Lots Of Strings For The First Project Quilt Challenge

    

      This is the second year that I have participated in the Project Quilt Challenge.  I enjoyed it soooo much last year.  It encouraged me to meet a goal every other week.  I was overwhelmed with Christmas sewing and had not done much for the last 2 weeks.  But on Sunday afternoon when I woke up I was excited to learn what the weeks challenge would be.

     The challenge this week was make a quilt entirely of strings.  Strings are anything under 2 1/2 inches.  I had pinned this photo on Pinterest from Flossy Blossy's blog.  

     My original thought of what I was going to do was a quilt like this,  but since I work a full time nursing job and a part time one, time was not on my side.  

     The 2 other goals I have with Project Quilt are that I try to make at least a throw size quilt each week and that I use only fabric I have on hand.   So off I went to trying to replicate my inspiration quilt. With my work home schedule I only had some of Friday and Saturday to work on it.  

     I decided to cut 8 inch muslin squares out and sew scrap strips to them. I decided to use muslin this time since I hated pulling the paper off the back.  And it does add weight to the quilt which I love.  I did not cut the scrap strips into straight lines. If they were angled they stayed that way. The strips were anywhere from just over 1/2 inch up to 2 inches.  These were cut pieces of fabric left over from my sewing from the last few years. I made 16 of these blocks and they ended up as the centers of my stars. I then cut out 16, nine inch squares of muslin and did the same thing.  

     When I was done with these string blocks I decided that I did not think I had enough time to do the light colored strings.  So I had to make a detour.  I held up my precut squares to my solid color shelf and couldn't decide what color to choose.  So in walks my 13 year old son Waylon and he choose an olive like green.  So green it is as my  background fabric instead of the white strips. 

  

     I tried something else new this challenge.  I have not sewed triangles in a while.  I have actually only done it a few times.  So I tried the trick where you draw a line down the middle and sew a 1/4 inch on each side.  Then you cut down the middle.  It worked!!! I will definately do it this way again!!!!  So I made all the 9 inch scrap squares into triangles and then squared them up into 8 inch squares!  

     

     I then laid out the stars and began to sew them together.   It ended up being 60in x 60 in.  I lined this quilt with fleece as the batting.  I then sewed together half a a piece of flowered yardage as the backing to make it long enough.  

    For quilting, I straight stiches a line on either side of my block sewing and then did the middle of the triangles.  I only had a brown variegated thread on hand that matched the top and used a cream on the back.  I bound the quilt in. Scrap bi l that I had.  And yes I machine sewed the binding on.  And this quilt I am calling String Stars!!  While your looking at it see if you can find hidden objects!!

     Out of my squaring off scraps I made a hot pad.  There are over 100 little pieces of fabric in it.  It may not be the prettiest thing, but I have gotten huge on recycling fabric.  So since all these pieces of fabric are under an inch and strips of strips, I see this as a qualifying project if you don't think the quilt is!!  Just thought it looked cool too and I am trying to make something out of each projects scraps!

Hope you enjoyed and read up here on Project Quilt so you can join in next Sunday!!!  Here is their link!!

http://www.persimondreams.com/project-quilting/season-5