Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Quilts

6 Years to Make Strip Twist

May 14, 2022 4:42 pm ⋅

Six years ago, I started this blue and green Strip Twist quilt. It’s a free pattern from Bonnie Hunter.  You can get it HERE.  I started it at a retreat on the Kenmore Ultra that I used to have.  I was struggling with my 1/4 seam and the blocks weren’t going together correctly, so I tossed it in a bag. At some point I pulled more fabrics to make more blocks, but those too got shoved in the bag. I finished it a a sew day exactly six years to the day I started it.  This morning I loaded it and I’ve started the quilting.

I pulled the blocks out last weekend and discovered the 1/4″ seam wasn’t that bad and more importantly discovered I was putting the blocks together WRONG.  No wonder I was struggling with the quilt!  I stopped in the quilt shop and looked for something to use for a border, but ultimately decided to just make more blocks and bind it with a striped fabric.

I found this batik and plan to cut the binding strips lengthwise instead of crosswise to give the illusion of stripes.

 

 

Posted in: Strip Twist

Two Finishes

May 2, 2022 5:01 pm ⋅

Over the weekend the long arm saw 5 quilts.  I started off with 2 mystery quilts from the Brandon Quilters. Friday night I quilted my SILs, then Saturday morning I quilted my version.

This is Starflower, designed by Tyanne Agle. Tonight we are bringing our finished quilts (or tops) to show as last month we got the final installment.  After washing the quilt measures 45 1/2″ x 61″. I used the E2E design Pretty Paisley by Jodi Beanish of Willow Leaf Studios. The thread is 40wt Glide in Lilac. The batting is Legacy 80/20.  I used the same backing fabric as I did on the Go! Big Crazy Quilt, but I pre-washed the fabric.  I didn’t have near the shrinkage as I did on the other quilt.  This quilt was started 1/15/22 and I finished binding it 5/1/22. It will be donated via the Brandon Quilters.

Auction Crazy String #3 is done.  This quilt is on my UFO list as “Pink & Black Auction Crazy Strings”. When I decided to enlarge it to fit a twin bed, I needed more fabric.  This quilt will be donated to the Mississippi State Veterans Home via the guild.

I used Anne Bright’s B2B design “Bubbles”. It is quilted with 40wt Glide in Kiwi and had Legacy 80/20 batting. After washing it measures 72″ x 86 1/2″.

The other 2 quilts are still waiting to be bound, so I’ll show them then.

Posted in: 2022 Brandon Quilters UFO, Dancing Strings, Starflower

Go! Big Crazy Quilt is Finished

April 4, 2022 6:42 am ⋅

This is the Go! Big Crazy Quilt. It was cut with the 10″ finished Accuquilt die.  I pulled 50 fabrics from my stash and cut them into 13-1/2″ squares before taking them to Twin Oaks Crafts and using their die. Since the pieces had the dog ears cut off, the blocks went together very quickly. The borders came from my stash after the fabric I bought simply didn’t work.

The backing is new.  I have enough to use on at least one more quilt.

Stats:

  • Started: 3/11/22
  • Top Complete: 3/29/22 – measured 71″ x 91″
  • Quilted: 3/30/22 – measured 69 3/4″ x 90 1/4″
  • Bound & Washed: 4/3/22 – measures 65″ x 84″
  • Batting: Legacy 80/20
  • Thread: Glide in Basil
  • Pattern: Overlapping Crop Circles
Posted in: Accuquilt, Crazy Quilt

Progress, a Finish and a Start

April 3, 2022 12:01 am ⋅

There was plenty of machine time Saturday.

Progress: Catching up on the Brandon Quilters 2022 Mystery Quilt – Starflower.  Monday we’ll get the finishing instructions.

A Finish:  The Mississippi Quilt Association 2020 Block of the Month. I waited until Saturday to stitch the binding down as I had to order a walking foot for my Singer Genie. Formal portrait to come soon. At the moment it’s in the dryer.

A Start:  I found more of string blocks from the auction in 2018.  These were separated because they were slightly smaller.  I’m trimming to them to 6-1/2″.  I have just enough that with a 1″ sashing I can set them on point and get a twin size quilt.

Up next, is the binding on the Crazy Quilt.

 

Posted in: 2022 Brandon Quilters UFO, MQA BOM 2020, mystery quilts, Starflower

Go! Big Crazy is Quilted

March 31, 2022 11:30 pm ⋅

Wednesday ended on a good note. I finished quilting my crazy quilt. I used my go-to quilt design – Overlapping Crop Circles. I wondered if I really was going to get it done.  I started quilting before work and got the top partial row and the first row quilted before I sat down for work.

Mid-morning I reached for my earbuds to make a call on my cell phone and there was only 1 in the case which made no sense to me.  I checked to see if I made a call after I got home the night before and I had not. So, a quick walk was in order. The case fell out of my pocket the night before when I rode my bicycle over to Ruby’s.  I picked up the case, but didn’t think to check to see if both earbuds were in the case. Clearly a mistake as the right one got run over by a car!

I hightailed it home for a couple more hours of work and snuck one more row of quilting in during lunch before the storms hit.  We were under a tornado warning for nearly 2 hours. After the storm cleared I took a quick nap then went to the gym.  When I got home I was finally able to finish the quilting.

Thursday there were no storms, but I didn’t get into the quilt studio until after 9.  I need to sew the joining seam on the binding of the MQA quilt and then stitch it down.  Then there’s the crazy quilt and the pot holder – all that need to be done by Monday, not to mention doing my taxes.

 

Posted in: Go! Big Crazy, MQA BOM 2020

Quilting and Box Shuffling

March 30, 2022 9:37 am ⋅

After a night’s rest I was able to resolve my tension issues and started quilting.  This is the first quilt I’ve done in almost a year.  Prior to this one the last quilt I quilted was April 4, 2021. Four days later I decided to move and I started packing.  This is the Mississippi Quilt Association‘s BOM from 2020.  They are running it again. The blocks are available HERE.

Boxes were moved, one at a time.  Books are heavy. They’ll hang out in the corner room until my bookshelves are built.

The front bedroom is the audiovisual library.  78’s, LPs, 45s, CDs, cassettes, DVDs, and VHS.  A box of LPs are heavier than a box of books — including the yearbooks.  All of this will be gone through and thinned out eventually.  This will go in the den after that room is finished.

The instrumental music library.  Clearly it all won’t fit in the piano bench.  I’m pondering storage solutions.  

I’m considering an Ikea Kallax.

I would use these inserts, put it on legs and fashion some doors.  But that’s a future project.

While shuffling boxes I opened the next to last box the movers packed and finally found my silverware.  I’m not sure what I thought was in the box.  It was not labeled.

I found MORE of the auction blocks.  These are smaller than the others.  I have enough for yet another quilt. I’ll sash them and set them on point after trimming them to the same size.

Moving all of the boxes means I’m able to setup my quilting space.  It’s not done, but I have a work space.

Last night the borders were added to the crazy quilt. I used straight pins to hang the quilt on the wall. I really need to get my design wall put up, but it’s on hold until the trim is caulked and that is on hold until my patio door is installed.

The quilt was loaded last night. This morning before work I started the quilting. I’ll do another pass at lunch.

Posted in: Go! Big Crazy, House, MQA BOM 2020

Borders for Go! Big Crazy Quilt

March 26, 2022 6:32 pm ⋅

This is the center of my Crazy Quilt that I cut with the Go! Big Crazy Quilt 10″ die.  I use 50 13-1/2″squares and have 2 blocks leftover.  It currently measures 60″ x 80″, but it needs to be 70″ x 90″ for the organization I’m giving it to.

The other day I purchased a black splatter and turquoise for the border and binding.  But the moment I laid it out I realized that was NOT the answer. So, I started digging in my stash.

I really like the original turquoise, this is one is not quite as vibrant.  May be it’s the gray inner border.  I’d like to do an inner border, so I can do a faux piping binding.

This turquoise and red combination is not bad, but still not right.

Since the yellow jumps out in the quilt, maybe a yellow inner border.  This green is nice and cheery.

I think this gold might work better. But after playing with all of the fabric options I had to clean up the room as my long arm was being delivered the next morning.

All ready for the long arm.

Posted in: Accuquilt, Go! Big Crazy, Longarm

Blocks!

March 23, 2022 1:08 am ⋅

I’ve been making up for lost time away from the sewing machine.  These are the swap blocks that I’m taking to retreat next month.  It is Friendship Scrap Block from Quilters Cache.

I also finished making the string blocks.  Now I can clean up the mess. I’ve yet to figure out how to work with strings that doesn’t create a huge mess. I’ll intersperse these blocks with the others and hopefully they’ll blend in.

Posted in: Dancing Strings

Miss Genie Is Home

March 22, 2022 8:49 am ⋅

After my big machine died, I picked up Ruby’s Brother to use until Miss Genie came home. I picked  her up yesterday afternoon and after I got home from the quilt guild meeting I opened her up and started piecing.

The sewing machine is currently sitting where the longarm will go.  This is what the space looked like Friday night.  I’ve been busy.

But first there was a bit of retail therapy.  The blocks on the left were cut with the Accuquilt Machine.  I stopped in at Twin Oaks Crafts in Richland, Mississippi and rented their GO! Big Crazy Quilt-10″ Finished Die.  It didn’t take me long to cut out all 50 blocks and they went together SO fast — right up until my sewing machines died.  I still need to one more seam on about 20 of the blocks then this quilt will be ready to assemble.  As to the retail therapy, I plan to do a narrow border of the turquoise and then use the black splatter as the border.  The Purple space/star is a wide backing that I’ll use on both quilts.

The pile of blocks on the right are the last of the auction blocks.  They are trimmed and ready to sash.  The lime green is the sashing and the bubbles is the border.

I’m aiming for a 70 x 90 quilt, so I’m 18 blocks short. Last night I only had seven completed, with 3 in progress when Miss Genie decided I needed to go to bed. This morning I changed the needle, re-threaded the machine and pulled some thread off the bobbin and I was able to finish 3 more blocks.

Also over the weekend I made significant progress on my swap blocks. I need to finish the brown set and then sew them into a 12″ block.

Not shown are the two Pizza Box Blocks I made for the Guild swap.  I wasn’t able to work on the block right away since my brother arrived the evening of the Guild meeting.  So 2 weeks of house remodeling, a week to recover, and then the machines died.  As soon as I picked up Ruby’s spare machine, I made the block I was to swap last night.  I brought a new box home and IMMEDIATELY made the block I’m to take back next month.

I have a few more days of piecing then I’ve got to clean up my mess to make room for the long arm.

Posted in: Accuquilt, Crazy Quilt, Dancing Strings, Pizza Box

Is It Too Early?

February 6, 2022 11:33 pm ⋅

In late April I’m going to a quilt retreat.  Among the activities is a “Challenge Block” and a “Swap Block”.  This year the Challenge or Lotto block is the 10″  from Quilters Cache.  Any shade of blue with white on white background. I’ve made 2 so my name will be tossed into the bucket twice to win all of the blocks.  One year I think there were enough to make 3 quilts, so 3 people took blocks home.

This year’s Swap Block is Friendship Scrap Block, also from Quilters Cache.  The ‘ring’ is supposed to be a cream with a small print (this photo is slightly overexposed)  with medium darks with subtle print or solid of my choice. Since the sign up is still open, I don’t know how many blocks I’ll need to make.  My plan is to make at least a dozen blocks between now and when the final count is released.  If I have more blocks than I need they’ll be tossed into the box to be used later. If I need more blocks, I’ll be well on the way to having them done.

So, why am I working on these blocks 10 weeks before I need them?  Well the next two weeks will be devoted to working on the house.  My brother will get in tomorrow night and we’ll hit the ground running on Tuesday. First up — plywood to make a platform for the antique brass bed and getting a mattress.  I sent the rails out to get lengthened and didn’t know when I’d get them back, so didn’t want to buy a mattress until I had a place for it. I’ll eventually need to get or make a bed skirt, but I’ll worry about that later.

Posted in: Friendship Scrap Quilt, swaps