String Trilogy

I sorted my strings and decided upon three new projects. 

The longest strings, like ones that come from quilt backing trimming, will be made into Feathers.  I'll be making a quilt called Feather Bed. I made one back in 2016 and still have the pattern.  It is an Anna Maria Horner pattern that was free when I made my quilt back in 2016 but I see it is no longer free.  The Feathers are about 18 inches long and I need 38 Feathers. I'm pretty sure I have enough of that green fabric for the background. 

As the strings get a little shorter and skinnier I will use them to make a Spider Web quilt I will use that black with multicolor in all of the blocks. I bought a bunch of that fabric for backings when I made Friendship Star quilts for my granddaughter's friends after she passed away. I didn't notice when I bought it online that it has marijuana leaves on it so I don't want to use it in any quilts for kids. 

I've made several Spider Web quilts using different methods but I like Bonnie Hunter's method the best.

And finally when the strings are very skinny and/or very short they will be made into eight pointed String Stars. I think I may use different blue solids for the backgrounds or I may just use different colored solids. I'm not sure yet. 

I will use Corey Yoder's tutorial.  I used it in the past to make Skimpy Scrimption Stars from selvages. 

I also have some strings with kid's novelties on them set aside and when I finish blocks for these three quilts I will probably add in colorful strings that are left over as well as some low volume strings to make Wonky Log Cabin blocks. 

And sew on...

 

Feather Bed Finally Finished!

Feather Bed

72 x 90

Hand quilted

A free quilt pattern from Anna Maria Horner

Here is a sideways view because lengthwise it dragged on the ground unless the wind was blowing and I couldn't get a very good picture. And here's a sideways view because I like looking at the finished quilt. 

I was looking for some different ways to use my long, bright colored string scraps and decided on this quilt.  (I also made a string star with them). 

I didn't know what to use for background fabric and then I found a this piece of cheddar feather fabric in my stash I had bought at Hancock's (no longer in business here) at one of those "Spot the Bolt" sales where the fabric was $3.97 per yard.  "Perfect", I said. But there wasn't enough of it.  "Darn", I said.   But after work the next day I stopped at Hancock's and they still had some of this feather fabric left on the sale table but it was a little more expensive but not expensive - like $5.00 per yard.  And so I bought all that I needed. "Yipee", I said.  "It was meant to be". 

I quilted all of the feathers with different colors of perle #8.  And that was all I was going to do but noticed there was a lot of room between the feathers that needed a little something. 

And so I hand quilted some....what else?....feathers! I used Coats and Clarks hand quilting thread in a color I had in my tin of threads that closely matches the tips of the feathers in the fabric. I was hesitant to try the feathers because I wasn't sure my hand stitches were small enough to even go around each little part of the feather I had stenciled in in mechanical pencil.  But I gave it a try, persevered (even when my hands were stiff  or shaky and eyes could not see well) and I'm glad I did because they turned out pretty darned good if I say so myself. And I had a good time doing it. I always have a nice, peaceful, relaxing time hand quilting.  (Pack up all my cares and woes...here I go...hand quilting, you know...) 

Well, I should name this quilt Feathers Galore because here is the backing...birds and feathers!!!  The places where I used the perle to hand quilt the feathers looks like little trees (well, to me they do) on the back and it looks like some of the birds are perched in the trees.  I have the same sort of story about this backing as I do about the background fabric only substitute JoAnn for Hancock and substitute "red dot clearance" for "spot the bolt".   This, too, was meant to be. 

It took months of Sundays to get this Slow Stitched so I'm linking up to

 Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

And I definitely used scraps so I'm linking up to 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Oh, and this was my goal #1

for

2016 Finish-A-Long Q4

Goals rock!!