Patterns, patchworks and projects
Creating this festive masterpiece with extra time on your hands is a cinch! With the AccQuilt Dies
GO! North Carolina Circles-2, GO! Feathers Dies, and the GO! North Carolina Star-12 die, you can make this beauty.
Designed for AccuQuilt by Laura Strickland of Orange Blossom Quilt
If your scrap bin is full of long, awkward little strips that are too narrow for regular patchwork but too nice to throw away, string quilting is your new best friend. These are the leftovers from trimming blocks, straightening edges, chopping down yardage, and slicing into jelly-roll-style widths before changing your mind halfway through. They are the skinny scraps that seem to multiply every time you rotary cut fabric, and they are absolutely perfect for string quilts.
What I love about string quilts is that they feel wonderfully thrifty without looking like a last-resort project. String piecing takes narrow strips and odd lengths and turns them into dynamic blocks with movement, texture, and that lovely scrappy charm quilters never seem to get tired of. It is also one of the easiest stash-busting techniques to start with because precision matters a bit less than it does in more traditional block construction.
And if you have already dipped into crumb quilting but want something with a little more structure, this is a lovely next step. String quilts still use up the leftovers, but the finished result often feels more graphic, more directional, and a little calmer to the eye. That makes them especially appealing for quilters who want to tame their scrap pile without ending up with a quilt top that looks too busy.
On CraftGossip, scrap quilting already performs beautifully, and string quilting sits right in that sweet spot between practical and inspiring. If you enjoy stash-busting reads, you might also want to browse 20 Scrap Quilt Ideas That Actually Look Beautiful, Free Quilt Pattern for Small Scraps, and Scrappy Quilted Coasters Tutorial. All three fit that same use-it-up-with-style mood.
This is a lovely place to begin if you want a broader look at what string quilting can do. It covers the versatility of the technique really well, and I like that it shows string piecing can go far beyond one basic square block.
A classic internal read, and still a useful one. If your leftovers are mostly narrow strips from rotary cutting, this is the kind of foundational tutorial that helps you stop overthinking and just start sewing.
This one is especially nice if you like the string-quilt idea but want something that leans a bit more modern than traditional. It is proof that skinny leftover strips can still create a really clean, fresh-looking finish.
This post is aimed at tiny scrap strips, which makes it especially relevant if your leftovers are too narrow for standard patchwork. It is one of those practical stash-busting ideas that feels achievable even when your scrap bin is full of random little offcuts.
This is a smart pick for quilters who want to use strip scraps in a way that looks a bit more dramatic. The triangle construction gives all those skinny leftovers a more designed feel, which is lovely when you want scrappy without looking messy.
I really like this one because it shows how flexible string piecing can be. If you are sitting there with a pile of strips and wondering whether to go modern, classic, or more playful, this kind of tutorial gives you a few directions to explore.
This tutorial is a great fit for readers who want step-by-step help with foundation-pieced string blocks. It is especially handy because it also touches on organizing scraps by color, which can make a string quilt feel more intentional right from the start.
A really approachable tutorial if you want something straightforward and beginner-friendly. I’d recommend this one for quilters who have never tried foundation piecing before but want to start using those long skinny leftovers in a way that still feels controlled.
This is such a fun option if your strips are short as well as skinny. The mini scale makes these blocks perfect for mug rugs, mini quilts, pouches, and all those smaller projects that are ideal when you are sewing from the leftovers basket instead of cutting into fresh fabric.
This one has a very real-life stash-busting feel to it, which I appreciate. It is especially useful for quilters who have started separating out long narrow scraps and want a practical example of how those strings can become a full quilt rather than just another someday project.
String quilts are one of the best answers for that strange in-between scrap category. Not crumbs, not full strips, not neat pre-cuts, just those long narrow leftovers you get after trimming blocks, cutting borders, or squaring up pieces. Several of the tutorials above specifically frame string piecing as a scrap-management or stash-busting method, which is exactly why it works so well for this kind of fabric.
They are also wonderfully forgiving. Because the strips are sewn onto a foundation or built in a freeform way, you do not have to worry quite so much about every piece being identical. That makes string quilting especially appealing when your scrap pile is made up of leftovers from lots of different projects, fabric lines, and cutting sessions.
If you want to keep the stash-busting mood going, these are worth opening next:
There is something deeply satisfying about turning those skinny rotary-cutting leftovers into something that looks deliberate and beautiful. Instead of stuffing them into another overfull scrap bin, you get movement, colour, and a quilt block with a bit of personality. And really, that is half the joy of quilting anyway — making something lovely out of the pieces that looked like almost nothing.
