Skip to main content

Folklife Friday: Another String Quilt

During the rainy, stormy day this week, I completed this string quilt. Quilts like these were named string quilts because some of the fabric used were small as strings, all that was leftover from other projects.




I actually made the blocks a few years ago during and after a class on string quilts. Unlike food and flowers, the blocks will keep until you have time and energy to put them together.


 I know some of my students will recognize some of the fabrics that were used. Blocks are made by cutting old newspapers in the desired shapes; this is an eight inch square.  Starting in the center, fabric strings are sewn on until the newspaper square is covered.  Then, the fabric strings are trimmed to the size of the newspaper. It is best to leave the newspaper on until the blocks are sewn together, then they are removed before you make the quilt sandwich (top, batting, lining).


I quilted this quilt using a free motion foot and meandering.  The quilting pattern doesn't have to be marked, so it is a time saver. The label is made from a block I had left over.  


I love bright colors, so I use red a lot in my quilts.  When I made quilts for sale, the quilts with red or purple always sold first.

God has blessed us and I am able to buy fabric I need for sewing projects, but I still love using the scraps.  In fact, people give their scraps to me so it isn't likely I'll ever run out.  For some reason, I get intense satisfaction from taking a pile of strings and making something beautiful out of them.

Comments

  1. lil red henJanuary 20, 2012 at 8:05 AM

    This is so wonderful; finally I've come in contact with someone as passionate about string quilts as I am! Do you find that the more strings you use, the more there seems to be in the stash? Reminds me of the woman's cruse of oil in the Bible story with Elijah: the oil could never be used up.

    Hope you'll make more and share with us. And~that's a good idea for a label.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Faith, Folklore, and FriendsJanuary 20, 2012 at 12:33 PM

      I think sometimes my scraps hatch new ones during the night! :) It is impossible for me to throw one away.

      Delete
  2. MichelleJanuary 20, 2012 at 8:05 AM

    Such beautiful work, just lovely. You are blessed with such talent and patience. I will probibly never get to that point in my sewing adventures, but one can dream! I'd rather put my energy into knitting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Faith, Folklore, and FriendsJanuary 20, 2012 at 12:35 PM

      Just one stitch at a time! If I am stressed, a little time with thread and fabric calms me down better than anything else.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee.  It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures.  We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything.  Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.
Post a Comment
Read more

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie.  It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house.  After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there.  I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then.  I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important.  It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things.  We call it Holy Smoke.  Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan.  It helps to use your hands (o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Out of the Dirt: Bragg-ing

Like every reader, I have my favorite writers. There have been so many that have stirred my emotions and made me a part of their world, and I'm thankful for that. The one is love the best, the one I cherish , is Rick Bragg. Yesterday, Rick was in our area. We were privileged to see a newly released documentary about his life called Out of the Dirt . Afterwards, he talked to us about family and roots. His first book, All over but the Shoutin' , was recommended to me years ago. Very early in the book, I was thinking, "Who is this? He is writing about me, about my family." I have never actually met anyone in the book, but they are all my neighbors and kinfolks. His other books are just as well-written. In his book, Writing for the Soul , Christian author Jerry Jenkins had this to say about Rick Bragg: I read other writers and strive to be like them. I read others, like Rick Bragg, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist, and simply surrender, knowing I will ...
1 comment
Read more