This stunning string quilt "Diamond Fan" is part of the collection of the Mingei International Museum in San Diego, CA. See more of their quilt collection here. I think it would be fun to make a quilt like this!
If you love the idea of sewing with selvage scraps as much as we do, we suggest adding Modern Selvage Quilting to your library. Modern Selvage Quilting includes 17 edgy projects to incorporate fabric selvages. Modern Selvage Quilting will walk you through: • Three easy methods for sewing with selvages, plus innovative half-square triangle technique• […]
2011 Fiber Arts Fiesta, Albuquerque, New Mexico
UPDATE: Finally, here is the pattern for the Fandango quilt. I just finished this fan quilt and noticed that it looks a lot like a...
Fabric scraps can easily accumulate if you are a sewer or crafter, but can also be incredibly useful to make fun projects inexpensively. My friend is currently sewing up the cutest owl pillow (see #2) and it got me thinking - how fun to be able to have fabric scraps around the house, so you can whip up a fun gift for just pennies. I rounded up some other great scrap fabric projects to use up those scraps and thought you might enjoy them too! 21 Fantastic Ways to Use Up Fabric Scraps 1. How fun are these scrap fabric bookmarks?
The first mini of 2019 and lots of strings. I had just enough leftover 2" tumblers from a previous project to make this small piece. It's 19" x 22". I machine quilted it in a grid at the halfway point in both directions. The print in the border was part of a little fabric swap. Thanks, Mark! Check out Wendy's The Constant Quilter blog for links to more monthly minis and lots of inspiration:) I received this book for Christmas from a dear friend in MS. Thank you, Cath! The back with info. With Lori's Humble Quilts Stringalong in mind this quilt caught my eye. It was made by Tammy McGrew (2014) and has 120 blocks. But my quilt will be a lot smaller. I'm using all the selvage strings I've collected just waiting for the perfect project to come along :) I cut 6-1/2" muslin foundation squares and started sewing. So far I've made 25 blocks and will continue until my selvage supply is depleted :) They are so much fun to make--and quick! See what others are making on Lori's Stringalong Linky Party here. Have a great week! __________ Copyright 2019, Barbara Schaffer
Opening a store filled with quilting fabrics was a dream but not because I was in love with quilting. I love the fabrics and ...
This bold and bright selvage quilt was made by Connie. It's featured on Nancy's Finely Finished Quilts blog. I like the little red triangles in the corners.
Scrappy String quilt by Emily of Quilty Love. See how Emily sewed together this fun and easy string quilt using her scrap stash.
Well, it's almost the last day of July and instead of a "finish" to show you, I"m reporting on a new start! Oops!! I've been saving selvages in 2 plastic Animal Cracker jars for several years now. The jars are packed full so when I fell hard for this quilt by Jodi on Pleasant Home blog, I knew just what I wanted to make with my precious selvages. (In case you wonder, I try to add at least one inch of "color" when I cut off my selvage from the yardage.Some are less. Some are more.) Because i figure that you might like to make some of these easy-to-do blocks, I thought that I'd show you how I'm making mine. First, dump out all of your selvages into a basket or other large container that you can rummage through. Pick a fabric to use for the center strip on each block. This fabric will create an on-point frame around each diamond shape once the blocks are set together. Cut the fabric into 1.5 inch strips. (A yard should be enough to make a lap size quilt.) I almost chose the red dot, but ended up using the black and white chevron below. This is a foundation pieced block. I am using premium musiin, cut into 6.5 inch squares for the foundation. You could also use paper if you don't mind ripping it off after stitching. Center the one inch strip on the diagonal of a foundation. Cut the strip so that it extends over the end of the foundation square a bit. Pin if necessary. Now for the fun part: Pick out some selvage fabrics with the lots of writing or dots to lay next to the center strip.Cover the center strip on each side with the selvage leaving a half inch of the strip showing. Trim the selvage so that it extends past the muslin on each corner. I usually pin this first strip to keep it straight. Stitch close to the edge of the selvage. (You might want to stitch again on the other side of the writing if the selvage is one with a frayed edge.) Continue to lay selvages on either side of the middle diagonal fabric strip and sewing as described above until the muslin is completely covered. Now,flip the block over and trim it to the muslin size using a rotary cutter and square ruler. (Note:Your foundation might have "shrunk" a bit from the stitching so be sure that you are cutting the block to the desired size. In my case, that is 6.5 inches.It is okay for the selvages to extend beyond the foundation base a little.) Four blocks sewn together will create the X in the middle. Mine will measure 12 inches finished. I plan to make 30 of these to create a quilt, 60" x 72". These things are incredibly addictive to make, I'm just telling you now! Have I tempted you?!
Here it is- the selvage quilt that didn't make a dent in my collection of selvages! This is my second selvage quilt (Emerald Selvage Spiderweb, 2013) and probably won't be my last. Now that I'm in the habit of saving them, I can't stop! This is where I started a couple of weeks ago. If you are wondering, the red is Kona Tomato. (My grandfather grew the best tomatoes.) It only took about a week to complete the top. Many thanks to Karen Griska for writing a great pattern! I opted to set the blocks on point and skipped the borders. I wanted to make lots of blocks (I cut mine at 10"). This size fits perfectly on my kitchen wall. Selvage quilts are heavy, so a lap quilt wasn't appealing to me. I knew I wanted to quilt this with red and white thread. I started with "organic" vertical lines through the red squares. I figured whatever I quilted in white would disappear, so I decided to practice feathers. (I really stink at quilting feathers!) All that top to bottom quilting means no threads to bury. No marking, no threads to bury = win, win. There are some really cute selvages in here. And so many memories of projects past! Printed copyright dates range from 1994 to 2014. The back is loaded with dots. Why not? The only place you can really see the feathers is on this section of the back. That's OK with me! More practice required. One more glamor shot on the couch with the matching pillow. Yes, it's snowing again! Selvage Log Cabin (needs a cuter name. any suggestions?) 42" X 42" Started January 31, 2015 Completed February 16, 2015 Pattern by Karen Griska
Remember we recently admired a string quilt that I found on the Internet, and we decided to make a group quilt using 1.25" strips sewn ...
My Strip Twist quilt is finally done. It is a little too busy for my taste, but I am sure this quilt will find a good home. One thing I am so proud of myself is that I made this quilt from my scraps and did not buy any new fabric. I used a lot of the leftover fabric from these three quilts in the Strip Twist. More leftover fabric for a half block flowery String quilt. My goal this year is to make quilts from my scraps and strings. I do enjoy to make quilts from strings. And the last picture below is a Star and String quilt from batiks. I found this free tutorial on Mary's blog. If you enjoy doing power sewing like me, then you will love her free scrappy patterns. Happy Quilting, Millie
Upcycling by sewing with fabric selvages is such a fun way to use up those pretty edges that show the color dots on the edge of the fabric.
Selvage blocks appliqued over the logo on a canvas bag--recycle and upcycle!
Anya of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania just finished this selvage quilt. She used the quilt-as-you-go method, and she doesn't recommend it. "Too many issues" she says. I'll take her word for it. Another interesting fact is that she used the selvages from 72 yards of fabric to make this quilt. I had no idea! (Her friends contributed selvages, of course.) Nice job, Anya. You can read more about this project on her blog: http://www.hillscreekquilter.blogspot.com/ Also see her group blog: www.randomactsofstitching.blogspot.com.
I made this quilt years ago for the AQS/National Quilt Museum "New Quilts from an Old Favorite" competition. This time it was chosen for the traveling exhibit and book: "Sawtooth." This quilt started with the four pineapple blocks in the center of the quilt. I played with them on the design wall until I got them into this funny arrangement. You can see this was made during my 1" strip phase. I like how the fans look like wheels in this quilt. Ironically, these busy wheels seem to provide the "place for your eye to rest" in this quilt. Could it be? Click here to see the pattern for making fans.
Debbie in Jerusalem just finished piecing this wonderful selvage hexagon quilt top. I love the rainbow effect. Now she's looking for sugges...
Gather up all your quilting fabrics for this one. Everything is on the menu: gorgeous favorites, ugly fabrics, old and new, large and small prints, the whole shebang. You only need a little strip so you won’t even miss it. Stash quilts make a nice souvenir of our quilt-making journeys. The Pastiche* pattern has lots of helpful hints for better results and more fun. No stress. *Pastiche: (pa-steesh'), noun, a work of art that mixes styles, materials, etc. Hodgepodge. See the Pastiche pattern. Please spread the word on Pinterest, blogs, fb, etc. Thanks!
I'm so excited about Edda's new selvage quilt! Isn't this a beauty? I love how the star sparkles on the delicious red background. This and several more of her quilts will be in the Cal-Co show this weekend in the Battle Creek, MI area. Selvage newbies are in for a nice surprise! This quilt measures 34" x 34." She had all the reds in her stash and she used leftover batting, so this quilt didn't cost her a cent! Her inspiration was the "Twilight Star" quilt in my book, "Quilts from the Selvage Edge." (It really isn't hard, especially for such a cool-looking quilt.)
All I know about this quilt is that it was made by Jared. I found the photo floating around in Cyberspace. What a dazzling quilt! I'm thinking about making one of these...with 1.25" strips! I tried one of these many years ago before I knew how to avoid ending up with a giant C-shaped thing! Haha.Now I'm patient enough to press each seam before adding the next strip. Also, sew in sections, then connect the sections. I still don't pin something like this. That's over-doing it! This might be a cool group project where everyone sews a portion of the quilt top, say: 6" x 55." Six inches will be 7 strips. Do you want to make one and mail it to me? I'll turn it into a quilt and we'll have a Giveaway here. Wow, this whole idea developed as I wrote this post! Mail your "block" to me at 39 East Chestnut Hill Rd., Litchfield, CT 06759. I'll show you my block tomorrow. Cut 1.25" strips x any length. You have to attach some to get to 55." No foundation necessary. These are not selvages, just regular fabric.
My Scrappy String quilt/wallhanging is finished and hanging on my entryway wall. It's the perfect spot for it I think, and my husband agrees. We love it hanging there to greet people as they enter our home. I quilted it with "organic" lines down the middle of each string. I like the fact that the lines are not perfect. And, I love the black/white polka dot binding. It's perfect! There is not a good way to get a photo of the whole quilt so this view is from the hallway looking toward the front door. The next photo is the view from the stairs as you are walking downstairs. I'm really, really happy with this quilt. It was fun to do and I love how it looks on the wall!! I was going to do a tutorial but I found an even better one than I could have written. It's seems many, many people have used this tutorial and I can see why. It's very good. Here's what I did differently - rather than one narrow white strip down the middle, I did two strips of black/white fabrics. That way, when they were opened, they created a much wider light "middle". I used a 10" foundation block and when finished sewing all the strips onto it, I trimmed it to 9 1/2". I used 1 1/2" strips throughout. It was an easy, easy quilt!! In case you want to see even more string quilts, I've created a little linky party. Please join in if you've got a great string quilt to show us! Take care,
Transform your fabric scraps into beautiful new scrappy quilts by making string quilts. A tutorial from NewQuilters.com #stringquilts #stringquilttutorial
My Scrappy String quilt/wallhanging is finished and hanging on my entryway wall. It's the perfect spot for it I think, and my husband agrees. We love it hanging there to greet people as they enter our home. I quilted it with "organic" lines down the middle of each string. I like the fact that the lines are not perfect. And, I love the black/white polka dot binding. It's perfect! There is not a good way to get a photo of the whole quilt so this view is from the hallway looking toward the front door. The next photo is the view from the stairs as you are walking downstairs. I'm really, really happy with this quilt. It was fun to do and I love how it looks on the wall!! I was going to do a tutorial but I found an even better one than I could have written. It's seems many, many people have used this tutorial and I can see why. It's very good. Here's what I did differently - rather than one narrow white strip down the middle, I did two strips of black/white fabrics. That way, when they were opened, they created a much wider light "middle". I used a 10" foundation block and when finished sewing all the strips onto it, I trimmed it to 9 1/2". I used 1 1/2" strips throughout. It was an easy, easy quilt!! In case you want to see even more string quilts, I've created a little linky party. Please join in if you've got a great string quilt to show us! Take care,
Did you have a great Christmas? Are you ready for 2010??? Someone, please take my Mod Podge away for a minute. I selfishly kept one of the Moleskine three-pack notebooks for myself. The other two w…
traditional spiderweb blocks in offset setting. blocks are paper pieced using thousands of selvage pieces. juried into the Scrap Art exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles in 2011.
Sewing projects to make with selvedge / selvage fabric ~ Threading My Way
This is a project that I have been planning for months, maybe even years! I have been collecting selvages (or selvedges, whichever you like) over the past few years- in our studio there are separat…
Quilt from SCRAP QUILT SECRETS Come see me in Blairsville at the Misty Mountain Quilters Guild on Tuesday August 28 at 1PM! I'll be presenting all of the quilts from my first book SCRAP QUILT SECRETS
This beautiful selvage pencil case is the creation of my friend Christine in France. Isn't it amazing? You can read more about it on her friend Katell's blog: Quilteuse Forever. This will be on exhibit in Toulouse, France at the Creative Leisure Fair. I enlarged part of the photo below. I love those pencils! Nice job, Christine!
I posted an image of my newly painted rooms with my selvage quilt on Instagram and received several requests for a tutorial. Here it is. This time, I’ll make the quilt in greens. (Note: Al…
People make a lot of things out of selvages, which are the printed edges of fabric; here's my new #1 favorite selvage project: A cape, htt...
Lynne in New England was inspired by the quilt on the cover of my book "Quilts from the Selvage Edge" when she made this stunning wall quilt. She has such an artistic eye. Look how she handles all those blues, and the little splashes of red, orange and yellow are just right. I also like how the quilting lines echo the selvages. The red cherry dot near the center of the quilt, the brown lacy strip in the southeast corner, and that sparkling black and white binding...oh this quilt has it all! Yayyy, Lynne! Lynne made this selvage quilt for a Doll Quilt Swap. Here's what she had to say about it: "There was a discussion on the swap forum about what some abbreviations mean. I didn't know what kwim was, so I proposed some funny possibilities... like Kisses With Important Messages... Kiwis With Impromptu Mangoes? Kangaroos With Illegal Machineguns? My swap partner (who's flickr name is quiltinkimmie) suggested "Kimmie's Wonderful In Michigan."So when I had this very long, very blank selvage I had a little idea... and wrote that on the edge of the selvage and sewed it in the quilt." Visit Lynne's blog at: http://patcherymenagerie.blogspot.com/. Your time there will be well spent! Her cat Millie also has a blog: darlingmillie.blogspot.com.
This quilt was part of an exhibit at the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. It was made by Siddis women. Their ancestors came from Africa beginning in the 1500's and settled in western India. Their traditions are a combination of Indian and African. See the close-up photo below for a good look at the dense quilting. Last night I finished reading "Oleander Girl," a novel by Chitra Divakuruni. It takes place mostly in Kolkata, India around 2002. It is a very engaging story and full of the sights and fragrances of India. I recommend it for all ages.
Fat Quarter Shop's blog about the latest trends in quilting like new fabric collections, quilt patterns, quilt kits, and fabric sales!
"X" MARKS THE BLOCK - THE TUTORIAL Are your strippy scrap bins or bags stuffed to bursting? This is a great scrappy project to help you reduce some scraps and ALL WITHOUT A PATTERN (sometimes a project without a pattern is like a day without pantyhose...ahhh...). OVERALL DIRECTIONS: I don't use a paper or fabric foundation when making these blocks...mostly because I am too lazy to reproduce the foundations, then later peel all those pieces of paper off my sewn blocks. If you would like to use a foundation, go right ahead...it's all good. But I challenge you to try one block without a foundation to s-t-r-e-t-c-h yourself. Here's the ONE I tried with a 8.5 inch paper foundation...it was really harder than doing it without one, believe it or not... This block/quilt uses mostly "strips" and "chunks." I define strips as anything from 3/4 - 2-1/2 inches wide. I try to keep them separate in my quilt cave - that way I don't have to dig through all my scraps just to find strips. Chunks can be odd-shaped, cut-off chunks of leftovers or wider strips, maybe even extra triangles or squares. If you are careful and use fatter strips at either end of the central pieced section, you don't have to fool with using chunks. We just don't want to trim down our final blocks and find too many seam allowances in the corners where blocks meet. The focus fabrics that form the "X" need to contrast the rest of your general scraps. I used blacks with brights. You could use something light as well, or maybe a color. Your "X" strips can either be scrappy like mine or all one fabric/color. Medium to dark batiks with light "X" strips would look cool. Maybe red and neutral scraps with green "X" strips for a holiday quilt. The sky is the limit! I cut my "X" strips 1 - 2 wide. The variation just adds to the wonkiness and draws attention away from the fact that the "X" strips don't line up between blocks. You can see below how the scrappy black strips are different widths and don't match up precisely...charming! Sometimes, my strips are wider at one end than the other...even MORE charming! After looking at my available strips and chunks, I chose to make blocks that would finish eight inches square. I had some short, stubbly strips that were 3.5 to 4 inches long, so I decided on a center diagonal strip that would finish about 3 inches wide. After looking at your scraps, you may decide to make smaller or larger squares, of maybe even rectangles, triangles, or other shapes. I will show you how I figured out the rough dimensions of my units, then you can apply what I did to your size block. Here is my 8.5 inch square ruler with a 3 inch wide ruler on top (which represents my central pieced strip). See how I have allowed roughly a half inch at each end? You can see, from the pictures above, that the unfinished length of that initial, central pieced strip needs to be at least 13 inches, once it is pressed. In my quilts, the strips that define the edge of the central pieced strip and make the prominent "X" design are scrappy black. Yours could be light, dark, or a certain color. They can be scrappy or cut from one fabric. You can see in the pictures above and below how to determine the minimal length of these setting strips. Each strip added to the central pieced strip needs to be at least a half inch longer in each direction than the edge of the ruler. Now you can vary the size of your blocks and central pieced strip to please you. Just be sure to allow adequate overhang of strips so that when you square up your blocks you won't have any holes! Just because you see brights and blacks in my tutorial doesn't mean that is the only color option possible. Look at your scrap stash, then decide how YOU want to proceed. You can even do it without a contrasting color for the "X" strip. Look at the backside of this finished block to see how you should press your block as you progress. I pressed the central pieced strip only after piecing the whole thing, then pressed the seams in the same direction, either way. Then starting with the black focus strips, I pressed each added strip to the outside. Now just fill some bobbins, put in a new sewing machine needle, replace your rotary cutting blade, and let's get started! STEP 1: I do not cut the short strips to 3.5 inches before chain-piecing the little strips together into a long section...as long as they are at least 3.5 inches long, it's OK of they are a little longer. Some of these strip sets have a triangle or chunk at either end, sometimes just a piece of a wider strip. I do this to avoid an accidental seam too close to the corners where 4 blocks will meet. Start with a chunk, wide strip or triangle at one end, then chain-piece strips together, matching up one end of your irregular, variable in length, short strips. Do not worry about pressing after each addition of a strip. Check the length of your pieced strip as you go. This central pieced strip needs to be at least 13 inches long...make sure you stop in time to place another chunk, wide strip or triangle at the opposite end. Turn your strip sets over and press ALL the seams in ONE direction, either way. STEP 2: Now you are ready to sew on the contrasting focus "X" strips, right sides together. These should be at least 10 inches long (1 - 2 inches wide), CENTERED along the edge of your pieced central strip. I place the first strip along the "straightest" edge of the strip set, lining up the edge of the shortest strip (the cow strip in the following set). Even though this is wonky sewing, I still maintain a quarter inch seam allowance when I can (old habits are hard to shake...). A consistent quarter inch seam allowance is not critical while making the blocks, but will be very important when sewing the blocks together into a quilt top. After stitching, trim away extra seam allowance with your rotary cutter or scissors (trim the uneven end of the central strip set even with the quarter inch seam of your "X" strip). Press strip to the outside. (I like to chain stitch several of these units, then sew on the opposing strip before stopping, trimming and pressing.) Place this opposing strip. face down and centered on the other side of the strip, with the help of a ruler (or just "eyeball" this for extra wonky-ness). Your stitching line should be at 3 inches (or the outer edge of this strip should be 3.25 inches from the opposing seam). After stitching, trim away extra seam allowance with your rotary cutter or scissors. (Would you believe I save some of these longer cut away leftovers? That will be the subject of another liberated tutorial project!). Press strip to the outside. (Again, chain piecing really saves time with this method.) STEP 3: Now we can start adding strips, one on each side, building our block, chain piecing and pressing to the outside after the addition of each new pair. As you continue centering strips (chain piecing), adding strips to each side, notice that they are getting shorter and shorter. Press toward outside before adding the next pair. Just make sure the strips are long enough so that when you trim down your blocks there aren't any surprise "peek-a-boo" holes. Please notice the left side of the block pictured below. The white-ish strip just under the left corner of the ruler is a little too wide and would cause there to be a seam too close to the corner of the block. Just slice or cut some of it off so that your last strip will form a larger triangle after the block is trimmed down. You may need to make a few of this kind of adjustment as you go. Place your block on a small cutting mat. Square up your block by placing the 8.5 inch ruler on top, centering the ruler's diagonal line in the middle of your center strip set and sliding the ruler back and forth until the end triangles are centered and all seams are solid under the ruler (no "peek-a-boo" holes...). Cut away each side, turning the MAT, not your block, as you go. A small rotary mat works OK, but I like trimming these blocks on a revolving rotary mat, like this Brooklyn Revolver. It has a 'lazy Susan' mechanism that allows you to easily rotate the block as you trim each side away (I just LOVE a good gadget...). There are other versions of the revolving rotary mat out there...here's the Olfa offering from Joann's Fabrics online (use your coupon on it!). Ta-da!!! You did it! Now you can make as many or as few blocks as you want. For each of the quilts pictured at the beginning of the post, I set 8 blocks across, 10 blocks down, with a 1.5 inch (finished) stop border and outer borders of either 6 or 5 inches (finished). The green-bordered quilt measured 79 x 95 inches and the one with red borders, 77 x 93 inches. I recently taught a class on this block at my LQS. Janet S worked with her medium to dark, earthy scraps, with a consistent light "X" fabric (she cut her light strips the same width throughout). She ended up cutting her remaining setting strips more consistent in width, while keeping her central pieced strip wonky. Lori L used fun, colorful scraps with lime green "X" strips. I've never seen such a fun bag of colorful, happy scraps (I admit it...I had scrap envy!) Both had stunning results! When it comes down to piecing the blocks together, sew in rows, pressing the seams to one side, alternating direction every row. This way the seams will nest nicely for beautiful, accurate piecing. Remember that the edges of your strips are most likely bias edges, so handle them carefully until they are seamed in and stable to they won't stretch. ENJOY! In stitches, Teresa :o)
It's time again for a new Book of the Month! Daniela Stout of Cozy Quilt Designs is here today to tell you a little bit about our December Book of the
By Nedra Sorensen Quilting, quilting tutorials, modern quilts, family, faith, Arizona
Karen Griska, Selvage Blog, Etsy, scrap quilts, Quilts from the Selvage Edge
Sewing projects to make with selvedge / selvage fabric ~ Threading My Way
2011 Fiber Arts Fiesta, Albuquerque, New Mexico
This string quilt by Southern Belle is so cheerful. It's part of my new treasury of string quilts. Take a look. Warning: It will make you want to drop everything and make a string quilt. Here's another link, String Thing Along, from Brenda at Scraps and Things in Canada.
This month in the IAQ quilt group we are having a little swap. And of course, since I am the one hosting I get to have a head start and work on something totally fun using the selvage from my own stash. (can't wait for the swap and new ones arrive as well!)
