fabric, strings and scarf

First, a picture of some of the fabric from the box I picked up yesterday. Most of it was velour, while soft to the touch, not really stuff for quilting. I'm sure I will find a good use for it, maybe backs for Stockings for the troops?

Second, I've been playing with strings today. What are strings? Strings are the leftover pieces of fabric, cut from other projects. This morning, I cut out 17 pillowcases for the girls to work on and there were little bits of fabric leftover. These strips or strings were anywhere from 1 inch to 2 1/2 inches wide. You sew them to a foundation square and then cut that into a 9 1/2 inch block and lay out the blocks to make a pattern. I'm just playing with it. I got 11 blocks done today and had 2 from a very long time ago. The top right one in the picture is one that I had and it sticks out like a sore thumb at the moment. Looks like I will have to make a bunch more so they blend in better. Not sure how I will end up setting these blocks. I like to play with the strings because it is mindless sewing. You don't have to think about anything when sewing string quilts. Just grab the next strip of fabric and as long as it isn't the same and will fit along side the piece you have, you sew it on.

Here is a tutorial on making string blocks. Why not try one out yourself.

http://www.quiltville.com/stringquiltingprimer.shtml

They can be addicting though so watch out. You might find yourself cutting up perfectly good fabric into little strips to make some of these! That's what I did. Here's a picture of a string quilt I made for a little baby whose parents died in a car accident in Germany.

And finally, the progress on the scarf for my oldest. I got a little done last night while watching TV. Ah, mindless Television. It is good for something =)