Busy Making Strings

July and August have just flown by. I've been busy making string quilts and attempting to get rid of diminish my stash.

This one was easy except for the piano keys I decided to add to use up more scraps. It took me longer to make that border than it did to make the blocks. Go figure!!

The fractured diamond came from all my green scraps, which BTW have doubled. How did that happen??

I love watching this particular design develop. Depending on whether you use a specific color to outline the "kite" shape and if you place one color as the "last sewn" such as the gray fabric I used, the possibilities are endless and awesome. This quilt was quilted by me...can you believe it!!! I'm taking a long-arm class and I can quilt on anything that I want. OMG, I can't wait to quilt another quilt top soon!!

Improv String or Chinese Coins

We formed a small book study to work through The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters by Sherri Wood. Her second "score" is strings. Here's my first top.

Improv String #1

We discovered we have much more to say and chose to spend another month on this topic. More details on my blog.

Enjoy the day!

Ann

Annette's String Quilt

This beautiful scrappy string quilt was made by Annette. Notice how she changed the center strings of each block from orange to golden yellow for the border blocks.

A couple of antique string quilts

These two beauties are in my collection and I thought it was time to give them some air!  This one is a top that I have never quilted because I thought it would ruin the value.  My late husband fell in love with it as much as I did; we bought it at an antique show, but I can't remember where.  In any case, I have been told that it is clearly an African-American work of art because of the way the strips are laid out. Isn't this wonderful? It is a top that I would estimate is late 19th-very early 20th.

This one is very heavy, big stitches, backed with homespun (with a few mouse holes) Strings - same vintage.  I bought this in Florida and it came from an estate in one of the Carolinas.

Now that I have been in Africa, it is obvious to me that these are African-American made. Strips are a traditional recurring motif in many of the crafts.  These are just a couple of examples.

So that's my antique string story.  Enjoy!