Sunday, March 4, 2012

A String A Day

From March to May....

Scraps never bothered me. They sat quietly in a corner, minding their own business. I'd hear other people talk about their scraps, how they're out of control, taking over the studio. Not mine. Mine were very well behaved. Until recently. They seem to be breeding.

I think part of the problem is that I  have several "hidey holes" all over the studio, where scraps are stashed.




A few things about my scraps:
*most of them are a good 8-12 years old
*most of them are fabric that I don't really care for anymore (primitive, thimbleberry-ish, etc.)
*most of them are long, narrow strips
*all of them, I'm too cheap to throw out

Friday, I decided to take action. I'm making a string block a day, from March to May. Why May? Because it rhymes, duh! And, if I keep on track, by the end of May, I'll have 90 or so of these little guys, which will sew up into a decent sized quilt.

To make this work, I did a little prep. I'm using this tutorial  which is super easy. I decided on a middle strip of the tan/leafy print. I have a ton of that laying around, so it will give the block a bit of uniformity. I cut my center strip to 2" wide, and cut my foundation paper (scrap office paper) to 8.5" square (the largest I could get out of an 8.5 x 11.) So, I prepped about a dozen bases.


The key to this working for me is that it can't take much time. I figure, about 10 minutes tops. Plus, I'm really just grabbing scraps as I go - not much thought, not much trimming. Every so often, I might sew a few blocks together, just so that I won't have the nightmare of 90 blocks at the end of May.

Anyway, here's day 1-4.


Of course, you know how this will end. It will most likely be one of my favorite quilts ever!

12 comments:

Needled Mom said...

It most likely will be. I love string quilts.

Sara said...

String blocks are the way to go. It will look beautiful all mixed together-trust me:)

evelyn said...

I love this quilt idea. I have bookmarked the tutorial. Also voted for your heart quilt. Good luck.

ShirleyC said...

That's a great idea! I made a similar quilt years ago, and it's nearly worn out.

Julie H said...

Looks like you are onto a great start, I'm sure it will be lovely when you are finished!

Michelle said...

Sounds like a good plan to me!

suemac said...

I was in a Quiltsville string block swap. I have a start of 20 blocks but have not finished yet. If you like string blocks I suggest the book "String Quilt Revival." I am slowly making my way through one of the patterns using charm square for the center of the block.

Gene Black said...

Looking at it now, I am already liking it a lot. That is really a great way to use up fabrics you don't love...and then somehow they become lovable.

Steph Jacobson said...

This is a wonderful idea! I know there's no way I would actually get a block a day made but you've inspired me to try something new. Time to dig through my scraps!

tink's mom said...

I love the tan leafy strip, it really does tie the block together. I have started a spider web with my strings. I refuse to take them off the wall until there are enough blocks to make a decent top. Need to get back to them before they become one with the wall and I don't see them anymore.

Skooks said...

What a great idea . . . not only will the scraps get under control, but it will be so much fun to watch that quilt grow. I like that you're using one fabric the same in each block to tie it all together. I think that's going to be the key.

Sheila said...

I really love this idea , I love string quilts and I also have lots of scraps that need using up.