Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Books

What’s on My Design Wall

My design wall is still not back up on the wall from last week’s retreat. For that matter, I’m having difficult moving around in my sewing room. Stuff is piled up every where. It has not, however prevented me from basic piecing. All of my Carolina Christmas blocks are done.

Last week I picked up several books from the library (I love my library — ‘quilting’ returns 1746 listings) including Saving the Scraps – Great Quilts from Small Bits by Gayle Bong. I think there are 4 quilts that I would like to make in this book, so I think I’ll be buying it for my personal library. The block pictured above is 1/4 of a block for Fractured Diamonds.

Having made one unit, it going to go into my orphan quilt block box (which is almost as stuffed as the sting box). I don’t really want to start a new quilt right now — too many quilts waiting for me to complete.

See if anyone has started something new or if they are working on their UFOs by checking out the links at Patchwork Times.

Kansas Troubles Stash Society


Last night was the Kansas Troubles Stash Society meeting at Prairie Point Quilts. There are five of us which generally attend the meeting together, but forces were working such that I’m the only one who made it to the meeting, and then just barely.

I got out of the house in time to run by the library to pick up Part One of Diana Gabaldon’s Voyager and grab a bite to eat at the Sonic across the street before going to the meeting. While I was waiting for my food, I popped in the first disk and started listening to the book. When I got ready to leave, the engine wouldn’t turn over. Apparently, between the cold and leaving the lights while waiting on my food, my old battery couldn’t take it. So, I called my husband to the rescue. We jumped my car off, swapped vehicles, he went home and I got to the meeting about 5 minutes late.

Lots of great quilts using Kansas Troubles fabrics both in KTQ patterns and other patterns. There were two pattern books which caught my eye. Scrap-Basket Surprises by Kim Brackett and Positively Pineapple by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith. I’ve looked at Scrap-Basket Surprises a number of times, but I haven’t gotten to the point of purchase. Tonight was no different. I’m not sure what is holding me back, except for my pile of UFOs and more patterns in my personal library than I’ll ever get around to making.

Positively Pineapple came closer. There was a quilt with 2 1/2″ strips and another with 1 1/2″ strips. Neither the book nor ruler came home tonight, but I do have the book on reserve at the library. After I look at it closer we’ll see if it makes the cut the next time I have a bit of book money.

What did come home with me? Just those 4 eighth yard cuts — which were paid for back in January or February.

So tell me, does it count as a new project if I make a sample block, or if I’m using strips from my pre-cut bins?