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.

Monthly Goals


I’m thrilled that I accomplished nearly everything on my January Quilting Goal List:

  • Finish the Double Wedding Ring Top – Done 1/5
  • Quilt 4 Rings on the DWR – 1 3/4 rings Done
  • Quilt the Music Quilt – done 1/17
  • Keep up with the SBS BOS – all 4 blocks done as of 1/31
  • Make the swap blocks for Jan and Feb birthdays – done as of 1/7
  • Get the borders on Ladder to the Stars – done 1/10
  • Finish Step 4 of Carolina Christmas – done 1/23
  • Keep Scraps Cut up – done and 2 – 15 minute pressing sessions done

In addition to this, I finished a red work snowman block, and made all the blocks for my mom’s birthday quilt.

Since this is the year of the UFO, my  February Goals aren’t going to look much different.

  • Quilt 4 Rings on the DWR
  • Keep up with the SBS BOW
  • Make the March Birthday Blocks (2)
  • Finish Mom’s birthday quilt
  • Finish Step 5 of Carolina Christmas
  • Keep Scraps Cut Up
  • Work on Scrap Basket with 15 minute pressing sessions each week.

What’s On My Design Wall


Dancing Flowers came down without any additional work since I needed the wall to work on mom’s quilt. A day or two ago I put all of my completed red work blocks on the wall to see how many I’ve got completed. I’ve started a 5th block, but when I finish it, I’ll need to trace off more blocks.

Check out more design walls on Judy’s blog.

SBS Block Due 1/31


G1 – Love in the Mist

I started working on this block Friday or Saturday night, but I was having an awful time with the diamonds. One set was significantly smaller than the other. This afternoon, I looked at it again. The strips were cut the right size and the segments were cut the right size, so why was one set smaller than the other?

Turns out the angle was wrong. So, I dug into my fabric and made another strip set. This time I got the angle right and the diamonds went together well.

Stash Report


There simply was not a whole lot of quilting going on this week. I still don’t have the SBS block made (I have until midnight to get it done to enter the drawing) and I still only have the 1st row of the new quilt sewn together. However, I did finish this redwork block while I’ve been up at the rehab center with my mom.

This week’s report is as follows:

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 1.684 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 0.087 yards (20 2 1/2″ squares)
Fabric Used to Date: 15.271 yards

Net Stash for 2010: -13.587 yards

Check out how other’s are doing with their stash by hopping over to Judy’s.

Scrap Basket Progress

I love Bonnie Hunter‘s patterns. So scrappy, anything goes. I found her site several years ago. Her Scrap User’s System, along with leader/enders has enabled me to make more quilt tops (I’m still working on the getting them quilted).

About 2 years ago, when I was running out of space in my fabric boxes, I pulled fabric scrap smaller than a fat eighth out and tossed them into a scrap box. I’ve been pre-cutting strips, bricks and blocks from that pile ever since.

Last summer was down to half a basket of scraps — primarily pinks, purples and blues.

Since then, when I finish a quilt top, the binding prepared and fabric set aside for a pillowcase if I’m going to make one, I follow my pre-cutting plan and put all the fabric up. I promise I really do – but if you look at my scrap basket now, no one would believe me.

A friend started cleaning her sewing room last fall. Part of her solution was to pass her scraps to me. I love it — her choices in fabric are not necessarily things I would buy (nor the other way around) but it adds sparkle to my scrap quilts. It also filled my scrap basket. This is what it looked like on January 13th:

I’ve set a personal goal to have the basket empty by July 18th. That’s the day we reveal the progress on our goals at the quilt guild meeting. I suspect, I’ll have to spend one or two weeks between now and then doing nothing but pressing and cutting to get the basket empty, but in the meantime, I’m going to do a 15 minute pressing session each week.

However, I can tell you it takes more than 15 minutes to cut up the 15 minutes of pressing. Today I have two pictures. The first is what I got pressed in 15 minutes and the second is the end results.

Here’s the tour: top left are pairs of 5 1/2″ squares I’ll use to make jumbo yo-yos for key rings. moving to the right are 3 1/2″, 2 1/2″, 2″, 1 1/2″ strips and then strings. The letters and the fussy cut bird will end up in my panel box. Below the strips are 2 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ and 2″ x 3 1/2″ bricks and 2 1/2″ and 2″ blocks. The first pile next to the bricks and blocks are bits and pieces which don’t pre-cut nicely. They’ll end up in my crumb bucket either used in a Bonnie Hunter class in May, or sent to a quilter who does crumb quilting. Frankly, they are too small for me. That final pile is the stuff I’m going to toss out. It’s too small to even qualify as crumbs.

I know there are quilters, and I was one of them, who didn’t want to pre-cut their fabric because they might need it for something, but I wasn’t using my scraps. As a general rule I don’t applique or paper piece, so this works for me. And yes, I do make quilts using my pre-cuts. Currently I’m working on Oklahoma Backroads using the fabric from my pre-cut boxes.

Check back with me in July to see if I’m able to empty my basket.

Wind-Up for the Weekend

It’s time to figure out what I’m going to work on this weekend. Simply more of the same, with a dash of Work and a couple of visits to the hospital thrown in.

The first thing I’ll work on is this week’s Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler block. It’s due Sunday night and I haven’t started it. I’d really like to get at least one extra 30 minute session in on the DWR (2 hours total – Fri, Sat, Sun,+ extra) since I did not get all my sessions in this week. And finally, I’ll be working on the center section of the new quilt. Only one row is sewn together.

Check out the links on Tamara’s blog to see what everyone else will be working on. Oops — she doesn’t have Mr Linky setup for today yet. Must be those baby goats.

QA Wednesday

Last week’s goals

  • 30 minutes a day on the DWR — It didn’t happen Monday or Tuesday, but I’m still pleased with my progress.
  • Keep up with the Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler BOW – this past Sunday’s block was already done.
  • Finish Step 4 of Carolina Christmas — Done.
  • 15 minutes of pressing from the scrap basket then cut it up. — Done.

This week it will be more of the same:

  • 30 minutes a day on the DWR
  • 15 minutes pressing from the scrap basket — takes longer than 15 minutes to cut what I can get pressed 🙂
  • do this week’s SBS block by Sunday
  • Get the birthday quilt ready for borders.  Half the blocks are made, the other half have 1 of the snowball corners sewn, so I think I should be able to do this — unless I end up working longer than I think this weekend.

Thanks again to Bari for hosting the Quilting Accountability Challenge.

Dancing Flowers


Here’s the rest of what I have done on Dancing Flowers. There are two more flower blocks. One will have a pair of yellow flowers and the other a pair of blue flowers.

What’s On My Design Wall


This is one of the blocks from Dancing Flowers that is on my design wall. I have a picture of all the blocks I have done, but it’s on my external hard drive and I’m not at home so can’t get the picture.

This is the 2nd UFO I want to finish this year. I took an on-line class from QuiltCampus in early 2007. Yes, this is applique, and “I do not applique”. At the time I was thinking about setting some black and bright swap blocks with a vertical sashing strip with appliqued flowers. I’ve since changed my mind, but this quilt was already started. There are four blocks with appliqued flowers and the cornerstones have appliqued hearts. I have two of the blocks and the cornerstones completed. Most of the pieces are cut out and prepped for the other two blocks.

Before I do any more work on this quilt though, I need to finish the quilt I started Saturday. So in the meantime I’ll leave this on the wall and consider what I’m going to use for sashing. When I get home, I’ll try to remember to post the other picture.

To see what other quilters are working on, check out Judy’s page.

The Quilt is a Race Track


When my nephew got up from his nap he had the quilt I made him for Christmas with him. We had to convince him to put it up for dinner. Afterwards, we let him get it out and he showed me how he used it as a race track for his cars. I think he likes it.