Using Scraps

I save scraps! I have for years: I guess I'm a scrap addict. I wish I didn't save so many. I have a tough time parting with those pretty little scraps. Those trimmed triangles obtained after sewing on the drawn, diagonal line to create a triangle corner on a block unit are maybe the most prolific! (Perhaps that sewing shortcut should not have been developed.)  While tidying up after sewing the mystery block units the other night, I decided I would sew the triangles together and make something. (It is a mindless task and there were only re-runs on TV that night.)

I chain-pieced these tiny triangular corners with 1/8" seam allowances and smaller stitch length. The chained triangles could have decorated the Christmas tree! But I really wanted to do something creative that came from my mind's eye. I decided to see where I could go with what I had.

Piled on the cutting mat:

I pressed them open but did not trim them. I cut 2-1/2" strips (of some lovely dark blue fabric I had near me) on a 45 degree diagonal (so the dark blue fabric edges would be on the straight of grain). I sewed the triangle units to that (green lines)

as in the photo below:

I cut along the red lines below and pressed the units open (toward the dark fabric).

I trimmed them all to 2 inches square. I got 72 little blocks to work with. Sewing the units together with some sashing strips and cornerstones gave me this 26 inch by 14 inch table topper that I will quilt another day. 

I plan to gift it to someone.
Thanks for visiting. What do you do with your scraps? Do you save only a certain size? How do you store them?