My Scrappy String Quilt...

After seeing some fantastic string quilts in blogland, I was inspired to make one of my own.  I was so excited to share my quilt top... I photographed it before I ironed it!

I really love Denyse Schmidt's fabrics and on a particularly bad day I ran to JoAnne Fabrics for a little retail therapy... and paid full price. 

BUT, while I was there I qualified for a coupon that gave me 30% off my total instore purchase... a week later.  My day was looking better!  Great news, during the second visit the DSQ fabric was on sale, PLUS I got the 30% off.  I bought a few more quarter yards and a back for my quilt.  I picked the orange because I wouldn't usually pick orange... I am running with scissors here!

There are plenty of tutorials on the web on how to make a string quilt.  I made my blocks based on the tutorial found here by Ashley at Film in the Fridge.  I have pictured below how I constructed my blocks and quilt.

I pulled many strips from my scrap basket and I added my new DSQ fabrics.  I cut strips 1 to 2 inches in varying widths.  For the center of each block, I cut 1 " x WOF strips out of white Moda Bella Solid. 

I used pages from a phone book {it felt so good to recycle in this way!} and cut them 8" x 8".  Next I drew a diagonal line one 1/2" to the right of the center of the block.

 I used this line to line up my center strip.

I placed my next strip right side down on the white strip and use the pencil line as a guide for my fabric and quarter inch foot. I adjusted my stitch length to 1.5 to make tearing the foundation paper off easier.

And here we have it.

I pressed each time I sewed a strip.
Line up your next strip... sew... press.
I liked having a fabric with good contrast against the white to make the white pop.

Keep adding strips and soon you will have a block that looks like this...

Flip the block over and trim to the original size using your foundation as a guide.

Here we are... a perfect block. 

I loved how the red polka dot fabric looked and ran out to my LQS to get more!  So I guess this is my Not Totally Scrappy String Quilt. 

I made 80 blocks in total.   I sewed 4 blocks into one 2 x 2 block and then assembled those 4 x 5 in the quilt.   

I finished the top, removed the foundation paper, and I must say... I. LOVE. IT.

Rarely do I sit down and work a quilt from beginning to end.  It was nice to prove to myself that I could do it before my self diagnosed adult onset ADD kicked in.