Saturday, October 20, 2018

Rectangular strings

I've been playing in the string bin again recently,
turning out rectangular blocks that finish at 6 by 9 inches

When they go together they make large diamonds.
I have a few rules for these instead of going entirely scrappy.
I'm using brights on the inside diamonds, and darks on the outside.
I've got lots of variety going here to give it more energy
and I'm trying to stay away from muddy colours on both sides.


This is my technique: I cut 6 by 9 inch foundations from an old sheet,
and ironed the diagonal  crease into them.
With rectangles, I need half of them to go left to right, like the one above,
and the other half to go right to left.
I cut 1.5 inch strips of a couple of beige prints, 
ironed them right sides together lengthwise,
and they laid the crease of the beige strip into the crease of the foundation.
I top stitched it in a matching thread right down the crease so the strips don't shift.
I want these strips to match up and make diamonds,
although I don't care if the other strips are various sizes or a bit wonky.

I'm cutting these 6.5 by 9.5 inches, so I make sure the strip is longer than the background.


Then I sew the brights onto the right side of the beige strips 
until I've completely covered the foundation, 
and trim the blocks from the back to 6.5 by 9.5 inches.
Repeat for black strips.

I've finished 16 blocks,
and have to sew black prints onto 32 more.
I may make this one row or one column bigger.

With 12 diamonds, it measures 48 by 54.
I would like it to finish at a throw size, 
so it's either more blocks,
or using up black strips for a piano key border.



17 comments:

Brenda said...

I'm commenting here to see the comments on this post.

diane said...

They are done up cheerfully! I have some in progress and had a hard time keeping the center piece (beige on you pieces) to stay centered. Now I know your trick and it will come in handy. Thanks for sharing.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I've done LOTS of string blocks, but never rectangles. I like the look of your versions a lot.

Julierose said...

Lovely blocks; I've only tried square blocks--this looks like fun...hugs, Julierose

Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting said...

Very pretty! I like it!!!

Nikki said...

Thank you for the tip about your center strip. I love making string blocks and will definitely try your technique. Thank you also for explaining how you choose your colors. I generally make the kitchen sink variety...everything goes but I like your look.

PaulaB quilts said...

That’s a very clever way of making the blocks. I never would have figured it out. It gives a great jewel toned effect, especially with the very dark halves. Keep up the good work!

Run 'n Stitch said...

Thank you for the tutorial. Doing string blocks is on my bucket list.

Aileen said...

Love the controlled scrappy!

Carli The Quilter said...

I am just about ready to start another one my beloved strip quilts. love your rectangular shape. Looking forward to your progress.

Mystic Quilter said...

Love string quilts and especially these rectangle blocks, the black is a great choice with all the colour.

Jeanne said...

Hmmmm, this is interesting … might need to start playing with more strings :)

Connie said...

Oh my goodness Dolly, this is going to be so pretty. I love all the happy colors. My favorite quilts are those that contain all sorts of fabrics and colors . . . when you're having one of those sad and out of sort days, cuddling in with a happy quilt can be as good as chicken soup :)
Happy stitching!!!
Connie :)

Carol E. said...

These are attractive blocks; thanks for including your technique.

lil red hen said...

String quilts are my favorites, no matter how they're pieced.
Instead of fabric foundations, I use paper (newspaper, cheap computer paper (because it's thinner). I know it's a bit of trouble to tear off the paper but the blocks have less thickness to hand quilt through. And black always just makes the colored strings pop! Your blocks are beautiful!

Ann said...

I've made similar rectangular diamonds. Your version with brights on the inside adds another layer of design. Good job, Brenda. This will be a beauty.

Mari paz said...

Muy bonito creía que no ponías nada en el otro blog que yo siempre seguía y hoy vi que lo pones en este otro blog que me dio por mirar.un beso