This was a completely new technique for me. I’ve seen folks working on small pieces with something stuck inside but never knew what they were doing. Now that I know I can join the club. I wouldn’t make these particular blocks again, but I there are other interesting patterns out there using this method.

 

I used a cereal box to make the templates for this first block. They kept the shape very well, but the cardboard was difficult to baste through. The templates were strong enough that they can be used many times.

 

 

I used cardstock to make the templates for this block. Although they were much easier to baste through, I’m not sure they held the shape as well. Or perhaps my original template was a bit wonky.

 

This project was the result of a mystery quilt weekend sponsored by the Timberlane Quilt Guild. We were told to purchase fabric in a light, medium and dark tone. I looked at many of the fabrics that Lainey had on her clearance shelf and, of all the ones I looked at, only the rosebud material seemed suitable as my light fabric. Based on that fabric, I picked my medium and dark tones. It was a toss-up but in the end the pink became the medium and the green became the dark.

There was a lot of cutting involved and that was all done before we met as a group on the first day.

We were handed the instructions, one step at a time, and at the end of the first day I still had no clue about how the quilt would end up looking. On the second day, as the faster sewists finished their blocks and started putting them together, I was able to get an idea of the design. But everyone had completely different fabric so I still wasn’t sure how mine would look when it was complete.

Once the top was done the Tuesday morning ladies suggested adding a zinger of pink and a border of green. I finished the project at home over several weeks. I outlined the stars in a straight-line stitch and chose a template for quilting in the larger squares.

For my binding, I picked a pink that was a shade darker that the fabric in the quilt.

UPDATE: This quilt went to Kathryn

I’ve just finished a top for a string quilt and I was thrilled when I logged in to my Craftsy Block of the Month and saw that I would be making a couple of blocks using different string techniques. My string bin was full so I had lots of fabric to choose from.

The first block was done in the same manner as I did my quilt top except that we left a one-inch strip of the foundation block showing in the middle of the block. I used a very flimsy fabric for my foundation block but because it is such a narrow strip it didn’t seem to matter. I love the look of the solid color frame around this block. I used a blue and red combination for the block because those were the first colors that came out of my string bin.

I love this Broken Spider Web. I used a different technique for this string block. After doing some cutting, measuring and marking for the foundation block the first two strips on each side were stitched to the foundation as usual. For the second and remainder of the strips you pull the foundation fabric back and stitch the strips together. At the end, you use the foundation fabric as a template to trim the block and then trim off the foundation fabric (much like you do in paper piecing). In keeping with the spider web (garden) theme I used floral fabrics for this block.

I see more string quilts in my future and I’ll definitely be using these patterns again.