Foundation for string quilt.
#12
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
I generally use inexpensive muslin for foundations. I do prewash it before cutting, cut my squares ( or rectangles) a couple inches larger than I want my blocks - that gives me plenty of room to play with my scraps- then when I get all my blocks finished I trim them to all the same size.
Sometimes I find I have many scraps of white, or a light fabric that are long strips maybe cut from quilt backings and I use those for foundations then it’s all scraps in the quilt.
Sometimes I find I have many scraps of white, or a light fabric that are long strips maybe cut from quilt backings and I use those for foundations then it’s all scraps in the quilt.
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,018
Bought that sediment stuff...works great...roll will last 2 lifetimes! But before that I used tissue paper (gift wrap), or telephone books- don't see them anymore-and now I get perspectives in the mail, same thin paper so I can use them, better than trying to read/understand them. I used fabric once, to heavy, even though it was a low grade muslin...paper is crisper to work with..jmho
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Pearland, TX
Posts: 406
I use old bed sheets which I have cut into squares slightly larger than the finished size of the blocks. My wife really likes to buy new sheets every few months, so I have a good supply of fabric to use for foundations. It's a shame, sometimes, that the foundations don't show in the finished quilts; they can really be quite colorful.
#16
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,066
I have done several string quilts. Most of them with uneven sized strings. I have used several different foundations but the one I like the best is phone book pages. However, I do take the paper off as soon as I have the block squared up. I am working on one for 2 years, as I tire of the same thing. I have 32 done but need over 60. Am going to a quilt retreat in Feb and one in April and hoping to at least finish up making the blocks then. But I so enjoy looking at all the different colors and remembering other quilts I have made. They become addictive.
#17
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,066
I am going to look into this option. I like the idea that it can stay in the quilt and is economical. Thanks for the heads up.
Go to Lowe's and buy a roll of "Sediment Shield for trenches". It keeps dirt out of water drainage pipes underground. It comes in various widths, weighs nothing, can stay in your quilt (don't have to tear it off) and is very economical. I'm using it for 12" selvedge blocks I'm collecting.
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: South East Michigan...at the bottom of the thumb!
Posts: 730
I made a quilt with small 6" squares while staying in my RV. I used dryer sheets that my friend saved for me. Worked out pretty good and used my leftovers. Saved me because I had finished my quilt top and was dying to keep making more!
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Delaware
Posts: 1,024
I have used Pattern Ease or Easy Patern for foundation and it makes a lighter weight quilt than muslin. It does not need to be removed. These products are used for tracing patterns when there are multiple sizes on a pattern. It is nonwoven thin fabric similar to an interfacing. I love string quilts and have made tons of them. Have fun!
#20
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 16
I use a web mesh stabilizer. I have rolls of it that I use for machine embroidery. It is soft, pliable, washes well and keeps it's shape. I especially like it because it can stay on the block and I do not have to remove it. I use it for all my embroidery quilt blocks. I get mine from a shop in Conroe, TX, but it can also be purchased at almost any shop that sells stabilizer of any kind.
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02-19-2013 09:49 AM