- When we cut fabric we make a pile
of off cut strips called strings
and they pile up and up and up
and take over your sewing space
and I call that pile Mt Scrapmore.
Here are six fast and easy string blocks
that will burn through your pile
and you'll have a lot of fun doing it.
So stick with me and I'll show you how to do it.
(playful music)
Hi, I'm Karen Brown of Just Get It Down Quilts.
I do tips, tricks, and strategies
to help you make the quilt that you want to make.
So today we return to Mount Scrapmore
for some fast and easy blocks to use up your scraps.
And I'd like to thank the sponsor of this video,
Skillshare, who helped make this video possible.
My second Scrapbuster video was about scrap sampler blocks
and they used up the large pieces of scraps.
Today we're going to deal with some
of those medium sized pieces,
specifically talking about strings
which is another term for those off cut strips
that accumulate when we trip our pieces
or trim up our blocks.
So for me, strings are pieces that are less
than two and a half inches
but more than one inch.
Less than one inch, I throw them in the garbage.
Now, before we get started I have two important tips.
One, strings fray a lot.
You want to trim them down to get rid
of all those loose threads.
Don't do it when you sort your strings and you store them.
Do it just before you sew them
otherwise you'll end up doing it twice.
Ask me how I know this.
And the second one is start with the end in mind,
specifically the size of block that you're going for.
My advice is to make it the same size
as a ruler that you have.
Anyone will do.
Doesn't matter whether it's a rectangle or a square,
your six inch or your nine inch.
Scrap blocks are so much easier
when you keep it simple.
So let's start with the simplest.
Sometimes this is called a coin block.
It's just a stack of strings
sewn together on the horizontal.
You can have all your strings the same width
or you can have 'em different widths.
I will take a stack of strings
and trim them to the approximate length
then sew them together
until I get the height that I want, then trim.
You can have them straight on the horizontal
or you can let them go wonky a bit.
The choice is yours.
Just remember to sew straight and press
and check out my video on straight sewing
and a really good ironing technique
if you're unsure how to do it.
You can stack your blocks into a column
and make a Rain Chain quilt
or put several contrasting columns together.
Here a re a couple more variations.
This block is similar to the last one
but all the strips are sewn on a 45 degree angle.
I like to start with my longest strip
which goes from the top left
to the bottom right.
Then you add strips to either side of this.
Just keep adding strips to both sides
until your square reaches the desired size.
There's no reason to use a header
or a leader piece with strings
because we always have this little extra piece of fabric
at the beginning and when we square up,
any thread knots will get trimmed off.
Many people use foundation paper for this block
to help keep their strings from stretching.
Now, you can buy them ready made
but you can just simply use photocopy paper as well.
Now, when you trim, if you're using photocopy paper,
trim a quarter of an inch out.
It's a lot easier to sew your blocks together
when the seams are not covered in paper.
This block also really works well with a quilt-as-you-go.
Now, I'm not going to cover quilt-as-you-go in this video,
but if you'd like me to do it in a future video
just leave a comment in the notes below.
Now, for style on this one many quilters
contrast one side of the block
with the other side with different value or colour
and as the blocks accumulate these can create
some very striking layouts.
The other thing is sometimes people use
a solid piece on one side
and they only sew the other side in strips.
Check out my Pinterest board on string quilts
for some other cool layouts.
This block starts with a square
or a rectangle in the centre.
We sew a strip along the top,
then we sew a strip along the side,
and we keep adding and adding and adding.
You can square the strips up after every round
or let them go wonky.
The choice is yours.
Continue until you have a block the size that you want.
It is your choice whether you want to use the sames
with the strips or you want to vary them.
Take advantage of the blocks designed to contrast
the ones on the horizontal with the ones on the vertical,
either by value or by colour,
or contrast in pairs so the L shape becomes more prominent.
Don't hesitate to fussy cut when you can.
Depending how you play with value,
the sky's the limit on layouts.
Now block four is the log cabin.
This block starts the same as the L.
You sew along the top, then you sew a strip along the side,
but now we continue around
and we sew a strip along the bottom
and we sew a strip along the other side
and we just continue around and around.
Again, it's your choice whether you want
to use the same size strings or you want to vary them.
Traditionally this blocks started
with a red square in the middle,
but you can use any colour.
But note that using a fabric with a high contrast
to the rest of the block will make the centre pop.
Traditionally the top and the side contrasted
with the bottom and the other side.
You can also make a choice whether the red square
is centred or off-centered.
There are so many design layouts.
Just google scrappy log cabin.
Now there's two more blocks, but let me just talk
about Skillshare for a second.
Skillshare is an online learning community for creators
with more than 25,000 classes in design,
crafting, and business, and more.
Premium membership gives you unlimited access
so you can join the classes and communities
that are just right for you.
This month I just have the holidays on my mind.
I know it's a fast-forward into Christmas here
and I've just been looking at different Christmas ideas,
whether Christmas cards and decorations and meal planning
and table decorating.
There's a lot to choose from.
So if you want to fuel your creativity,
curiosity, or even career, Skillshare is the perfect place
to keep you learning and thriving in 2019.
Skillshare at less than $10
a month with an annual subscription
is super affordable and use the link below
to get a two month free trial.
Join more than seven million
creators learning with Skillshare.
This is very similar to the two previous blocks
in that it starts with a square in the centre.
This time instead of sewing in the round,
we sew in pairs.
So we sew a strip to the top and the bottom,
then we sew a strip to the two sides.
Traditionally there is a strong contrast
between the top and the bottom and the two sides.
I usually make the choice to make the pairs the same fabric
and the same width, but you can do whatever you want.
I also like to fussy cut or use a smaller block
for that starting square.
An alternative layout is contrasting a round of four
with another round of four in two different values
which results in squares in squares.
A quick Google search will show you
all the hundreds of different layouts.
Now block number six is a braid.
The beginning is a little bit tricky
so pay attention.
So we start with a square.
I use a five inch charm square
and the key point here
is you need to work in pairs of the same width.
We sew one to the left side,
then we sew one to the right side.
If we lie a ruler here, we want to be able
to line up all these intersections.
We continue by adding pairs of strings
and it's okay if the pairs are different widths.
The reason why they have to be the same size
is so that your braid runs straight.
So after every pair, test with your ruler
to be sure it is intersecting all these points.
When your block is as wide as you want it to be,
trim up the sides.
Now, this is the wonder of this block.
You just continue to add the strings
until the block is the length that you want.
Just continue to make sure that centre line is straight.
This is something that you can add to over time.
I like to make these braids the height of a quilt.
I just add it as a Rain Chain to a back of a quilt
when I need it, but you can make the whole quilt
out of these braids as well.
Now there's lots of variations to these blocks.
Every single one of them you can sew the strips wonky,
you can make curves with them,
you can sew them with pieces instead of using a square.
You can use a pentagon or a hexagon or even an octagon,
but I'll get into that in my next Scrapbuster video
on improv blocks and when I make it
I will put a link up here.
Remember, don't wait till your scraps are overwhelming.
Choose two to five block styles
and work on them a couple of times a month
and you'll keep your Mt Scrapmore under control.
If you want to watch some other videos
in my ScrapBuster series,
I'm going to link it here.
This is where I get off the trail.
If you like this video, please give it a thumbs up.
Don't forget to subscribe.
Click that bell if you want to be notified
when I make new videos.
You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest
at Just Get It Done Quilts, so take care
and I'll see you next time.