String Star

 

It's a top!

String Star

40 x 40

Someone gave me 12 of those gray floral triangles of fabric. Last month I decided to use them as a background to a String Star. I used some strings from the string bin that were in some of the colors in the floral.  Then when I went to assemble the blocks two of them went missing..  What was lost has now been found and assembly is complete. 

The four center blocks are all strings with a different gray floral used as the center string. 

And sew on...

***

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die..."

My sister-in-law Suzy passed away December 26, 2025.
My grand nephew George was born January 5, 2026

Strings and Things

This month the theme in my sewing space is "Strings and Things". I think the "things" will probably be mostly clearing away some  "piles". 

I do have a few string UFOs I will work on this month but one just needs assembly and the other two (Spider Web and String Stars) take skinnier and shorter strings. So the first thing I've done this month is make string blocks to use all of the longer strings I've accumulated since last time I sorted strings. 

I made 48 Heartstring inspired blocks. Like the Heartstring blocks I use the same color/pattern of string for  the center of the blocks although I must admit I'm not real good at perfectly centering the string. Unlike the Heartstring blocks I use a paper foundation and make my blocks 10.5 inches (unfinished). 

Someone sent me a little pile of 2 inch width strips of that leafy tan fabric I used for the center strings. I didn't count out the strips ahead of time. I made 8 blocks at a time and cut 16 inch lengths for those 8 blocks from the strips. I figured if there weren't enough strip pieces of that fabric I could use some other fabric similar in colo but I had just enough strips for my 48 blocks after I pieced some strip ends together. It was meant to be! 

For the block corners I used up a plastic grocery bag half filled with brown scraps someone gave me that were left after making masks.  I've never gotten around to trimming those scraps until now and I kind of trimmed the scraps to fit the corners of the blocks. I guess it was meant to be because I had just enough mask scraps and the bag is now empty. 

I'm not going to assemble the blocks right now. I'll set them aside and assemble later in the month if I have "Strings and Things" time left otherwise I'll put them into my SAR (Some Assembly Required) bin. 

My intention with making these blocks was to use up longer strings so I have shorter ones for my Spider Web and String Star blocks. 

I don't ever cut strings for string quilts...they just happen. Usually they are skinny quilt back trimmings or wonky end cuts of fabric or end cuts of fabric less than 1.5 inches. Sometimes when scraps are given to me and there are strips that are a weird width I don't use in my scrappy blocks like 2.25 then I put them into the string bag unless there are a lot of the same strip then I might put them in the 2.25 inch binding box.  I have two binding boxes - 2.25 and 2.5 inches. Some places I donate quilts request binding be sewn down by machine so then I use the 2.25 otherwise I use 2.5 inch bindings. 

As I sorted through these longer strings I took out most of the light neutrals and put them into another box for another string quilt at another time. I also took out the bright and wild and novelties and put them into another box for another string quilt at another time. "Another time" might be this month. Whe shall see. 

When I sew to paper I use a shorter stitch length and I usually use up parts of bobbins and spools of different threads that are running low. 

I noticed Julierose is also making string quilt blocks she calls Ojos (as in Ojos de Dios -- God's Eyes) and she explains the methods she uses to make blocks if you are interested. 

Ojos, Hearstrings...it's all good!

Awhile back someone gave me several large spools of opened thread that wasn't labeled. Last month when I had my quilting marathon I tried using this spool of green and gave up on it right away because I had skipped stitches and broken thread. I set the darned spool aside but picked it up again the other day and noticed it had a label taped inside the spool that said "serger and sewing". I tried it on these string blocks and it worked just fine. 

And sew on...

***

REMEMBER, TREASURE, GROW, READ (my words of the year)

Finished a book! - The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood. It's an easy reading cozy mystery. A few old ladies (a cruciverbalist, a dog walker and a vicar's wife) band together to solve a crime. 

 

String Progress

Spider Web Blocks

I previously posted on June 18 that I had sorted my strings into several different projects and started those projects.  Since then I started another string project (child sized Heartstring with yellow centers) and got that to flimsy stage.  This time of year I spend more time out in the gardens than I do in the sewing room but I did manage to find bits of time here and there to work on my string projects.  I'm hoping to get all three projects to flimsy stage by the end of July and have most of my strings used up. 

So since my last string post I've made Spider Web parts and turned those into four blocks. 

I've made many Feather Bed parts with the longest of strings - most from quilt back trimmings. 

And I've made several Eight Point Star parts from the very short strings left over from other string projects.

And sew on...

Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 

Strings

I've finished using strings to make 48 ten inch finished string blocks with black centers. Now blocks are ready for assembly. 

Before I put the bright strings away I started a set of 12 Wonky Log Cabin blocks with 4 inch black centers.  These will finish at 14 inches. I only have one more round to go on these. 

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

***

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

April 6 - I finished another book -a bit of a tear jerker - The Five Wishes of Mr. Murray McBride by Joe Siple. A centenarian finds purpose when he meets a boy with a terminal illness and a wish list. 

 

Two Finishes

One Block - Two Different Layouts

Two Finishes! 

Each 35 x 50

Quite awhile ago I was given these string blocks and parts. My UFO list says I completed the flimsies in 2023 but I can't seem to find the blog post about it. 

In one quilt the blocks forms diamonds. I quilted on the vertical and diagonal lines in blue.

The back is solid blue and the binding is yellow.

The other layout is zig zag.

I quilted squiggles in a yellow/red/orange variegated thread inside the yellow zig zags. I used blue thread to quilt inside the seam lines of the blue zig zags. 

This one has the same blue backing and yellow binding. 

The theme this month in my sewing space is March Madness (Quilting) Marathon.  I'm going to concentrate on finishing up a lot of the small tops I have in the TBQ (to be quilted) pile.  They will then be donated to:

Fostering Crossroads

Wrap - A -Smile 

Quilts Beyond Borders

And sew on...

*****

CELEBRATE! (My word of the year)

March 11 - Surprise! I've never had a snow pea volunteer in the garden.  Must be time for me to plant my snow peas! I've been looking at the average soil temperatures 4 inches down in my area and they vary between 37 and 41 degrees. Since snow peas sprout in cooler temps, my pea trellis ready and since it is going to be a nice day today with rain later in the week I think today is the day for planting my snow peas! It is really fun to walk around the garden this time of year. There is some new treasure to find every day. 

My surprise! A volunteer snow pea.   The variety I usually plant is Green Beauty. 

Leftover Medley

I turned the leftovers from making Zip blocks into little 3 inch finished Bow Ties. I have quite a collection of these now. I'm aiming for a big quilt. I also made a few 3 inch finished Broken Dishes blocks.  Next year some of these will turn into Squared Away blocks each month because that will be one of my many Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) projects.   I also made a couple more Chinese Coin strips. 

Also from Zip leftovers I cut some squares.  The sets of four identical will go into my Monkey Wrench workbox. They will combine with 3.5 inch HSTs as they happen to make 7.5 inch finished Monkey Wrench blocks.  Then there's a little pile of sets of 2 identical and single 2 inch squares that will go into my squares box. 

Speaking of Monkey Wrench blocks...here's some 5 inch finished Monkey Wrenches made with leftovers from making Heart blocks. 

I also cut sets of four identical, two identical and single 2.5 inch squares.  Then I was looking at all the 2.5 inch sets of 2 squares and thought...

...why not make Four Patches with the red ones and the leftover neutrals.  I've been thinking for a long time of making a simple red, white and blue Four Patch quilt.  So, that's what I did...made Four Patches and a New Start. 

Then I made a couple of little 6 inch finished 18 patch blocks for my collection. And, of course I ended up with my usual Chinese Coin strip. 

Well, then I decided to go through my 2.5 inch squares box and pull out the sets of 2 reds and blues. Then I made more Four Patches for my red, white, blue Four Patch quilt. 

After that I pulled out a few similar red and blue squares from my 2.5 inch squares and made more Four Patches.  I also pulled out all colors of floral 2.5 inch squares but more on that later on. 

I had some 2.5 inch squares in civil war reproduction fabrics left over from making Long May She Wave so I made more Four Patches with those scraps.  

I have a few collections of different fabrics and I keep the scraps for those collections separate from the general population of scraps.  After I finished making red and blue Four Patches from the civil war repros I looked through the '30s reproduction scraps and found a few 2.5 inch blues and reds. 

Then I looked through the patriotic print scraps and found a few 2.5 inch width scraps and made, you guessed it...Four Patches. 

Then I looked through the Parts Department bin that contains all sorts of different four inch blocks and dug out some red and blue Four Patches. By this time I was thinking this red, white and blue Four Patch quilt has quite the mix of fabrics so I started thinking of it as a melting pot. So Melting Pot is the name I'm giving this red, white and blue quilt.   Now maybe I should count how many Four Patches I have and settle on a size for the quilt. 

While I was in the 4 inch block Parts Department I found some Heart blocks leftover from a quilt made in the past that I think I gave to my daughter.  Well, anyway, I swapped a few of those Parts Dept. heart blocks with a couple of the duplicates in the collection for my new Heart quilt and...

...I thought I would use them as the centers of some Wonky Log Cabin blocks. I may just use red centers instead of adding in the pink ones but anyway I guess this is another New Start to use strings. I tried a couple of blocks out to see how they would look and I like them with the bright strings for a child's donation quilt.  My plan for 2023 is to clear a spot for a table so I can set up an old sewing machine and use that spot as my crumb and string center where I can go sew crumb or string blocks as the urge strikes and leave the mess sewing those blocks out until I've used up all my strings and crumbs. 

Ok. So remember earlier I said I pulled out all colors of floral 2.5 inch squares? Well, I used those along with some old shirts cut into 16 -4.5 inch squares (I did have to poverty piece a few squares like the second one in the bottom row that looks kind of puckered but it isn't. It's pieced at the top and checks don't match.) to make Indian Hatchet blocks...

...for a quilt inspired by this one. I think it's a vintage one but I don't remember the source of my photo right now.  I'm making mine with 16 blocks across and 20 down for a quilt that should finish at 64 x 80. 

I was going to use all florals for the flippy corners but after I made 3 rows I didn't have enough floral squares to make another row. So maybe I'll just use whatever 2.5 inch squares I have left in my squares box or maybe I'll look through my scrap bags (sorted by color) for some more floral scraps. 

And finally, I cut a few 2 inch squares, made a few Bow Ties and a Chinese Coin strip with the few 2 inch width leftovers from Fruit Flavored Log Cabin. 

So that's how one thing leads to another around here. Just by sewing up leftovers in this post I ended up with lots of blocks and 3 New Starts. 

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

 

Crossed - A Flimsy

Crossed

It's now a flimsy!

57 x 76

I believe I started making these 9.5 inch (finished) blocks back in 2011 to use up some strings but can you believe I actually did use up my strings back then and only made 10 blocks? I did. And then I put the blocks away and forgot about them for a long time. 

Well, I definitely had enough strings (and then some) this time to move this old UFO forward. 

I used a tutorial found at The Long Thread.

And now I see some ways to play with these blocks in different ways. So, since I still have lots of strings left there may be a variation of Crossed in the future. 

I'm glad it finally warmed up so I can go out and take clothesline photos again. For several weeks it was below zero and snow too deep and ground too icy for me to even venture out for anything. But I am thankful that I did have some heat in this old house although sometimes it barely went above 59 degrees. I am thankful I can bundle up in quilts and read a book if need be. And I'm thankful I have a back up sewing machine because my main one has been in the shop since Jan. 21. I finally decided I'm not going to have it fixed anymore because constant repairs are getting too expensive. But again I'm thankful that I have a new and hopefully more heavy duty one on the way.