Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Rivanna

What I’m Working on Wednesday – 3/4/26

It’s late Thursday afternoon. I received a call Wednesday from my LQS asking me to cut more shop hop block kits, so that’s all I did yesterday, but prior to that I was working in my 2 1/2″ scraps.  I contained my strips, then started in on my bricks and squares. I really thought I had a “ton” and needed to find a pattern to use them up. (No, I have not finished Scrappy Bargello).

After separating the squares from the rectangles it’s not as overwhelming, but none the less, I’ve found two patterns.

The first the potato chip block. All rectangles.  I started pulling the light rectangles.  I need 180 light rectangles and I only have 90.  I’ve bagged them, putting them and the pattern in the box for later.

I regrouped, and looked at my squares.  This is a take on a free Fat Quarter Shop table runner. I’ve pulled yardage for the background and stared sorting the squares by color.  As I needed to clear the tables to work on the shop hop blocks, I have no idea if I have enough squares precut.  For now, I’ve put the pattern in the box and the yardage back on the shelf.

Which brings me back to Scrappy Bargello.  The shop hop blocks are kitted and will be taken to the shop in the morning, so this evening I plan on working on this quilt and continuing Rivianna as my leader/ender. Who knows, I might even get Eclipse bound this weekend.

March Quilting Goals

My quilting goals for March start with binding Eclipse.  This was on my February list, but I ran out of time.

The quilt of the month is my Disappearing Hourglass. I would love to have it finished by the 16th.

The 2026 Brandon Quilters President Challenge is pillowcases. I’ve had these cut out since 2018 and haven’t got them put together.  Now is the time.

While I’m piecing on the machine, I’ll move Riviana forward as my Leader/Ender project.

Handwork Tuesday will continue.

One hoop of redwork  – I didn’t realized how far along I was on this panel until I folded it to take this picture.

I have 9 stars cut out, ready to go. I’d love to get 10 stitched for my Star a Day quilt.

On my hexie project, I need to finish the neutral row, add a row of blue hexies then attach it to the center.

4th Saturday BOM

The goal is to get the next block done and attach this section to the first section.

5th Sunday/Monday

This month there’s an “extra” Sunday and Monday.  As near as I can tell, I just have this Ribbon Star block to piece then the center star before I can start assembling the quilt.

It’s a lot, but I will be going to a 2 day retreat, so I don’t think it is impossible.  But first – I’ve got to make some binding!

What I’m Working on Wednesday – 02/25/2026

First a Handwork Tuesday update.  I stitched a few more hexies.  I should have been working on my Star-A-Day. I still have a few days to get this month’s star completed.

No, I do not have the border on Eclipse. This is not hard, but I got distracted by the Disappearing Hourglass.

This year’s continuing segment is disappearing blocks. In February I presented the Disappearing Hourglass.  My sample blocks used 6″ squares cut from scraps, but I have a 28-piece layer cake that I want to use.

I bought 2 1/2 yards of Grunge in Paper White to use for the background and an inner border and made my first block last night.

I followed the Missouri Star tutorial which mean all my edges are on the bias. I just have to be careful not to stretch the blocks when I’m handling them.  This block came out at 11 1/2″.

My final report is that Riviana is being assembled. I made “thousands” of HST as my leader/ender project starting in August 2022. I can’t remember If I finished making them the end of 2023 or 2024. but I knew I had misplaced 60 HST. which put a damper on things.  Apparently I’ve made extra HST, as still have enough to finish the quilt.  So now I’m using the split 9-patches as my leader/ender. This could take a while.

What I’m Working on Wednesday – 2/11/26

I’m a little all over the place this week.  In the top left are my Rivanna 9-patch units that I’m building as my leader/ender. The green and white comes from stack of scraps my sister left for me.  We are doing an on-going series of Disappearing Blocks at the Quilters By Hearts Desire Meeting and this month is Disappearing Hour Glass.

The pink, lavender and white is Eclipse,  5 yard quilt that I enlarged. I really would like to get it finished this week, but I’m not holding my breath.

The turquoise and gray is the 2nd section of Just Takes Two. It’s hanging out as a reminder to work on it this upcoming 4th Saturday.

Finally in the middle is my hand work hexie project.  It doesn’t looks like much now, but I promise it’s going somewhere. – slowly.  I have hexies cut that I need to prep for the section I’m working on. It’s actually pined on the wall in the wrong location, but that’s where it fit.

 

A Few Busy Weeks

These are not my quilts.  My sister came to visit to use the long arm and stay with me after surgery. In the 3 weeks she was here she put in 1,064,708 stitches on the longarm and used 25 + yards of batting.  With the exception of the table runner on the right which just needed binding, the rest were quilted and bound while she was here. Two of the t-shirt quilts (the one with the pink shirt and the one with the ‘safety’ shirt) were pieced. Additionally, she quilted & bound the table runner shown below.

So, what have I been doing?

Over the weekend, I finished piecing the squares for Eclipse.  I have 2 rows sewn together. I hope to get it finished this week. I also pulled out Rivanna and I’m piecing 9-patch sections as my leader/ender. Once Eclipse is a top, Rivanna will become my main project and the Color/Netural 9-patches will slide back as my leader/enders. I just have blue, turquoise and purple squares to go.

On the handwork front, I added the blue hexie to the ‘wing’ and attached the wing to the center.  I need to find a different size needle to work with that doesn’t stress my hand. The next time I pick up this project I’ll be prepping the hexies. Over the weekend I cut more light, pink and blue. I have enough green to make the round. I just need to decide if I’m going to do the round, or do another ‘wing’.

I also need to deal with this pile of fabric. It’s stuff my sister left for me.

Catching Up

The time simply has gotten away from me.  Between work, quilting and filling in at my friend’s shop, blogging has fallen to the bottom of the list of things to do.  First up, the August Stash Report.

The Stash Report

Fabric Added Since Last Report: 13.759 yards
Fabric Added to Date:  194.442 yards

Fabric Used Since Last Report: 32.67 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 147.139 yards

Net Fabric Stash: 47.303 yards

So did I meet the the August Goals? Some of them.

    • Finish Cascades. It just needs the borders before it can be quilted. – It still needs borders.
    • Keep up with the KTQ A Vintage Sampler Quilt Quilt along.  I’m currently 2 blocks behind. Looking at the schedule we should finish the top by the end of the month. – Quilted!
    • Monterrey Medallions.  I’d like to get the blocks made for this quilt. – In progress.
    • Sheryl. I just need to sew the binding strips together and get this one bound. – Still waiting
    • Auction Quilt Top. It’s a bad picture, but I need to rip out what little quilting I’ve done. – Still needs ripping
    • Shop Samples.  Yes there are two quilts in the picture and I want them done by Monday! Guess what I’m doing first? – Accomplished!
    • There is a customer quilt on the frame. I should get it done tonight – I don’t think there are any thunderstorms expected. – Accomplished!
    • Decoupage fabric to glass for a friend. – Accomplished! 
    • Prepare the mystery quilt clues (the next one is due Monday!) – Accomplished!

This is my Vintage Christmas Sampler by Kansas Troubles Quilters.  I caught up, got the borders on and even got it quilted over the long weekend.  It was promptly put in the stack to be bound and I started Monterrey Medallions. There are 4 different blocks in this quilt – the center star, Woodpile, Floating Stars and Jacob’s Ladder blocks. The floating stars are up next.

So what’s on the agenda for September?

  • Finishing instructions for the guild Mystery Quilt
  • Finish customer quilt which is on the frame
  • Borders and quilt Cascade
  • Finish and quilt Monterrey Medallions
  • Quilt Ruby’s Vintage Christmas Sampler
  • Mini Bow Tucks
  • Kit Clara
  • 20 Zipper Bags (take to retreat)
  • Rip out quilting from Auction Quilt
  • Kandy Korn Kitty Top  (take to retreat)
  • Assemble Riviana (take to retreat)
  • Bind Vintage Christmas Sampler
  • Bind Sheryl

I’m thinking some of this is not going to get done this month.

 

What’s on My Design Wall

This is a photo I took Saturday afternoon.  Friday night I was cutting fabric for a couple of new quilts and cut something wrong, so I decided I needed to focus.

Clockwise, starting on the long arm

  1. Christmas Star Swap on the long arm
  2. Squedge 18 degree tablerunner on the design wall
  3. Community Quilt for Brandon Quilters (brown bag on floor by design wall)
  4. Auction Quilt from Brandon Quilters (butterfly bag on floor by design wall)
  5. Postage Stamp Leader/Ender because I need to cut more HST for Rivanna (brown bin)
  6. Pink, Green, & Purple Quilted Sweatshirt
  7. An old sheet to make some body pillow cases
  8. Fairy Frost Sunset pillowcase and remaining fabric to process
  9. Christmas Star Swap pillowcases & binding fabric
  10. HSTs for Rivanna
  11. Kimberly from Stripology 3
  12. Tara from Stripology 3
  13. Crystal from Stripology 3

So this is the progress I made over the weekend.  I’ve left the numbers the same, but obviously stuff has been moved around.

  1.  Christmas Star Swap is off the frame and trimmed.  Not only that, I have the binding cut (it’s on the far side of the sewing machine) and most the trimmings have been processed.
  2.  Squedge 18 table runner is now a top. There is a pile of fabric on the corner of the ironing board that is for the backing and binding.  I counted wrong and have some extra wedge pieces, so I may end up making either a square table topper or a pillow.
  3. The Community Quilt is still waiting to be quilted.
  4. The Auction Quilt will be up next on the longarm.
  5. Postage Stamp Leader/Ender. It’s put away.  I only sew use the 1-1/2″ squares as my L/E when I don’t have another L/E project going on.
  6. Pink, Green, and Purple Quilted Sweatshirt is still waiting to be finished — I don’t need it until September, so I have some time.
  7. An old sheet to make some body pillow cases – I’ll work on it after I get the Christmas quilt bound while the longarm is running.
  8. Fairy Frost Sunset pillowcase is pinned to the design wall.  The extra fabric is processed and put away.
  9. Christmas Star Swap pillowcase and extra binding if I need it. I won’t make it until after the quilt is bound in case I need more fabric for the binding.
  10. HST for Rivanna.  I trimmed the 60+ HST which were sewn, then cut another 240, which should keep me going for a while.
  11. Kimberly from Stripology 3 – 4 of the 14 fabrics are cut
  12. Tara from Stripology 3 – 4 of the 14 fabrics are cut
  13. Crystal from Stripology 3 – I’ll the fabric for this quilt after I get the rest of the fabric cut.

 

As I was recording my most recent purchases I realized I missed the April Stash Report.

A Whirlwind Trip

Last Thursday morning my SIL and I headed off to the Kansas City metro area.  The occasion?  The start of Hunter Quilt Marts Customer Appreciation sale where everything in the store is 25% off. (I’m not sure is that is true for sewing machines and longarms).  I was in need of quilt batting.  I’m down to about 9 yards on my king roll and maybe 9 yards on my queen roll.

After 12 hours switching off the driving every few hours we arrived at my brother’s just outside of Ottawa (KS).  We visited that evening and Friday morning. We then headed toward the city where I visited with a friend from my previous guild for a few minutes — she was holding some quilt books for me (will do a post on those books) and we did another small task that I cannot do here in Mississippi. Then we kept driving north to St Joseph (MO) where we visited with my sister who had quilts I had purchased from a guild members estate via proxy. We spent the night, heading to bed early so we could get to Hunters Quilt Mart in Centerview (MO).

The goal was to get there by 10:15 or so because we wanted to leave by Noon so we could get to another shop before they closed.  We got there at 10:45.  Oops.

We both had lists.  Ruby started with her notions and notions she remembered from my list.  I headed to the thread.

All of these are Glide 40wt thread which stitches beautifully with no tension issues.  Cool Gray 7, Mercury, Biscotti, Magic Mint, Grape, Salmon, Strawberry Blonde, and Yellow Whisper. All of these are replacement cones except for Salmon and Yellow Whisper.

As for the notions, I picked up needles for the longarm, an 8″ rotating mat, a Hot Ruler, a tube of bobbins, 2 backlash springs for my bobbin case, a new ruler and small snips.  The small snips were not on my list.  They did not have the Brother bobbins for my sewing machine in stock, but now I know exactly what I’m looking for.

That just left backings – not that any of these quilts are finished (or started in some cases).  At the top left is the backing for my Quartered Squared quilt which I haven’t started. In the middle is the backing for Cascade which clearly hasn’t been started.  At the top right is the backing for my Rivanna which is my current leader/ender project. I have just over half of the HST made for it.   That’s the left over FQs sitting on top of it.  At the bottom is the backing for Star Studded, a BOM I started in 2019.  It turns out I only have to made the center star and assemble it.

Although the batiks were calling to me, I remained strong and stopped shopping.  We checked out, stopped by the batting and told them what we bought and headed to the car to unload it so we could load the batting.  A Honda CRV has more cargo room than my Nissan Cube.  The same amount of batting was brought home, but I had plenty of leg room this year and there were 2 us in the car!

Where we went next later this week.

 

 

 

 

 

Chilhowie is Ready to Quilt

I’m ready to load Chilhowie on the longarm. I just need to figure out how I’m going to quilt it. It is one row longer than Bonnie’s quilt as I want to put it on a bed. After attaching the last border, I put away all of the fabric processing the bits and pieces into my Scrap Users System. The only fabric left out is yardage for the binding and a matching pillowcase.

 

My leader/ender project this year is Rivanna. Started in August, I’m about 2/5 of from finishing all of the HST I need.

 

Meanwhile, last weekend I decided to go on a road trip to Monroe, Louisiana.  I went specifically to look at the Husqvarna sewing machines. But of course that was in a quilt shop, so a few FQ came home with me.  Eight of those pictured above are from Material Things. The other 8 are from Quilt ‘n Stitch in West Monroe.

Some yardage also came home with me.

Now off to load Chilhowie.

Design Wall Monday

 

On this first Design Wall Monday of 2023, I have a quilt top finish. This is the log cabin quilt I started piecing at the quilt retreat in September. When I packed up after the retreat half the blocks needed 3 logs and the rest just needed two logs. I got those added last week and started piecing the top New Year’s Eve.  I had the first half finished about 4 minutes before the clock struck midnight, ringing in the new year. The 2nd half of the top was finished by 11:30 PM on the 1st. Up next is the quilting.

This is the backing I’m planning on using. Now to figure out the quilting design.

As I was assembling the quilt my Rivanna HST were getting created.  At last count I had 11 bags of HST. I still have a few more of this combination, then it will be on to another fabric.  I have 2 more fabrics prepped.

 

I’ve stitched a bit more on my Faux Applique. This is a direct result of the Final Countdown Challenge over at Prairie Moon Quilts.

Chilhowie Clue 6 will be worked on this week. It’s simple enough, but I ran out of bobbin thread the night I was working on it, then got caught up with the log cabin.