Strip quilt Prep Questions
 

When doing a strip quilt, do you prep a whole bunch of strips ahead of time?
I have all my scrap strips in a drawer and they are all jumbled, most need ironing. Most are 2 1/2"...so, would you iron them all and cut them into different widths before you started?

Second, do you get up and iron after every other strip? Or do you just finger press and add all the strips?

Third, I bought a roll of Golden Threads paper really cheap... would that be good for a foundation?

Fourth someone said it was best to start with a white strip diagonally and build from there...I'm assuming this creates a pattern? Does anyone have a picture of this?

Thanks,
Watson

Sounds like maybe you are asking more about string quilts than strip quilts?

I'm a bit compulsive and like to get all my stuff together before I start, even if I start before cutting everything. I also believe a lot of my success comes from my crisp ironed fabric (I don't use starch myself).

I used to save my badly cut ends from the store cuts in a box just for strings. Again, being compulsive I like to cut those off before I put the fabric in the box. Then I could just grab stuff out of that box and go go go! More lately I put them in a box to send to a lady who accepts my crumbs and such.

edit: It's not always the store's fault for the edges, I prewash and am really strict about getting the grain straight and often it is folded and wound around the bolt off kilter during the manufacturing process.

I need everything pressed before sewing. The rest depends on what strip pattern you are making.

If you are talking about string quilting... the white strip on the center diagonal will create a lattice effect. You can do it or not do it. Here is one I made that way, but with the center strips in black rather than white:

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It’s certainly your choice to iron them all first or do them as you go, there are plenty of us who do it both ways, I have a little ( Brayer- roller from Nancy’s notions) that I use next to my sewing machine to press each strip after adding it. I get up and iron when I feel I need to.
Wouldnt hurt to try the Golden paper as your foundation. If I use paper I usually use cheap printer paper or newsprint. 99% of the time I use thin, inexpensive muslin though so I don’t have to remove it. Again, your choice.
you certainly don’t have to start with white strips. You can start with any strip you want that will go across your foundation.

Seems like they start with a foundation of some sort. I picked up white old fabric from a garage sale. Have enough to last a lifetime. But I hear them talking about using muslin, old newspaper, printer paper. You decide how big you want your block to be. 8" square is a common size, although a 10" , 12" , or a 15" could be used. My strips are all thrown into a strip box. The sizes of strips run 1", 1 1/2" to 2" . I would save my 2 1/2" strips for something larger, like a log cabin block. I do like the string blocks I see sewn from one corner to the opposite corner. It creates an angle. You might Google string quilt patterns or ideas. Most of them are free.

Iceblossom, you're right, I meant string quilts.

Thanks everyone. I think I'll be ironing and cutting for awhile.

Watson

Heck, Watson, easy to do when they both start with the same 4 letters. I'm feeling a bit blue that I used "palate" in a thread when it should have been "palette" and didn't realize it until after the editing period, but hey -- at least I spelled them both correctly.

I usually iron most of my fabrics before I start cutting. Sewbizgirl-love your string blocks-that is going to be a very pretty quilt.

since my strips are all wadded up in a bag, I have to iron them before sewing. I rarely use a foundation, so will just sew strips together and then cut to the size I want. Sometimes I will sew the block to a solid and then make into 4 blocks (sew all the way around and then cut diagonally both ways) and use that way.

I just made two different string quilts. I just strips together and cut with a triangle ruler and sewed the triangles to make a square. Ends need to be used elsewhere.