String Quilt Technique
 

Hello everyone, I have a question. I have never made a string quilt although I have made a lot of projects using strip sets I have sewn together.

In most of the instructions for string quilts they suggest you use a fabric foundation, ie. here:
http://quiltingdigest.com/colorful-s...se-for-scraps/

I am curious as to why the foundation is used. Why not just sew the strips together??

I suspect it's because most string quilts end up having a lot of bias on the edges of the blocks.
I made a string quilt without a foundation. I sewed strips together to make a strata, but before I cut them into triangles or blocks, I starched the snot out of them to manage the bias. 😉

I have tried making string blocks many different ways over the years. When I don't use a foundation, they wiggle out of square for me, even when I make them oversized and then cut them with a square. A piece of thin muslin works although the result is a somewhat heavier quilt. I now usually use foundation paper (newsprint, old telephone book pages, etc.) even though I hate removing the paper. The unavoidable bias edges just seem to need a bit of shoring up.

I bought a mess of interfacing at JoAnns that washes away in water ( dissoluble) to use as a base for my million string strips. I used a couple of 50% coupons over two days to get enough. Once the top is quilted and washed it should be stable enough to hold up. At least that's my plan.

I use fabric dryer sheets after they come out of the dryer as some of my foundation for string blocks. They do make rectangular blocks rather than squares. For 2 different quilts I used these in the following manner: I sewed the blocks into long strips, trimmed them evenly, then cut in half. Now I had twice as many long strips about 3" wide, which I used as borders for the quilts, which were scrappy. Bonus borders! They use up scraps & are great for when I need mindless sewing.

great tip! I’m going to look for this product.

shortening your stitch length helps with the removal of paper. I use phone book pages and a stitch length of 1.8 on my bernina If you start removing the paper on one edge and go in order so you always have one side to lift up, it goes pretty fast to remove. I usually do it while watching netflix or something. Get all comfy on the couch with a waste basket nearby. I also keep a knitting needle or a tweezers if I get to a stubborn piece.

I have used an old sheet for foundation. I have also used tissue paper, which worked very well and was easy to remove. For the triangle blocks in the attached photo, I did not bother with foundation, because the multi seamed sides were anchored by solid sides. I just made sure that the multi seamed side was underneath when joining. I let my feed dogs help with any stretch.

I'm doing that also. So glad to know that someone else does "mindless sewing" .

I have used whatever I have on hand. I have used coffee filters as a paper foundation (then eventually cut square), and I also use my "ugly" fabric that I don't want to use for anything visible! like the others said, I'm sure the foundation is due to the bias. I find that using the foundation is much faster though. I feel more freedom for not having to perfectly line things up. but then again, I do my strings kinda wonky to get that advantage, too.

I use newsprint. Made a large one as my DH requested it, sewed on muslin. It is too heavy for us to have on the bed. Will make a great picnic quilt. Now I am making a large one using newsprint that I will tear off. Just had surgery for cataracts, this is something I can do as it doesn't have to be perfect. A couple of years ago, I made 14 lap string quits for grands, kids ad DH

When my youngest son was in college he worked in the bakery dept at a large grocery store. I bought some sheets of that thin baking wrapping paper and it makes a great foundation. You might try that.

Another foundation "product" that I use is the really cheap wrapping paper rolls from the dollar store. Check the labels and buy the one with the most square footage. Bonus using the wrapping paper: there is a printed 1" square grid on the backside of the paper which I have found to be accurate.

Other things I've used as foundations: muslin (makes quilts very heavy), old sheets (most of mine are not 100% cotton so I tend not to use them), interfacing, tissue paper, phone book pages, scribble pad pages and coloring book pages (both dollar store items), but mostly I use copier (computer printer) paper. It is heavier than a lot of the other foundations, but since I stitch with a short stitch length (1.8), the paper removes easily.

Yes, people are correct when they say the foundations stabilize the bias edges.

One last thought: I prefer not to use dryer sheets for two reasons: (1) they are polyester (yes I know interfacing is polyester, too) and (2) I don't like the residual scent (even with unscented ones there seems to be a chemical scent left).

I've never used foundation for string blocks. But I have no problem with bias, and that does give many a lot of grief. My belief is most of that is due to how well a particular machine feeds. I sew on a straight stitch machine with a narrow foot, so it feed very well.

I haven't made any string quilts, but have thought about doing it and using the brown paper found in the Box and moving section of Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. They are large sheets, about 2 ft square and feel similar to newsprint but with a bit more structure. Would appreciate your thoughts.

And then I looked it up and found it was white and the size is 30" x 24". I am pretty sure it's the same stuff that Hobby Lobby uses to wrap breakables at checkout. I thought that $10.00 for 100 sheets would be a pretty good buy. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-3...g-Supplies_LIA

I even thought about trying it on my light box for tracing a Paper Pieced pattern. I don't like regular copy paper because it is so thick.

I use Cotton Voile for my base. It is very light...almost like organza...and doesn't add hardly any weight to the quilt.
It's about $5.00 a yard. Be sure to get Cotton voile, not a mix of Cotton and Polyester.

Watson

Watson, where do you purchase your cotton voile?

When someone asks me why it's necessary to sew to a foundation when I sew strip blocks I always say make a few blocks without the foundation and some with and see if the difference then choose. Over the years I have used every type of foundation. Now I use Missouri Star 10" square foundation papers. They are cheap, pre cut with various markings to help if needed, and tear out easily. Also I can stack enough for a lifetime on one small spot on a shelf.

Oh man, I LOVE mindless sewing! I learned about that from Rayna Gilman, who accurately calls it "therapy sewing". In her book she talks about how she would, when exhausted, just sew pleasing strips together into strip sets, threw them all in a drawer until she had tons, then designed up on the design wall with them.

Other fave therapy sewing things I do:
-sewing light squares/scraps together as leaders and enders to make scrap quilts
-sewing up sheets of triangle papers (I use the Triangulations DVD files from Bearpaw Quilting) to create a fund of HST's, also fab for designing up on the wall
-making wonky stars from my scrap bins, using the scraps for the rays, and a white or low volume white for the sky....you can vary the sizes for a more interesting quilt and none of the seams have to be straight!

I have made strips sewing six strip together and cutting with a triangle ruler. Not stretchy at all.

If I want a larger scrappy quilt I follow Sewbiz or Ditter 43 in tutorial section for quilt as you go. Easy .

I rarely use a foundation when making string quilts. If I'm going to be cutting my string sets on the diagonal I may use a foundation due to bias. But not when they are lined up on the vertical or horizontal. Depends on the pattern frankly.

Looks like a really fun quilt! I am just throwing this idea out. Would you get the same effect if you made the strip squares and then used the quarter square triangle techniqe to sew two squares together? I am thinking this might be a way to avoid the bias altogether. Spruce Crafts has a nice tutorial. I would post the link, but I am not sure that it is allowed.

I hate working with triangles. I think they get stretched out when I iron because I drag the iron instead of just placing it on the block.

Have a great day!

I use telephone book pages cut into squares. works for me.

Ginger, I really like that quilt. Its going to be going up on the wall in my sewing room for future reference.

I love string quilts and have made a jillion, but only one without a muslin foundation. The one without the foundation was really distorted and unstable. Muslin makes the quilt a little heavier. I've tried paper foundation, but can't get the size squares I want unless I go to the office supply to have the right weight paper cut. I'll start looking for some of the products you kind folks have mentioned.

I like using muslin for the foundation. Tried paper and didn't care for tearing the paper off although using dissolving interfacing sounds interesting. The muslin backing does add some weight to the quilt but I think it gives the quilt more substance.

GingerK, I got it at Fabricland when it was on sale about 3 years ago. Bought quite a few metres. Not sure if they still have it.

Wow...just looked it up and it's pretty expensive. If you can order from the US it's cheaper.

Watson

I have a closely-guarded stash of old phone books that I use for foundations in string quilts. The pages are easily cut to size with a rotary cutter and an old blade. The paper gives stability to the strings, prevents distortion, and there is no heavy foundation to deal with once the paper is removed. I love this method and have always been pleased with the results, as the blocks are very accurate and uniform.

I have tried the official paper piecing paper, newsprint, those cheap kids tablets for drawing and practicing writing, typing paper, and phone books. Gotta say, the typing was the worse to rip off and by far, and I mean by far, the cheapest, easiest to rip off and to cut to desired size was the old phone book pages. Now, it can be diffiuclt to find the phone books with the bigger pages or even any old phone book. If you can get your hands on one, go for it. Oh, and the "aged" phone books work even better.

I am pretty much the traditionalist when it comes to foundation blocks. I wash first either bleached or unbleached muslin. Works great for string blocks. I have also used a paper that I have pre-measured to the size of block I want and do it like a paper pieced block, removing the paper afterwards. The only thing with that is the possibility of bias cuts and then the block is unstable. So I prefer using muslin.
So many of the other suggestions here are great! I may even begin to save dryers sheets for this purpose.