I’ve got all the borders and sashing sewn onto my crumb blocks and have set them aside until I get my design wall cleaned off. I’m not going to show what I decided on for the sashing until I can get a more complete photo, but I’m really loving how it’s turning out.
I chain pieced the sashing onto two sides of each block in the last two evenings. So they’re all ready for the design wall.
That’s 63 blocks all connected by thread. I have a handy little tool that I use for separating large quantities of chain pieced blocks like this. It makes it go really fast. I got them all pressed and they’ll wait a couple days.
I will finish up the scrappy hexagon quilt top today. I only need to sew a few rows together and it will be done. It goes fast because the blocks are big. I want to get a portion of that off the design wall so I can take photos of how I put the partial rows at the top and bottom together.
My next project is probably going to be an Aboriginal fabric string quilt. A friend of mine just made one and I’m in love with it. Here’s my friend’s blocks. They all have paper on the back to she can’t put them on her design wall.
And a close up so you can see the amazing fabrics. I just LOVE this quilt and can’t wait to get going.
My friend sent me a bunch of her Aboriginal scraps, all neatly organized and labeled. There are strips of varying widths and lengths, triangles of different sizes, and larger pieces of fabric that I can cut strips from.
She even sent a roll of 2.5 inch WOF strips that she cut. I think each fabric only appears once in this roll, and a rough count last night tells me that there are more than 50 2.5 inch strips — so enough to make another quilt! I’m going to look at some jelly roll quilts to get an idea of what I might want to eventually make with these. I have a bunch of black and white fabrics that I might combine these with.
I’ve made several different string quilts like my friend’s in the past. One from Kaffe Fassett Collective scraps, one from bright batik scraps, one from super hero fabric for my nephew’s son, and two baby quilts from KFC fabrics for my nephew’s twin daughters – one in purples and one in pinks.
I love making string quilts. But all except one that I’ve made in the past were sewn onto paper squares. Then, when the blocks are all sewn I had to remove all that paper. Not my favorite activity. So for this quilt I’m planning on sewing the strips onto muslin squares. I used this method for the super hero quilt and it worked really well. It adds a little thickness to the quilt, but these fabrics are so light and soft that it will be fine. I’ll just have to be sure to wash and dry the muslin first.
I got a gift certificate to sewcolorful.com from a friend recently after her dog stayed with us for a few days. I used it to purchase a big piece of Brandon Mably’s onion rings to use on the back of this new string quilt… and for the center strip of each block. I just love this fabric. And anyone who has paid any attention to my quilting knows that I have a soft spot for graphic black and white prints!
This quilt will be a gift for one of my nephews.
I’ll do another post soon showing my previous string quilts.
agilejack 
Be still my beating heart! I’ve been thinking about doing a “string” piece. I’ve been working with Kaffe’s AND Aboriginal fabrics most recently and have scrapbags. I’m still playing with my table runner/wall quilt theme so I have to let the creative process play itself out, but I can see a string piece in my future. I get so much inspiration from the photos in your blog! Thank you. B. J. In Virginia
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Awww, thanks! I’m glad you like my quilts and other stuff. I’ve made a number of string quilts. I’m going to do a blog post about them as I made them before I started this blog. I really like making them. They are such a great way to use up scraps.
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Love Love this! I have a stash of aboriginal fabrics just waiting for the right project. And I love string piecing. But first I have to finish a KF drunkard’s path quilt I am making for a friend undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Thinking about the next quilt is always part of quilting, isn’t it!
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I think I start thinking about my next quilt pretty early in the process of making any quilt. It’s hard for me to finish one before I jump in on the next one. I’m finishing up my scrappy hexi quilt today and I’m really ready to be done with it!
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That will be a fabulous quilt and your friend’s quilt blocks are wonderful. You can still use paper but just sew the first seam on each side of the center strip through the paper. Then you just use the paper to see what length strip you need next and fold it out of the way when you sew that strip on. You can use the edges of the paper to square up the blocks. The blocks will have all bias edges but if you are careful that won’t be a problem.
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Oh! What a great idea. I’m wondering it it would be a good idea to stay-stitch the edges of each block prior to sewing them together.
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No I don’t think it would be necessary. They will all fit together well and just the outside edge of the quilt will need the staystitching.
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Thanks for the tip! I’ll give it a try and see how it works.
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So nice to have such great friends! My aboriginal quilt is in the WIP pile, maybe until fall.
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Can’t imagine not having my dogs around. They do bring some joy to a difficult time. They’re so unaware of all that’s going on. I have way too many WIPs right now. Trying to chunk away at them one at a time, and resisting starting a new one… but I know it’s going to happen!
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I loved your photos and blow by blow descriptions. It was fun too, to see some of the fabrics that I have in your blocks. Thank you for sharing.
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Thanks! Photos make all the difference!
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I love how the black and white graphic fabric really jumps out of the scrappy quilt at you!
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