Category: Quilting and Sewing

Over two years ago I saw pictures of this quilt top and was smitten.   I’m still amazed by it, and the finished pictures of the quilt are even more amazing (talk about jaw-dropping quilting!).  From that day I’ve carefully cut off selvages from every piece of fabric I’ve sewn with and stuck them in a bin for safe keeping.

Recently my daughter and I were talking about selvages.  I told her what I’m saving them for and I decided I should just start it, making as many blocks as I have selvages for and letting it be one of those projects that moves along at life’s pace.

I’m still so in love with Jacquie’s quilt that I shamelessly ordered the same color to use for my background (Kona Ice Frappe) and sat down to figure it out.


I read Jackquie’s tutorial to learn how to make a spiderweb block, and as she recommended, I referred to the Quiltville tutorial which also taught me how to make my templates.

Then I got a fistful of selvages out on the table, took a deep breath, and tried it.  My kids were playing all around me while I did it, gluing fabric and paper together and generally having a craft party while their mom focused on her pile of scraps.

It’s kind of fun!  I enjoyed making these blocks, and it’s a fun but messy job to choose which piece to place where.  I enjoyed remembering different fabrics I’ve used in recent years and realized I’ve got more selvages than I thought I had!  And if I’d just get sewing and use the fabric I have I’ll have even more.  I must be crazy, because this is the second string quilt I’ve started on a whim in the last month.  Yeah, wacky.  But fun!


This won’t be a quick finish project.  It’s a project that will grow over time and I’m excited to see how it unfolds.  For now, I’m admiring my fun and quirky blocks!


Jennifer P.S.  Which selvage piece is your favorite?  I’m loving the “It’s a Hoot” piece and the crab on the piece from Emily Herrick’s Going Coastal collection (in the bottom right hand corner, it’s upside down).  But if I look at it for more than a few seconds, I start saying “and Early Bird and Baskets of Flowers with Mary Engelbreit’s logo and… and….  I guess that means I like all of them.

I found a few minutes over the holiday weekend to make three more blocks for the Vintage Summer string quilt I started.


At this point there’s a piece of every print in the collection in use.  I love the way it looks now that I have four blocks, or a whole square to lay out and I love the exactness of it with the alternating prints and white.  (Not that I’ve sewn it perfectly, for I haven’t.  There’s one seam in there that gave me fits, although I don’t know why!)

I have a feeling this will be a slow project, but a really pretty one!