Strings

I love string quilts - the completely random placing of the fabric and sizes of the strips really appeals to me. My string quilt started off that it was going to be a bag (see picture with the 6 squares trimmed and sewn together) but I loved them so much I couldn't bring myself to make it into a bag - it just had to grow. So...every now and then I cut out squares of plain calico and just sew the strings on. Sometimes I sew on strings that compliment each other, sometimes I just choose all the uglies and put them together, sometimes I only use floral strings - whatever comes out of my box. I have lots of strings from all the shirts I buy - I use the fabric from the collars, the cuffs, the bit where the buttons are sewn down the front and any scraps left over from trimming the fabric into even strips for other uses. This way I don't feel so bad about cutting up otherwise serviceable clothes and it seems kind of true to the tradition of quilting and patchwork in using up every last scrap. For these squares I only cut strips from yardage or otherwise useful fabric if the fabrics in the string box are looking a bit dull and need brightening up a bit but I am tempted to do another string quilt using yardage 'cos it would be a lot quicker like the quilts in 'Liberated Strings' by Gwen Marston.

This is a bit of an ongoing project because it does take a long time to sew all those strips, but it's good to return to when you don't want to do anything too taxing.

I have been continuing to quilt the seaside quilt for my DS this weekend, he likes it, but I know it would have been better if I'd tied it instead of trying to quilt it by machine. Well, I'm not going to unpick it now, so I'll have to chalk that one up to experience. I'll post a picture (taken from a distance) when I've put the binding on.