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Lot s and lots of room for quilting!

This project file was started in 2018, and looking at it now I must have been busy doing other things, and didn’t take time to add some quilting designs.

The second design also has room for quilting to shine, but if it was under construction on the wedding day those empty spaces could be filled with signatures of wedding guests, or wedding photos could be printed on the fabric, … or a mixture of the two!

I like the first design.

Very interesting design. I might have to change things for future designs in this project file.

I wonder what it would look like in shades of gold, and should it be on a light background, or a dark one? Something to play with before next Christmas.

Luverly!

Even more luverly.

Very dainty.

Love the second design with all the seam lines between blocks covered with beads, though I would be tempted to make this a a whole cloth quilt with no seam lines until the border.

I wonder how many two inch long beads are required for the design above!

Love the first design because of the way the individual borders are welded together by the strings of beads, and I love the second design because each border stands alone.

Applique designs using just a simple leaf shape as beads are the simplest form of applique I have found. I first saw String of Beads hand appliqued with seams turned under, but then fusible web came on the market and I found I could cut four layers at a time with scissors so it was quick, then iron them onto fabric and machine stitch. Quick and easy!

I like both of these designs, and have many others which I also like.

Interesting mixture of bead shapes in this project file.

I like the second design best … I think.

Wow! Puzzle time!

If I was quilting these designs I would be adding some quilted lines of beads to link up the applique blocks.

Christmas lights!

Perhaps the beads should be white and gold on a dark background … that sounds good to me, good enough to see what it looks like! Still time to get it done before Christmas.

Interesting!

I wonder, how many beads are there?

Still interesting, and not as many beads.

These designs are much easier than they look thanks to fusible webbing, and can be stitched by hand or machine.

Very pretty.

Almost the same, but I like the one block change!

String of Beads designs are a great way to use scraps, or fabrics purchased for the project. They are also easy to applique by hand or machine if you use fusible webbing … not so easy if you do the needleturn method.

I love the simplicity of the second design, and the spaces which can be filled with quilting, but I cannot pick a favourite today.

This project file was started so Icould try to find some interesting ways to turn straight Strings of Beads around corners, and grew to include not so simple strings.

The collection of corners kept growing to connect a wide variety of strings.

The shapes of the beads would be hard work at each end of every bead if you chose to do needle turn applique by hand, but I didn’t even try making String of Beads quilts until fusible webbing hit the market, and I have done them by machine and by hand.

Lots and lots of little applique beads!

Not quite so many little applique beads, but more quilting.

My love affair with String of Beads began at the first quilt exhibition I attended soon after I fell in love with patchwork and applique and has no sign of fading away.

I have probably got enough beads left over from previous projects to make another one … but the colours would be a horrible mish mash of colours. It is always more fun to collect fabrics for a project!

Simple, applique and quilting … love it!

Forgot to add quilting to the border! Sorry!

Looks like somebody has been playing with a bead collection, and the results look good.

I think the first one is the winner by a narrow margin.

I like the subdued colours in this project file.

Love the second design. I think it would look good in bright, or pretty, or even dramatic colour schemes, not just the subdued shown here.

Interesting mix, Christmas or not!

Love the second design!

The making one of these is much more enticing since the introduction of fusible webbing, and scan and cutting machines. The hardest decision is will I do the stitching by hand or machine.

Love the outer row of blocks in the second design!