspiration-tips-get-organized/

Craftsy - https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/07/fabric-storage-ideas/

Fabric Therapy blog - http://fabrictherapy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/stash-organization-part-2-taming-scrap.html

The Thinking Closet - http://www.thinkingcloset.com/2013/06/06/filing-fabric-a-fabric-organization-round-up/

Within a Quarter Inch - http://withinaquarterinch.com/2012/01/15/fabric-comes-in-all-shapes-and-sizes-now-where-to-put-it/

Quilting is more fun than housework - http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/storing-your-scraps.html

Super Mom, No Cape

Using up scraps

Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/explore/scrap-quilt-patterns/

Craftsy - https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/05/free-scrap-quilt-patterns/

Fave Quilts - http://www.favequilts.com/Monthly-Quilting-Favorites/Top-10-Free-Scrap-Quilt-Patterns-of-2011

Quilting About - http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpatternsprojects/a/scrap_quilts.htm

Free Quilt - http://www.freequilt.com/scrap.html

Quilting 101 - http://www.quilting101.com/styles/scrap-quilts

Martingale - http://blog.shopmartingale.com/quilting-sewing/scrap-quilt-patterns-for-queen-size-bed-and-king-twin-and-lap/

Val Nesbitt Jelly Roll Race - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNoZXjt_Ay0

Gnome Angel - http://www.gnomeangel.com/how-to-scrappy-improv-any-patchwork-block/

The Sewing Loft - http://thesewingloftblog.com/turn-fabric-scraps-into-yardage/

Quiltville - http://quiltville.com/index.html and quiltville.blogspot.co.uk/p/free-patterns.html

Katharine Guerrier - http://www.katharineguerrier.com/

Scrap Quilts - http://www.scrapquilts.com/

Connie Kauffman Christmas Scrap Quilt - http://www.freepatterns.com/detail.html?code=FQ00275&cat_id=439

The Sewing Loft