A Couple of Recent Flimsies

After I made my very first foundation pieced string block for Brenda's challenge I went on to make about 45 more. ;- )

I tried out several arrangements. This first one is pretty much how they landed on the wall as I finished each block.

Then zigzag...

And all going one way...

In the end I decided on this sort-of-barn-raising arrangement:

You can see more about this project on my blog here.

After that I took inspiration from one of the quilts in Freddy & Gwen Collaborate Again and created this top:

It doesn't get much scrappier than this! While the first top I showed you was made out of my strings box (skinny, oddly cut strips)  this one was made primarily with precision cut 1.5," 2.5," and 3.5" strips. I did throw in the occasional wonky strip though. Both of these tops will be finished by members of my local quilt guild and then donated to children in Foster Care here in our community.

Magpie Sue

Finished and Done

 I auditioned two different corners: the scrappy look and the more solid look.

 I chose the more solid look.

I love the way things turned out. The whole process of digging out locating the ruler, sewing up the scrappy strips, drafting the edge pieces and auditioning fabrics to make the connection to each block.

It reminds me of my grandma's quilts.

Final measurement 56 1/2 inches square and I don't think I'll be bordering the quilt..... LOL

Strings flying across the ocean

These string blocks are on their way

from the Netherlands to Canada.

Jeanneke sent them for part of our Anything Goes string quilt.

Yesterday, my friend Terry, who started the whole thing

 brought me two more.

I have 35 on my wall, and several more on their way to me.

Thanks for all these great blocks!

Some Old String Quilts

Thought you'd like to see a few old string quilts I picked up recently on a trip to Tennessee.

Rocky Road to Kansas.  The antique dealer thought these were 1940's prints.  All hand pieced.

This one is all silkies--rayon dress prints I think.  The dealer thought they were pre-1940.

The blocks are about 4".

Strippy Selvages

I've been bogged down lately with sewing things I HAD TO sew rather than what I wanted to sew.  I finally broke free and began a strippy selvage quilt.  I had an old quilt back that had been removed from a tied quilt and it was on it's way to the trash can when inspiration hit.  I washed that sorry old stained fabric, ironed it and cut it into 9" foundation squares.  I cut 1 1/2" strips from a cute red and white checked fabric for my center strips and pieced selvages out from there.  Any style, any color, as long as they were wide enough and long enough.  I tried to use mostly selvages with words.  Or dots.  Fun, fun, fun!  Here are the first four blocks trimmed (8 1/2") and laying side by side.

Any more challenge blocks coming?

Our challenge quilt is growing, with a total of 33 blocks.

Yesterday, I received Paulette's three blocks,

and they're playing nicely with the others on the wall.

Anyone else still sending blocks?

I'd like a minimum of 36 to make a  48 inch square,

but I was hoping to get this close to single size (60 by 80).

I've been making blocks from my stash, but my strings are getting depleted.

If anyone still wants to join in and make an 8.5 inch block

on an 8 inch foundation, leave a comment.

Thanks to all of you for playing along.

Granny's String Quilt

 I think it was early February when I first posted the box of strings and a partial quilt top I had from my mother-in-law who had passed away ten years ago. As you can see above, the strings and blocks are now a completed quilt!! Yeah! I did a 'floating border' with details on my blog, still using more of the strings. I did have to add a few fabrics to make it come out to a nice size.

 I took all the blocks apart, added more with her fabrics and mine and there were some of her blocks that were not quite large enough so they became backart.

This is the back. The yellow fabric was also in the box so I put it to good use. This quilt was a pleasure to complete and I had special memories of my mother-in-law as I sewed. She would love the final product as pastels were her favorite! For more photos, you can view them on my blog.

Finally Catching Up on Another UFO and Joining The String Thing Along

Hi everyone, my name is Vivian and I am glad to finally get to join you!  I had planned since last summer to put my sons back to work sewing up strings for Denim Blue Lagoon Blocks.  I had started this back in 2009 and wanted to make heavy winter quilts for my sons using scrap strings and denim from their outgrown jeans.  The pattern is from Fons & Porter and theirs was originally made up in batiks.
  

 This project was on my "PHD (Projects Half Done) Challenge" list last year.  And I again made plans to work on it when all the bags of old denim jeans to be used for the project were piled up around the cutting table (which is in my dining room) and needed to be cleared out before we had company over for the Thanksgiving holiday. When that deadline was not met, they got stowed away to await the New Year.  So when I saw this Quilt-Along at the start of this year I thought "three times a charm", right?  Even so, I've been so busy sewing other projects that I had been unable to clear enough work space for me to work with the boys.  But I've been a little better organized lately and thought I would get to this when the boys went on Spring Break last week week but this time non-quilty things got in the way.  The bright side is that when you face such roadblocks, the Quilt Gods are always in your corner!  For some reason, our cable service went out Wednesday afternoon.  That's right, no TV, internet or phone for a whole afternoon.  So what does a Mom do to entertain her kids?  Have them so sew strips instead!

My youngest (not that young anymore at 13) did this strip set and I've cut them into the 60 degree triangle units I need for the blocks.  Now that we've gotten started again, I want to continue to have them sew some strings for me until we have enough blocks for two twin size tops (I'm such a slave driver!).

As the string triangles accumulate, I will cut diamonds in "lights" and "darks" out of the old and outgrown jeans I've collected. As you can see, what is considered light or dark will depend on what it is teamed up with when the rows of blocks are constructed to form the "tumbling blocks" pattern.

Whatever denim I don't wind up using to make these will go towards making other denim quilts or accessories (I have a great tote bag pattern that I want to make).  The bonus is that if I can finally process all the jeans I have accumulated, this will also allow me to get that stash a little more manageable, compact and organized.

The pattern directions call for the triangles and diamonds to be joined into rows and then the rows are joined to make the tops.

As I sew them, I will lay them on the bed to see how many more pieces for each row and then how many rows of blocks I need for each top.  Back when we started this project, I had lucked up on a sale of some 60" wide fleece fabrics at Nancy's Notions which will be the backing for these quilts.  Given the weight of the denim and the fleece, I will probably not have to put additional batting in them.

I'm hoping that working on this will be as much fun for them as it will be for me. I doubt it but at least they will be able to say they had a hand in making their own quilts!  I probably won't post here again until I make some significant progress on the tops.  But if you'd like to follow the day to day progress or see what else I am working on, you can find me here.  Thanks to Brenda and the rest of you for all the inspiration and quilty eye candy you  have provided me to date.  It gave me just the kick in the rear I needed to get back to this!

My "Cobweb" Quilt Top

Rhonda, I wish I had your ruler!  I found this pattern called "Cobweb" in an old block pattern book and reproduced it on EQ, making myself paper foundation patterns.  I used feed sack scraps and solids (can you see where I ran a little short on the green?)  It's "next up" in my list of things to quilt, so you'll see it again when it's finished! 

Kite Drama

 I was combing through my stash of books, magazines and quilt patterns when I ran across the pattern you see in the background. It was then and only then that I remembered I had purchased the special ruler to go with it. Great! I have an abundance of scraps and strips of fabrics.... this would be a perfect time to start another quilt.

 Several hours later, I had enough strips sewn together to begin the next step....

I cut seven sets of eight kites that are needed to make a block or at least the block that I was interested in.
This kite shape has so many possibilities and I was so excited to see all the various fabric placements.

The first block option is the great looking design and the beauty of it is I don't have to match seams or pin anything.

Block option 2 is this four pointed star that I placed on an audition tone-on-tone fabric.

I then realized that if I was going with option 1, it needed something to square the block up.  After a couple of frustration hours of drafting, I came up with a workable template which needed to be reversible.

This is how the kite looks with the template fabrics sewn on. I went with the scrappy look because I really need to get rid of use up that large basket of scraps.

And that brings me to my next dilemma...... LOL.... back to the old drafting paper..... to be continued.