A week or so ago, my friend Camille wrote a post titled "Just Because." I thought it was the perfect title...because...well, sometimes you need to sew for no other reason than "because." Thursday was one of those days for me. I just needed to sew. To be surrounded by beautiful fabrics, to sort things out, and to be inspired by the quiet.
While cleaning and organizing the sewing area over the past few months I've found that my scrap bins are now overflowing (yes, I know I finished up the bulk of the organizing in January, but I'm still going through boxes). My string collection needed some serious attention, so I sewed up 2 3/4 more string blocks. The one on the top left still needs a couple more pieces. This was a good start to the day!
Then Lori posted this adorable barn block, and of course I had to make it. Although I've never seen a barn quilt in real life, I hope to someday! A barn quilt has been on my "Quilts to Make" bucket list for a long time. All of my maternal ancestors were farmers in Iowa. In fact, my grandmother and her sisters still own 80 acres of Iowa farmland that's been in our family for over 100 years. They received the Century Farm designation for their property about 10 years ago.
I also worked on the scrappy trip around the world. I am having so much fun with this quilt!
I just love the process of picking strips of fabric to go together, sewing them, and then seeing how they play off one another in the block. Here are blocks 21 - 24...
And these are blocks 25 - 28.
And here are the 28 blocks together. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get another picture of this before the quilt is set together...I'm running out of room on the sewing room floor! With 8 more blocks, though, this quilt will be ready to set together!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you get to sew today just because!
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29 comments:
Wow. Lovely fabrics, beautiful blocks!
Everything is beautiful Sherri. I am hearing our on overflowing scrap baskets lol. I know I am going to be making scrappy for a while yet lol
I love this strip blocks :-)
This is on my to do list... How do you manage to get the white blocks in the middle?
Seeing your pictures makes me itch to get quilting! I love all of your WIPs--such great, happy colors.
Love that barn block!!! And yes I feel like that all the time. I want to sew something just because :) with 4 little ones I'm usually cleaning because I have to though :(
I do love string quilts and making the blocks are the perfect way to use up scraps and do some mindless sewing, just because.
String blocks are a great way to use scraps. I have one in my near future.
Love this post...just because!!!
I love your string blocks and scrappy trip. sometimes we just need mindless sewing.
I love sewing scraps together when I can't concentrate on a big project. Sooner or later, those little bits add up and you have another quilt. Looks like you are well on your way to some bright cheerful ones!
Your barn block is too cute! Isn't this going to be a fun quilt to create?
I really like your scrappy blocks with white running through. I would like to do the same thing. ;o)
I know exactly what you mean by sewing just because (as Camille put it in her post). I have been doing the same thing in response to your post about mixing fabric collections (some of my blocks will post tomorrow). It has been so fun to just "play with fabric".
I hope you have a nice weekend.
Trish
Oh, that triparound the world is really looking nice and like the way the white is connecting some of the blocks. Great progress and cant wait to see finished.
Gail
Everything looks great! Love that barn quilt. I want to make one now too:)
You are inspiring me to make both a trip and string quilt Sherri!
What a fun "just because" day!!
I love those scrappy string quilts but I also like that yours has a consistent white "Irish Chain" holding it together. My folks are both from Madison County, Iowa - birthplace of John Wayne and home of the covered bridges.
I love those days. Would love to have more of them. You've got some great projects going, as usual!
Oh I love those string blocks. Those fabrics all look amazeing together.
You were so right about how making scrap quilts makes more scraps. all your scrappy trip rejects are perfect for strings..what a (fun) cycle. I love all your because blocks.
I got to sew today, but one of my blocks was really frustrating, and I wish you'd been here to help me figure it out. I love your scrappy quilt, and my husband was a dairy farmer and farmed over 100 acres for over 20 yrs, so the barn block was really cute.
I love your barn block!! I saw that post on Lori's blog the other day and will have to join along! I love barns and the feeling of going back to our roots! My dad was farming when I was born, but left it before I remember living on the farm, but our fantastic summer vacations were going to Grandma's farm to visit every year!!
I agree, Sherri. Sometimes it is really nice to sew just because. My next quilt I make is going to be one of those! Yay! By the way, I love all of your blocks!
I love making string blocks and always feel happy and stressless while I'm sewing them. I can't wait to try a scrappy trip... I have admired every single one of them this winter. Love how you are using white.
Lots of sewing, your Just Because day turned out to be very productive indeed :)
string quilts make me dizzy
Love the fabrics! I have done 3 string quilts, they are fun and great for scraps!
These are so pretty! Scrappy scares me but I am so drawn to it! I really want to get to the point I can pull colors out of my scrap bins like this and make something scrappy that I love! This looks sooooo good!
Love the barn block. I think it's really cool they got the century farm designation. That's wonderful!
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