How to Make a String Quilt – Quick, Easy and Beautiful

Learn how to make a string quilt using leftover strips from your stash. If you have strips of fabric that are either from a collection (think jelly roll) or from scraps, the string quilt is really a great method for making a quilt. 

You’ll be adding your strips to a foundation fabric, then trimming your blocks and finishing the quilt by sewing them all together. 

Feel free to use scrap stash – as the blocks are busy and perfect for hiding any fabric you want!

It’s also great way for showing of a beautiful line of fabric, think scrappy string quilt. Either way, the process is simple and the blocks really do sew up quick. 

Materials Needed:

• sewing machine

• rotary cutter

• quilt ruler

• foundation piece – use muslin or copy paper if you’d like
• scrap bags filled with strips from various fabrics, wider strips, thin strips, whatever you’ve got is great
• rotating cutting mat (optional – but they are fantastic!)
• Large square ruler – for squaring up your quilt block

String Quilts are perfect for your leftover strips and stash! If you have leftover jelly roll strips, or even leftover cut off ends from a bolt of fabric (sometimes you can buy scrap strip bundles from Moda or other fabric companies). Or you can even cut your strips using the Stripology ruler or June Tailor shape cut ruler.

For this type of quilt, you don’t even need to worry about if the fabric strips coordinate or match. If you want, they can – but really, this is a great way to make a scrappy quilt.

String quilts are a fantastic way to use up fabric scraps and create a vibrant, eye-catching quilt. These quilts are made from “strings” or narrow strips of fabric sewn together to form blocks, which are then assembled into the quilt top.

String quilting is a versatile and forgiving technique, perfect for quilters of all skill levels looking to experiment with colors and patterns.

What is a String Quilt?

A string quilt is composed of long, narrow strips of fabric called “strings.” These strings can be of varying widths and lengths, often pulled from your fabric stash or scrap bin. The strips are sewn onto a foundation fabric or paper, typically on the diagonal, until the entire foundation is covered. Once the blocks are completed, they are joined together to create the quilt top.

Why Make a String Quilt?

1. Uses Scraps Efficiently: String quilts are ideal for using up leftover fabric scraps, making them an economical and eco-friendly option.
2. Creative Freedom: The random placement of different strips allows for a lot of creativity. Each block is unique, and there are no strict rules to follow, making it a fun and liberating quilting method.
3. Simple and Forgiving: The technique is straightforward, requiring only basic sewing skills. It’s a great project for beginners or for experienced quilters looking for a relaxing and less precise project.
4. Visually Stunning: The combination of various colors, patterns, and textures results in a quilt that is visually rich and interesting. String quilts often have a lively and dynamic appearance.

String quilts are not only a practical way to use fabric scraps but also a wonderful opportunity to explore your creativity and produce a unique, beautiful quilt.

What foundation do you use for string quilts

When you sew a string quilt, you usually use a foundation piece. This foundation piece can be a leftover piece of fabric (cut to size) or a piece of muslin. If you have ugly fabric or thin fabric, this is the perfect time to use it. Just make sure that if the foundation fabric has a print, that it’s not seen through the lighter fabric strips – so double check that before you begin.

You can also use a piece of paper if you’d like. Treat it like foundation paper piecing and use a water pen to remove the paper when you are finished.

How to make a String Quilt

Step 1: Gather Materials Collect an assortment of fabric scraps in various colors and patterns. Choose a  fabric foundation – or a foundation piece, leftover fabric or muslin works well. Ensure your scraps are cut into strips, varying in width from 1 to 2.5 inches. You don’t want the strips to be too skinny or they won’t show when you sew the seams.

Step 2: Prepare the Foundation Cut your foundation fabric into blocks of your desired size. Common sizes are 8×8 inches or 10×10 inches. These blocks will be the base for your string quilt.

The size of foundation pieces I used in the images and video is 8 1/2″ x 8 1/2″

Step 3: Start Stringing Place one strip diagonally across the foundation block, right side up and wrong side down. I used a glue stick to secure the first strip to the center.

Place your second strip on top – right sides facing, sew it in place using a ¼-inch seam allowance.

Fold back the strip

Use a wood presser to flatten the seam.

Flip it over and from the backside, trim any excess fabric that extends beyond the edges of the block.

Sew the next strip – right sides together

Flip the strip and press again with wood presser

Continue until the foundation piece is covered completely

Vary the colors and patterns for an eclectic, scrappy look. Trim excess fabric after each strip is attached.

NOTE: If you find that one of your strips doesn’t cover the full piece of foundation – then add another strip!

You do want to make sure that the foundation is completely covered and no corners are showing when you are finished with the block.

Press the block well before trimming the sides

Trim the right side of the block – measuring from the left

Trim the top of the block

Rotate your cutting mat

Re-align the ruler and trim the right and top edge again.

*use the RULER to trim – to make sure you are trimming to the correct size. Sometimes the foundation piece shrinks a little bit because of all the sewn strips. So double check the size prior to cutting!

Your block is ready!

Before sewing your blocks together in the next step – make sure all your blocks are the same size!

Repeat and Arrange Repeat the process for as many blocks as needed. Once you have a collection of uniquely designed blocks, experiment with arranging them to find a layout that pleases you and you get to your desired finished size.

Sew Blocks Together Sew the blocks together using a ¼-inch seam allowance. Pay attention to the arrangement to maintain the desired pattern.

Add Borders (Optional) If desired, add borders to your quilt for a finished look. Choose a border width that complements the overall design.

Complete the Quilting Layer your quilt top with batting and backing, then quilt as desired. This could be straight-line quilting, free-motion quilting, or any pattern that suits your taste.

Bind the Quilt Finish your string quilt by binding the edges. Choose a fabric that complements the quilt top, and follow standard binding procedures.

Enjoy Your String Quilt Admire your handiwork! Your string quilt is now ready to add warmth and charm to any space.

With these steps, you’ll create a vibrant and personalized string quilt, showcasing your creativity and quilting skills.

String Quilt Layout Ideas

Finishing the Quilt

1. Cut or piece together your batting and a piece of quilt backing fabric.

2. Make a quilt sandwich with the backing, batting, and top.

3. Baste together with fusible batting, pins or basting spray.

3. Quilt as desired. A few of my favorite ways to quilt are Straight line quilting or cross hatch quilting. Use a walking foot on your sewing machine. Trim away the extra batting and backing.

4. Cut strips of fabric for the binding. Cut 2 1/2” tall (sometimes I use 2 1/4″) binding strips. Sew the binding strips together and bind using your favorite technique. 

Additional Notes for the String Quilt: 

• Use a design wall to lay out the blocks and have some fun with the finished blocks and quilt top. 

• Use different widths of leftover strips and even various lengths (sew strips together to make them longer). Varying widths lets you use more scrappy strips and adds variety to the layout as well. 

• Grab randomly from your scrap pile to make sure you don’t think too much about it and the piecing goes a lot faster this way.

• If you have longer strips, go ahead and sew together large blocks. 

• You can choose to do one color of strip down the center of each block to make a secondary design that will show up when the blocks are sewn together.

• Explore a few different type of foundation – like the muslin, leftover fat quarter from your fabric stash, even old clothing as long as it doesn’t give too much thickness to the quilt.  Typically the foundation stays in the quilt when finished. 

• Similar to adding one specific fabric or color right down the center, you can also add those specific fabric or color to the corners of the blocks. When the quilt blocks are placed together you’ll find another fun layout surprise.

• When the quilt is finished you can still use quilt batting for finishing the quilt.  The extra foundation in the blocks does add a tiny thickness to the quilt top, but it may not be enough to not use the batting all together. Personal preference here. 

• If you prefer a larger quilt, add a stop border around 2″ or 2 1/2″ and then add a border with piano keys (smaller strips of fabric). This adds extra sizing to the quilt as well as uses up even more strips.

How To String Piece Video

More quilts using your fabric strips or jelly rolls:

• 10 Batik jelly roll quilts
• How many jelly rolls for a quilt
• 50+ Jelly roll quilt patterns
• Jelly roll quilt pattern – great for beginners!
• Lumberjack star quilt pattern

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