Plaid String-along! going strong...

I have been beavering away in the background with my string plaid blocks lagging behind the very quick Juliekquilts - she has probably completely finished her quilt by now.


Here is my first block  

 I then went onto make five more blocks along the same lines.  So far so good!  On my list of things to buy at the FoQ was some pale yellow for my sashing.  I did find some

But I also found that yellow and grey fabric... and so looking again at my plaid string blocks I decided I didn't like the cornerstones fabric I had sewn into six blocks in this quilt.  So while watching a film I unpicked all six cornerstones and have been putting the yellow and grey fabric in instead!  Grrr!




At this point I just needed six more quarter blocks to finish.  How could I resist the challenge?  I find the fairly mindless activity of string piecing quite therapeutic as I listen to some radio book on my laptop, cup of tea by my side and cat asleep on the bed!


So this centre section of the top is finished!  Yeah!  

Here is the back of the quilt - you can see I am using telephone directory papers as my foundation!  Wonder if the children or cats will help me when it comes to removing those?  I have removed them from one block but found that one so stretchy that I left the others in.  

When is the best time to take them out?   I was going with idea of taking them out when everything is sashed round all the edges so a narrow grey sashing might be my next move.

But what shall I do for borders???  The original quilt had a piano key border followed by a repeat of the sashing.  


I think I need to consult my latest second hand book as recommended by no less than the lovely Lynne from Lily's Quilts:  Pieced Borders, the complete resource by Judy Martin and Marsha McCloskey! 

 Unless you have any suggestions....?

Plaid String-along!

I signed up to participate in another QAL.   I guess you could call it a string-along!


The host is Julie of juliekquilts,  who made the original lovely churndash nine-patch quilt I have been trying my hand at in the last couple of days.  She has fairly ripped along with the QAL instructions and is just about finished her quilt if not actually finished.  


Julie's quilt is in plaids and very scrappy.  She has also featured a reader's quilt on her blog which was made of prints.  Both are lovely!






By contrast I have been a real sluggard and slow poke to get started but now have four blocks done and tried out fabric to set my blocks too.




But first here is my pile of plaid strings 

I have set my blocks in a similar way to Julie but instead of a nine patch cornerstone I have a simple print one.

I think this will either take hold of me and I will get my blocks done quickly or it will be done at a leisurely pace - a lot depends on the children as two are on holiday and one is in her last week at school.  Both she and I will be leaving our local Primary!  She has been there for seven years and I have been there for 12!  It will seem strange not to be standing in that playground... 


I am trying out a different colourway for me - you can probably tell from previous quilts that I love green.   For this quilt I thought grey would go with all the fabrics and then I added pale yellow so the sashing wouldn't be too gloomy.  I think I need more blocks to tell whether it will work or not...


Which colours are you drawn to and which do you avoid?   Fess up all those pink lovers - you know who you are...heehee!


As for me  -  I've told you I love using green and I don't much like taupe! 






Nicky







Block size 6" square finished
Sashing in Kona Coal from Mandy at Simply Solids and yellow scraps

Inspiration Julie of juliekquilts