Wonky Log Cabin Top

It's a top!

Wonky Log Cabin

45 x 63

This month the theme in my sewing space is SAR ( some assembly required). I do have a couple of bins of complete block sets I could assemble; however, I decided to look in a few of the small project boxes to see if I could make a few blocks and put together a top and get rid of a few boxes. 

I started these string blocks with red star centers last year. I just made 21 more blocks and then assembled the top. 

Field and Furrows layout. 

And sew on...

Another String Quilt Finish

String Quilt

40 x 60

It's a finish!

For this one I used a yellow seersucker with polka dots for the center strings - rays of sunshine! 

The strings are brights and noveties - fun for kids!

I quilted it on my DSM (Brother PQ1500SL for those of you who ask) with swirls in a natural color thread.   Swirls is one of the first things I tried when I started free motion quilting so that's what comes easiest for me after all these years. 

The binding is a pastel stripe with some yellow in it. 

This month the theme in my sewing space is STRINGS so I'm trying to get all my string tops quilted. I still have a few more to go. Maybe 4? 

The backing is a fabric with kitties. 

I didn't think the fabric looked too Christmas-y for a donation quilt. It has gift boxes and evergreens and a few ornaments but it mostly has cute little kitties. 

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

July 13 - Enjoyed a root beer float on a hot summer day! I remember going to the A&W drive-in once in awhile when I was a young girl. I usually ordered a teen burger and a frothy mug of A&W rootbeer. They brought it out to the car on a tray that hooked on to the window and we ate in the car. What a treat! 

Another String Quilt Finish

String Quilt

60 x 80

It's a finish!

This is almost a twin to the one I blogged about the other day except that this top was finished earlier this year and that top was finished in 2023. 

This one has black center strings with colorful text and stars. 

I quilted it on my DSM (Brother PQ1500SL) with swirls in lime green thread. 

The binding is a black fabric with swirls.

The backing.

I'm trying to get all the tops with strings quilted this month.

And sew on...

CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

July 8 - Finished a book - All The Glimmering Stars by Mark T. Sullivan. It is historical fiction inspired by the true story of Anthony Opoka and Florence Okori, teenagers (and good humans) in Uganda in the 1990s who were kidnapped along with thousands of other children to serve in the Lord's Resistance Army of warlord Joseph Kony.  It's a sickening and very sad story about child soldiering and slavery.  It is also a story of bravery, survival, dreams, and love.

July 9 - A visit from a Question Mark Butterfly.

 

A String Quilt Finish

It's a finish!

String Quilt

60 x 80

I made the top back in 2023.

It is Heartstring inspired; however, I use paper foundations and make my blocks 10.5 inches. 

I quilted it on my DSM with swirls in lime green thread. 

I used a striped fabric for the backing and binding. 

And sew on...

Oh Scrap! at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

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CELEBRATE! (my word of the year)

July 6 - I paid nothing for an $80.00 plus purchase at Menards. Well, actually I paid with rebate vouchers. Between about March and November every year Mendards gives an 11% rebate on everything. I just have to remember to always send in my receipt to get the rebate. I had a handful of them going back to 2023. I bought three 40 lb. bags of salt pellets for the water softener, a pair of gardening gloves, some mouse traps and a new pedestal fan for my sewing room. And I have another receipt to send in for a rebate.  I had to get a new fan for my sewing room. I don't have a/c and have a south facing window in that room (curtains closed this time of year) so sometimes it gets pretty darned warm. The plastic on the pedestal where it holds the fan cracked. Well, it's a very old fan and such things happen to old things. Well, anyway, so did you know that fans come with remote controls now? Seriously???

July 7 - I live in the country. A guy down the road put on an absolutely spectacular fireworks display. I'm not really all that enthusiastic about fireworks but I have to say that was an absolute spectacular awesome beautiful 20 minute display of fireworks. I'm glad I stayed up until dark to watch it. It was even worth a few mosquito bites. 

 

Wonky Log Cabin Top

Wonky Log Cabin

Fields and Furrows setting

60 x 72

I used more bright strings as well as low volume strings to make this one. 

I was going to use the traditional red for the center squares but when I looked through my 4.5 inch squares I didn't have many reds but I did find 30 orange ones 

I made 12 inch blocks.

This month's theme in my sewing room is "Strings, Selvages, Crumbs and Orphans" and I haven't even emptied the string box yet. But I have also been out playing in the gardens because we have been having some beautiful weather. 

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

 

A String Top

Strings

It's a top!

60 x 80

I used a 10.5 inch paper foundation.  The center string was a consistent 2 inch strip (that I didn't always get aligned exactly in the middle). 

I used bright strings in all different widths and colors.

I don't cut strings or strips to use in a quilt like this. Around here strings just happen - the result of quilt back trimmings or yardage ends or wonky cuts. And every once in awhile they show up in my mailbox. 

The box of strings is not empty so stay tuned! This month in my sewing space is for strings, selvages, crumbs and orphan blocks. I doubt if I'll get to the orphan blocks! I've been able to do a little gardening in some beautiful weather so I'm not spending much time with my scraps.

And sew on...

 

Kaleidoscope of Strings Finish!

Kaleidoscope of Strings

It's a finish!

60 x 80

Last year I emptied a big box of strings and made several different string quilt tops. 

This top was finished back in October 2021.

I've made quite a few different Kaleidoscope quilts but had never made one with strings oriented lengthwise in the wedges. I used red for the background and all block corners were blues and yellows. I tried to keep with polka dots for the corners but when those ran out I added a few stripes. 

I quilted it on my DSM (Brother PQ1500SL) with swirls in a yellow and red variegated thread.  I made a scrappy binding of blues and yellows. 

If there's a next time I'll have to remember not to use strings the same color of the background! 

It's amazing that a big old pile of strings can play so nicely together in a quilt. I do not cut fabrics specifically for a string quilt. Strings around here just happen - quilt back trimmings, fabric ends, wonky cuts, odd widths given to me and so on. When my box is overflowing I get to work and make a few quilts. That's always a fun task for me. 

This will go into the donation/gift quilt pile.  When the granddaughters were younger I would get a pile of six twin/throw sized donation quilts and let them decide on four quilts to donate and they each then could pick one to keep in their "hope chest" for when they set up households. Now one granddaughter is deceased and the other has moved away and I don't see her or my grandson very often. I'm thinking this would have been a "hope chest" choice for one of them who liked Kaleidoscopes as much as I do.

The back.

And sew on...

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

Peacock Party at Wendy's Quilts and More

 

Tulips In The Snow

Tulips In The Snow

It's a finish!

43 x 43

hand quilted

I started this as a response to an Adhoc Improv Quilt (AHIQ) January 2021 prompt. 

I finished the top back in April 2021. The colors were inspired by a cardinal I saw in the snow from my kitchen window.  The strings all came from my string bins. 

I hand quilted it with perle cotton #8. 

I've been stitching while grieving so this quilt is full of not only stitches but tears and memories. 

Tulips In The Snow

Hand quilted in the weeks following the death of beloved granddaughter Kayla on January 15, 2022

Beloved granddaughter a couple of months before her third birthday trying out some wings. 

Now back to those Friendship Star quilts!

 

Stringing Stars Top

 

Stringing Stars

68 x 68

It's a flimsy!

Free pattern from Quilts & Quilts The Fabric Shoppe

The other day when I blogged about cleaning up after a September quilting marathon I mentioned that Stringing Stars was one of the quilts I planned to make from my strings.  I was actually going to wait until 2022 to work with my strings and crumbs. After I looked at my giant box of colored strings I decided I should work on them as soon as possible or I might end up strangled with strings. 

I have a couple of other string quilts in mind but started with this one because it uses some of the longer strings and a few others use shorter strings.  So from my giant box of strings I pulled out all of the darks. I only included a few black strings because I wanted to save those to mix in with the brights later on.  After I had the dark strings sorted then I pulled out all of the novelties from the darks to use in a different quilt for kids later on. 

I still get a little hometown newspaper delivered because I use it in gardening  and use it when I need larger paper foundations for quilting. I cut 9 inch newspaper squares for foundations. I don't mind pulling the papers off the back. I throw those newspaper pieces in the compost pile when I've finished tearing them off. 

Next time I make half dark/half light string blocks I need to remember to line them up a little better on the diagonal when I sew them. I guess that's where  little glue might come in handy. 

I really had to scrape the barrel to find enough neutral strings. 

I do have some other light colored strings I was tempted to use but decided to try to keep to mostly white and cream. 

Oh, and I had a bunch of long strings of that dark star fabric that came from trimming a large quilt back. I had enough strings of it in various widths to use in each of the star points so I guess that was meant to be. 

I'll be starting on a couple more string quilts soon. Before I do I will blog about that giant box of strings and plans for it. 

Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts

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