Diamond String Quilt using Cook Book fabric- Riley Blake Designs Project Tour

    

Hello, Everyone!  Today I'd like to share all of the details on my Diamond String quilt!  I've gotten so many questions on this quilt as I made the blocks and assembled the top and today, I'm giving out all of the information on how I made this quilt!

First, I used Cook Book by Lori Holt.  Lori Holt is one of my favorite designers!  I make at least one quilt with each collection that she comes out with.  Here is a look at the prints in Cook Book-

photo credit: Riley Blake Designs

In case you didn't know, you can go to the Riley Blake Website, click on 'Storyboards' tab, and from there you can find a storyboard for each collection.  These show you all of the prints in the collection, the patterns (if any) that are being released with the collection, the story behind it, and sometimes coordinating basics.  They are very fun to look at and I always check them out when the new ones come out.  You can see the Story Board for Cook Book HERE

I used the Diamond String Block tutorial from Susies Scraps blog.  I made the blocks as specified in the tutorial with the exception that I cut from fat quarters instead of using scrap strings.  I cut my fat quarters into 1 1/2" x 21" strips.  When I pieced the blocks, I varied my seam allowance so that I would have different width strips on my block.

For all of the prints in the quilt, I exclusively used Cook Book by Lori Holt.  For the background, I used Confetti Cotton in Songbird (C120-Songbird).  I made 168- 5" blocks.  I pieced the blocks into larger blocks of 4- so I had 42 larger blocks.  I assembled the blocks into a layout of 6 blocks by 7 blocks.  The quilt top then measured 54 1/2" x 63 1/2".

I decided to add two borders.  The inner border I cut at 2" and I used a white print from Cook Book.  I also added a little section of pieced blocks in the inner border for fun.  The outer border, I cut at 3 1/2" and I used the Confetti Cotton Songbird.  After the borders, my quilt top measured 63 1/2" x 72 1/2".  For the backing, I used Lori Holt's Bee Background in Aqua Penmanship (6388-Aqua).  For the binding, I used Vintage Leaf (C11766-Leaf) from Cook Book.

I typically label my quilts with pre-printed satin, folding labels that I purchase.  However, I decided to try something different here.  I used the red print from Cook Book with a white square pieced in the middle.  I wrote my name and the year on the white portion.  Then added the heart to the back of the quilt using needle turn appliqué.  I absolutely love it.

Two of my quilting goals for 2022 are to: 1.) get really good at needle turn appliqué and 2.) really personalize every quilt I make.  I think personalization makes things special so this year I am going to experiment with adding different personal touches to all of the quilts I make.  After all, at some point, I'll be leaving these quilts behind as a legacy and I want them to have little pieces of me in them.

This is my first finish of 2022 (one that was largely pieced at the end of 2021) and I am so very happy with how it turned out!

I hope you enjoyed reading about this quilt and that you feel inspired to make your own.  Thank you for following along with me!

Talk to you soon,
Jessica