String Quilts

At a time when people are looking to create sustainably, and thinking about where resources are coming from, many quilters are rediscovering a range of traditional patchwork and quilting techniques that, at their heart, are based on recycling and reusing materials. A style of patchwork that is true to this ethos, and which has been around for centuries, is string patchwork. A string quilt is made from fabric strips, longer than they are wider and often thinner at one end than the other. In the past these were often off-cuts from clothes making, but today they are often made when we trim off fabric to even it up before rotary cutting. These strings of fabric are sewn together (often on a foundation) to make a new fabric. This in turn is made into the patches in the quilt. These types of quilts have a wonderful jauntiness about them, owing to the many angles the fabric strings create and the amount of different fabrics used. Due to the scrap nature of string quilts, they are good for using a wide range and eclectic mix of fabrics that, otherwise, would have gathered dust in the corner of a room - or worse, ended up in landfill. In her brand-new book, best-selling author and quilter Carolyn Forster will show you how to transform fabric off-cuts and scraps, as well as old clothes and household linens, into 10 beautiful string patchwork quilts. All the quilts feature traditional blocks, so you can easily create your favourite designs without breaking the bank or hurting the planet. In addition, Carolyn has included 8 little gifts and accessories to make with the leftovers from your quilt-making (!), so that nothing goes to waste - from a needle case and a quilt-notions pouch to a table runner and duffel bag. Along with a small section on all the materials and notions to get started, plus an invaluable techniques chapter, quilters will have everything they need to create planet-conscious quilts, and in the process celebrate old quilt and patchwork methods from quilters of yore.