Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Author Archives: Pam

I made my first quilted item as a visual aid for a math project in 7th grade. Over the next 25 years quilting was hit or miss, but quilting took over all the other crafts I've done in 2003.

Fun Mail

January 10, 2011 4:42 pm ⋅

Last week I participated in the Final Countdown Challenge at Prairie Moon Quilts.  I took my 3 oldest UFOs and have a plan for them (including ignoring one until a later time), I cleared ALL the flat surfaces in my sewing room (not that they stayed that way, but that’s another story) and I dealt with the scraps uncovered by clearing the flat surfaces.   My name was drawn as the winner for day one.

So, today even though there’s snow on the ground (and it’s been coming down all day), my mailman delivered this wonderful package from Shelly.  Right now I’m looking for a place to hang/set the Quilting  Queen sign.   I think I’m going to hang it.  I’m out of flat surfaces…..

Posted in: Challenges

What’s on my Design Wall

January 10, 2011 12:44 am ⋅

Today’s wall contains UFO # 6 – the 2008 Charm Challenge.  I found out the name of the charm pack is Shangra-La.  It is a Moda line by 3 Sisters.  I spent most of Friday evening cutting the light fabrics and part of Saturday cutting the green squares for the star points.  I ‘batched’  up 9 kits of 8 blocks each and it looks like I have a few more light pieces to cut and definitely more green squares to cut.  At the moment the plan is to make the quilt 8 blocks by 12 blocks.

This is the first time in a long time I’ve worked on just one project at a time.  I don’t have a leader/ender project going.  I’m not sure if that a good thing or a bad thing.

I hope to get this top finished by next weekend.  I have a couple of current projects which I need to make progress on this month.

See if others are working on their UFO challenges or something else by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Charm Challenge, designwall, UFO Challenge 2011

Stash Report

January 9, 2011 2:41 am ⋅

Three hours at the LQS and I still have used more fabric this year than I’ve purchased.

Saturday was the 2010 UFQ Trunk Show at Heritage Fine Fabrics.  I signed up to get 5 quilts either ready to quilt or quilted and bound – I finished 4 of the 5.  Over the year as we finished each project, we received a FQ as a reward.  At the trunk show, we receive one ticket for each finish for the drawing.  I won a $15 gift certificate.  So, there’s more fabric in my future.

My only purchase was some Lite Steam a Seam 2 for the Crossword Puzzle quilt – which doesn’t count in the stash numbers.  I also signed up for the 2011 UFQ (UnFinished Quilts) Challenge.

Ready-to-Quilt

  • 2008 Charm Challenge/Shangra-La
  • Mom’s 4-patch Stacked Posies
  • QIAD Christmas Row Quilt

Quilted and Bound

  • Miniature LeMoyne Stars
  • Crossword Puzzle
  • Blue Carolina Baby Quilt

Sorry for the distraction – back to the stash numbers:

Fabric Added this Week:  0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 0 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 3 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 4.63 yards

Net Stash for 2010: -4.63 yards

Check out other results by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Challenges, Stash Busting Report, UFOs

A Design is Found

January 6, 2011 10:35 pm ⋅

I’ve been pondering what to do with my 9-patches for UFO # 6.  Today I read this post which Bonnie wrote showing a Sister’s Choice quilt which Clare had made.  It took a while, but eventually I made the connection and decided to turn my 9-patches into Sister’s Choice blocks.

I have 2 yards of the green and a box full of lights, so I should be able to finish the top from my stash.

Now on to cut.  I need a total of 768 – 1 5/8″ green squares, 384 – 1 5/8″ light squares and 384 – 1 5/8″ x 3 7/8″ light rectangles.  I could be cutting a while.

Posted in: Charm Challenge, UFO Challenge 2011

The Easy Part is Done

January 5, 2011 10:43 pm ⋅

I’ve made all of my 9-patches. The hard part is now figuring out what to do with them.  The truth is, I didn’t have much of a plan when I started this project back in the spring of 2008.  Only a recognizable part of each charm square was required to be in the project.  I vaguely remember thinking I wanted to use as much of the charm squares as possible.  Thus my 9-patches are a weird size. I think they are supposed to finish at 3 3/8″.  There should be 4 more blocks, but I made two incorrect cuts early on and I haven’t figured out what to do about it yet.

Posted in: Charm Challenge, UFO Challenge 2011

The Year of the PIGS – Question # 1

January 5, 2011 3:30 am ⋅

Jill is hosting a support group for quilters with PIGS (Projects in Grocery Sacks) and UFOs (UnFinished Objects). The idea is every couple of weeks a question will be asked and those participating will post their response.  The first question is:

How do you store your UFOs and PIGS separate from your fabric stash?

The good news is I don’t have that many PIGS.  But as a general rule, I store all of the fabric and generally the pattern in an appropriate sized zip top or other closable clear bag.  There are a couple of exceptions to this.  I’ve got one quilt in the Priority Mail envelope it came in, one is in a Moda “lunch box”, and one is in a Chinese take-out carton (it came that way!)

The bags are then stored either in this milk crate, which is usually buried under another crate and then stuff stacked on top of it.

In my crate of UFOs.

Or for my Kansas Trouble Kits, in the Kansas Trouble fabric box.

My UFOs are stored similarly.  In clear bags in the box above, or in labeled project boxes on the top of my fabric shelves.

The project boxes may contain more than one project, if all I have are blocks.    I also have a LARGE suitcase which contains one of my quilt-as-you-go projects since I’ve got the batting with it.

My finished quilt tops waiting to be quilted are folded up  – with the binding and backing if I have it and are stored in two crates.  The crates are labeled, so when I decide it’s time to quilt one of them, I can tell before dragging the crate off the top shelf if it’s in that crate.

Check out the links over at Jill’s to see how others store their PIGS and UFOs.

P.S.  I guess I should clarify how I use the terms:

PIGS – Project In Grocery Sack – fabric and pattern stored together, but not started.  This list is short only 11 projects.

UFO – UnFinished Object – it’s been started but is not yet a quilt top.  There are 36 of these, which is why I’m participating in several UFO Challenges.

Top – some times referred to as a Flimsy. This is a quilt top waiting to be quilted.  I have 39 of these waiting to be quilted.  There are 8 on my list to quilt this year as part of various UFO Challenges, but the rest will be done when I need a quilt for a specific reason.

 

 

 

Posted in: PIGS

What’s on my Design Wall

January 3, 2011 8:18 am ⋅

This is project #6 from Judy’s UFO Challenge.  These are the blocks I had completed prior to putting up the project several years ago.  Last night I pulled them out to see what I have.  I have no idea where I’m going with this project, but there are another 68 9-patches in progress.

Check out other design walls by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Uncategorized

Stash Report

January 2, 2011 8:57 am ⋅

First report of the year (includes Dec 26th – Jan 1st).  It’s short, since I have family coming in for dinner.

Nothing in, and fabric for a pillowcase and binding out.

Fabric Added this Week:  0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 0 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 1.63 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 1.63 yards

Net Stash for 2010: -1.63 yards

Check out other results by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Stash Busting Report

January UFO Challenge

January 1, 2011 7:37 am ⋅

Judy has drawn # 6.

That means this month I’ll be either get my Charm Challenge into a top

or quilt my Scrappy 5-Patch.

Now for a bit of history on these two quilts.

For several years, my LQS, Heritage Fine Fabrics, issues a Charm Pack Challenge.  The rules are pretty simple.  Create a quilted object containing  a recognizable piece of every charm in the package.  In 2008 I  think the charm pack was a Three Sisters line.  I decided to make 9-patches using the ‘quick pieced’ method where you start off with two squares of fabric and end up with 2 9-patches.    I hadn’t thought past that point, and when I didn’t finish the 9-patches and the contest deadline passed, the pieces were set aside.

The Scrapy 5-Patch is a quilt top I completed in 2009.  It just needs quilting.  The backing and binding are folded up with the quilt top and I’m sure there’s a piece of batting big enough in my batting box (or I can piece one together).  I  just have to decide how I’m going to quilt it.  That’s where I frequently get stuck – although generally, I don’t get as far as making the binding and having the backing ready.

My brother and sister and their families are coming to dinner tomorrow, so I won’t get much quilting done this weekend.  Good thing I  have Monday off!

Good luck to all of the participants in this challenge.  I’m sure we’ll finish lots of quilts by the end of the year.

Posted in: 5-patch scraps, Charm Challenge, UFO Challenge 2011

2011 Quilting Goals

January 1, 2011 6:05 am ⋅

A new year, new quilting goals.

I’m going to try to keep it relatively simple this year.

There are 4 quilts on my “must” complete list:

  • Double Wedding Ring – this past November
  • Miniature LeMoyne Stars – Mid April
  • 2011 KWQF Mystery – Early April
  • Crossword Puzzle – Late Summer

I’m participating in Judy’s UFO Challenge 2011.  I’ve picked quilts to be quilted and quilts which need to get to the top stage.  There are 4 which I’m doing using some sort of Quilt-As-You-Go method, so they are on both lists. The UFO Challenge 2011 tab at the top of the page lists my selected projects.  It’s my goal to cross off at least one of the two projects each month.

Posted in: goals