Tuesday, December 6, 2016

A Finish with an Easy Quilting Design

I finished the blue string quilt. These certainly are quick, easy quilts for toddlers. Not much to them; perfect for playtime, games, and spills.

Paper pieced string quilt in all shades of blue
Blue string toddler quilt

The binding is the light green I planned {and then discarded} for the green string quilt. It complements the bits of green in the strings.

Simple back of blue string quilt

A simple back. Of course, there wasn't enough of the larger piece but I had this eighth-yard remnant to finish it off.

Quilting and binding details
of Blue String toddler quilt

Finally, a close up of the quilting and binding. I eyeballed 1.5" spacing between narrow rows that mimic flat-fell seams on jeans. The idea came from the sashing of this old t-shirt quilt.

Quilt Details
Size: 40" x 48"
Design: String quilt on paper foundation
Batting: Mountain Mist Cream Rose 100% cotton
Thread: DMC fine embroidery blue cotton
Quilting: Walking foot on a domestic machine

Enjoy the day,
Ann

29 comments:

Quilting Babcia said...

Perfect finish for this string quilt - love it!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Excellent choice for the quilting design - allows the strings to sing but adds another interesting texture to the overall look. Great toddler quilt!!

LA Paylor said...

love them
child would have a great time looking for details too!
LeeAnna

Mystic Quilter said...

Ann I think these string quilts you're making are just a delight! They make my fingers itch to get into my string bins - maybe a project for the New Year. Your eyeballing of the quilting lines is much better than mine on the one I'm quilting for one of our grandsons, should be 2" apart - let's just say some are and some are not!!

audrey said...

Ooh, love the sparky look to this quilt! That sharp green really brings the quilt together! The stitching is wonderful for this particular quilt. I've been considering using that sort of simple stitching on my circle quilt if I ever get it together. Do you just go 1/4" or an 1/8" on either side of the seams and then eyeball the other lines?

Lara B. said...

Love the way you layed out the colors so that the quilt progresses from dark to light. Scrappy quilting at it's best Ann! It will be fun to look at all the fabrics during nap time too.

Janie said...

Great finish, I think the border brings it all together.
Good quilting choice, too.

patty a. said...

The quilt turned out wonderful! The green binding is perfect for this quilt!

Mary Marcotte said...

I love that quilting! It really makes those strings pop. Isn't it interesting how it pops on the front and disappears on the reverse of the quilt? Great border, too.

Kate @ Smiles From Kate said...

Oh very nice, I really like the way you graduated the colours and the binding sets it off well.

Ann said...

Thanks so much. I tried some blues but they did not add anything to the quilt.

Ann said...

Thanks, Julie. I worried about putting a square grid on this diagonal design but think it works, too. It's the usual problem of looking at designs with my nose on the top. Much better when I step away.

Ann said...

Thanks, LeeAnna. I hadn't considered this as an ISpy variation but you are correct.

Ann said...

Mine are the same. They wander quite a bit. I tried to "wander back" at the end of each block.the first few rows looked odd but the finished quilt looks much better. So, keep the faith and you'll be fine.

Ann said...

I love blue but this quilt would look pretty sad without the greens.
I didn't measure anything, used Professor Harold Hill's "Think Method." ;-) Yes. About 1/4" on the first two then another eyeballed width of 1.5" ... which sometimes wandered from 1.25-2". Didn't look so good while my nose was on the top but finished very well. I'm getting more confident about using a contrasting quilting design on a top and think this idea would look good on your circles.

Kris said...

That is super cute and I love that you went from light to dark. I wonder if my scrap mess would be conducive to that. I have made string quilts before but nothing planned out.

Marie said...

ooooo...I like!

Ann said...

I seem to be on a gradation kick right now. Last year was more random. Interesting to see how we vary this simple pattern.
Happy Holidays!

Stephie said...

It looks great Ann, love the 'jean theme' quilt pattern! Strings are such a satisfying thing to make aren't they - pretty quick and pretty easy to make your own too. Great colour choices from you as ever :)

Ann said...

Thanks, Janie. It turned out better than the original blocks. Always nice when that happens.

Ann said...

The binding really helped this quilt. Thanks, Patti.

Ann said...

Yes, Mary. Usually the stitching shows more on the back, but not this time.

Ann said...

They did turn out well. The blue blocks, in particular, seem to have more gradation than the other colors. I wish I'd taken a photo of the blue binding. What a difference this green made. I wouldn't have realized except the blue binding was so "blah."

Ann said...

It's interesting how different these simple string blocks can be. I've made random, light and dark sides, & now single color. Someone on the blog String Thing Along made one with all pastels. They are all different and lovely and a great way to use scraps.
I look forward to your version, too!

Ann said...

Thanks, Marie.

Ann said...

I'm pleased to have thought of this double row of stitching. A bit different from a normal grid. There were a number of blues that were old and tired in this pile but this block either improves or disguises them. Yay.

Ariane said...

This quilt is gorgeous! I love how you quilted it! It adds so much to the quilt. The colours are beautiful too.

Ann said...

The quilting worked out better than expected with the top. I'm glad you like it, Ariana.

Preeti said...

Those bright neon strips make this quilt glow, pop and sparkle. I wish I was the lucky toddler!!!