hiii i was thinking of starting a new topic but it’s kind of related to this one so… here’s my Q:
is there somewhere a poll where folks chime in on what they consider a remnant vs scrap vs “uncut” (or larger than remnant)? i would love to see some examples of how others are using these definitions, i bet there’s a range and i also bet i am overthinking it for myself!
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@CouchCrafts My fabric opinions on how I view an individual piece 
…
NOTE: I mainly 99% of my sewing time make clothing for myself. So, that’s the lens through which I view all fabric in my stash (or when I’m out n about shopping haha 
).
- Uncut = Fabric yardage I’ve bought that is a) 1 metre or longer + b) I have not cut
into or used in any way at all yet. Typically, I purchase 2-3 metre length pieces. - Remnant = Fabric that has changed (physical) status from “Uncut” because I’ve now a) used some of it and b) there is 1 metre or longer (because I personally view a remnant as something that I can still make a whole garment from e.g. 1.2m = a T-Shirt
for me 
.) - Scrap = Fabric that is a) less than < 1 metre, and/or b) in a super weird random shape (i.e. after I’ve cut into it to use some in a project), or c) small pieces that I CANNOT use for anything else other than crafty projects (e.g. makeup bags, pot holders, cut up for patchwork/quilting).
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I use the categories in a very similar way to @ClaireSews except that if I have full width of fabric left, I classify it as Uncut.
I do forget about Scraps as they don’t appear in Unused fabrics, so I’ve set up a custom filter to include scraps with uncut and remnants.
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@ClaireSews and JD thanks for your responses!! I just got a bunch of 1/2 and 1/4 yard cuts of quilting cotton, which are plenty for quilting (and are WOF and I haven’t cut them, so…uncut???) and I’m not likely to use them for garments but it’s also not impossible. It might be better for me to have a separate set of definitions for quilting cotton than for everything else…would love to hear from other people who sew garments and patchwork and or bags etc! More more more
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@CouchCrafts - for your quilting cuts-I’d measure them as pre-cuts and unused.
I’d then tag them for pocketing. I have some short lengths purchased specifically for pocketing, this way I don’t forget I’ve got them as they pop up in the default search.
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I would consider uncut anything that I haven’t cut.
Remnant would mean anything that I might have left over from a project that is large enough to use in another project, either as a full garment or for color blocking Basically, less than 2 y/m. Also, if it is below 2 m/y and uncut, it will probably go in this category.
Scraps whatever random bits are too large to throw away, but obviously have weird cuts in them, and not the right size or shape to make a pocket bag out of.
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Uncut means I have not used any of it yet.
Remnant means I have used it but there is still some left. I don’t really consider it a remnant when I’ve used 5 squares from a charm pack, but it tells me that it’s not a full pack.
I haven’t used scrap.
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I call it uncut if I have a full width.
I call it a remnant if it’s not full width but I might be able to cut something out of it like a pocket.
I call it scrap if all pieces are too small to cut pattern pieces out of.
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I have scraps and fabrics. Remnants - to me, this term only applies to the fabric sellers. Fabric store sells me what they call a 1 yd remnant (the last of their bolt), it becomes my 1 yd of fabric. Also, uncut doesn’t seem relevent. I might have bought 5 yds and used 3, so now I have 2 yds fabric. Cut/Uncut isn’t terribly useful terminology to me. Scraps are any cut bits left over from a project, plus any selvedge to selvedge piece under 1/4 yard.
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You would classify these as precuts, rather than yardage. Then they show up as uncut
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Thanks for starting this thread @CouchCrafts - we had a support request with this exact question the other day and it’s a hard one to answer because it comes down to personal preference and what you like to make.
@ClaireSews makes a great point about how they view their fabric stash through a garment sewing lens - which may not apply to everyone.
You could set up a custom filter for Quilting so you can see all your quilting fabrics together. Feel like maybe this was already mentioned but I can’t find it now.
My system is:
Uncut = Fabric meterage that I haven’t used yet. Sometimes I will leave a fabric as status Uncut if I have 1+ metres full width (enough to make another full garment out of)
Remnant = Full width under 1m, probably down to around 30cm. Lengths 1m+ but a weird shape/not full width. My thinking with remnants is that they are probably large enough to make a whole accessory project (e.g. a bag/pouch) but not a whole garment by themselves.
Scrap = Full width fabric less than 30cm or other smaller pieces (e.g. around fat quarter size). Since I mostly just make garments, I’m pretty ruthless with my scraps and don’t tend to keep anything that would be too small to make a pocket.
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thanks yall – and to be clear i’m not asking for advice, i’m asking what YOU do!
for me, finding my quilting fabric is easy because i can find it based on fabric type. (also…it’s really easy for me to glance at my fabric shelf.)
i’m still trying to figure out what i’d be looking for when searching based on scrap/remnant/uncut so i haven’t decided yet what my definitions would be…i think i need to use it more first. i’m not sure that it’s a helpful category for me at all right now.
but it’s really helpful and interesting to see how others use things!
the other response i wanted to give is to the person who advised listing quilting cotton 1/2 and 1/4 yards as precuts – i’m not sure i want to, but even if i did i haven’t figured out how to use magic input with precuts! it requires me to select how many yards i got…right? (i can’t use magic input on Big Internet because of my ad blockers i guess, so i have to do it on the app on my phone…maybe that’s the issue?)
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If its big enough to make a pocket bag I class it as a remnant, it not its a scrap that I may use to stuff things etc
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Oh….this explains why I hate these categories now! This is not at all how I think!
-uncut is obvious
-remanent is something that can’t make a full garment, but is still substantial. Think half yard or so.
-scraps would only be useful for things like cuffs or scrappy projects
But this explains why there isn’t some th ing between a remanent and uncut in the app now. I’m not changing my definition because I fundamentally disagree, but it will make me less frustrated.
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