Strings with an X-Factor!

It's time to share my next SCRAPPY quilt design!! This one is also from quiltville.com. Originally, when I first looked at Bonnie's site, I picked out two of her free patterns to try. I had just enough of the thin, blue fabric to use for the foundation material.

 

Scrappy Strings

Once again, I began covering my foundation pieces with fabric strings (1.5" wide and less), until completely covered. After all the pieces were done, the ends were cut down to form a point.

Foundation Fabric Covered with Strings/Ends Cut to A Point

To see the overall effect and help me decide what fabric to choose for finishing the blocks, I laid them all on the floor (my design wall).

Pieces Laid Out As Per Design

I had several shades of blue in fat quarters, and cut out the required pieces. Only after they were cut out, did I work out the placement for the blue fabrics. I ended up with an overall balanced theme that I was happy with. The next step was to sew the blue triangles to the main pieces.

Sorry for the poor photo. I don't usually stop sewing just to wait until the next day, for daylight, for better photo ops.

X-design Construction

Here is a closeup, to show you a better view of the X-block.

Quilt Top--Closeup

One thing I had difficulty with was choosing the fabrics for the borders. When doing scrappy quilts, I think staying with the fabrics I have, should suffice. But, not always does that plan work out as one thinks.

Therefore, it took some time to work out what I would do. That was when I decided to add a strip of orange mock piping. And, much later, I added the white and orange borders.

Mock Piping and Borders

This project: 48 single blocks in total. Four blocks sewn together were trimmed to 14" square. Borders were cut at: white-2.5"; orange-3.5".



My Finished Quilt Top

String-X Quilt!  (approx. 50" x 63.5")

 

Thanks to Bonnie Hunter for inspiring me to try this scrappy technique for quilting!! I will be posting two more of her quilt designs, coming soon...

 

Please visit her website or blog, for more details on this pattern.

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this project. Until next time... cheers to you all!!

 

Going Scrappy!

What does one do--when their fused applique supply has run out and the fabrics in the stash are not the latest designs?  One would be... go buy more! Another would be... just use what one has at home. 

Well, my dilemna was eliminated when I figured it was time to go SCRAPPY!!  So, I can experience for myself what those quilters that love scrappy quilts are talking about.

So, after going through my fabric pieces that I had sorted into separate colors to use for applique and those smaller fat quarters and other remnants of fabric. I started cutting them into strips and squares. I will deal with those squares in another posting.

Cutting the Fabrics into Strips

I did an online search, and came up with some great ideas! This is what I did with that mess of strips...

The website that got me started had me inspired to try out several variations, that will begin with this posting. And, who don't love a FREE pattern to try out a technique, not yet tried. 

The pattern is called: String Quilting Primer

The Block

I used a foundation piece (blue) to sew the strips onto, which was a very thin fabric that I had no other purpose for using. And, I also used the same fabric for the center strip in each block. My foundation piece was 8" square. After trimming it was 7 1/2" square. In total, I made 48 blocks.

Starting With Center Strip

Foundation Fabric Covered Completely

Trimming the Block - 7.5"

Looking Beautiful--Not Bad From A Pile of Strips

After I had sewn the strips onto the 48 foundation fabric pieces, it was time to decide where to go from here. Originally, I had thought I'd make two smaller quilts, but decided to use them all in one quilt top, instead.

Assembling the Blocks

Then, I added the same fabric as was used in the center of each block and added another border to finish at 50" x 64". That is where I'll leave it, for now, ready to quilt later.

Adding the Borders (width: light pink 2"; bright pink 3")

My String Quilting Primer Quilt Top

Finished Quilt Top  (approx. 50" x 64")

Thanks to Bonnie Hunter for inspiring me to try this scrappy technique for quilting!! I will be posting three more of her quilt designs, coming soon...

For more on Bonnie's quilts, visit: http://quiltville.com/

Hope you enjoyed this project. Until next time... cheers to you all!

  

Motivation Please Kick In!

After my "2010 Quilt Technique Challenge" was over, and many months later, it was a challenge just to find where to start again. 

One of my favorite things about quilting that I still enjoy is--cutting fabric!! And, I still want to use up (at least attempt) my fabric stash. I do have lots of fabrics that have been in the fabric cabinet, long enough.  Therefore, finding projects that are not brand-name, trendy, or design specific, I will try to use up those old fabrics, before buying new ones.

So... why not sort through those old magazines and quilt books to see what would spark that new direction. It didn't seem to be working, and that was when I decided to cut up those old magazines and make a collection of ones that brought some inspiration.

Binder 2--Patterns

Storm at Sea was the project that would begin my 2011 quilt journey. It is from an old magazine: Love of Quilting--September/October 2006. Designed by: John Flynn.

Storm at Sea

Here is how it went together:

Light/medium fabrics:

-- cut strips, squares, half-square triangles; cut strips, squares, diamonds; cut strips, squares, squares, half-square triangles.

Dark fabrics:

-- cut strips, squares, quarter square triangles; cut strips, triangles; cut strips, squares, quarter-square triangles.

Needless to say; further, a lot of cutting from approximately 16 different fabric colors. Did I say I love cutting?  And, so it was.

Storm at Sea-Instructions

At the time, I didn't take many pictures, or if I did, can't seem to find them. Or, perhaps I did not take any of the quilting process. Sorry, about that!

My projects, for the most part, will only go to the finished quilt top stage, unless they are small quilts and I feel like finishing them, as I go. Finishing them may mean buying new fabrics, so that stage will be done later on.

Here is the quilt top shown on the floor:

Storm at Sea - approx. 40”w X 52”L

For more on John's quilts, visit: http://flynnquilt.com/.

Hope you enjoyed this project. Until next time... cheers to you all!

What's In A Name?

There are a lot of terms used in quilting.... and many of them I haven't explored yet. So, if I may, I will revisit the process of writing up blog entries to show you what I have been doing with my time this year and see if I can't get you excited at trying some new techniques for yourself.

In this process, since my last post in December 2010, it looks like I need to figure out how blogger has changed and get up to speed on giving my blog a new look. Thanks, for your interest in what I discover along the way.

Terms such as: strips, strings, crumbs, and scrappy have got my attention. As I dialogue my projects over the next few weeks, I'll show you what my sewing machine has been busy at stitching up!!

Let's begin the adventure.......