Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Challenges

Goals for the Week of May 19, 2025

May 19, 2025 11:51 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

I did not hit all my goals, but I made significant progress.

  • Finish the Compass Star quilts — quilt it, bind it, and label it. -It’s quilted and trimmed.

  • At least piece the Dragonfly Dance Wall Hanging – Bonus if I can get it quilted and a hanging sleeve on it. — It is pieced.
  • Keep the tables cleared. –So far so good. 
  • Make a quilt hanging rod for the breakfast room.  – I thought I wanted to paint the rod the same color as the wall, but I think I’m going to pass.

So what on the list for this week?

  • Label & Bind Compass Lone Star
  • Quilt, Label & Bind Dragonfly Dance
  • Move into the Kitchen!

There haven’t been any pictures of the Kitchen since the floors were put down as it went from gorgeous to a mess.  But the appliances are installed & the cabinet pulls and knobs are installed.  Today they are painting more trim and doing touch up paint. Later this week the vent hood will be installed.  I need to do a good wipe down of the cabinets to get the dust out, then start washing dishes so I can put them away.

Posted in: 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO, Compass Star, DragonflyDanceWallhanging, goals, House, Panels

Compass Star Quilting Progress

May 15, 2025 10:28 am ⋅ 1 Comment ⋅

After a late start to quilting last night, I finished the Lemoyne Star on the left and got the one on the right quilted.  It takes about 20 minutes to stitch out the block and a sashing.  There are 10 start and stops in each block.  I can’t tell you how long it takes me to setup the quilting.  I do push pins around each of the setting pieces and sashing, then drop the motifs into position.  I don’t have to resize them each time, but I do have to adjust them to fit my block.

The quilting in the corners of the center did not fit.  So I used my morph tool and adjusted the first quarter until it was all on the background.  Once sized, I copied and flipped it for the other side.  My star is not centered, so there was still a bit of manipulation.  For the star points I cut out just one section of the pattern, dropped into my shape, then tweaked the size until it fit.  I pleased with how it’s working.  I do need to do a little fill work on the sides of the diamonds  there is about 3″ x 6″ which has no quilting in it.  I’ll roll the quilt back after I get the rest of the center quilted.

Tonight I’ll roll the quilt so I can do the middle Lemoyne Stars and the next two diamonds.  Hopefully I’ll get started early enough I can do the bottom 3 points as well.  My goal is to have the quilt done by Sunday night.

 

Posted in: 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO, Compass Star

Progress on Compass Lone Star

May 10, 2025 9:43 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Last night’s progress saw me get the inner border attached and the top 3 center stars attached to main body of the quilt.  Silly me — I thought I’d put the borders together mathematically. I failed to take into consideration that I was terrified to trim the center.  I finally trimmed two edges leaving the width of the fabric alone.  Now I need 2 7/8″ sashing instead of 2 1/2″ I originally cut sewed.  Easy enough fix.  I must have bought 10 yards of the backing fabric.  I have two 4 yard pieces and a piece of selvage that is 16″ wide and at least 2 yards long before I started cutting it for sashing.

For the inner border I’m using Hampton Road by April Cornell in yellow.  I must have purchased it in 2005, as I started the quilt in January 2006.  The first pictures I have of the quilt have a 1/3/2006 time stamp.  Hum…given it’s is laying on a white sheet instead of the blue batik, maybe I didn’t get the fabric until I had already started the quilt.

 

I do remember not wanting to start anything new until I had some of my UFOs under control. At that time I was keeping them on a paper list and split them into 2 categories — Works in Progress and Tops to Quilt as the number exceeded 100. I’m happy to report that the # of tops is now to 10 and the WIP is now down to 36.  This is now my 3rd oldest UFO.

I hope to get this WIP move to the Tops list by end of the day, so I need to get into the Quilt Studio.

Posted in: 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO, Compass Star

What I’m Working on Wednesday – 5/7/25

May 7, 2025 10:43 am ⋅ 1 Comment ⋅

Since all the binding is done, my current focus is the Compass Lone Star.  There has to be a better way to make those Lemoyne Star blocks, but I’m working with what I started with back in 2006.  Pieces are already cut and there’s been some assembly.

While I’m stitching these blocks, I’m making 9-patches as my leader and enders.

At Quilters By Hearts Desire a couple of years ago we had an ongoing color theory program and we swapped 5″ squares of a specified color each month.  I’m using my squares and some muslin to make these little 9-patches.  I have a vague idea of what I’m going to do with them, but I need to get them made first.

Both the Compass Lone Star and the Rainbow Charm Swap quilts are on my 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO list.  The star is also on my Mississippi Quilt Association UFO list as well.

In other news, my cabinet are painted and now they are working on the rest of the kitchen/breakfast room/laundry room. I love the color, but can’t wait to see it finished.

Posted in: 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO, charms, Compass Star, designwall, House, Rainbow Challenge

Cross Another One Off

April 29, 2025 10:17 pm ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

This is Illusions, a ‘3-yard’ quilt that I made larger.  I don’t remember how much extra fabric I used, and I think I used all of the bubble and the orange.  I made the top at the Brandon Quilters retreat last fall, and quilted it November. It’s been sitting in the binding pile since then.

  • Started 9/19/24
  • Finished 4/29/25
  • Size 67 x 89
  • E2E Bubbles with no size changes.
  • 3+ bobbins of Glide 40 wt in Sand.

This quilt is on my 2025 Brandon Quilter’s UFO Challenge list.

 

Posted in: 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO, goals, Illusions

Three Finishes

April 29, 2025 4:32 pm ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

It’s only Tuesday and I have 3 finishes!

First up is Blue Waters.  It’s one of the of  my 2024 Brandon Quilters Block of the Month quilts.  It’s been waiting to be bound since either August or September.  I have 2 different dates in my notes.

  • Started 12/9/23
  • Finished 4/27/25
  • Size: 66″ x 83″
  • Used 2+ bobbins of Glide 40wt in Mercury
  • B2B (border to border) Bubbles

Next is one the Brandon Quilters President’s Challenge quilts.

I brought the blocks home after the April meeting. I just assembled, quilted and bound the quilt.

  • Started from blocks 4/26/25
  • Finished 4/27/25
  • Size: 40″ x 56″
  • 1 bobbin of Glide in Passion
  • E2E design – Espallier increased in height to 19″.

Finally, my Blooming 9-Patch that I’m calling Dragonfly Garden.  

This was a sew along with the Gulf States Quilt Association. I didn’t get the top done before the meeting, but I finished it in less than a month.  All the fabric, including the backing came from stash.

  • Started 4/3/25
  • Finished 4/28/25
  • Size: 75″ x 92″
  • 4 bobbins of Glide in Magic Mint
  • E2E design – Dragonfly Dance, enlarged to 15″ tall

Posted in: 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO, Blooming 9-patch, Blue Waters, Dragonfly Garden, QBHD President Challenge

A Busy Weekend – Stash Report, a Finish, and This Week’s Goals

February 11, 2025 3:22 pm ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

This past weekend was jam packed.  Friday I was waiting on a package and finishing the binding on a quilt before driving to Hattiesburg to the MQA meeting.  Saturday after the meeting, I headed home and stopped at Ritzy Quilting. Sunday I went back to Hattiesburg as I left something at the hotel. When I got home I watched “my team” get soundly defeated in the big game. Monday, I cleaned and cooked as I hosted Bunco. So, let’s start with the Stash Report which I planned to post on Friday.

Stash Report

I cut out more of the Little Laura Notebooks and as of Friday, no new fabric added to my stash.

Fabric Added Since Last Report: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date:  1 yards

Fabric Used Since Last Report: 1.25 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 7.875 yards

Net Fabric Stash: -6.875 yard

A Finish!

This is another variation of the 2024 Brandon Quilters Block of the Month.  I call this one Framed.  All I needed to do was bind and label it.  It’s on my Brandon Quilters UFO list, MQA UFO List, and 2 other online UFO lists.

  • Started 2/4/24
  • Finished 2/7/25
  • 74″ x 92″
  • Glide 40wt in Magic Mint
  • Fresco Feathers
  • Legacy 80/20 batting
  • Made for the program “Got Blocks? Now What?”

Weekly Goals

Last week there were 3 goals

  • Get Framed bound – DONE
  • I have 10 more notebook covers prepped.
  • Living on Cornbread — I need to go pick up another layer cake on Friday.  – Picked it up Saturday.

As expected all I got done on the Living on Cornbread was picking up the layer cake on my way home from the MQA meeting. The extra trip to Hattiesburg kept me from the sewing machine Sunday before the game.

Goals for the Week of 2/10/2025

  • Finish the notebook covers.
  • Bind the BQ 2024 BOM Blue Waters
  • Quilt Cindy’s Pizza Box Quilt
  • Prep Clues 4 & 5 of the BQ 2025 Mystery Quilt
  • Make 10 sets of corners for Living on Cornbread
  • Bind Illusions

Looking at this it seems like a lot – tonight I have to finish the newsletter for Quilters By Hearts Desire, so I can’t really get started until tomorrow. But there’s nothing on my calendar for this weekend.  I want to get as much done as I can, as I’m not certain when my brother will be here.

 

Posted in: 2024 Brandon Quilter, 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO, Framed, Illusions, Lauras Little Notebook, Living on Cornbread, Longarm, mystery quilts, Stash Busting Report

More Goals for 2025

January 27, 2025 6:00 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Last week I outlined my Brandon Quilters UFO List. As mentioned I have a few more goals for the year. The first category is Quilts Not Yet Started.  Since some of these are WHIMMs (works hidden in my mind) I don’t have a lot of pictures.

Quilts Not Yet Started

  • 2025 Brandon Mystery Quilt – 2 or 3 versions since I’m writing the pattern and doing the testing.
  • Crescendo – It’s a bargello quilt using So Boho Blooms (far right in the photo above)
  • Another pair of Quilted Sneakers – this pair pieced
  • Quilted Baseball Cap
  • Living on Cornbread  – I’ve started this quilt (middle in photo above)
  • A Vintage Christmas Sampler by Kansas Trouble Quilts  – the kit will arrive in May or June.
  • Autumn on the Trace this will be a jelly roll race style quilt in fall colors. I was inspired by my drive to sneaker class in October
  • Ladder to the Stars – made with 4 1/2″ blocks

Other

  • Laura’s Little Notebook Covers – 12 are needed in February and 14 in December
  • 20 Zipper Bags
  • A dress for me!
  • A Heart ornament for the Quilters By Heart Desire Ornament Exchange

Pick at least One from Each Category

  • Quilt Kit
  • Small Project (lanyard, bag, pouch, etc.)
  • Panel Project

Unknown

  • Something I find from my travels

Tomorrow I’ll post this week’s goals and how I did on last week’s goals.

Posted in: Challenges, goals

The Rest of the 2024 Finishes

January 26, 2025 6:00 am ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

The finishes continued in August, starting with the 2023 Quilters by Hearts Desire President’s Challenge.

  • Started 2023  Finished 2024
  • 18″ x 24″
  • Glide 40wt in Strawberry Blond
  • Overlapping Crop Circles
  • Legacy 80/20 batting
  • Mine, hanging in my Quilt Studio

I made another Double 4-Patch table runner as a shop display.  This one from Wild Wander and Grunge.

  • Started 8/24/24 – Finished 8/26/24
  • 12-1/2″ x 48″
  • Thread – unknown
  • Straight line on the domestic machine
  • Legacy 80/20 batting
  • Mine, currently hanging in the shop

I bought the leaf blocks and background fabric at the Guild auction.  The blocks are set inspired by Bonnie Hunter’s Dancing Nine-Patch. I call this quilt Falling Leaves.

  • Finished 9/4/2024
  • 55″ x 69″
  • Glide 40wt in Strawberry Blond
  • Edge to Edge – Ground Cover
  • Legacy 80/20 batting
  • Mine

This Field and Furrows layout of the Brandon Quilters 2024 Block of the Month was the first of 6 layouts that I finished for a presentation on block layouts.

  • Started 12/9/2023 Finished 9/5/2024
  • 74″ x 74″
  • Glide 40wt in Magic Mint
  • a variety of computerized motifs, ruler work and free-motion
  • Legacy 80/20 batting
  • Mine

The 2nd BOM I finished is So Sweet.  When I took it off the machine I kept saying this is “So sweet”. It was inspired by Scott A. Flanagan’s “Sail Away Sampler”  in Annie’s Quilting Mix & Match Sampler Settings.

  • Started 12/9/2023 Finished 9/7/2024
  • 72″ x 93″
  • Glide 40wt in Cotton Candy
  • Edge to Edge – Fresco Feathers
  • Legacy 80/20 batting
  • Mine

This is “A Modern Twist”. I spotted as similar layout on the blog PolkaDotChair. I found a great E2E design from Urban Elementz.

  • Started 12/9/2023 Finished 9/8/2024
  • 74″ x 74″
  • Glide 40wt in either Linen or Cream
  • Edge to Edge – Square Cut
  • Legacy 80/20 batting
  • Mine

I had a a dead-line of September 9th for the Block of the Month quilts. 2 more are quilted, but did not get bound and I had a 3rd which still needs to be assembled. So, it was a relief to work on something new a the quilt retreat.

The pattern for these little bags are the  Helpful Heifer Tinker Bags from The Quilted Cow.  My kit made 4, but after making 2 of them, I decided I’d rather use the fabric for a Laura’s Little Notebook cover.  These were made September 21, 2024.

This is Laura’s Little Notebook Cover, another Helpful Heifer pattern. They work up quickly you can easily get 4 from 2 fat quarters and if you are careful you can get 5.  I also made this September 21, 2024.

The morning of October 14th one of the quilt shops in Kansas City posted a picture of the Quilted Sneakers. By noon, I had located a class “near me” – 350 miles away — and was signed up. I took the class on October 26th where I finished the first shoe.  I finished the 2nd shoe after I got home the next day – October 27, 2024.  Naturally I showed them at the Mississippi Quilters Association’s Fall Gathering and both guild meetings where there was a lot of interest in them.

So I made a second pair and will be teaching two classes at Ritzy Quilting Company on March 28th a& 29th. I started this pair on December 15th and finished them on December 26th.

That’s 18 finishes for the year 2024.

Also during 2024 I did 2 presentations to the quilt guild – one on Orphan Blocks and another on Block Sets (thus the multiple BOM quilts). I finished making all the HST for Riviana, but misplaces 60 of them! I started another BOM, but got hung up on how to set it so that’s on this years UFO list. And I finally figured out how to set the snowmen blocks. I didn’t quite get the top finished, but it was close. It was my first finish of 2025.

 

 

 

Posted in: 2024 Brandon Quilter, Double 4-Patch Table Runner, Falling Leaves, Lauras Little Notebook, QBHD President Challenge, Quilted Sneakers, Quilts ⋅ Tagged:

Setting Quilting Goals – 2025 UFO List

January 20, 2025 12:14 am ⋅

2025 Brandon Quilters UFOs

Last year I turned in a small UFO list — I think there were 4 items on it since I knew I was planning on 5 different versions of the Brandon Quilters Block of the Month.  With the remodeling taking place and my trip to Scotland for the most part quilting did not happen until the 2nd half of the year and it was all what HAD to be done instead of what struck my fancy.  Do not get me wrong, I wanted to make those 5 quilts. It was my decision, it’s just that I was frustrated that there was no time to do any thing else.

This year I want to avoid cramming all the quilting the last 6 months of the year. There is remodeling this year – my kitchen! A trip this summer – The Kansas City Quilt Festival, speaking at Candlelight Quilters in Raytown, Missouri, the Iowa State Quilt Museum and the Minnesota State Quilt Show.  Plus I’m still President of the Brandon Quilters and Secretary of Quilters By Hearts Desire and a member of the Mississippi Quilt Association, Gulf States Quilt Association. I’m ballroom dancing 3 – 4 times a month, play Bunco once a month and still working full time.

My goal this year is to finish projects which were started in the past, start & finish some new quilts/quilted items I’ve identified, make a few non-quilted items, pick a few projects from my kits, small projects and panels and still allow for the unknown — maybe something from my travels. For now, here is my 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO list.  I’ve already finished one item!

  1. 2020 Candlelight Snowman Swap – Finished 1/12/25
  2. BQ 2024 BOM Framed – needs binding
  3. BQ 2024 BOM Blue Waters – needs binding
  4. Compass Lone Star – still piecing
  5. Kandy Korn Kitty – finish applique
  6. Yellow & Green Illusions – needs binding
  7. Retreat Jelly Roll – needs binding
  8. Auction Top – quilt
  9. BQ 2024 BOM Grunge – needs assembling
  10. Music Jelly Roll – top needs finishing
  11. 2022 QBHD Color Theory – still piecing
  12. Rivanna – assemble blocks

 

Posted in: 2025 Brandon Quilters UFO, Challenges