Monday, January 27, 2014

Finished String Quilt

I finally finished my strings quilt!  I really wanted a dark pink binding but with all of my fabric still packed, I was limited to what I could find among the fabric that was in plastic tubs.
Pippi kept an eye on me while I quilted, she was not happy because I kept having to move her off the quilt.
I love all of the different fabrics in this quilt.  Most of the strings came from a friend at retreat, thank you Mary Lou!
I love the sewing machine fabric in this block!
And the happy faces in this one!  With this quilt, my husband dared me to use what ever piece of fabric I puled out of the basket.  He said I was too much of a control freak to do it, with the exception of looking at the size of the strings, I did it!  I have blues, browns, blacks, pinks, reds, Christmas, spring, baby etc. all combined together!
The pinks and blues make me think of Tabitha(blues) and Valerie(pinks) because they are leftovers from their quilts. I also have leftovers from my niece's, nephew's and mom's quilts! I decided to do a free motion scallops on the quilt and really loved how it turned out!
It showed up great on the back with the minky blanket I used!  I decided not to use batting, just because I still have two more tops that need quilting and I don't know when I will be able to get more batting, it is at least a 30 minute drive to the closest Wal-Mart or quilt shop and 1 1/2 hours to the closest Joann's or Hobby Lobby.
I made lots of mistakes, I made this quilt after seeing someone else make one, but did not really follow any directions.  First off, I should have trimmed my strings before sewing them on, the strings that were not trimmed had places I had to resew.  For example the blue girly stuff fabric.  There were a few places like that.  I think I will take some pink embroidery floss and make x's over those spots (like a crazy quilt) to hide those spots.
Another mistake I made, was not knowing the muslin would stretch.  I just trimmed off each edge following the line of muslin without measuring which made all of the blocks different sizes.  I 'm thinking next time I will pick a square ruler one inch smaller then the cut muslin and cut to that size?
Custard
I was also careless with my binding because I was rushing and had to go back and fix several spots today.
But the cats love it and so do I!  This is only the second quilt I've made for myself!  (both throws!)
Pippi
I sewed the strings with my red eye/redhead 66 hand crank sewing machine and quilted it on my Singer 16 treadle!

Have you ever made a string quilt or any quilt with complete abandon?

Missy

22 comments:

  1. Love the colors, Missy! The quilt police are off today, too cold. I definitely want to make a string quilt, but I will use paper I bought from Missouri Star Quilt Company. I find the muslin shifts too much for me. It is a quilt and it is done, hooray- forget about the mistakes. I am almost done FMQ a comfort quilt, and as hard as I tried, it is not a perfect job. But I did it and learned.

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  2. I love scrappy quilts and looking at all the different fabrics used. I've seen so many string quilts lately! I keep saving my strings but have yet to make one....By the time I get to it I'll have enough for several quilts.

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  3. what a bright cheerful quilt. It just makes me smile. Though there may be mistakes here or there, you don't even notice them. {:-Deb

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  4. I think it turned out great! I love string quilts.

    Have a wonderful and Blessed day
    Kristie

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  5. There's so much going on in these quilts that it's difficult to spot any repairs unless you look pretty hard! I've never made one of these but I have made my own blocks and just took a 6 1/2 inch square ruler and plopped it down on top and trimmed off anything outside of it. I needed that size for the center of the block so it worked out.

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  6. Missy, I love it!! No one would every know your 'mistakes' without having them pointed out! It's nice to create for one's self, isn't it??!! Well, and one's cats! ;)

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  7. It looks gorgeous! Hopefully you will be in your new home soon so you can unpack everything.

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  8. That quilt is fabulous. You did a great scrappy quilt. I am getting more and more careful with fabrics I purchase at Joanns and Hobby Lobby because not all of them are 100% cotton.

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  9. Love the string quilt, all the different fabrics just have such movement. Beautiful.

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  10. Sounds like you enjoyed making this quilt and learned a lot in the process -- that's perfect! I'm finishing a string pieced star this winter with blocks from my husband's grandmother but the fabrics aren't as cheerful as yours.

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  11. Your quilt turned out lovely!! I love string quilts! Thanks for sharing it! :)

    -Lindsey

    Fort Worth Fabric Studio Blog

    Inspiring Creations Blog

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  12. Mistakes or not the quilt is just stunning. Congratulations!!!

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  13. great job - looks great. Looks like alot of different fabrics went into the quilt.

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  14. I LOVE it, Missy! I love scrappy quilts best of all and this string design is sooooo fun!

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  15. Well I must say, I agree with your cats! This is a lovely finish and such a fun and happy quilt! Love the quilting design you chose. It is a beautiful quilt!

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  16. Scraps! Glorious Scraps! I would not have been able to put all these mismatched scraps together, but the result is stunning! Yay!

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  17. It is a beautiful scrappy quilt Missy and if the kitties love it.....it is perfect! Thanks for sharing.
    Freemotion by the River Linky Party Tuesday

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  18. I so want to make one of these...I absolutely love the colors and fun in yours!!!

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  19. Thanks Missy for linking up at Wake Up Wednesday – hope you are enjoying the party! ~Marie@The Interior Frugaglista

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  20. Your string quilt is beautiful! I enjoyed hearing that you followed your husband's challenge to use whatever came out of the pile (I tend to get too picky too). And how great it turned out that way! Yep, I've made string quilts and I think I'm due for another one this year!

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