Quilting and String Blocks

Although I haven’t been posting, I have been busy working on quilting activities–most of them have been customer quilts so there hasn’t been much to show.

I did finish quilting my Wicked Easy Quilt this past week. I quilted it with a zigzag design and random stars. The stars made for a lot of stopping and starting–it took all of Friday to tie off the threads and bury them in the quilt. I have never been a fan of back stitching to finish off my stitching. I prefer to hand tie knots in the threads and bury the ends inside the quilt sandwich so this takes quite a bit of time.

These are some pictures of the quilting detail.

I was also tempted to make some string blocks. This is a picture of the 10 blocks I made today.

These blocks are made using used dryer sheets as foundations–6″ x 8 1/2″. I understand why everyone has started making these–they are incredibly fast and easy to make. Today while taking to my Mom on the phone, I made two from start to finish–including the trimming. They are also “feel good” blocks because you realize that every block you make you are decreasing your pile of useless strings. Less strings means you can free up space in those totes and drawers that we all have bulging with fabric.

I like how Patti set her blocks together and I am thinking about doing something similar. I think she really made her blocks pop with the use of the narrow sashing and cornerstone between the four blocks contrasting against the wider sashing and cornerstones outside the group of four blocks. Excellent idea!

15 thoughts on “Quilting and String Blocks

  1. Your string pieces turned out really well. I love the way everyone has such different fabrics. I totally hate tieing off ends. I often end with tiny stitches which I read somewhere works well. It’s probably not as good as doing it by hand but at least it gets done that way. Lol.

  2. love the idea of leaving the dryer sheets as rectangles…. you’d think the quilt police lived with me given my inability to think outside the square box without some prompting! 🙂

  3. You have been busy. I should make some string blocks – drier sheets? Good idea, but I don’t use them — I wonder if I could wander around the neighbourhood and ask my neighbours to save their drier sheet for me – LOL. Hmmm – maybe I will.

  4. Thanks for visiting my blog, it’s nice to find bloggers from Canada. Your quilts are lovely and what a great idea to make string quilts. Nice way to use up some stash.

  5. Congratulations on your finishes. I love the backing on your beautiful Gratitudes quilt. Fun fabric for your Wicked Easy Quilt. I envy anyone who machine quilts their own quilts. Wish I could but I’m not giftedly wired that way.

    Thanks for your nice comment at my place 🙂

  6. Oh Norma, your WE quilt turned sooo pretty! Those fabrics are just gorgeous and I love your star quilting! 😀 Thanks for the tip using the dryer sheets. I’ve been saving mine forEVER without knowing why…and I’m like Quilt Pixie when it comes to thinking outside the box. LOL

  7. I admire you for tying off and burying all those threads – I start and stop mine quilting lines with tiny stitches and clip off the ends.

    I love the rectangular string blocks too and that sashing looks great with them. Mom and I are working on a donation quilt that we just used a very narrow black sashing that looks very nice.

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