String Quilts - Paper, stabilizer, fabric or None?
#21
I really like Ginger's quilt too - I've got a tote full of strings (strips less than 1.5" wide) and have been wondering what to do with them, and this would work well. I also have a tote full of 1.5" strips that could be used for the sashing and 9 patch blocks.
#23
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: northern minnesota
Posts: 2,480
I have done string piecing without any foundation....but only when the strings were fairly wide and mostly on grain. you don't want edges off grain because they will stretch. I used my cutting mat as a guide on how big to make the string squares, made them oversized and then cut down with my ruler. I used a wider string at the top and the bottom so I had enough to square it up without cutting into seams.
I have used muslin ...but that really made the finished quilt heavy and you would have to wash and press first. I did not care for this method.
and I have made string blocks with phone book pages. I actually like this method best. I have not had problems with any ink rubbing off like you would get with newspaper....the older the phonebook, the better I hear as the ink is well set with age. I use smaller stitches so the paper is easy to tear off and do the tearing process while watching TV...it goes pretty quickly. I will also use a crochet hock or chopstick or something to get at the paper behind those narrow strings...I find starting at one edge and then working across the square works well as you have one lose edge of paper as you move across... Some folks think that phone book paper is the easiest to remove...and it has been the best for me.
I have used muslin ...but that really made the finished quilt heavy and you would have to wash and press first. I did not care for this method.
and I have made string blocks with phone book pages. I actually like this method best. I have not had problems with any ink rubbing off like you would get with newspaper....the older the phonebook, the better I hear as the ink is well set with age. I use smaller stitches so the paper is easy to tear off and do the tearing process while watching TV...it goes pretty quickly. I will also use a crochet hock or chopstick or something to get at the paper behind those narrow strings...I find starting at one edge and then working across the square works well as you have one lose edge of paper as you move across... Some folks think that phone book paper is the easiest to remove...and it has been the best for me.
#24
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 253
SEPHIE, Have you tried that method yourself? If so, how did you personally deal with quilting the back?
GingerK, Are those 1 1/2" strips you used for that sashing around the block? That is such a pretty look.
GingerK, Are those 1 1/2" strips you used for that sashing around the block? That is such a pretty look.
Last edited by Schill93; 09-24-2020 at 02:26 PM.
#25
Ginger K I love your quilt layout. It didn’t get me dizzy when I looked at it. Some do and maybe it’s the busy layout of them and When I try to focus 🙄your blocks are separated and I need to save this idea.thanks
#26
I like this string quilt too and the fact that you starched it so well😂🤣-great job getting the blues an d reds to match up so well to the adjoining blocks.
#29
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,560
They don't match at all! Lol. That's the beauty of using strips of all different widths, none of the seams need to match. Just the corners of the blocks, and that's easy to do.