Piece Piece Piece Piece Piece Piece Piece! And the bin is just as full as it ever was.
I had to be a bit ummmmm "inventive???" on these borders. I thought there was going to be plenty of the purple,but doing the letters takes more fabric than you think it does with all the trimming,etc. SO! I stuck in some leftover bits from Tonyas quilt....thinking it was going to just END with that purple border. Nope. The voices in my head said..."it needs MORE!"
So last night, I was doing more.
I have people ask all the time why I use a foundation for string piecing. I suppose if you are sewing from STRAIGHT strips (versus the mess you see in my bin below) you can get by with sewing straight strips together and just sub cutting them. My strips can be tapered end cuts from squaring up a piece of fabric, many are torn strips from getting something on-grain. I feel like this adds more character to the quilt when everything isn't arrow-straight and precision cut. Look at the difference between "antique" quilts, and new quilts. See what I mean? So I use a foundation when string piecing. Usually paper because I like to remove it. I don't want that extra thickness of fabric in there.
So the borders for this quilt were pieced the same way I did the little stringies below. I covered phone book pages with the strings, and then sub cut them into whatever width I wanted. I could get 3 sub cuts from each phone book page, so it was speed piecing in a way. Better than whoever had the idea of covering adding machine tape?! Just cover REGULAR SIZED paper, and slice it up. Works for me!
I'm off this morning with Jeff to a job fair. He's GOT to get a job, but it has to be one that will work around his summer school schedule. Evenings and weekends is what he needs. And if HE weren't so picky about what he will take or won't, he probably WOULD have a job by now..(good thing he doesn't read my blog, huh?) Anyway..wish us luck!
I LOVE IT... great "green" quilt...quilters were on that bandwagon well before everyone else I think.
ReplyDeleteSharon
I do foundation piecing of scraps on old sheets, etc. But my pieces are usually more small strange shaped pieces and not as many strips. I have made several as Project Linus quilt and then just backed them with flannel and no batting and they were plenty thick.
ReplyDeleteLove it! Love the colors! Very eye catching!
ReplyDeleteYou've done it again! This is cooool!
ReplyDeleteRegarding labels? I do 8-10 generics on one fabric sheet, with my name and state/town, then a line/space for the quilt name and another line for the year. Then I FUSE them! ARghhhh - but what else can you do? There IS the possibility of OVERKILL when coming up with each individual label so .... KISS is occasionally, not always, my method.
Love it! And your orange letters and numbers in the purple border next to the final border look great.
ReplyDeleteBonnie you've done it again. It's to die for. Tell me. Are your telephone books like ours? When you touch the pages the print comes off on your hands? I've love to use our telephone books for piecing, but I'm worried about the print.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with Jeff.
I love this one too. Makes me want to go find some solid fabrics!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this quilt! And I am soooo familiar with the pickiness of today's young people looking for jobs. It's what I do at my 10-month school job (help them job search, etc).. sometimes I could pull my hair out - all the gray ones that they've given me!
ReplyDeleteI recently pieced a log cabin with leftover strips and strings and really liked it but this is great with the different width blocks.
ReplyDeleteIt's fantastic! I love the words and the bits you had to add to the purple border.
ReplyDeleteI use that paper for the same reason and when I cut strips I often cut a few at angles just to get that uneven look. wheeeee fabulous quilt.
ReplyDeleteAwesome quilt...love it !!!
ReplyDelete""CLAP-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP---BRAVO---CLAP--CLAP""!!!
ReplyDeleteA quilt like this might just be right up my alley!!
Just saw this quilt this morning. Love it! Are those all solids or tone on tones? Is this piecing technique in one of your patterns? If so, guide me oh wise one... I must make this!
ReplyDeleteGM hugs from Colorado, Jessica