Types of Curated Scrap Quilts

Scrap quilts are just my favorite. Not only do they use little pieces of past projects, but they are a great way to be economically and environmentally responsible as a quilter while also cleaning out some space in my sewing room. They are a win, win, win all around.

My favorite type of scrap quilt is one that is a little more curated. That means I'm not just randomly picking fabrics from my stash, but trying to follow a theme or idea while using scraps. Almost all of the scrap quilts I make these days follow some type of theme and here are my favorites.

Rainbow

Collect scraps from the full rainbow, or a portion of the rainbow, moving gradually from color to color. You can go with a classic rainbow, or focus on warm or cool colors, pastels, neons, earthy tones, or anything you can imagine.

Color Palette

Look for color inspiration in a fabric, in nature, in art, or just search for “color palette” on Pinterest. Don’t be afraid to stray from your original plans — color palettes sometimes work better as a jumping off point.

Single Designer or Manufacturer

Fabrics by a single designer or manufacturer sometimes work well to create a cohesive look. If you have a favorite designer, set scraps from their projects aside to use for a single scrap quilt.

Value

If you have 2 fabrics + a background fabric in your block, replace those with light, mid, and dark valued fabrics. The result is a dramatic scrap quilt with lots of personality.

Monochrome

Do you have a single color dominating your scrap bin? Create a scrap quilt using just that color or that color mixed with a few neutrals. This is also a great way to clear up some space in your stash if you have lots of a single color. 

B&W

It’s classic for a reason — black and white scrap quilts pack a lot of punch. This is a special subset of the “monochrome” group and it creates a dramatic quilt that makes your pattern stand out.

Themed

Do you have lots of florals in your stash? Stripes? Cats? Polka dots? Even if they don’t match, you can throw them all together and work some scrappy magic. This quilt shown is made using all Rifle Paper Co. florals, but they don’t have to be from the same designer. 

Ugly

I hesitate to use this word because it is so subjective and creates such a visceral reaction, but if you have some fabrics in your stash that aren’t getting used (they don’t have to be ugly) throw them together into one scrappy quilt.

Don't see a category you like here? Make your own! You can pretty much do anything with a scrap quilt. 

Want to find out more about any of the photos shown above? Click on the photo to go to the blog post about the quilt.