String sashing

I planned this one before Christmas and I finally got around to working on it. I’m really happy with how it turned out.

Instead of using sashing with string blocks, I used string sashing with pieced blocks. I began with a dozen 10″ x 12.5″ string rectangles (the blocks in the lower left corner of the photo below).

I chose not to use the blue and red stripe fabrics I originally considered because I just didn’t want to deal with trying to keep the stripe pieces all positioned in the correct direction. 😉 I also substituted the flag print for the center of the star after making the first block. I realized it was too busy and decided to use this star print on white instead.

I cut the string rectangles into four 2.5″ x 12.5″ pieces and used them for pieced sashing units. I’d considered mixing up the all the 2.5″ wide pieces but decided to keep them in pairs when I made the sashing.

I purchased a bolt of bleached muslin from Marshall Dry Goods to use as backing for NICU quilts that I plan to make for future donations and decided to test it on the back of this quilt first.

It was soft right off the bolt and better quality than I expected at the price. I washed it first to check for shrinkage and how it would feel after the sizing was washed out of the fabric.

The muslin did not shrink at all, wasn’t too thin, and felt like a nice soft bed sheet. I’m really happy with it and the cost makes it very affordable!