After the self induced stress of getting my "And Sew On" wall hanging finished last week I am reveling in my favorite comfort sewing this week. String blocks!
And, even better, in Christmas fabrics to get me in the mood to decorate this weekend. These blocks are from a swap I did a few years back on the HGTV Quilting Forum. At some point I had started to assemble them, but now I've decided I want to go bigger for a good sized lap quilt. The blocks are 6.5" unfinished so I need 120 of them for a 60" x 72" quilt.
Good thing I have lots of strings ready to sew. If you have never made string blocks I'll share a secret - you will NEVER see the bottom of the bin! They seem to reproduce magically.
I just love having my big table to spread out on - making string blocks is messy. And there is nothing better than finding the perfectly sized odd length string to use up (I admit to being a scrap hoarder).
Years ago I bought a flat rate box stuffed with Christmas scraps and squares from an eBay seller who was clearing out her mothers stash for next to nothing which means I have a seemingly endless collection of 3", 4" and 5" squares. They are perfect to cut in half and finish off the ends of these small blocks that you can see in piles and the bin below.
Here is a stack of 10 blocks ready for another pass of fabric.
I'm using a strip of red down the middle of each block and then anything goes. I've got an audiobook to finish up today but I'll mix in some Christmas music too. Since the rest of my family only likes a few days worth of holiday tunes I find myself enjoying them while I sew and in my car throughout December. Makes me happy!
What's Hot:
- Christmas Strings
- Hand sewing binding on Christmas Fantasy (back from my LAQ!)
- Primary D9P is up next for quilting
- Charmed Pinwheels is on the leader/ender design wall.
- Small projects I've been procrastinating on
We have received about 10" of snow and had our first 2 hour late school start of the season this morning. More is expected so it will be a Sew Day for me. Yesterday morning in an attempt to get our son to school we managed to get both of our cars stuck in our driveway! Today he rode with his Dad in the 4 wheel drive vehicle and I'm not leaving the house.
I love your Christmas-ey strings...so cheerful....hugs, Julierose
ReplyDeletedoing the string blocks was one of the first things that I learned how to do. They are lots of fun and a great way to use scraps. What I want to try next with my strips is spiderweb.
ReplyDeleteI love making string blocks and I agree.....it's wildly messy fun. And how is it that the strings NEVER GET USED UP? It must just be a fabric miracle! Have a fun day enjoying your snow and holiday tunes.
ReplyDeleteLove Love your string blocks.
ReplyDeleteLove Love your string blocks.
ReplyDeleteString quilts are so much fun and your Christmas one is great. It is so wonderfully cheerful.
ReplyDeleteHugs
String blocks look good in any fabric and this Christmas version is great.
ReplyDeleteWe've had about 6 inches of snow overnight and today, but the wind is howling so it is moving. My hubbie is out of state for business, which seems to be the case whenever it snows. I shoveled a lot of snow this morning and was so happy when my neighbor came by with his blade and finished my long driveway. And I took advantage of this snow day with some productive time in my sewing room. Yay!!
Loving your Christmas strings.
ReplyDeleteToo cute! Stop tempting me to start another new project! :-)
ReplyDeleteLooks like you are having fun!!! I can't wait for Christmas break to just sew and sew! I really like the mix of Christmas prints.
ReplyDeleteStrings with red, perfect! I just hate to use a long string when I have only a short piece to cover! And I have a BIG box of strings. And another of crumbs. So why am I sitting here at the computer???
ReplyDeleteI wish we were getting snow here today. The weather is cloudy and drizzly and 65*. It is supposed to get really cold here this weekend though.
ReplyDeleteLove your Christmas string quilt. I bet it was fun going through the fabrics when you got the box.
Collecting the blocks from a swap is a great way to start a quilt. And with all those scraps you can stay snowed in for a long time!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this string block project!! The red is really terrific in there.
ReplyDeleteLooking good and thanks for sharing how you set up to get into stringing mode. Wow 10" of snow sounds a lot. (I'm Australian and we don't get snow in most of Australia). Which part of the States do you live in? Does the council come along and clear the snow of the roads or does it melt and run away?
ReplyDeletecall me stupid....what are strings ???? how do I make this
ReplyDeleteI also sent you this link via google+ Kathy (you are a no-reply blogger).
Deletehttp://www.aquiltinglife.com/2013/10/string-quilt-blocks-tutorial.html