Today I’m sharing my blue string quilt! I made this one earlier this year using my string scrap stash. I really love making string quilts and this is my third one so far. It certainly won’t be the last. I separate my string scraps out from my other scraps for quilts like this.
A string scrap is a long skinny scrap. I usually add any scraps that are under 2.5 inch to my string basket. All other scraps bigger than that go in my regular scrap bins.
So when it’s time to make another string quilt, I grab my string scrap basket and start digging.
String Quilt Specs
- Block size: 6.5 inch (6 inch finished) – they are small!
- Strips are all random except the center strip – It’s a 1.25 strip all in Essex Linen Flax.
- 10×12 layout = 120 blocks
- 60″ x 72″ finished quilt size
String Quilt storage
I found this teal basket at Target many years ago and have used it for my scraps ever since. It holds a surprising amount of fabric scraps. I use it for my string scraps. All other scraps go into my wooden scrap bins. (Also from Target.)
Whenever I make a string quilt I like to separate out the scraps I’ll be using. So my floor becomes an explosion of scraps while I’m sewing one up. For this version, I pulled out all of my blues, aquas and even greens. I didn’t end up using much of the greens. There are only a few throughout the quilt.
Solid Center Stripe
I really like adding one solid center strip in each block. I think it brings a little organization to the chaos that is string quilts. For this one I used a 1.25 inch Essex Linen in Flax.
All of my strings are various random sizes anywhere from .75 inch to about 2 inch finished.
I made this one using the same methods I shared in this blog post.
Most of the blocks are darker blues but for the last handful I decided to make them all lighter (below left). I really like how they look in the final quilt. It adds another layer of dimension.
I quilted this one up myself using the wavy stitch.
Blue String Quilt Materials
Center Strip – Essex Linen in Flax
Assorted scraps from my scrap stash
Backing – Storyteller Plaids by Art Gallery Fabrics
Pieced on my Juki 2010q
Quilted on my Janome MC6700p
