String Fever: Coins + Bits & Pieces
First, thanks for your helpfully reassuring comments about my very AQUA shelf. I realize that if you ask a room full of people to weigh in on a paint color, you're bound to have a group of people give it the double thumbs up. But still, I needed that. And for those of you who honestly felt it was way, WAY to bright, well... thanks for not saying anything. Hehe.
I have a few bits and pieces to share today, so let's start with the most important. Have you heard about Quilts for Boston? The Boston Modern Quilt Guild is collecting quilt blocks for folks directly affected by the bombing. Get all the details here or join the Flickr group.
Since blocks can be any length, so long as they are 12.5" wide, I made these block segments to fill odd spaces between the other, more special blocks they'll receive. I know from composing random sized block quilts, that little, plain-ish blocks can be just as useful as the more showy ones. I hope this set will find it's place!
Today I also want to share some simple inspiration for Scrap Attack {String Fever}? If you're just arriving, checkout the quilt-along and join us for a festival this May!
Since May is going to be here before we know it, you may be wondering if it's getting on the late side to start your string quilt. Well, I say "No!" Not too late, just be realistic. How about a coin quilt? Those are soooo easy and have such a simple beauty.
Strip scraps (long, narrow pieces of fabric) if sewn together in stacks with even, tidy edges officially qualify as a "coin quilt". Picture the fabrics as a tall stack of coins and you've got it. Probably my favorite coin quilt and also one of my first Flickr fav's is this beauty by Nova of a cuppa and a catch up:
You can see how you could use this style to make a nice sized quilt out of a modest pile of strings. I love how Nova quilted vertically to draw the eye up and down the long lines of this quilt.
Last summer I made this pair of coin quilts for a brother and sister. My coin stacks are set to run across the width of the twin bed, with quilting running in that direction as well. I'm telling you, these are some of the easiest, fastest quilts I've made. Such a great way to use scraps! And, so classic too.
But coin quilts don't have to be tidy and traditional. They can be wonky too! I recently came across this work of art by Karyn of Make Something (and The Workroom). The tall columns are pieced with tidy straight edges, but everything else is happily helter-skelter. Doesn't that look like fun? Love the way she used color to bring order in the midst of it all. So well done!
Alrighty then, I hope that gives you something to run with if you're not off and running already! As always, please feel welcome to share your String Fever work-in-progress at the Flickr group. I'll be by to visit this weekend.
Now enjoy your weekend! We're going to be eating strawberries and fruit salad and strawberry ice cream and green smoothies and more strawberries, no doubt. School's out for summer!
I have a few bits and pieces to share today, so let's start with the most important. Have you heard about Quilts for Boston? The Boston Modern Quilt Guild is collecting quilt blocks for folks directly affected by the bombing. Get all the details here or join the Flickr group.
Since blocks can be any length, so long as they are 12.5" wide, I made these block segments to fill odd spaces between the other, more special blocks they'll receive. I know from composing random sized block quilts, that little, plain-ish blocks can be just as useful as the more showy ones. I hope this set will find it's place!
Since May is going to be here before we know it, you may be wondering if it's getting on the late side to start your string quilt. Well, I say "No!" Not too late, just be realistic. How about a coin quilt? Those are soooo easy and have such a simple beauty.
Strip scraps (long, narrow pieces of fabric) if sewn together in stacks with even, tidy edges officially qualify as a "coin quilt". Picture the fabrics as a tall stack of coins and you've got it. Probably my favorite coin quilt and also one of my first Flickr fav's is this beauty by Nova of a cuppa and a catch up:
You can see how you could use this style to make a nice sized quilt out of a modest pile of strings. I love how Nova quilted vertically to draw the eye up and down the long lines of this quilt.
Last summer I made this pair of coin quilts for a brother and sister. My coin stacks are set to run across the width of the twin bed, with quilting running in that direction as well. I'm telling you, these are some of the easiest, fastest quilts I've made. Such a great way to use scraps! And, so classic too.
But coin quilts don't have to be tidy and traditional. They can be wonky too! I recently came across this work of art by Karyn of Make Something (and The Workroom). The tall columns are pieced with tidy straight edges, but everything else is happily helter-skelter. Doesn't that look like fun? Love the way she used color to bring order in the midst of it all. So well done!
Alrighty then, I hope that gives you something to run with if you're not off and running already! As always, please feel welcome to share your String Fever work-in-progress at the Flickr group. I'll be by to visit this weekend.
Now enjoy your weekend! We're going to be eating strawberries and fruit salad and strawberry ice cream and green smoothies and more strawberries, no doubt. School's out for summer!