Strip Tease the AccuQuilt way!

Do you strip?  Strip quilt that is.  While I love a variety of quilting styles, I must admit I love strip quilting.  Would you believe that I actually joined the strip quilting phase back when we used t-rulers?  Yeap, there was a time when quilters thought a  t-ruler was the best quilting tool ever.  You'd "mark" your fabric with the t-ruler and then cut strips (or pieces) using scissors.  Clearly, this was before the invention of the rotary cutter, mats, and various rulers. And way before anyone ever dreamed of an AccuQuilt.  OMG, I think I've just given away a hint about my age (I'm older than dirt).

While there are many great rulers that help quilters cut strips, and you can buy pre-cut strips of fabric, I have fallen in love with the ease of use, accuracy and speed that I get when I cut strips with an AccuQuilt.  It works great for cutting multiple layers of fabric at the same time, but I also love how I can lay scraps of fabric, of various sizes, and get usable strips.

I'm now a collector of scraps of just about any size.  I group these scraps in themes, or colors, and cut them using the AccuQuilt.  Today, I cut Christmas Fabrics from my stash using  the 2 1/2" strip die.  The 2 1/2" strip die is also the most popular AccuQuilt die too! I can certainly understand why, as there are so many great designs you can make using this die.




















I had won a lovely collection of Fat Quarters from Ebony Love (Love Bug Studios).  Didn't Ebony do a great job folding this fabric into a cute Christmas tree?  Thank you Ebony, as now I'm off to make another charity quilt (with a Christmas theme).

Ebony's fabrics bred with my stash, and I ended up with a wonderful collection of 2.5" strips of various sizes.  I'm now shopping for a focal green fabric to add to these strips, to make this new strip quilt pattern from Cozy Designs.  It is called Diamond Double Cardstock.  I think this pattern would work in a variety of color pallettes.  And, I'm going to make this lovely design with my Christmas fabrics (and a focal green where the bright blue is).

Did you know that AccuQuilt has released three new strip dies (1", 2 1/4" and 4 1/2") this summer.  They have a great collection of strip dies that will cut 1", 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/4", 2 1/2", 3", and 4 1/2" strips.  

There are so many amazing designs that you can make using these strip dies and they certainly help to make beautiful quilts fast.  Plus, you can make your own strip bundles and give as gifts.  Yeap, a homemade jelly roll makes a yummy gift.

If you have a favorite strip size (e.g. 2 1/2", 4 1/2", etc.)  and/or a favorite strip quilt pattern or book, I'd love to hear your insights.