Traditionally string quilts are pieced using a foundation of lightweight muslin or newspapers. In old quilts you often see the newspapers still inside. A string quilt uses long scraps of fabric. You can use scraps of any color or use coordinating colors for your quilt.
For my Quilts of Valor I use scraps of blue and red with a single white or tan fabric on the diagonal. I place the blue fabrics on one side of the diagonal and the red fabrics on the other side. This creates a look that is similar to the log cabin block. Where log cabin blocks have a light and a dark side, this block has a red and a blue side.
Watch this 8 minute video of Lenny and Laurel demonstrating this fast and easy technique.
For my first string quilt I used lightweight muslin that I had on hand for the foundation and this made the quilt a little heavier than I like. For the next quilt I decided to use newsprint for the foundation when I discovered StringAlongs, a new product from Black Cat Creations.
StringAlongs are packages of pre-cut newsprint ready for you to stitch. I used the package of 9″ x 9″ squares to piece an 8-1/2″ finished block. There are 100 sheets in a package and a free pattern is included.
If you want to place the diagonal strip in a more precise way, line up the 1″ mark of a ruler along the diagonal.
Mark a line along the edge of the ruler.
Now when you glue the diagonal fabric strip you will have a line to help positioning.
The pictures below show trimming the pieced block. A rotating cutting mat is great for this next step.
Turn the block over. Using the edge of the paper as your guide, trim the fabric from all 4 sides.
Now your block is complete. I like to leave the papers in when I piece the blocks together. I remove the papers after the top is complete.Happy quilting!
Carol