At my heart of hearts, I am a scrap quilter. I find so much joy in sorting through my scraps to find ingredients for a new project and in making something gorgeous out of leftover bits and pieces.

As long as one keeps sewing, one will have scraps in abundance. What varies is the type of scraps - their shapes, colors and style. Whatever shape you have lots of, whether that be teeny tiny fabric crumbs, long fabric strings, medium-sized “squares” or random fabric chunks, there is a scrap quilt or two or three just waiting to be born!

Scrap Quilts for Crumb Scraps

Small but fun! Crumbs range in size from 1" to 2.5" along the smallest side. For me, selvedge doesn’t count.

Confetti quilt uses the tiniest scraps of all, ranging in size from 1.5” to 3.25”. Scraps do not have to be cut to size in order to be used because this is foundation paper pieced. Game changer!

Parsnips quilt uses loads of 2” x 3” rectangles.

Under the Maple Tree uses 2” scraps and 2.5” scraps for the maple leaf blocks. Pattern coming this September!

Scrap Quilts for Square Scraps

This category actually includes both squares and rectangles. Lots of patchwork recipes begin with 3" to 6" squares. These can be cut from scraps of this type.

Rainbow Over Head uses 2.5” squares, but you want matching sets of 3-4 squares per fabric. That’s why it doesn’t fall in the crumb scrap category.

Dear Dottie makes use of 3.5” squares for the dot fabrics and slightly larger pieces for the background fabrics (you get 2 from a 4” x 6” scrap).

Economy Star Parade - this simple quilt uses squares in two sizes: 4.5” and 5.25”.

Scrap Quilts for Chunk Scraps

Chunks are substantial pieces. They range in size from about an 8" square up to a fat eighth. When you've used more than half of a fat quarter, you have yourself a chunk of a scrap.

Starbright Stars quilt shapes are most efficiently cut from 3.5” and 3.75” wide fabric strips. However, once you have cut some shapes from strips you can use the cut shapes as templates to cut from any decent-sized scrap.

Geesey shapes are cut from 3.5” wide fabric strips. I’ve sewn this several times with chunk scraps, which create fun, irregular repeats of colors and shape.

Circus Cabin relies on repeated fabrics so you need really long 2” fabric strips or chunk scraps from which you can cut multiple shorter 2” strips.

Scrap Quilts for String Scraps

Chunks, squares and crumbs comprise three size categories for fabrics that are generally square or rectangle. String scraps are such long, thin rectangles that they deserve their own category. They range from 1" wide to about 4" wide, with a long, stripey look.

Scrap Cabin is really clever because it uses string scraps in all sort of widths and lengths without pre-cutting!

Drummer Boy Dresdens quilt is made up of Dresden blades that can be cut from a 2.5” x 4” scrap. It’s really efficient to cut these from string scraps in batches, but really you can use your squares and chunk scraps too.

Lake Cabin quilt uses a 4.5” squares, 2” wide string scraps and 1.75” wide string scraps”. Good for your narrow strings, thus.

Bonus: for your Triangle Scraps!

Teeter Totter is an easy-to-sew quilt for your triangle scraps, big and small. You can also cut triangles from 4.5” squares if your triangle scrap stash runs dry.

I hope this sparks your patchwork muse and sends you on another adventure with your fabric scraps!

p.s. Can’t get enough of scrappy advice? See also this post on how to Sort + Organize your Fabric Scraps.