String Quilts - by Carolyn Forster (Paperback)

About the Book

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 with its use of sewn fabric strips. 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.

Book Synopsis

Sustainable quilts made from your well loved items with the design inspiration of Carolyn Forster.

"An essential title for readers interested in the sustainable crafting movement and quilting." LIBRARY JOURNAL Starred Review

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 with its use of sewn fabric strips. 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.

Best-selling author, teacher and quilter Carolyn Forster will show you how to:

• Transform old clothes and bedding, off-cuts and once-loved furnishing fabrics into 10 beautiful string patchwork quilts
• create your favorite designs with ease, using an array of scraps featuring traditional blocks
• Ensure nothing goes to waste - included here are 8 little gifts and accessories to make with the leftovers from your quilt-making including a needle case, a quilt-notions pouch, a table runner and duffel bag.

A small section on all the materials and notions to get started, plus an invaluable techniques chapter, is included.

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.

Review Quotes

LIBRARY JOURNAL STARRED REVIEW

Once promoted as an economical art form, string quilting, a scrap-centric patchwork technique, is now recognized as well for its sustainability, since it puts leftover swatches to good use. (A "string" here is a fabric scrap that is longer than it is wide and might be uneven in shape.) Quilting instructor Forster (Hand Quilting Techniques for Farmhouse Style), a bestselling author in the arena, encourages readers to use materials they already have and offers tips for minimizing future waste by saving scraps and using as little thread as possible. The book focuses on large quilts, with 10 unique patterns, but also offers five smaller projects, including a pincushion and a table runner. Forster makes it easy to learn various quilting techniques, especially those for finishing, so the book is great for first-time quilters, though they will need basic skills in hand or machine sewing.
VERDICT: An essential title for readers interested in the sustainable crafting movement and quilting.

BOOKLIST (American Library Association)

Waste not: put all fabric scraps into a string quilt basket! So-called because they can be made with fabric remainders as thin as an apron string (or wider), string quilts are pieced together in a thoughtful and flexible way. A favorite old shirt at the end of its life, for instance, could either function as the back of a string quilt pillow or as the frame for different fabrics in a series of tiles. Forster (known on Instagram as @quiltingonthego) is very thorough, helping readers adopt fully the notion of sustainability by laying out the details and how-tos of cutting, piecing, sewing, appliqué, layering, quilting, and binding. And by the way, a sewing machine is not a prerequisite. Traditional quilters may be surprised by some of Forster 's tips--and elated by the outcomes of these 15 projects that start from old standard designs like log cabin, stars, and snowballs. This is a seductive invitation to old and new aficionados of the art to recycle and reuse innovatively. Includes templates. -- Barbara Jacobs

About the Author

Carolyn Forster is a best-selling author on quilting. She started making quilts when she was a teenager and went on to study Textiles at the University of Bath. Since graduating, Carolyn has taught patchwork and quilting both in the UK and the USA and has had her quilts featured in a number of books and magazines, including Fabrications, Popular Patchwork and Patchwork and Quilting. Carolyn lives in Tunbridge Wells, UK with her husband and son.