How to String a Quilt
While quilting is a centuries-old art, early Americans rarely had the time or resources to attempt what was considered a hobby of the wealthy. String quilts were born out of necessity during the mid-1800s, as new cloth was scarce in the slave quarters of Southern plantations and on the Western frontier. Worn articles of clothing, blankets, sheets and sacking were reused in the most economical ways possible. Unlike formal quilts, stringing is a free-form style of quilting, piecing together fabric scraps torn or cut into strips of random length and width and attaching them to a paper or fabric foundation.
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Things You'll Need
- Printed fabric yardage or a clean, used sheet
- Cotton batting or a clean, used blanket
- Strips of solid and printed fabric in varying lengths and widths
- Pre-washed muslin or cotton fabric, cut into 7 1/2-inch squares
- Water soluble craft glue stick
- Wrapping tape
- Pen or fabric marker
- Sewing machine
- Neutral colored sewing thread
- Cotton or silk embroidery thread
- Darning needle
- Sharp scissors or rotary fabric cutter
- Sewing pins
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Transparent ruler or quilter's square
- Lightweight starch or sizing spray
Instructions
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Blocking
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1
Place one muslin or cotton fabric square on the diagonal on a flat work surface. Center a strip of fabric lengthwise on top of the square, right side up. Smooth out both layers, and attach the strip to the fabric square by applying a dab of craft glue to each end.
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2
Lay a second strip, right-side down on top of the first piece, aligning the outer edges. Sew the pieces together along the aligned edge. Flip the second piece of fabric over so it's right-side up and press along the seam with the iron.
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3
Repeat the process, working out from the center strip, until the block is completely covered with fabric strips. Lay the finished block on the ironing board right-side down and lightly spray with starch or sizing. Iron the block, turn it right-side up, and repeat the process. This will help the block hold its shape.
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4
Lay the block right side down on a cutting mat and trim the excess material using a rotary cutter or scissors. Lay a ruler along edges of the fabric square as a guideline. Repeat the process until all the blocks are sewn, starched and trimmed.
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5
Arrange the finished blocks in an acceptable pattern on a flat surface before sewing them together one at a time using a 1/4 inch seam on all sides. Press the seams open after every few additions.
Backing
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6
Sew equal lengths of the backing fabric together if using purchased fabric. Press along the seam, then center and tape the backing material face down on a table or flat work surface.
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7
Center the cotton batting or blanket on top of the backing fabric and lay the finished string quilt face up on top of that. Pin all three layers together every foot or so along the outer edges of the quilt, smoothing out any bumps or folds.
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8
Thread the darning needle with about 2 yards of embroidery thread. Take a 1/4 inch stitch in the center of one block, making sure to go through all three quilt layers. Tightly knot the stitch two to three times and trim the thread ends to about 1-inch long.
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9
Continue making stitches and knots in the center of each block, at each corner and in the center of each block edge.
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10
When the center of the quilt is finished, readjust the layers to access the sides, smooth them down and re-tape the backing to keep it secure while stitching and knotting the remainder of the quilt.
Binding
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11
When the knotting is finished, carefully trim the batting or blanket even with the top of the quilt using sharp scissors.
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12
Use a ruler and fabric marker or pen to mark a trimming line on the backing fabric 2 inches from the edge of the quilt and cut the backing along the line.
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13
Fold the trimmed backing edge in half along the length, then fold it over the front of the quilt.
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14
Pin the folded backing to the front layer of the quilt, smoothing the edges and squaring off the corners. Pinning through only the top layer will help prevent bunching when sewing.
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15
Sew the binding close to the folded edge using a neutral-colored thread in a straight or zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine. The finished string quilt may now be laundered in cool water.
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Tips & Warnings
Shorter lengths of fabric strips can be sewn together as needed. Short or odd-shaped pieces of fabric can be used to piece in block corners. Fabric textures, prints and types can be mixed when piecing a string quilt.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
