According to what I have read in all the quilt news string quilts are the "in thing" right now. Everytime I read about or see something else , It goes on my" to do list" which is getting quite long
Has anyone here made one ? I need the voice of experience to know the hang ups and problems I might encounter. Anyone have a pic of their creation :D What do you think of them?

http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/824.page
Check here for pic and links. They are easy to make. No hard and fast rules. Use a foundation block of muslin or whatever, sew on strips of fabric from one edge to the other. Place 1st and 2nd strips facing each other and sew in place. Finger press open. Place another strip, right sides facing, sew and finger press. When you have the whole block covered, trim off the excess fabric. If you miss a spot, fill it in with another patch. Easy as pie.

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Ruth:

I haven't gotten around to answer your e-mail yet but I will for sure do that in the meantime go to www.quiltville.com and there pictures and all the info you will need . The lady having the web site is Bonnie and she will answer any question you may have via e-mail.

Happy Quilting and check out this website I will be e=mailling you soon to find out what you think about them.

eunice :wink:

Hi ruth, I made a string in oct. 2006for a friend of mines, the lady that quilt for me taught me, it was simple beautifulannd easy to make i don't have a picture, i'm getting ready to make anotherthis time i will keep it for myself.

Happy quilting
Annette

Here's the string quilted pillow :D

Hi zyxquilts it was ruthie who wanted to know if anyone was making string quilts, i have made one for a friend.Thanks anyway.

Annette

Hi Ruthie, Been away from the boards lately, so decided to take a look. I too have been thinking of a string quilt. I found this pattern at Jo-anns. Go there it downloads a pdf file. http://www.joann.com/content/projects/static/winter06/contemporary_string_quilt.pdf

Have fun, DonnaRae

I have made many many string quilts..... just finished making one for my dad and made one for my granddaughter a couple years ago...I will post some pics....they are fun to make..... I use squares of newspaper for my foundation and then just tear it off after I square each one up.

Thank you Patsy, your pictures helped. I could see where the blocks are joined and the one with the center black strips was very helpful
I seem to have a problem reading patterns, if they are in color it's worse, especially if I want diffderent colors.

I never have problems with clothing patterns, just quilting. I prefer tradional with fewer pie ces.
again thank you everone, without help from everyone, I wouldn't make one

Here is one I made for my son for Christmas and one for a young lady at church high school graduation.

oh those are pretty colors!!! I have strips ready for a teal colored one and a red one..... I just love these quilts....and its a great scrap stash buster!!

OK I have a question. Is the white added after the squares are done? Those are great.

Ruth ...here is a site that shows step by step how string quilts are put together...for their sample they are using all scraps.... what I usually do is choose a focus fabric and cut them all the same width for the centers of each block which creates the main lines going thru the quilt.

http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpatternsprojects/ss/string_piecing_2.htm
String Piecing - Learn to Make a String Pieced Quilt - Learn How to String Piece

BEAUTIFUL!!!! Gosh there are so many talented folks here, I'm not sure my meager talent belongs here!
Sharon

Those quilts are sooooo pretty, Now I know what to add to my list.

Question: If a string quilt is really a quilt made of scraps of dressmaking, etc, How can they be so uniform and beautiful??? They are blowing my mind....
Sharon

I haven't started mine yet but from what I have read and looked at, you can do it all scrappy, scrappy with a strip corner to corner in each block. For example the red,black or white. Some like to stick to one color shade and cut strips from whole cloth. I hope this makes sense. :lol:

Sharon, that is why I have made so many of these....each one is different... the only strip of material I cut to uniform size is usually the middle one .. however on the one I did for my dad I made them ALL 2 1/2 inch strips... I was still able to use out of my scrap stash and still have a ton left so plan to do more....I think the difference in the looks of each quilt is what you use for your focus fabric in the centers ...I have also made many without matching the centers by size or color and they still look great!!! Its a great method..

My MIL taught me how to make these way back in 1975, before they were even called "string quilts"...she referred to them as newspaper quilts as we used newspaper for foundation. I've made alot of them for charity raffles and people really go for them....

Thanks, Ruth and Patsy. I'm going to make one of these after I finish my neice' quilt. They are to beautiful. I have as many scraps as I have fabrics in my stash, so no problem on supplies. lol lol

Working on quilt today so I'm really really going shuddap soon and get at it, only another hour or so to read all the new stuff. :roll:

Sharon

A scrapy string quilt does not have to match anywhere. The colors can be random, if you don't want to plan, and the strings can be tapered alot, none uniform. And it doesn't have to start in the center. I've seen some pretty wild ones. The southern black quilts have been documented in several places, like the Gee's Bend Quilts, and their color combinations, you cannot even dream up........all gorgeous.

http://www.quiltsofgeesbend.com/quilts/
http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/sub.asp?key=15&subkey=498
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/other/geesbend/explore/index.html
http://www.shellyquilts.com/geesbend/
http://www.omart.org/galleries/exhibitions/GeesBend/geesbend.html

Awesome, now those are some string quilts that I was thinking of. I though they were radom, but now I think, get rid of the quilt police, they can be anything! DonnaRae

i'm not 100% sure i'm correct here, but i think the term "string piecing" refers to the way you create the "new fabric". (which is by using one of the methods already mentioned above)

once you've made your strips, you can do just about anything with them you'd do with any other fabric. your only limiting consideration is the added bulk if you strung to muslin, and from the extra seams.

does that sound about right?

Wow! The quilts posted and the pillow are absolutely beautiful. I did try sewing some strips (strings) together just to see what it would look like. Mine were more narrow than what I've seen on here. Mine were actually true scraps leftover from projects. It is pretty. I did mine straight up and down on my test block. I didn't use a foundation piece of material or paper??????

Miranda... I found out you don't have to use a foundation....to me it just makes it easier for stitching and squaring up.... I make these other quilts that I simply call my crazy scrap quilts and I just start with a center scrap and keep adding to all four sides until its big enuf to cut the size square I want out of it, and then square it up. I don't use a foundation for these. Here are two that I have made recently.

Patsy~
Those are great! Thanks for sharing.

I like them all. I have started a string and am really enjoying it. I am using 8 inch squares of newspapers for a foundation. My next will probably be the scrap squares. This is really great . no ripping apart. Thank You all for the info and help. I just might completely finish these

Wow I wondered what I was going to do with all of the extra pieces I cut out making these monthly blocks. Now I know. Ya'll are so smart.

patsy, is this string quilt as easy as it looks. by the way your quilts are beautiful.

Tia Sarah......if you go back a page I put a link in one of my posts for a site that has instructions for string quilts. I think they are super simple...I have made many of them over the years and plan to make more.

thanks for the nice compliments!

Hi love2quilt, your quilt is wonderful. I have done two string quilts, they are fun to do and go quick. I did mine on 9 inch muslin squares, sewing strips on the diagonal, then finished them as I do a regular quilt. Also, have taught my grands to do them and they love it. :roll:

Hi, this is my first time here so if I make any mistakes please forgive me. I have a question about the string quilts. I understand the concept of making them but I loved the white and black around each square. How did you do that. Is the black or white the last strip to sewed or what. Thanks for any help yo can give me. M

I recently made two string quilted blocks for a sampler quilt that I am working on and the directions said to choose a block size, mine was 12", and measure diagonally across the middle, cut a strip 1 1/2" wide and length of fabric, lay it down, right side up on a backing and batting , lay 2nd strip on top of first strip, right sides together, sew down right hand edge with 1/4" seam through backing and batting. Turn top strip right side up, trim strip ends, finger press seam, place next strip on top of previous strip, right sides together, sew, turn and finger press. Continue on till the square is filled from center to edge. Repeat for other 1/2 of square.

It was one of the easiest blocks in the quilt even though I had never made one before.

Will attempt to post pics of blocks

Marybeth

WARNING WARNING>they are addictive. I have to make myself STOP. It is a good way to use up all those little scraps you have that you just can't bring yourself the throw away :roll:

Here's the pictures of my blocks...
Nevermind...tried to upload but I couldn't get it to downsize. Will continue to try.

In a 2005 issue of Love of Quilting mag, there is a quilt designer named JoAnn Belling, she made a string quilt for fall. Really very pretty. I don't do patterns, but this one caught my eye because of the applique, and I love applique. So I decided that I had to make this one. Instructions are simple and easy to follow. I've done string quilting before, in fact I added a string border to a king quilt I made for a dear friend's B'day, using all the fabrics I used in the quilt, It came out really well and she was amazed at the border. I do not have the capabilities to post pictures or I would. And the twist that JoAnn Belling used on her Fall Quilt was really special. It leaves alot of room to add and take away to add your own special touches.
Here is her e-mail site to see some of her work, www.joannbelling.com

I hadn't heard of string quilts until I read this post. I am so inspired to make one now! I am even guilty of cutting some extra strips as I cut materials for my latest project!!

that is not a thing to be guilty of--- it is a thing to be proud of --You are multitasking :wink:

Marybeth