Variation on a String Block {Jan/Feb CiL Block Drive}

Hello! And welcome to the Jan/Feb Covered in Love block drive post.  For the past three years we've made foundation pieced string blocks following this tutorial and made 50 string quilts!   (If you're new to CiL or the block drives skip to the end of the post for information.)

The annual scrappy string drive is a big hit with piece-rs, with me, and with the patients who receive quilts.  Hopefully this year's slight variation on the foundation pieced string block will still be a big hit with everyone. I thought i might be fun to mix it up and do something a bit different this year.

(If you had already started making some of our usual string blocks in anticipation of this year's drive, go ahead an send them in, too. I always have a few extra around I can put them together with.)

Cut a scrap piece of fabric to about 13.25 or 13.5" square (I always use old bedsheets, after you make one block you'll have an idea of how much lee way you need). Choose a square or rectangle piece of red fabric (any shade of red) between about 1.5"-3" square.  Place it at the corner of your foundation square right side up.

Pull out your string scrap box and place a strip along one edge of the square right side down. Sew a quarter inch seam through the foundation square, fold down the strip and press.

Continue adding strips, alternating sides log-cabin-style, sewing them right though the foundation square and pressing after each addition.

As you add each strip let them overhang the outside a bit.  Better to be too big than too small.

Like our usual string blocks, strings should be less than 2.5" wide. Any colors/patterns are allowed; "ugly" fabrics encouraged ;)  Straight lines and 90 degree angles can be approximate.

And that's the gist of it. Just keep adding strips and pressing.  If you have too much overhang underneath a strip just trim it with scissors.

When you get close to the edge of the foundation block press one last time. Allow your cat a few minutes to bask on the warm surface before moving to the cutting table.

Trim the block to 12.5" square, making sure not to cut off too much of the red square in the corner.

The foundation backings do make the finished quilt heavier, but not by as much as you'd think. On a scrappy quilt like this one, especially blocks made by so many different people and shipped across the country, they are invaluable to prevent stretching, warping, and fraying of seams.

I hope you enjoy these blocks and they help you to lighten your scrap bins a bit!

This block drive will run through February. You can make as few or as many blocks as you like and send them along to be assembled into quilts. The quilts are given to patients who pass away in a local hospital and the families take them home. Learn more about our charity on the main page here.  For the mailing address email CoveredinLoveTX@gmail.com or leave a comment (make sure you leave an email address for me to reach you at).

Quilt delivery!

(Edited to Add: View some finished quilts here)

You can also support Covered in Love with monetary donations (send a check or use the Paypal link on the left side bar), by volunteering to assemble and/or quilt tops, and by donating supplies and materials.  Send me an email at CoveredinLoveTX@gmail.com for more information.