String of Lightening

Walking foot straight line design

In December, I started stitching quilting in the ditch. I thought by the middle of January I would have finished the ditch quilting. I didn't. There were a couple other projects that took much more than I anticipated. To name two, the presentation for Saturday workshops and the legend for the temperature quilt. I did manage to squeeze in some time a couple of days in January to make progress with the ditch quilting.

In February, I completed the ditch quilting. While I prefer free motion quilting, I decided to quilt straight lines with the walking foot in the background of the strings. I used "Shifting Sands" a variegated 40 weight cotton thread available through Superior Threads and their King Tut line. The thread blends well into the background. I used a cotton 50 weight thread in the bobbin.

The reason I chose to use the walking foot was so many quilters shy away from the quilting part of the process. I decided this project could be an example of how quilting could be done at home.

Ghost strings

I used various marks on the foot to stitch the widths of the thread passes. I liked the texture the quilting produced. I liked how similar the texture was to all the ditch quilting I had already completed. 

For the ends of the string rows, I quilted ghost strings. It took me several long quilting sessions to complete the quilting. 

I continue to underestimate how long the quilting process takes. Since I track the time I spend on projects, I am seeing a correlation between making the top and quilting the layers as being about the same. 

Back

My initial question of how many strings can I produce from a gallon bag of strings is-- a top that is 45 inches by 45 inches plus a little extra!

The green fabrics in the back came from leftover pieces that I have used in several projects over the years. It felt fantastic to use it all. Although, after trimming the backing, I still have a couple of strings!

The yellow was a half yard piece of fabric that I purchased because I liked the sentiments printed. The sentiments were all bee related like "Bee Thoughtful" and "Bee Positive." It reminded me so much of my friend JoJo who moved to Alabama several years ago. Gosh, I miss her! We zoom fairly regularly; but, it isn't the same as being in the same room with her! However, Zooming is better than phone calls!

Label

This is finish is another example of a project from my friend Martha's strings. I have a page on my blog of projects where I am tracking what I have made from her strings, chunks, and UFOs. 

Thread used in quilting

She would be tickled that I have made so many items from the bits that were crammed into drawers, dropped on the floor and stored in a wire basket! Through her scraps, I've learnedI like stitching with strings. I would enjoy devoting more studio time to playing with strings; however, Gertie, has other plans for me. (Gertie is my inner squirrel!)

I used about five yards of stash for this project. I have now used 30 yards from stash this year. This is finish number four for the year. It was goal number six on my First Quarter list. It was goal number eight on my February list. It is the fifth project I've made using line as my inspiration. I am enjoying looking at it hang on my wall.

There were some bits leftover that I plan to put into another project. I'll leave the bag within eyesight so Gertie can remind me to play with the project before it can become a UFO!

I began this project to teach a Saturday Workshop using Bonnie Hunter's string piecing technique to guild members in 2021. Bonnie graciously gave me permission to use her "Diamond Strings" tutorial for class.

Many of my students finished their projects long ago. Fortunately, there was no deadline for a finish! Perhaps, I'll contact them for photos of their projects as it would be cool to document their projects. h m m m, Gertie's tail is swishing about!

If you want to review the previous posts regarding this project, please click the links below:

String-a-long Post 1;  

Front

String-a-long Post 2;

String-a-long Post 3; 

String of Lightening... Quilting in Process

I'm linking to Cynthia and Oh Scrap/Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework. Please click the link to see many fun projects others have made with scraps.