Like all sewers (sewists?), I have a big box of fabric scraps. Admit it – you have one, too. And unless you're a machine with too much free time on your hands, I bet it's full of stuff you haven't looked at in years. Or is that just me? I find the scrap box is a little like sedimentary rock. As you dig through it, you find layer after layer of pieces left from projects you've completed (or started and ditched). Each layer represents a crafting era, in which you fell in love with a specific style or type of fabric. You realize you had a Blue Period, just like Picasso. Or that maybe you loved muddy earth tones just a little too much. Or that kitschy fruit and vegetable prints aren't as cute as you once thought they were. The best thing to do, of course, is to find a way to use those scraps – and make them sing. That's what scrap quilts are for. Whether you're making a charm quilt, which contains just a single shape (each in a different fabric!), or any other sort of quilt that requires a large number of varied prints, this is one of the best ways to reduce your scrap pile and make something beautiful at the same time. Here are three scrappy masterpieces I'd love to try:

• Erin at House on Hill Road made a kid-friendly one that uses the brilliantly simple half-square triangle tutorial from The Purl Bee.
• Rita at Red Pepper Quilts made a whirling, fun Labyrinth Quilt that juxtaposes brights with graphic blacks and greys.
• Anna Maria Horner made a fanciful Spinning Stars quilt that reminds me of spider webs. It's so lovely in her signature vibrant tones with contrasting white.

What quilts would inspire you to use up your scrap collection?