Stripy String Quilt
A little while ago Carla from Creatin in the Sticks put a call out to those of us that love stripes - any size any way, striped fabric, striped binding, strips of fabric to make stripes (here's where I come in) literally anything goes!
There are so many fantastic bloggers taking part over the week(schedule at the bottom) and a whole host of different projects, ideas and inspirations that you can read about and try out - I hope you will join in and show me your stripes!
If you have read by blog for a while or follow me on Instagram you will know how much I love scraps and using them for scrap quilts, you will also know how much I love Tula Pink and that every single tiny piece gets saved 'just in case' and that curating fabric pulls for quilts is one of my favourite things!! So when the opportunity came up to do all of this together plus add in my favourite technique of foundation paper piecing - I squealed out loud!!
Above is a quarter section of a String Quilt block measuring 7.5 inch square, this is what we will be making together using the Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) method. FPP is a popular technique in patchwork for making quilts, done by sewing fabric to a printed paper foundation, although we will be doing something simple together the possibilities are endless and there are some absolutely amazing FPP patterns available.
There are many free templates available, but for ease you can download the template I made here if you want to make your own in a different size it's super easy - decide on the size of your block and draw it out, add 1/4 inch seam allowance all the way around and then draw in your sections.
** Please note you will need FOUR of these to make ONE whole block **
Step 1 Preparation
Decide on your fabrics and cut your strips. I cut mine 1.5 inches wide but you can have skinny stripes, fatter stripes or a mix of all of them. The length will vary depending on which stripe you're sewing so my advice is make sure they are at least as long as the longest section on the template and then trim accordingly after sewing!
You will be tearing the paper out at the end which can cause stress on your seams, for this reason I usually reduce my stitch length and make it shorter, either to 1.8 or 2 - it's not essential just personal preference.
You my also find it helpful to trim down the template (whichever you are using) to slightly bigger than the seam allowance, as it can be a bit of a fiddle trying to manoeuvre the paper and fabric at times.
Step 2 Sewing the first stripe
For these blocks I always start in the middle with the longest stripe and then sew everything on one side i.e. the left and then everything on the other side. As these templates aren't specifically numbered there is not 'right' way to do it, it's simply personal preference.
Starting with the longest section down the middle, place your chosen fabric stripe right side (patterned side) up over the whole section, it should extend 1/4 inch over the lines as this is creating seam allowance. Place your second fabric stripe directly on top of it right side down. You can put a pin in it to keep it secure if you wish, then flip it over so the fabric is underneath and your paper template is on top.
Sew directly on that line from one end to the other and then finger press your fabric open.
Step 3 Complete the block
Place your next piece of fabric right side down, lining up the edge with stripe 2, on top of the template as shown below. Flip and stitch down the line as before.
Continue in this way until all stripes have been sewn, you will end up with something that looks quite odd due to the excess fabric.
Step 4 Trimming the quarter blocks
With the paper template side up, trim down your block to the seam allowance line - DO NOT cut off the seam allowance!
I find it easiest to use the 1/4 inch line on my ruler and match this up with the lines around my template and block as shown below.
Trim off all the excess fabric on all sides until your block is square - if you're using my template it should measure 7.5 inches square.
Step 5 Trimming the quarter blocks
When all four quarters are pieced and trimmed, they can start to be assembled to make full blocks and this is where the fun begins!
Depending on where you have placed your fabrics and how you lay the sections/blocks out will change the over all look of the quilt.
Below are a few of these options.
You will start to see secondary patterns emerging when you lay multiple blocks out together, these can be highlighted with a bit more careful planning, depending on your fabrics choices.
I really hope you've enjoyed sewing along with me, if you make a block or 4 or more please let me know and share them with me, I love to see your creations.
You can see all the other bloggers in this fantastic blog hop below
Monday, February 22nd
Tuesday, February 23rd
Wednesday, February 24th
Thursday, February 25th
Very nice. Love quilts like this.
ReplyDeleteThank you, yes so do I, the more scraps the better.
DeleteThank you for the tutorial. Your blocks look great.
ReplyDeleteYour blocks are gorgeous! Thanks for the instructions.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Elizabeth.
DeleteLove your beautiful blocks!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteLovely scrappy string blocks. Thanks for showing your design process. I love seeing how others create. Very inspiring. Thank you for sharing in the hop ... :) Pat
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, I really enjoyed putting this one together.
DeleteOh my!...those colors! Aren’t they some wonderful eye candy. The blocks blended will make a fabulous quilt. I always love seeing how the behind the scenes work. You’ve made a great tutorial of the process you use to make the blocks. This is a design that is such fun to look at and find the varying designs within it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Annie, all made from my much loved and extremely hoarded Tula Pink fabrics!!
DeleteBeautiful blocks! The colors are lovely and the tutorial with it is wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you Carol!
DeleteBeautiful colors. I have always wanted to make a string quilt with my piles of scraps and your tutorial is great. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, please come back and show me your blocks when you've made them.
DeleteYour blocks are stunning. Your mini tutorial is really straight forward and clearly written. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, it was great fun putting it together.
DeleteWow, those colors and fabrics are just gorgeous. I love piecing strips this way, but I've never taken the time to draw lines. That sure is something I'm going to have to start doing. It really helps keep things nice and straight. Beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteYes it adds some uniform to the stripes so you start to get other designs appearing depending on fabric placement etc - I really like this aspect to a string quilt!
DeleteLove your fabric stripes and string piecing! Thanks for the tutorial
ReplyDeleteI love how you created your string quilt blocks and your fabrics are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteAh, string piecing is a fantastic way to make stripes!!! Your blocks are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, pulling the fabric for a project is probably the most enjoyable part of quilting. Currently, I have made my first string blocks using the phone book pages. It worked great. Thanks for sharing your tutorial.
ReplyDeleteConnie
A wonderful project with those bright fabrics. I love it.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful block and I love your approach.
ReplyDeleteReally so cute. I've always just used 'whatever' but I can see the possibilities if I would use the same sized strip/stripe and lined them up in order. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYour blocks are so pretty. While I buy fabric yardage, I LOVE using scraps. Thanks for the tutorial.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good way to use up some scraps. Thanks for sharing your technique. Your blocks are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat's going to be a beauty for sure!! I love string quilts and Tula fabrics are precious indeed. I totally agree with your comment that "every single tiny piece gets saved 'just in case." I find it hard sometimes to cut into Tula yardage. If I could get just bags of her scraps, I'ld probably go for broke. However, her yardage gets saved and saved until the last minute.
ReplyDeleteI save every little bit of Tula Pink fabrics too. Definitely my favorite fabric designer. Great tutorial and fun to see your process. Love your Stripes! Thank you for joining the Show Your Stripes Blog Hop. Such a super fun post to read.
ReplyDeleteThat will be a bright and fun quilt! Love those fabrics!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun quilt-in-progress! Thanks for showing your stripes.
ReplyDeleteI'll be looking forward to seeing what you make with these striped blocks!
ReplyDeleteSo lovely! Many-colored blocks are usually the best!
ReplyDeleteI have been wanting to try one of these quilts--they are so pretty when put all together!!
ReplyDeleteVery pretty blocks. I love foundation piecing, it is so mindless at times.
ReplyDeletePretty blocks and a wonderful tutorial. Thanks for sharing. 😉 Carol
ReplyDeletehttps://quiltschmilt.wordpress.com/
String blocks are so versatile! Yours are lovely.
ReplyDeleteWonderful fabrics for your striped blocks.
ReplyDeleteI love the colors and beautiful work!
ReplyDeleteI also noticed a quilt called Beside the Sea in a much earlier post that I would love to know where to buy the pattern.