Finished Whacky Squares Pillow

Whoooo Hooo! I got my first real "Quilted" project done, I learned allot with this, and now I feel very confident to go on to the next project which will be one of my new Great Nephews baby quilts.

The pillow is made of free hand rotary cut angled strings and pieced in a string block method, I used knit fabric which worked out but I can see where it would have been much easier to use woven fabrics... but I do have lots of knits and even though it can be tricky I am going to use some of what I have and make some awesome functional and pretty quilts. I had joined a really great quilting group on Yahoo Groups and I love it! Wonderful people and really good information. I am in this strange juxtaposition of working with metal and then working with fabrics... my hands are so worn and rough from callus and using my files and such that I can snag and have fabric scraps hanging from my fingers.. lol.. lots of hand lotion for me I guess.

Whacky Square Quilt Block

Well, I just completed my first "String" Quilt block, this is not the first quilting project I have done. I have made several baby quilts before, about 18 years ago, for a couple of my nephews.. but they were appliqued and not pieced quilts, so I am off on a new endeavour for the "new" crop of offspring in my family.. This block I will put with 3 more as a Pillow top as it is a learning piece.. a Scrappy type, I used old knit medium weight polo shirts for the strings. I cut free hand long angles and then machine stitched to a backing and put 4 little blocks together, I choose the ugliest shirts I had, and I actually Like the way it came out! I was pleased that without pinning I managed to make the points meet exactly in the center.. When I get the other three made and made up I will post it... String quilting and Scrap quilts made from old clothing are a Great way to recycle and re purpose items and keep them OUT of our landfills. We need to make small changes in our rampant consumerism in this country and live every day like it is Earth Day.