String Quilting: Paper or Muslin?

Would be nice to see GrammaBs stuff. Wonder if she included in an album here?

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Originally Posted by K. McEuen

I've always used paper, from blank newsprint or old phone books to the squares that MSQC has. GrammaBabs did her string quilts using used dryer sheets as her foundation.

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Uwwww, good point, jannw!

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Originally Posted by jannw

You might try a small sample with the paper. I usually shorten my stitch length a bit, but when I've forgotten to do so, the paper has still come off easily. I use phone book pages. I like to think of it as recycling and peel them off while watching TV. It's very soothing!

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Loving your avatar siggie, girlfriend! Oh yeah.

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Originally Posted by Sandy Navas

I, for one, love the muslin with the extra support . . . to me it keeps everything a bit 'tighter' when sewing blocks and rows together.

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Sweet! I am thinking of using repurposed bed sheets for quilt backs. Already amassing them for fashion garments. Check this out, ladies . . .Bed Sheet Dresses |. Matter of fact I just left our local thrift store as the spirit lead me there ISO (in search of) a good find. I picked up three sheets and a discarded 100% cotton garment which will be part of my Genesis Scrap Quilt, First Handmade Quilt |. :)

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Originally Posted by Greyjay

I have tried using paper but didn't like it very much, it seemed to take forever to get all those little pieces of paper out from under the stiches.
Now I just rip up old bed sheets from when the kids were small and use them as a foundation, they work great AND I am clearing out my linen closet!

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Originally Posted by madampolo

Maybe it's because I live in the country, but I haven't seen a phone book in years.

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:icon_rofl:; okaaaay!!! I feel you, girl; that's where we live too. And, naw, I ain't seen a pb in years either.

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Originally Posted by MayinJerset

Some say the fabric/muslin foundation makes the quilt heavy when batting is added so I get around that problem by skipping the regular type of batting and use flannel as my 'batting' and backing.

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My "people" live in NE Ohio, so honey, there is no such thing as a too heavy blanket.

Just a thought here, I haven't used paper for string quilting but I have done the squares where you layer your backing, batting, and then sew through everything as you add strips. I have a few rows of blocks like this but haven't sewn all together, using men's shirts. Takes several steps out of the job of quilting. The only hangup is sewing the blocks together. They go together easily but you have to deal with the raw edges, either by adding a strip of fabric and sewing it in with the seam and then turning under to form a binding of sorts or something else to cover them. Fast way to put quilt together though.

A quilting friend told me she sets her stitch length to 1.5 when paper piecing. The paper tears off much easier. I used the M*QC 10" squares for piecing my string quilt. A suggestion: Don't trim your blocks to the edges of the paper (like Jenny does in the tutorial). Use a ruler to square your blocks so they all will be the same size. Sorry, no grandkids in CO to tear off my papers. It really doesn't take that long. Just be careful to not stretch the stitches or your fabric. I've never used muslin, just the paper squares. JCY