Strings/crumbs update

I went through my strings bags and pulled out a bunch of them so I could make some serious progress on these strings blocks for my next two strings quilts. I'm excited about them now, and want to make great progress from week to week with them!

I was able to make these blocks:

20 of these: They are 8.5" square at this point in the process. This block is the only "hard" part of this top.

I went ahead and wrote up the block diagram for you. The small pieces are just a bunch of strips sewn together and cross cut into 1.5" wide strips and I used them as if they were one piece and sewed them on.

and 10 of these, which when paired with a gray 9" square and sewn across the middle on two sides, became 20 HST - 8.5".

So 10 of those strings blocks made 20 of these: I trimmed them to 8.5" square.

My goal had been to spice this top up a bit from last week, so earlier in the week I went through some of my strings/crumbs bags and pulled out as bright of strings as I could find.

And I used those. I still didn't have much yellow, so I went to my second hand fabrics and found some leftover yellow that I had previously used in a quilt - curtains, I think - and because it was a big print, it was difficult to use in a quilt. I cut some strips from it. I wanted yellow to give it some pop.

Let me show you.

This is last week's first attempt to see the design:

While it is nice, it wasn't as nice as my layout - which is this:

After making all 20 blocks of each block, I went ahead and added them to what I already had made up.

This is going to be a 12x13 layout. So far this is only 12x4. I really do like it! In fact, I love it! Well, at least for a strings quilt (remember -  strings/crumbs and I aren't close friends?)

And that's what I did with my strings project this weekend. I did go ahead and cut up some more gray for the next set of blocks.

I have been somewhat stymied by the heat - stymied in that it saps energy - not because I'm actually stopped.  The fan helps, of course and so do my curtains.

I decided to stop with all the sewing for a while on Saturday night and just fill a bunch of bobbins and clean up the floor of my sewing room.

It seems like It is always getting more stuff on it - probably because when I pull out strings/crumbs from bags, small pieces fall to the floor.

I also organized my thread. I was thinking I needed to buy some more, so I decided to go through and straighten it all.  That helped me decide not to buy anymore. At least not for now. 

I have plenty to make a bunch more charity quilt labels - need to make about 200 - -and prepare for some quilting in the next few weeks. 

It has been too hot to quilt - even with my adjusted plan - lately, it is  getting hot so fast in the mornings that there hasn't been time to even work for just a little while on quilting. i do have a stack of quilts sandwiched and ready to go - 4 or 5, I think, as soon as it gets cool enough to quilt. Maybe after this week the intense heat will let up a bit.

Back to thread - The only color I think I need is light blue - as I've used a bit in the first 20 "upcycled blues" quilts. As I contemplate getting busy on quilting the rest of the blues tops, I may need to get some more of that color - and white/off white. But then, maybe I should get a little more adventurous and use some bolder/darker colors, of which I have plenty.  I'm thinking about it anyway! we'll see what happens. Maybe like a lot of things, I'll just go a different direction if I don't have light blue. I have a lot of dark blue/navy/tan.

"A Hot Mess" colorful - the beginning

One more thing -

I'm going to start work on another A Hot Mess but with any and all colors. It may be awful - doesn't matter. I'm going to go for it. 

Here's the first step.

My sis thinks it is going to be terrible,  so I am not going to mention it to her and see if she notices. I believe she reads these posts!

The ONLY color control on this is I'm going to leave out brown.  I had seen in a modern quilt swap that that was their requirement - any color but brown - as they were going to be putting them together. Somehow it worked. So I'll try it with this crazy thing.

I'll be using up partial blocks or partially finished things I have located and just sew them on the top for a crazy finish. Once again, I'll use 3.5", 6.5", or 9.5" strips as it worked last time. I don't know if I'll like it, but it will be better than bags of strings/crumbs/unfinished or partial blocks sitting around. That much I DO know!

And that's what I've been up to lately in my sewing room!

Have a great day wherever you are reading this!

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Be sure to check out what my sis has in the store!

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