Wednesday, March 27, 2019

All About Strings, Bright and Beautiful!

I hope you've enjoyed the blog hop so far, it's really gone by fast!  I barely got my project finished on time, but it is done, and I really love it!  This quilt is totally a scrap quilt made from lots of leftover bits and pieces from many projects.

Isn't it colorful?  I've been sewing up scrap blocks for a while, so I had a good stack of them to make the top with.  These blocks are really simple, just random strips from my scrap bin sewn diagonally onto a foundation of telephone book pages.  The pages tear off the back super easy, and it helps keep those diagonal seams from stretching out of shape.  Here's a block before I trimmed it up to 6 1/2 x 8 1/2.

The tricky thing is that if you want to make the diamond pattern that I did, that you need to make half the blocks going one way, and half the opposite.  I had a few too many slanting the wrong way!
Oh, well.  That gives me a good start for the next set of blocks.  You see, my scrap bin still is overflowing, so I'll need to keep sewing these up and make another quilt (or 2 at least).
I thought I would share my secret for making an awesome string quilt.  When you are choosing strips, make sure to put the craziest combinations together that you can.  Seriously, put a brown floral next to a bright stripe!  Then add a pink cat print. 
Christmas fabrics?  Sure, throw them in the mix, too!
Dinosaurs work well, and modern florals are fun.
Baseballs, clocks, bears, anything goes - and when you put it all together, the results are a perfectly scrappy and fun quilt!
I quilted it with a large meander in green thread and I had just enough of this bright apple print for the back.  I found a fun green print for the binding - it has bananas on it, so I think this quilt will be "Fruit Salad".  Come to think about it, a quilt like this is a lot like a salad - lots of good things all chopped up and mixed together to make something wonderful and satisfying.

Thank you, Carla for hosting this fun blog hop! I got lots of ideas for more string quilts so I can use up all my scraps (someday!)   I hope you've all enjoyed my take on making a string quilt.  They really are fun!  Make sure to go see Carla's blog (Creatin In the Sticks) and enter to win a great prize!




33 comments:

Anna brown said...

Well done I am on my secand string quilt..Scraps as long as 2e are quilters there never ending. ..happyness04431@yahoo.com

Cynthia's Creating Ark said...

A beautiful project. I will be joining you on doing more with string blocks.

Lisa England said...

What a great quilt! I love your tips as well. I am sometimes hesitant to make crazy mixed up blocks but your quilt is proof that it all works out in the end. Thanks for encouraging me (and others) to sew with abandon.

Elizabeth Coughlin said...

It's colorful, and wonderful!

Beth Strand said...

Lovely! I'm going to have to try rectangle blocks!

Anita Jackson @ Domestic Felicity said...

I'm laughing! I absolutely LOVE the name of your quilt! Perfect!

Sheila said...

I absolutely love your STRING QUILT!

Leah said...

Love your fruit salad and thanks for the scrappy placement tips. I'll need to try making my own salad soon.

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio said...

Great string quilt.

Vicki in MN said...

I like your diamond setting.

Karrin Hurd said...

Great quilt, thanks so much for sharing!

Rozz01 said...

Your are inspiring me to use my strips.

The Joyful Quilter said...

"Fruit Salad" ROFL!!! I subscribe to your method of making blocks. Throw it ALL in there! String quilts like these are such a joy to explore.

Carla said...

Thank you, Pamela, for all the tips and tricks. I loved reading about "Fruit Salad" and how this quilt came to be named. You are a teacher at heart for sure. Thank you for joining the All About Strings Blog Hop. Love this quilt!

Calicojoan said...

Fruit salad. I love that, and it represents everything strings really are. LOL!! Great project!

Lori Smanski said...

Wow this is lovely. I love the name: Fruit Salad
Thank you for sharing and for inspiring.
quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

tink's mom said...

Wonderful quilt full of memories.

Moira said...

Looks great!

Mary Ann said...

Your fruit salad looks fresh and colorful, just like spring. Thanks for sharing.

beaquilter said...

a great scrap buster that looks awesome!

Danice G said...

Yes, a very pretty quilt and perfectly scrappy.

Turid said...

I love that sort of quilts. So great to be able to use all fabrics, even the "ugly" ones.

ShirleyC said...

Your quilt is beautiful and so is the backing!

Farm Quilter said...

What a fun quilt with a perfect name!!! Good job on getting a head start on that next string quilt (sounds like something I would do!!)!

BarefootThunder said...

fruit salad is perfect, thanks for the great mixing tips.

Stitchin At Home said...

Beautiful quilt!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Those are my Favorite kinds of string quilts - so much to look at, and so many colors - just awesome!

grammajudyb said...

I agree anything goes! I really like the rectangular/ diamonds!

Carol said...

Love this quilt! Thanks for sharing it and your tips!

Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.net said...

Love your quilt. I see a string quilt in my future!

Michelle said...

Fruit salad is perfect for this colorful strings quilt. I love it!

Sue D said...

So pretty and colorful.

Emily said...

I love "everything AND the kitchen sink" scrap quilts! This is fabulous!!!