Bonnie K. Hunter - String Fling: Scrappy, Happy and Loving It!

By Bonnie K. Hunter

Editor: Jenifer Dick
Designer: Brian Grubb
Photography: Aaron T. Leimkuehler
Illstration: Eric Sears
Technical Editor: Kathe Dougherty
Production Assistance: Jo Ann Groves

Bonnie K. Hunter Website:
www.quiltville.com
Email:

Published by:
Kansas City Star Books 1729 Grand Blvd.
Kansas City, Missouri, USA 64108

Dedication

This book is for all of my quilter friends, who live with, and even sometimes love my little quirks like my habit of digging through everyones trash bins after hours on retreat to scavenge up every usable piece, knowing full well Ill never be able to sew it all up even if I had several lifetimes in which to attempt it! You lift me when Im down, you comfort me when Im stressing out over things I have no control over. Your words of wisdom speak peace to my soul and remind me to JUST BREATHE! You join me for lunches and sew-a-thons when my schedule allows, and you understand when it doesnt. Your phone calls and emails keep me connected to home. You are the sisters of my heart.

And for my family, my rock, my foundation. Thank you for encouraging me to reach for my dream every day, and not minding too much if we end up with grilled cheese and canned tomato soup for dinner once too often.

Acknowledgements

String Fling is my fourth Kansas City Star book and the years are flying by. I am as excited about this book as I was my first, when we released Scraps & Shirttails in fall 2008. Adventures with Leaders & Enders was released in spring 2010, being closely followed by Scraps & Shirttails II in spring 2011. Ive been lucky! SO LUCKY! Ive been able to keep much of the same staff through each book release, and the process of moving from one project to the next has been continual, seamless, and easy. Simply said, I work with the best group of people on the planet, and each and every one of you deserves my gratitude tenfold.

Of course, I have to begin as always with my immediate family. As this goes to print, Dave and I are close to celebrating our 31st anniversary. How can that be possible when I certainly dont feel that old! Our two boys are grown and thriving in their own lives, and I am so proud of the wonderful men they have become, and are continually growing to be. I couldnt do any of this without their support and understanding. Thank you, Dave, Jason, Jeff I love you!

2012 also marks the year I turned 50. Im so happy to have this book to celebrate my milestone! My complete and heartfelt thanks go to the staff at Kansas City Star Books weve done it again thanks to all of you. Special thanks to Doug Weaver and Diane McLendon for continuing to believe in my dream of putting my quilts in print to share with all of you. Together, we may just make a dent in sewing up the scraps into the best quilts of our lives!

Id like to thank the team that helped me put this book together: Brian Grubb, Aaron Leimkuehler, Kathe Dougherty, Jo Ann Groves and Eric Sears. Special thanks to Jenifer Dick, for fitting me into her busy schedule a fourth time, in between writing her own Kansas City Star books and being a busy mom herself. Thanks for being a friend, Jenifer!

Remember, if its still UGLY, you just didnt cut it SMALL ENOUGH

Bonnie KHunter

Foreward

Scraps! Weve all got them big pieces, small pieces some weve saved from our own projects, others weve acquired from other quilter-friends who know of our love and passion for great variety in our quilts. Ive always said, once you go scrappy, you never go back!

For me, there is great satisfaction in finding just the right spot for that one little left over bit, sewing it into the block, into the quilt, watching it become part of a beautiful whole.

Just as an artist works with canvas and paint, I think of every string added to each string block as a brush stroke of color, a bit of texture and contrast. Standing alone, by itself, a string may not be much to look at, but when joined with a multitude of other also seemingly unusable and humble pieces, they create a symphony of exciting beauty and unlimited possibility.

The 13 string-based quilts in this book are sure to whet your appetite for digging into your scraps and creating your own unique, one-of-a-kind string quilts, for each string quilt is unique there are no two alike ever! Even when made in the same design, simply the fact that the fabrics vary so much quilter by quilter, it is impossible to duplicate a string quilt.

I have to thank internet quilter-friends near and far who knew of my penchant for little pieces and strings, often filling flat rate boxes with their own treasures and sending them to me anonymously sometimes with no return address attached! I accepted the challenge if you look close enough, you just might find your scraps in these quilts long may they live!

String Quilting Basics

Small strips of fabric, little bits of cloth every color of the rainbow. Each piece a reminder of quilts created, and given in love. Sometimes these small strips or strings are the only bit left from the fabrics that have passed through our lives as quilters. It never ceases to amaze me that I can hold the smallest, most insignificant piece in my hands and suddenly I am transported back in time. I know where that fabric came from. I remember vividly the quilt that it was used in.

These scraps and pieces are a connection to my memories, the fabric of my life. Some people mark their lives by the music or the fashions of the day Oh, I remember this song. This was when I was in high school. Fabric is my music. Each changing colorway and trend a spot on the time line of my life.

What is a String?

Historically, the term string came to be used to define a piece of fabric that was too small to be used in household sewing. Too small for clothing construction, too small for household linens these were the bits destined for the trash bins. In most cases, they were too small to even be considered as rags.

But quilters are and always have been a resilient lot, and of course we could find a use for them. Patterns emerged, and with sewing the strips to a foundation of paper or fabric, these strings found places of beauty in stunning quilts from the most humble of circumstances.

String quilts have always fascinated me the randomness of placement, the variety of color and most of all the stories these quilts and fabrics could tell about their makers if only quilts could talk.

Though many string quilts were simply considered to be utilitarian quilts in nature, they hold a charm and a vibrant freedom that many other traditionally pieced quilts do not have.

Make just one string quilt, and you will find out why!

In this book, Ive combined my love of strings together with recognizable traditional patchwork elements. String units mixed with other patchwork pieces add a dynamic eye-catching feature in a scrap quilt!

How Wide Are Strings?

In modern terms, a string is any narrow piece of fabric from about 2 wide, narrowing down to wide.

2 is pushing the limits in my book, and I prefer to sew with narrower strips simply because I enjoy the variety and the play of the different fabrics when there are more in my blocks. is the narrowest Id use because with seams on both sides, there has to be a minimum of showing after it is sewn. I love to vary the sizes of my strips, and find it fun to even lay things at a slight angle from time to time to change the direction of the strings so they are not all marching in a straight orderly row like little soldiers. Let them play, let them dance! Take a walk on the wonky side!