Tutorial - Woven Strings block

I was fiddling around on Pinterest the other day, and saw this quilt.  The artist calls it Ribbon Lattice. I really, really like that quilt.  Then last year there was a month in Stash Bee where the block we did was called Simply Woven (a Moda Bakeshop Pattern).   Here are the Simply Woven blocks I made for Stash Bee:

Now it's my month for Stash Bee in 2015, and I've edited a post from the last time around since I'd love to have more of the same blocks.

Please use  a SOLID WHITE background, that's truly white. Examples would be Kona White or Bella, but just make sure it's not cream, or even a light cream. For the strings, use bright colors, but no black.

I figured I could follow the steps in the Simply Woven tutorial but use 1" strips, and come up with a block to my liking.  So here we go, and I'll call this Woven Strings.

You'll need 1 9" square of background fabric, and 6 to 8 "strings" that are 1" wide and between 10" and 12" long.

1. Make a freehand slightly curved cut about 1 1/2 - 2" from the left side.

2. Add one of your strings. Press towards the dark.

3. Turn the square so that the first string is horizontally across the top. Make another cut - either slightly curved or straight. Try to mix them up.

4. Insert another strip.

5. Turn the fabric again so that the most recent string is at the bottom as shown.  Make another cut.

6. Insert another strip.

7. Keep going - you can make the strings closer together if you wish, to get 4 strings across instead of 3.

8. Keep going!

9. Another one!

10. (I cut before I took the photo...)

11. More...

12. Looks like I have room for yet another string.

13. So make another cut.

14. While this is the last one I inserted for this block, it's possible that you've cut yours close enough together that you can do four across and four down. I'd like any combination - 3 + 3, 3 + 4, or 4 + 4. 

15. Please do not trim the blocks - I'll trim them to the size I want when I get them.

July block for Sew Bee Wonky

Sew Bee Wonky is a Flickr group I'm in, and if you're interested in joining, please visit it and ask to join. We could use some more members. What we do:  Each month, one person is the recipient. S/he chooses some kind of block for everyone else to make from their own stash, and provides a tutorial or link to a tutorial. Everyone else makes two blocks and sends them to the person whose month it is.

My month is July, but since we don't have a June person, I'm posting my block now.

For those of you who are familiar with Gwen Marston's books Liberated Quilting and Liberated Quilting II, I want little basket blocks.  Here are my wishes for these blocks:
- please make 2, and make them different from each other (the background can be the same)
- finished blocks are to be no larger than 8" wide or tall
- I'll be adding any fabric necessary to fit them into the finished quilt, so don't worry about sizes all being the same
- BOLD colors - I want the colors to SHOUT - to say "PINK!!!!" for example.  No light pastels or dull drab Civil War tones.  I"m thinking pink, yellow, orange, lime/chartreuse, red, royal blue, turquoise, purple (but not lavender).  It's your choice as to what color is background and what color is basket.
- Please make the handles in a different fabric or material from the basket.  You can do a bias handle out of fabric, or you can use large rick-rack, fancy ribbon, cording, yarn, or something else.


Here's what I did yesterday:

I started with a piece of fabric that was 6.5" x 10".  Ignore the ugly color. 

 Cut it into two pieces - they can be unequal in size. Set one aside to make the second basket.

 Cut a basket.  It can be short and fat or tall and skinny - it's up to you.

Lay it on top of the background fabric, and then cut the background fabric even with the top of the basket.

 With both pieces right side up, place the basket shape on the bottom half of the background piece. Shift the basket slightly to the right, and cut along the left side of the basket. Then shift the basket slightly to the left, and cut along the right side of the basket.

Sew the trimmed-off left and right background pieces to the basket shape. You've now completed the bottom section of the block.

 Trim the edges - you will either be cutting more off the bottom, or a piece off the top - to align the top and bottom pieces.

Decide what your handle will be - whether it will be a fabric handle, or one made from rick-rack, ribbon, lace, cording, fancy yarn, or something else.  But make sure it's a contrasting handle.  As Gwen Marston says, "the handles are where the action is."

Pin the handle to the top piece of fabric, with the ends hanging loose. When you sew the top and bottom of the basket together, it will anchor the ends of the handle. You can then either appliqué or top-stitch the handle down.  I hate to appliqué, so I just top-stitched mine down.

Please let me know if you have any questions!