Ready to quilt

   Strings and more strings.....I added another 14 blocks.    Only 2 more rows to join today and it will be ready to quilt.    So before I go there, I thought  I would show some close up photos  that really show the fabrics I used for this one.  Very few water color type floral fabrics here, yet a lot of tonal prints, dots, and such.
Even a couple of ugly fabrics were hidden in there.

    First step in the colorful strings quilt----  Divide up those strings......into color families.  The background color often determines which family the fabric goes into.  Some fabrics can even play in a couple of families.  For those, I try to place according to my first impression, or first glance.     
  Width of strings varied from 1 inch to 2 inches, in general.  I think a few 2 1/2" ones slipped into the mix.





   One other thing to note in the close up is the way the black strip runs through the middle of the block on the diagonal.  That strip acts as a frame for each color family and is consistent for each block.  A white or light strip will soften your colors.  If you don't like using black, why not consider a deep purple or deep dark green.

  Four blocks joined to make a color block.  The yellow group of fabrics ranged from very pale yellow to a  deeper gold print.

 This group is green---the color seems a little off.  From yellow green with dots to dark green with yellow flowers, and several grey tone  greens were included too.
   Another thing to note here----The black diagonal strip does not always match.  Accept it or be very precise when you square up the final block---making sure the corners are centered in the black strip exactly.
   My philosophy is that it adds to the whimsy of this type of quilt, like the imperfections in the jewels.

  I have so many blue scraps that I created 3 groups for them.  One for the darkest navy blues....see the above photo, lower right corner is dark blue  group. And in the first photo check the lower left corner.


  This group I thought of as the light to medium blues. The light or white background fabrics with blue prints went here.  I did not sort strictly by value, more by the overall color impression.  The three set of blues were medium blues....some lighter and some darker....just not navy.

    Reds....yikes, I did not realize how many red fabrics I had, yet very little true red!  I found most were deeper blue reds and then the orange-red fabrics.  This block got them all thrown in together.
   I also did group one block of the darker blue-red fabrics, and another using only the orange red fabrics.

  Grab your scraps, sort your strings, and get ready to make a string  quilt project.....ideas and details to follow soon.
  Happy stitching.