Today we start a journey through some (no doubt) fabulous string quilt projects. My personal favourite string quilt shape is the diamond string. It is almost as simple as the regular or standard string quilt but has one little wrinkle.
This is my wee diamond strings quilt. It is all quilted, labelled, washed and ready for donation. At approximately 30" x 40" it is relatively small but would be great for tucking around baby for a walk in the stroller.
To get started on this you need a foundation. I prefer some really thin cotton. Old sheets work well for this or some prefer muslin. I have not yet been converted to telephone book pages although I have tried them.
For the diamond string your base shape is a rectangle. Mine for this project were 7" x 10". I have made doll sized ones using 5" x 7" (and downsized the centre string). Any size will do as long as it is definitely a rectangle to start with.
The trick: Half of the starter strings must reach up to the right and half of them must reach up to the left.
On these two backings you can see the drawn centre line for the string placement. One goes towards the top right and one goes towards the top left.
I just use the lines on my cutting mat to line things up. If I had used the rectangles in the diagram above with my white centre strings the pencil line would show through and you don't want that! My centre strings are 2" x 14" for this size. That gives overlap at each end. You can make your centre string a different width but it since it highlights the pattern so make it something a good size. Also note that the centre string should contrast with the strings you are going to use.
I just use the lines on my cutting mat to line things up. If I had used the rectangles in the diagram above with my white centre strings the pencil line would show through and you don't want that! My centre strings are 2" x 14" for this size. That gives overlap at each end. You can make your centre string a different width but it since it highlights the pattern so make it something a good size. Also note that the centre string should contrast with the strings you are going to use.
Then you start stitching strings in place right sides together, using a 1/4" seam. I press after each added string. That stops me from sitting for hours in the same position and it makes the my work neater. Some people finger press.
When you have covered all of your foundation your block is ready to trim. The one on the left is what it looks like from the right side the one on the right is what it looks like from the wrong side.
Once trimmed this is what the blocks look like. I try to make certain my centre string is centred when I am doing the trimming for each block.
Next step artfully arrange your blocks and stitch them together. At this stage I will often use a 3/8" or even a 1/2" seam and press it open because there is a lot of bulk if you press to one side.
To quilt these I follow the centre string. One a good day I would go on each side of the string and on the vertical and horizontal block lines. I hope this thumbnail sketch of how I do diamond string quilts answers most of your questions and that you will give them a try. Piecefully, Joanne
Please stop by the other bloggers who are on this fun Blog Hop to see what they have to offer. We all have strings lets get using them.
Monday, March 25th
Den syende himmel
Patchwork Breeze
Domestic Felicity
The Quilted Snail
Thursday, March 28th
Cynthia's Creating Ark
The Joyful Quilter
Color Creating and Quilting
PamelaQuilts
Beaquilter
Two Maker Chicks
Days Filled With Joy
Quilting & Learning - What a Combo!
Patchwork Breeze
Domestic Felicity
The Quilted Snail
Thursday, March 28th
Cynthia's Creating Ark
The Joyful Quilter
Color Creating and Quilting
PamelaQuilts
Beaquilter
Two Maker Chicks
Days Filled With Joy
Quilting & Learning - What a Combo!
