Back to Basics

I haven't posted on this blog in literally years. I'm sure any of us who have been quilting for many years have recognized the ebb and flow of interest in patterns and techniques, even in our own work. So after a hiatus I have returned to some string piecing.

There are so many different ways to work with strips and/or strings! I'd cut width-of-fabric strips from older yardage a few years back in an effort to clear out and update my stash a bit. But then I found I wasn't using a lot of those strips. I tend to work with specific size patches rather than long strips or strata. Or at least that's what I've been doing most recently.

I was inspired to cut my long strips into 8.5" lengths by a post over on Confessions of a Fabric Addict. I do love a Chinese Coins style quilt! And now I have this basket full of strips all the same length but in varying widths:

I'm sewing the strips together randomly, up to about 12-13 inches long so I have rough blocks to work with. When I have the number I figure I'll need for the quilt I'm building I can arrange and rearrange them before sewing them into columns, and then the columns into a flimsy. Here's what I have so far:

I didn't really expect to get this far this quickly! My basket still seems pretty full. I may very well have enough strips for two good size quilts. 😀

Magpie Sue

Using those Orphan String squares

I decided to use those Orphan String squares as centres for Wonky star blocks.
I trimmed the blocks down to 4.5" square and used them for the centres of the QAYG stars.
They made a finished block of 12.5" as requested by Adrienne  (On the windy side blog) for her Block Drive so she can make some quilts to give to children affected by the November Kaikoura earthquake.

 

My favourite block is :

 

I made similar QAYG blocks for Alison's Soy Amado Project back in 2014 and was very pleased to see how good they looked in Alison's  finished quilt.

Google Soy Amado No 38 on Little Island Quilting: Sunday 15 June 2014.

Strings That Just Keep On Giving

Come on over to my blog 

and read about these boxes of strings -

CLICK HERE

Joining String Quilt Blocks

You know I love Sujata's book Cultural Fusion. And as I've been working on various UFO's and writing my new book on crazy quilting, I used the Hourglass left blocks from Burkley's Baby Quilt.

These photos are of the start of a freeform quilt that will be machine quilted and assembled with QAYG methods.

So while this is not a 'traditional' string quilt, I think that Sujata will applaud my bold experimental style, using her left over Hourglass Blocks from Burkley's Baby Quilt in this new piece, I think they kind of liven up the strings.

I used these little blocks for a tutorial on how I join prequilted blocks to form a finished quilt.

Plus, I'm writing up a series on E-Book Publishing if anyone is interested in learning how its going for me and my new book on crazy quilting.

Pop over to Good Earth Quilting to read about my journey as an e-book publisher.

Happy Quilting!

Until next time,

Caroline