This top was made with a box full of quilt scraps from the 1940s and 50s. All of the pieces were 1 1/2″ wide in varying lengths, but none longer than about 15″. I thought perhaps the quilter had planned to make a log cabin quilt, but most of the color values were the same. My other thought was a string quilt of some kind, which seemed to work better with the fabrics.
I didn’t use a foundation, but just eyeballed the strips and cut them to fit my big diamond template. They don’t match up perfectly (and I don’t think they need to), but they are fairly close since all the strips were the same width. I used all of her scraps and had to add a few of my own, some of which were newer fabrics. For the border, I used the little leftover ends of the strips.
I made this top a long time ago, and I’m not sure why it ended up at the bottom of the pile. I think it will be fun to quilt a nice wreath or something fairly elaborate in those white spaces.
String Star Quilt Top
Martha Dellasega Gray, 2003
machine pieced
60″ x 80″
This is the kind of quilt that makes my heart beat just a bit faster. It’s wonderful! I think a wreath in the white areas is the perfect plan? Don’t let this beauty end up at the bottom of the pile again? 🙂
There are so many great fabrics in that quilt – I’m looking at that tiny piece of blue with a little yellow puppy. Wonderful quilt, Martha!
Martha- I really really really loved this quilt. It’s the kind of quilt I never get tired of looking at. The colors just sing and the white areas give the eye a place to rest. The border is spectacular. I envy you the task of hand quilting it. Enjoy!
Very pretty quilt. I get excited just looking at all the white!
Would you consider writing a blog post about cutting up vintage/older fabric. I almost bought some this week. I keep getting stuck on the thought of cutting into it. So I keep putting in back down when I go to purchase it.
Thursday I ran into a few pieces I really wanted but ended up not buying them. Not only do I get stuck on the cutting into part. I am hesitant to combine new with old. Some of the quilt ideas I have I really see no other way due to the amount of fabric I would need.
Again if you would consider either a blog post or sharing a little bit of experience with me. I would appreciate it.
Love, love, love this quilt. I have a smallish stash of 30’s and 40’s reproductions that I’ve been too precious to cut into. Found you via Flickr – I think you may have become the major part of my “inspiration gallery”. 🙂
This is a gorgeous quilt. Very fresh and appealing.
Love it! I’ve got my own string star blocks I’m making and hope to turn them into a quilt in the future! Yours in gorgeous!
Wow, Martha, another beauty!
I´m just thinking about a string quilt, but am not sure which pattern I´ll use. Yours is beautiful!!!
This is wonderful! Really enjoying the close ups so I can see the fabrics! You do wonderful work, Martha! 🙂
I have followed your blog for some time now and love your pictures of quilts and your content is so nice to read. I do have a question: I want to make the string quilt! Is this your own pattern? Do you have a copyright of it? Would you be offended? Sorry for all the questions, but I just love it to pieces! Thank you, Elaine
It’s gorgeous Martha, so glad you dug this one out to show us. I’ve made two blocks of a stringy spiderweb’s quilt this week and am finding it quite tedious! It looks quite good but nothing like your beauty.
Oh I just love this quilt top! I’ve been thinking of doing a six pointed strippy star quilt (I have a vintage one) and you’ve really inspired me…I hope to get to mine this year!
Love how all of the colours look together with the white! I think that this one may be high on my list of favourites that you have made (and I have a lot of favourites!).
Those fabrics are awesome!
What a fantastic string quilt! It is such a fun pattern and the fabric is wonderful.
Wow! This is just amazing! Love the pattern so much. You do wonders with these beautiful fabrics and lovely patterns. Thank you for the inspiration, Martha 🙂
Gorgeous quilts, loved viewing your sight lots of colors just beautiful thanks!!
Just stumbled across this post via Pinterest and I am SO EXCITED! I’m 90% finished making scrappy 18″ pineapple log cabin blocks for a California King bed quilt, in all blues and greens, and I’m going to have lots of 1 1/2″ strips left over. I’ve been looking for a second project to use them up, and your strippy Lemoyne Star blocks are going to be perfect. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! I am super excited about this, can you tell?! I love star quilts… 🙂