Quilting by its very nature often fosters a love of fabric (or vice versa), and because of that, most quilters accumulate quite a stash! Very often the stash contains a number of leftover pieces too small to dedicate to a large project but too big to throw away. A great way to clean up those scraps is to make a scrappy quilt. Here are some tips to help select the right scraps.

Color: Choose a color theme for your scrappy quilt. For example - jewel tones, earth tones, red white and blue, etc. The more scraps used, the more interesting the quilt. Not enough scraps in one color theme? No problem! Plan a charm quilt to use those scraps. Choose a shape from our Charm Quilt Templates and start cutting. The single shape will unify an assortment of colors.

Contrast: Contrast is important for any quilt. Be sure you have a good balance of lights, mediums and darks.

Prepare: Wash and press scraps before cutting.

Thread: A medium beige or medium gray thread will blend with most fabrics.

Note: Many patterns can be adapted to use with scraps. Look for patterns with a dominant motif that can be done in scraps against a single color background. Alhambra Wallhanging, Friendship Crossing, Sunday Best and Prairie Flowers are just some that make great scrap quilts.