String Piecing at a Quilt Retreat

Written by Diane Harris on October 3, 2017. Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Quilt Lifestyle

Fourteen hardy quilters joined me for a retreat in Arapahoe, Nebraska last week. Ruth Haarberg and Gretchen Kubik of Wagner’s Quilts & Conversation hosted the retreat at Hunt Nebraska Lodge, and I was the guide.

Hunt Nebraska Lodge in Arapahoe, Nebraska

We explored string piecing, an improvisational technique using strips or “strings,” so named long ago to describe the narrowest of leftovers.

Some of the string pieced samples I presented for inspiration

Some of those attending could teach me straight into the ground, so extensive is their own experience. They were as gracious as they could be!

Karen and Joyce

We had all levels of quilt making experience. Everyone was game to give string piecing a go, and nobody did quite the same thing so the variety was wonderful.

DaVonna went for string fans in greens and purples with a stitch-and-flip corner. Look what happened when she put four together.

This is going to be a dynamite quilt.

Geri, DaVonna and Jackie

Everyone worked busily for two days. Sometimes there was chatter and laughter, and sometimes it was rather quiet as people concentrated.

Yvonne tried her hand at a string pieced Ohio Star. Isn’t it pretty?

DaVonna lives in western Nebraska, and she invited her sister Jackie from Colorado to come along. They were so cute, they dressed alike each day!

DaVonna and Jackie

Bea and her daughter Debra worked as a team and made these snazzy stars and spiderwebs. I would never have guessed how effective that medium blue fabric would prove to be.

Joyce also used the fan idea for her blocks, but she used a bright green fabric for the corners. I love it.

A couple of my good quilting friends from nearby came, too. It was really fun to have Mary and Carol there!

Mary and Carol

The block below has tremendous potential because of its half dark/half light configuration.

You can set these in any of the ways you can set Log Cabin blocks, such as Straight Furrows, Barn Raising, Streak of Lightning and so on. The possibilities are mind boggling.

Bea and me

This precious lady will be familiar to many of the longtime quilters in Nebraska. Her name is Bea and she lives way out west where there isn’t much besides ranching. She has been a prolific quilter for decades. She still does beautiful work, and a lot of it. She probably has more quilting knowledge in her little finger than my sum total. She’s delightful, and I was so pleased that she came to my retreat!

We had people from Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska. They were so much fun! I wore my “Keep It Sassy” shirt to set the stage for fun and experimentation. Maybe next time you can join us!

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Wagner’s Quilts & Conversation in Arapahoe, Nebraska is a delightful shop. Be sure to stop by when you’re in the area!

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Tags: keep it sassy, quilt retreat, scrap quilts, string piecing, wagner's quilts, Wagner's Quilts & Conversation