Sorting and cutting -

Yesterday I was asked which die shapes I'm going to use for my Big Box of Magical Things -

I replied -

Great question - and probably the topic for my next post - LOL. I usually use my strip dies - lots of patterns use them - and my ruler does, too - so those are my go-to. Then sometimes I just pull out a basic die and cut some for "later". This time I have two specific patterns in mind - so I pulled the dies for those and I'll see what I can do with the scraps I have.

I have used various methods of "scrap management" through the years - and have yet to find one that really works the same way I do -

I have bins of strips - bins of squares that I never remember that I have - that are never the right size or color anyway to be of any use - triangles that don't match - and odd bits and pieces - so those wind up in my "crumb" blocks - anything and everything works in them - and they're FUN to make -

Then sometimes I pull out a basic die and cut something for "later" - like the Drunkard's Path block - those fit together all by themselves - so it's pretty much - cut and sew - but it's hard to use that die for scraps -

When I feel like "scrap-busting" - I usually use my strip dies - they are my go-to - and I don't have to cut them into squares or rectangles since I can cut those from the strips if I need them -

This time I have two specific patterns in mind that use dies that I already have -

So I pulled the dies for those to see what I can do with these scraps -

I like to start with the larger scraps and die cuts -
Then work my way down to the smaller sizes -

One pattern is simple squares and HST -

The other patterns calls for sets of matching patches in certain size combinations -

So I'm going to start with that one -  

One combination is for a Triple 4-patch -
Two 3-1/2" squares and four 2" squares of the same fabric -
The other 4-patches are assorted - so I'll worry about those later - 

So since the 3-1/2" square is the largest shape - and it needs matching 2" squares - I pulled some of the larger scraps to see how many I can get -

From the 3-1/2" square die -

And this 2" die -

Some of the smaller pieces will fit these other dies in other sizes -
Squares - rectangles - HST -

These will fit the square die -

These will fit the HST die - but need to be matched to some neutrals first -
Which is part of the other pattern -
So I'll do them last -
Right now I'm just setting aside the pieces that will fit when I get to that point -

These guys will fit the rectangle die -

This piece will give me a pair of 3-1/2" squares -

And I need sets of four 2" squares - and some "onesies" -
So I'll see how many I can get from this piece -

The rectangles need to be in sets of 4 matching fabric/colors -

So I got 4 red and one green set -

Since I don't have that many pins -
And don't want to have to recount each and every set -
I flipped a couple of the sets wrong-side-up -

So now I can stack them - and still be able to pull a set of four - when I get there -

Then - I put that stack in a little baggie with an index card that tells me the pattern - the block - the die cut size - the die number - and the "set of 4" part -

These are the 3-1/2" and 2" squares -

I sorted the 3-1/2" ones in piles of two - by fabric/color -
The 2" squares are in piles by fabric/color -
Since I didn't get the same number of squares from each fabric -
They will be counted out separately -

Some of the left-over strips are big enough for the HST die -
So I added them to that pile -

I still have some sorting and counting to do to get the sets matched up -

Then I need to bag them up and label them -

Then some more cutting -

But it's a good start - LOL - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -