An All About Strings Blog Hop is happening this week

This is my entry for the All About Strings Blog Hop happening this week. The hop runs all week and several bloggers will be highlighting their take on string quilts. My blog  www.quiltsbyjoanne.blogspot.com has a tutorial on how to make this particular design and other bloggers links can be found through my blog post. Piecefully, Joanne

Veterans & Strings

Back in August, I set a goal for myself to make quilts for the Veterans who attend our local Seniors Center. Below are three of nine that I made, quilted and presented to the Vets. They were very pleased to receive each a quilt.

Here's a link to the rest of the story.  LINK

 

 This one is a simple fractured diamond star design and I added the white stars to make things interesting.

 This is also fractured diamond star but I left out one portion of each diamond star to frame an eagle in the center.

This last one was made from strips of fabric I had left over from some other project and the bargello bottom was also from a previous project.

 

Strip piecing, finally used.....

I had a drawer full of strip piecing made in 2008.  I took them out and looked at them many times but just couldn't decide what to do with them.

More strips and below these some light blue and many other shades of green.

I decided to use a diamond Accuquilt Studio die to cut them.

I started out just putting the diamonds up on the design wall in no particular order.  I filled in with diamonds cut from batik prints. 



 

My two sewing friends came over on Wednesday and gave me opinions on the placement of the diamonds.  One of them sat across the room and watched me put them up and from there she could see things that needed to be moved that my other friend and I couldn't see while close to it.  I cut half diamonds from batiks to fill in on the edges.  

I will leave it open to the viewer's interpretation of what it is, a light shaft, or a waterfall, forest or mountains or anything else the viewer might see.  It is 37.75" x 64.5"

Four basic string quilt styles

I am giving a basic string quilt workshop at my quilt guild in a couple of weeks. In the morning we will look at the basics. My samples are ready. The starter is the top of the picture the light blue centre blocks. The my personal favourite the diamond string block (the black centres), then a two colour, or two value block and finally the sort of a spider web thing.
After lunch I am going to give them some ideas about were to go for inspiration so will definitely be including this blog. So there will be nothing wonky for my workshop but the afternoon inspiration will include some wonky ideas. Thanks to all who share here. Joanne

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!

Joining the Fun ~ My Diamond String Blocks

Hello!

I have just joined in this fun String Thing Along!

I am Pat @ Life in the Scrapatch

I love scrappy quilts,

Strings are my kind of thing.

The blocks above are some I collected in 2010.

This was a swap on the old, now defunct,  Block Central Forum.

I made a lot of friends and quilts on this forum and

hope to do the same here on the String Thing Along.

You Can Read More About These Blocks Here on My Blog

For these blocks we each chose our own color for the center strip 

and followed this tutorial ... 

String Diamonds from Mary Quilts

I love the scrap patterns on this site.

I chose green for my center strips.

I love all the scrappy greens in these blocks and each one reminds me of the friend who made them.

I have 56 of these string blocks and they are not sewn together yet.

That needs to change.

I need to get sewing the top together.

I also have a big box of strings that needs some pressing and piecing.

Thanks to Vickie @ More Stars In Comanche for leaving a thread trail 

to this string thing along fun.

Thanks to Brenda for hosting and letting me join in.

Thanks to all who have posted all the eye popping string candy and how-tos.

I am hoping to have a pretty green Diamond String Quilt to show you soon!

Have a happy quilty day ... :) Pat

<3