Posts Tagged ‘string piecing’

I forgot to remember.

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

While I was traveling last month, a book arrived in the mail. According to the invoice, I ordered it while I was away from home.

It’s a great book full of intriguing quilts.

But I don’t remember why I bought it.

I keep paging through as if that will remind me but so far, no luck.

Then there are these strips, about 500 of them, cut 1-1/4″ x 4-1/2″.

They’re all stacked neatly together as if for a project. But I have no recollection of what it was. A few of the strips are narrower and a few are shorter. Was I just careless or was there a reason?

No idea.

And then I have these brand-new rolls of 2-1/2″ strips from Robert Kaufman. Why did I buy them?

One is greys and grids by Carolyn Friedlander and the other is beautiful neutral solids.

They really are lovely but I have no hint of what I planned to make with them.

Do any of these look familiar to you? Maybe someone else will recognize what I cannot recall. 😳

Quilt on,

Just in the Nick of Time

Written by Diane Harris on . Posted in Blog, How-tos and Ideas, Quilt Lifestyle, Trunk Shows

I returned home on Monday night from a teaching trip, and just in time. News of the pandemic broke soon after and has only intensified in the days since. I’m thankful to be safely back home. I have no travel plans for a while.

Coronavirus particles. Colored transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of three coronavirus particles.

My daughter and I were reflecting on all the news last night. We concluded that only a handful of times in your life does something touch everyone in the country, or in this case, most everyone in the world. The last time I felt this way was 9-11. That was more horrific but this is unsettling and it’s not over yet.

String Piecing at a Quilt Retreat

Written by Diane Harris on . 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.

String Piecing and Improvisation

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

I’m getting things ready for a String Piecing Quilt Retreat next week in Arapahoe, Nebraska. I decided to make a few more samples because you can never have too much inspiration.

String piecing is generally done on a foundation. The “string” name came about when people used their narrowest strips of leftovers—so narrow they could be thought of as strings. The charm in these quilts comes from using many, many different fabrics. Variety is what counts. A relaxed, easy attitude is essential!