Rectangular strings sewn together

Popping in to show off my completed string top.

I added piano key borders top and bottom.

It now measures 60 by 65 inches.

I'm basting and quilting it this weekend.

Some people left comments saying they prefer using paper foundations instead of fabric.

I hate tearing off paper,

and because these fabric foundations are 1/4 inch smaller all around than the block,

I don't have the extra bulk in the seams allowance.

I think both paper and fabric have their advantages.

I'm machine quilting this, so I'm not worrying about the extra layer.

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.

How do we keep stringing along?

I've been playing with wide wool strings

from a box of goodies I got from a friend of a friend of a friend's mom.

You can read the whole story here.

I only squared off fabric bits and used dark spacers.

The nature of the tweeds and twills makes the pieces curve a bit

It's beautiful in the subtle variations and I've already had several naps

under the finished blanket.

which I have yet to photograph.

Here's the top out on my snowy front lawn.

I've since quilted it and bound it.

But my question is do we keep stringing along here in blogland,

or move the whole string thing along over to Instagram?

I know there are less people reading blogs

and more heading over to other social media.

Now that Instagram allows you to follow hashtags, 

I was wondering if we can move our celebration of string quilts over there

by using the hashtag #stringthingalong.

Let me know what you think.

Three quilts and a million pieces

I'm showing off two quilts for the price of one today.

In February, I asked my local quilting friends to put together

6 inch blocks from their blue, green and neutral strings

We planned to make one charity quilt measuring 60 by 80

but there was more than enough for two.

The second one measures 57 inches square

The bigger one has an inner border made from only dark blue fabrics.

My guild friend Karen was sick on the day we put the quilt together,

so she made her own from blue, green, and yellow strips

using the same inner border idea.

I've been stringing along with 10 quilting friends.

I put out a call for help with a string quilt 

in greens and blues and neutrals.

A week ago we gathered to put it together,

sewing blocks from a pile of strings.

The blocks finish at 5.5 inches.

It has a basket weave layout of 11 by 15 blocks

with an interior border of dark blue blocks.

Here's a test layout.

I've moved around some blocks so there are no dark bits

touching the border.

Here's a view of it sewn together.

A week later it is basted and ready to quilt.

Stay posted!

Group strings

My local quilt group is working on a donation quilt from little strings in a restricted colour palette.

We're making blue, green and neutral string blocks measuring 6 inches square.

I made these 16 in just a few minutes and they'll join others

when we meet for an all-day sew-in next month.

Anyone one out there inspired to join us?

Make some six-inch string blocks and ask your friends for contributions

and post the process or quilt here.

Really big strings

I made dozens of string blocks last fall and winter

for a group string project in my group.

The requirements were piecing bright strings with no blacks

onto an 8.5 inch foundation, 

with a 1.5 inch white strip at the centre.

Together we made lots of blocks

enough for a 96 inch square quilt.

The woman who collected blocks put the together in groups of 16

and made a nine-patch with a dark green border and binding.

She quilted a loopy meander all over the quilt

and you can see the quilting better on the back,

which has a sunflower theme.

This was a great quilt to use up lots of narrow strings.

Most of my bits were 1 to 1.5 inches wide.

Hello, fellow string thing alongers!

A reader emailed me yesterday to join us here at this blog.

Now I can't find the email in my inbox or my deleted folder.

Please send me your message again

because we would love to have you.

My apologies for being a techno-idiot.

This photo is from two years ago,,

but I thought I'd include it to show the vertical variation

of Wanda's quilt below.

Keep stringing along!

Ripple Effect

This half-square triangle ripple quilt

is sort of a string quilt.

I pieced leftover strips and bits into blocks

and then cut them into large HST with my Go! cutter.

See more about this quilt over at my blog.

How are you playing with your strings these day?

A pressing matter of strings

My guild is putting together 8.5 inch square string blocks in brights

for a group quilt.

The organizer asked for 1.5 inch white strips on the diagonal.

She suggested drawing lines marking where that first strip could go,

but I used my iron instead.

I pressed each of  foundation blocks diagonally,

and then pressed by white strips lengthwise, right sides together

I nested the strip into the valley of the foundation piece

and sewed on the first bright strip.

Here are the 16 I made for the group quilt.

I stupidly trimmed them from the back,

so in some of the blocks the diagonal isn't in the centre.

Hope the rest of you have fun stringing along.

Bright diamond strings finished!

We finished this quilt in record time.

I don't have a shot of the whole quilt,

but here you can see the sashing and borders.

It is straight line quilted in the sashings and tied within each block.

head over to my blog to take another look.

Strings 2.0

Here my strings are sewn together with a 3 inch sashing.

I used the same red print for all the setting blocks.

It still needs a narrow inner border

and then a wide string border.

Last minute strings

After languishing in a box for months,

yesterday a pile of diagonal string blocks

made by my guild 

and supplemented by me

became 20 diamond blocks

each finishing at 12 inches.

Just some sashing and borders and then they're a flimsy!

Inspired by Carla

I was inspired by Carla's post yesterday to try some string pieced arcs.

I have a set of Double Wedding Ring templates I've been wanting to use,

so I traced the arcs on copy paper

and string pieced bits of hand dyed fabrics

from a goodie bag my mother gave me.

Here are four arcs waiting to be trimmed.

I've made 13 so far

and I've got lots of hand dyed strings and strips left to use.

Thanks for the inspiration!

I've been wondering if it is time to wrap up this blog,

but it seems we just had a long holiday break.

Thanks to all of you for stringing along.

We have room for more blog contributors,

so if you see some great string quilts out there,

ask their makers to check us out

and send me an email at strings[at]mts[dot]net to join.

Strip Piecers' challenge quilt

We're making string blocks for our monthly challenge

at my guild, the Strip Piecers.

These blocks were inspired by my basement bathroom floor.

It evokes diagonal string blocks and horizontal strings.

So far we're liking this layout, with the borders being half the width

of the diagonal blocks.

The diagonal blocks are 6.5 inches unfinished,

sewn on a 6 inch foundation,

with half lights and half mediums.

This is meant to be a charity quilt for a women's shelter.

Check out these string quilts

Life may be a bit quiet at this blog

but I've seen some great string quilts out there in blogland.

Check out Wanda's string blocks layouts at Exuberant Color

where she is playing with string blocks in soft batiks.

And while you're out there,

see what Marit at Quilt It just finished

from her scrap basket.

How are the rest of you doing with stringing along?

Stringy and scrappy finish

Transitions

50 by 60 inches

machine pieced and quilted

 

I think I've posted about this quilt made from strings and little scraps before,

but I finished it this week.

Check out my blog post here to read more.

 

How are the rest of you doing stringing along?

check out the Festival of strings

I've entered this string quilt in Rachel's Festival of Strings.

Head over there to see some great string quilts,

or maybe post a few of your own.

 

I'm proud of this one because I introduced many of my local quilting friends

to the joys of strings.

At least a dozen of them contributed 200 or more 6 by 12 inch blocks to me

and together we're making four string quilts out of basically nothing.

I finished the first one and quilted it on my Juki with straight lines and free motion vines and spirals.

Lotsa strings here

 

I thought I'd show you the string heart I made for Boston

 

And the string blocks I've been making, and collecting, for a local charity project.

So far, I've put together 77 blocks in one quilt, and it looks like

I'll have enough for at least three more.

 

Keep stringing along!

 

Audrey's two sided string quilt

My friend Audrey just finished this quilt-as-you-go double-sided string quilt.

It's green on one side, and brown and orange on the other.

I've folded it over on itself so you can see both sides in one photo.