Meet my scrap bin. It’s a medium plastic decorative storage basket found at stores like Target and Hobby Lobby. Nothing fancy. Most of what you’ll find in my scrap bin are bits smaller than 5″ square and random jelly roll leftovers.

I realize there are quilters who have elaborate stash management systems and cut all leftover fabrics to pre-determined sizes. Some even write books about their stash management systems. Me? I prefer a much simpler approach.

At the end of a quilting project, I “process” any leftover fabric. Random, full-size precuts are stored with my 2-1/2″ strips, 5″ squares and 10″ squares. Any larger pieces are returned to color-coded bins.

My quilting bee group makes several scrappy quilts a year for charity, so I sort the remaining bits for future charity projects, the scrap bin or the wastebasket. When the scrap bin gets full, it’s time to add a project to the rotation to use up some of the scraps.

Here’s my current project:

The FPP paper pad yields fifty 6-1/2″ blocks. I have enough of this white-on-white print to make about 12 scrappy HSTs. I’ll grab another white fabric hunk when it’s time to make block #13. Said blocks will be made into items to donate to my guild’s community service (placemats or a baby/toddler quilt).

Once a scrap become smaller than 2-1/2″ square, I toss it. If it’s been a busy, active quilting season and I’ve accumulated way too many scraps, I’ll pass them along to a friend or donate them to Scraplanta.

As a former librarian, I culled different sections of our book collection on a regular basis. It’s a key part of collection management. Applying those same principals to my fabric stash, including scraps, keeps things manageable. It’s great to save the scraps, but you also need a plan to use the scraps and/or divest of the scraps.

Yesterday, I spent time cutting out all of the blocks for an upcoming quilt retreat. We’re making a variation of Pecan Blossoms from Fig Tree Quilts. The perfect opportunity to pull out my die-cut machine, strip and small square dies, right?

Not exactly. The pattern calls for strips and squares in less commonly used sizes. I own most sizes of strip dies and their corresponding square dies – just not in two of the sizes needed. AccuQuilt offers those sizes; however, I’m not spending $300.00 for two strip dies I doubt I’ll use again.

I thought about pulling everything out and cutting what parts I could with my die cutting system and then just rotary cutting the rest as usual. Nah. Instead, I reached for my trusty June Tailor Shape Cut ruler and handy conversion chart. I had all my fabric choices finalized, starched and pieces cut to size in an afternoon.

There’s no doubt a die-cutting system is much faster at cutting out fabric versus a traditional rotary cutter and ruler. This assumes you have all of the dies required, the room to store everything and/or you have the means to buy whatever might be missing.

Over the past three months, I’ve used my slit cut ruler (June Tailor Shape Cut) to cut strips, then subcut them into squares and rectangles rather than haul out the die-cutting machine. It’s more convenient. Any applique shapes have been cut using my Cricut Maker or traced/cut by hand. The nature of how I craft, quilt and sew has changed. This time last year, I used the die cut machine to make several cut-outs for Christmas craft activities while I was still teaching literacy enrichment classes.

Perhaps I should add a Stripology XL ruler from Creative Grids to my Christmas Wish List? And make a note to re-evaluate the need to keep my Sizzix Big Shot Plus and assorted dies.

Quilty friends and I were chatting about this at a recent get-together. The general answer is yes. More are shopping online, spending more and getting less. A couple of folks noted that we were already heading in that direction with the rise of inflation, online shopping and Atlanta traffic.

Me?

(1) I have to plan ahead more.
Joann was convenient. It carried just about anything I needed for sewing, quilting and crafts. It was open 7 days a week and prices were less than my local quilt shops. It took a little while to find suitable replacement sources for the supplies I prefer to use. Now, I shop 2-3 places to get the same merchandise I could find in a single trip to Joann.

(2) I don’t buy something unless I absolutely need it.
Joann sales & coupons were a great way to stock up on consumable supplies that I regularly use. With Joann gone, Michael’s and Hobby Lobby no longer need to offer as generous of a discount to remain competitive.

(3) Shopping at brick & mortar locations for sewing & quilting stuff has become less frequent, more intentional.
Joann in Kennesaw is where you would often find Sadie and me on Sunday afternoons. It was part of our routine. Sometimes to shop, sometimes for inspiration and sometimes for Sadie to visit different public spaces and practice walking on slick floors in between therapy dog visits. We thoroughly enjoyed our social interactions with customers and staff. Nowadays, the Hobby Lobby location on Akers Mill welcomes us on random Wednesday mornings when I need quilt backing fabric or interfacing that’s on sale.

The only pet-friendly quilt/gift shop in my area recently changed to a no dogs allowed policy after another customer’s dog hiked his leg on several bolts of fabric. Totally understand, but the new policy means this shop is no longer a regular destination on our “Sadie shopping” rotation. We bought special jerky treats carried in the gift side of the shop. (I recently found the same jerky treats at a new specialty pet store closer to home.) I’ll pop in on the way home from monthly guild meetings if I have time to stop, but that’s it. Specific online retailers with reasonable shipping rates are now my usual go-tos when I do need something only found in a quilt shop.

How about you?