Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Quilts

Athena is Finished

October 2, 2023 9:11 am ⋅

It’s been a busy few days.  Saturday I made an appointment to go to Ritzy Quilting Company with Ruby, my SIL.  The shop is owned by a friend and we were looking at her website when Ruby spotted some fabric that she thought would work well with s floral she got from an estate a few weeks ago. I needed a green to go with my lily fabric for a 2nd quilt from the fabric, and while I was there I picked up some additional fabrics to go with it for a 3rd quilt.

I used the 2nd green from the left in my Chain Link quilt and will bind it with this fabric as well. I have plans for 2 more of these quilts.  They go together quickly, but I found it hard to ‘square the quilt’ when it was quilted.

While this quilt was being quilted, I made binding.

One of these days I’m going to learn that I plan to get more done that I have time for.  I’m going to try to get the Auction String IV bound today, but the Orange Lily quilts will have to wait until later.  After I get back from the Quilt Guild meeting tonight, I have to go into cleaning mode as I’m hosting Bunco next Monday.  After Bunco, I have the President’s Challenge to get done by the following week for my other guild.  At that point, I have a sweater sleeve to knit so I can get my sister’s sweater finished.  Hopefully that won’t take more than a week or 2 so I can get back to quilting.  I have 2 more UFOs to finish by December 4th, and I’d like to get one more quilt made from the Lily Fabric. I think I still have 6 1/2 yards left.

So back to Athena.

It is quilted using Glide in Buttercup. The quilting motif is “Sports”. I enlarged the E2E design to 20″ tall. There is less than 2 bobbins of thread in this 57 x 71 quilt.  I started the quilt on 1/26/22 and finished it 10/1/23. The quilt pattern is Athena from GE Designs Stripology 2, but I switched up the colors a bit. Instead of a 2 color quilt, I made mine 3. I had purple strips and squares, neutral strips and yellow squares.

Posted in: 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO, Athena, Chain Link

Keeping the Momentum Going

September 28, 2023 12:33 am ⋅

Since I’ve gotten back from the retreat, I’ve kept the momentum going.  There are 4 more quilts on my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO list and 2 of them are one step closer. My goal is to show them Monday night at the meeting.  First up is Auction Strings IV.  For this one I used Strawberry Blond thread and Overlapping Crop Circles.  The backing is a wide back I picked up in April. The binding is cut (turquois with a cheddar flange) and needs to be made.

LSU Athena is next on the list. For this quilt i used Buttercup thread and a sports motif quilting design. Originally I planned to use the LSU fabric as the outer border, but I like the tiger stripe better, so the LSU fabric ended up on the back.  I have enough fabric to make a pillowcase to go with this quilt.  The binding will be in the tiger stripe with a purple flange, just to make it easer to stitch down.

The most recent top is the Orange Lily Garden Lattice.

It is ready to load on the longarm as soon as I get the backing pieced.  Since I have so much of the lily fabric, the backing will be the same as the main fabric.  After cutting the backing, I counted folds.  I think I still have 7 1/2 – 8 yards of fabric left.  I have another quick quilt in mind, but before I can start it, I need to get the bindings on all of these quilts.

And because I sat down to write this post on the 27th, a picture of my babies.  Butterscotch (R) and Gracie (L). Today was their ‘gotcha day’ anniversary.  I can’t believe it’s been 9 years.

Posted in: 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO, Athena, Auction Strings, Butterscotch, Garden Lattice, Gracie

Weekend Quilt Retreat

September 25, 2023 9:01 am ⋅

This past weekend was Brandon Quilters annual retreat at Lake Tiak O’Khata.  A great time was had by all.

After I had committed to attend the retreat, I found out that I needed to work this weekend.  Fortunately it was for just an hour each Friday night and Sunday morning and I work remotely, so it didn’t diminish the fun too much.

The first project I finished was Auction Strings IV.  This is the last of the string blocks I purchased at auction back in 2018. I just needed to add the setting corner squares and the borders.

I pulled Athena out next.  This is from GE Designs Stripology 2.  Shortly after I moved to Mississippi I started this quilt, but it got put away after the work on the house started in earnest. I had 16 of the 48 blocks made, but all the fabric cut. It is made by piecing strips around a center square then making 3 diagonal cuts through the block. The pieces are then mixed up and sewn back together again.  Then the trimming begins. One that’s done, the top comes together quickly.  I put it away at this point, as I forgot I had not bought, let alone brought with me the inner border fabric. I did make a run to a LQS and purchased fabric for the border, so I hope to get it finished this week.

I always bring way too much with me to work on, so I had to choose what to work on next.  My rainbow charm swap or something new.  I picked something new. All of this fabric came from the estate of former guild member. It went together so fast.  I plan to get the border done on this quilt this week as well.

Posted in: Athena, Auction Strings, Garden Lattice

Stash Enhancing

September 11, 2023 9:38 am ⋅

Saturday morning I had the opportunity to add to my stash from the estate of a local quilter. There was so much to chose from and as I understand it by the time I got there there was a ton of stuff which had already been hauled out. There was still plenty left, but I didn’t know where I would put it and I just didn’t know what I’d make.

From the haul, I’ve pulled these fabrics.  That flower is 8″ wide, so it makes it challenging.  But I think I’ve found the pattern.

Garden Lattice.  I’m planning on using the green fabric in place of the yellow, the peachy orange in place of the blue and the stripe in the cornerstones and for binding.  I’ll probably use the floral for the backing as well, as I have at least 10 yards of the fabric.

When I got home I finally finished the binding on Halloween Whimsy.

This is a Riley Blake kit that I purchased from The Quilted Cow last fall. It took no time at all to make.  It’s quilted in a spiderweb pattern using Strawberry Blond Glide thread.

Posted in: Garden Lattice, Halloween Whimsy, Stash

A Few Finishes

August 22, 2023 1:57 pm ⋅

I’ve finally gotten to some of the binding. It’s not all done, but I’ve finished a few.  First up is Cairdeas. This wall hanging was done in commemoration of my trip to Ireland in June with Bonnie Hunter. She designed this quilt, and the pattern is available in her on-line store.  I started the embroidery in Ireland June 14th and finished the binding August 4th. It measures 24 1/2 x 25 1/4 after washing.

Up next is the Christmas Star Swap quilt.  In April 2019, I attended a quilt retreat and some of us swapped blocks.  This quilt was on my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO list.  This quilt finishes at 74″ x 93 before washing.  The quilting is a combination of ruler work — 1 1/4″ and 3/4″ circles using the Handi Quilter Swiss Cheese ruler, free-motion continuous curves in the chain, and computerized motifes-Feathered Square 3 which I divided in half for the white areas and used who in the pieced blocks, and Christmas 2010 Border and Boder Corner by Sweet Dreams Quilt Studio. It took about 6 bobbins of Glide 40wt in Pistachio.

Kimberly is my most recent finish.  I started this quilt at the MQA Summer Gathering and finished it August 21st.  The quilting motif is Liberty. I used 3 bobbins in Glide 40wt in Mercury. It measures 65 x 82 1/2.

Posted in: 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO, Cairdeas, Christmas Star Swap, Kimberly

What’s on My Design Wall

May 7, 2023 11:43 pm ⋅

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.

Posted in: Christmas Star Swap, Crystal, Fairy Frost Sunset, GE Designs, Kimberly, Leaders & Enders, Moms Sweatshirt, Pillowcases, Rivanna, Rulers, Squedge 18, Stash Busting Report, table runner, Tara

Fairy Frost Sunset

May 7, 2023 11:40 am ⋅

I have a new finish. This is Fairy Frost Sunset. Fairy Frost because all the colored fabric is Michael Millers Fairy Frost and Sunset as that’s the name of the pattern.  I bought this fabric years ago – January 2009 to be specific, but then didn’t work on the quilt until September 2010.  Well, I finally got it quilted and bound. It’s on my Brandon Quilters 2023 UFO list.

The quilt is roughly 56 x 79.  I used Glide 40wt in Mercury.  I used Kraker Quilting & Design’s Swirls & Feather Border Corner and Border on the outer border.  I simply stitched 1/4″ from the seams on the inner border. For the center I enlarged the Swirls & Feather #3 Block to fit the blocks.

 

I bought the fabric for the top at Heritage Fine Fabrics in Belton, MO back in January 2009. The quilt top was made in September 2010. I found the backing at Hobby Lobby. I loaded it on the long arm last month, finishing the binding on 4/29/23.

 

There was extra border and backing fabric, so I made a matching pillowcase.

 

Posted in: 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO, Fairy Frost Sunset, pillowcase

Progress

April 29, 2023 10:45 pm ⋅

I finally got my Fairy Frost Sunset quilted. It’s been hanging around since September 2010. It’s been bound, but needs to be washed. Hopefully next week I’ll get that post written.

The Christmas Star Swap from April 2019 is now a top.  I’ve pieced the backing from some vintage Christmas stash and cleaned out a project box.  I hope to get this loaded on the frame in the morning.

Both of these quilts are on my Brandon Quilters UFO list.

Posted in: 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO, Christmas Star Swap, Fairy Frost Sunset

A Whirlwind Trip

April 16, 2023 10:09 pm ⋅

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in: books, Cascade, Longarm, notions, Rivanna, shopping, Star Studded

Design Wall Monday

April 10, 2023 10:47 am ⋅

On this Design Wall Monday I first have a finish.  Last week I made the Midi Bag. This past weekend I made the larger Mondo Bag.   I think this will make a great reusable shopping bag.

Here are the two of them together for size comparison.

After the bag was finished, I pulled out my Christmas Star Swap blocks from April 2019.  I made the 6 alternate squares, now I need to do the setting triangles.

 

Posted in: Christmas Star Swap, designwall, Mondo