Quilt in a Day Forums

I have been reading the postings for "quick" quilt ideas, and I'm not sure what a string quilt is. Would love directions for making something as a fast gift. Can someone help me? I have a new baby arriving in the family very soon and would love to do something for her or him that I could accomplish before the little one arrives.

I hope everyone from Kansas and Oklahoma are ok. My thoughts, prayers and best wishes are with all of you.

I think a really quick quilt for a baby might be making a scrappy star quilt and do a fussy cut on some juvenile prints (like dinosaurs or animals) for the center instead of the patchwork. Theres a free pattern on this website:

quiltinaday.com/eleanorandcompany/freepattern/default.asp

And maybe a soft flannel or minkee for the backing. Maybe use the same material for the border that you used for the center of the stars.

Rose, I'm not exactly sure what is meant by "string quilts", either. But, I think it may be using narrow strips sewn together onto a foundation block, then squared up. QIAD has a book called Scrap Quilt, Strips and Spider Webs. It uses the method I described and I think maybe the words "string and strip" could both mean the same type quilt. This book has some wonderful quilts and the one on the cover is gorgeous! That's what I understand "string quilts" to be, anyway.

I have been making 9 inch squares for a string quilt. Bought muslin
fabric at Joann's, using all my scraps, making 1 1/2" strips or larger if you prefer, starting a little off center on the diagonal. First one face up, then next face down, sew. Keep doing that way, press. I hope this is clear not good on telling directions. Trim up edges when square is full. Its a fun project, and really looks good when done.

A string quilt is pieced on a foundation of something. My grandmother sewed scraps of fabrics onto an old catalog page, or something similar, to save them. When they got enough pages they would make them into a quilt. When they did this they could save every scrap of fabric to reuse.

I have made the quilts from the Scrap Quilt book ordered from QIAD and I really like them. They can take a while, or so it seems, when making the blocks, but the end result is great.

Debbie

sewmuch, thanks! Your directions were very clear, much better than mine were!