Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

One Block Closer

September 16, 2009 9:40 pm ⋅

It’s not like I’m doing any fancy quilting — just stitching 1/4 inch from each seam. But why does it take me so long to get it done?

I suppose not sitting in front of the quilting frame might be part of it. This week I’ve stopped whatever I was doing and plopped myself down in front of the quilting frame at 9 PM Central for an hour. Tonight I kept going until I finished this block.

When I ‘watch’ television, I can’t just sit there and do nothing. I’m reading a book during commercials or flipping though quilting magazines. Hand quilting doesn’t work for me, unless I can just ‘listen’ and look up only when it sounds like I need to see what is going on. Jay Leno’s new show is perfect for this. I can listen to the monologue and interviews and look up during the sketches.

I probably won’t try to quilt with black thread on black fabric again either. There simply isn’t enough light to make that easy. But tonight I ran out of my cheap 1/4 inch masking tape and had to pull out the 1/4 Tiger tape. That worked really well on the black dotted fabric – and my stitches are more even — not that anyone will be able to see that.

Four more blocks to go and then I can pull this quilt off the frame and machine quilt the borders. Surely if I watch Leno for an hour each week night I’ll get this finished by the October 15th.

Posted in: hand quilting, jay leno, Josh's Quilt

Mid-September Update

September 15, 2009 7:38 pm ⋅

September 15th and time to review my goals for the month. Where did the 1st two weeks of September go?

* Complete remaining 2 sets of blocks for the SBS Brown/Blue SwapDone and Mailed
* Keep up with the SBS BOW: 3 of the 4 blocks done
* Work on Josh’s Quilt – needs to be off the frame by 10/15 – quilting while watching Leno
* Work on DWR – top needs to be done by 10/15 — 4 melons completed, 9 more need cornerstones
* Complete Finishing Instructions for both sizes of Kansas Spirit BOM – still tweaking smaller layout instructions
* Quilt a baby quilt – may give this up completely
* Keep Scraps Cut Up – don’t look in my scrap bin. I added those scraps I found at the beginning of the month — but I have 2 more weeks to get to them!

Doesn’t seem like I have much done, but I guess I really am halfway through my list. I’ll keep plugging away at it.

Posted in: monthly goals

SBS Block Due 9/20

September 14, 2009 4:15 pm ⋅


J7 – Pinwheel 2

I made this block a few weeks ago when I was picking the blocks I was willing to make for the Blue and Brown SBS swap. So, more time for me to work on my DWR this week

Posted in: SBS

What’s On My Design Wall? – 9/14

September 14, 2009 6:30 am ⋅

Is anyone surprised?

It’s another row to my Double Wedding Ring. Saturday I finally got last week’s row sewn together and onto the quilt. I pieced these Sunday.

See what other quilter’s have on their design walls following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: designwall, dwr

Diamond Links

September 13, 2009 1:42 pm ⋅

Diamond Links

I finished this quilt top back in March 2007 with no idea of who it would go to when it was quilted. I now know where it’s going and have to figure out how to quilt it — or if I want to send it out to be quilted. Since I need it mid-January, I guess I best start to figure this out. I’ll not be able to work on it until mid-October after I finish the DWR top and the quilting on Joshua’s quilt.

Posted in: diamond links

Stash Report Week # 37

September 13, 2009 9:18 am ⋅


I’m still bringing in fabric from the pile my friend gave me. Last week it was 11.5 yards. I tell you it adds up fast.


On the other hand, I cut most of the remaining pieces for my DWR. I also made the weekly SBS block and the last of the SBS swap blocks. I used the top piece of fabric in those. It was just perfect.

Fabric Added this Week: 11.5 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 226.25 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 2.708 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 70.694 yards

Net Stash: +155.556 yards

Check out how others are doing over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: dwr, SBS, Stash Busting Report, sw

Some Day Quilts

September 10, 2009 4:30 pm ⋅

I have a list of quilts that I want to make. This is different than the pile of kits I have — obviously I want to make those, not only did I buy the pattern, but I have the fabric. I’m talking about my “some day” quilts — those quilts when the time is right that I plan to make.


At one point I had a log cabin in the works, but when the power went out the day I was working on it, I got distracted and didn’t get back to it. I’m afraid it got wet in a flood and tossed. Maybe I can retrieve the one my mom started when my brother got bunk beds. His son is the same age as he was when Mom started the quilts (and my nephew has the same set of bunk beds).


Earlier this year I tried to make an Irish Chain. That is to say I had fabric that I wanted to use, and I thought it would work in an Irish Chain quilt. I made a sample block, but it simply wasn’t speaking to me. So that fabric ended up in a different quilt and I still haven’t made an Irish Chain quilt.


Trip Around the World – back in high school, and before I understood copyright, I photocopied the pattern for Trip Around the World from one of my magazines. Who knows what happened to the magazine, or instructions, but I still have the picture (in black and white) and templates I drew on graph paper. I’ve even have a drawing of what colors are supposed to go where.

My top five “some day” rounds out with the Double Wedding Ring and Lone Star. With the exception of the Double Wedding Ring and some would argue the Lone Star, these are simple to piece quilts. Ironically, it’s the Double Wedding Ring and Lone Star that I have in progress.

I’m not sure why I haven’t gotten these quilts made, but “some day” will come and I’ll get them done.

What quilts are on your “some day” list?

Posted in: dwr, Irish chain, log cabin, lone star, Trip Around the World

SBS Block Due 9/13

September 9, 2009 4:15 pm ⋅

D-7 Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

There are many ways to do this block. I decided to piece mine.

Posted in: SBS

Quilting Studio Tour

September 8, 2009 5:00 am ⋅

This summer one of my e-mail groups did a virtual sewing room tour. Since my area was not presentable, I did not participate. The studio is now presentable, so I’ll take you on a tour.

I’m using what the builders called the den or family room as my quilt studio and office. It is in the front of the house and entry into it is via the garage, kitchen and living room.

This first picture is looking diagonally across the room from the living room door. I’ve created a working/sewing triangle — my work computer is on the front wall under the quilt, my personal computer is on the garage wall and across from them is my sewing machine. Also on the garage wall is a folding craft table with only one side raised. This is my cutting table. The bookshelf, below the edge of the desk, holds the various computer parts and pieces that I don’t need access to on a daily basis.

Moving into the room and toward the front wall, is the view diagonally across to the garage and kitchen doors. The room is a bit deeper, than this picture would lead you to believe, but I’ve got my large ironing board and a shelving unit temporarily in the corner behind me. The white tables are temporary as well. I had friends over this past weekend to sew and they all needed a space to setup. Also from this view is one of my two main sets of shelves with my fabric in bins.

A better view of the shelves and looking into the living room (where I was standing when I took the first picture). Again I’m not in the corner as now I’ve got the desks behind me. There is a short bookshelf for my quilting books and to the right of the door is a chest of drawers. This is where the orphan blocks go and I keep my music fabric. The guest chair is in front of the chest of drawers currently, but usually it’s closer to the sewing table.

Finally, from the kitchen and garage door corner is a view of the design wall, the big ironing board and a hopefully temporary set of shelves. The ironing board is in front of the design wall so there was room for the extra sewing tables. It’s final home will either be up against the front window or along the back side of the sewing tables.

Well, that’s the tour. There’s still work to be done — get real window treatments, clear that black shelf off and recover the chair along with a second one currently stored in the garage.

I just hope this clean room doesn’t stifle my creativity.

Posted in: studio

What’s On My Design Wall? – 9/7

September 6, 2009 11:45 pm ⋅

I’m afraid my design wall looks the same as it did a week ago — except now I can’t really reach it! The room was rearranged to accommodate three additional quilters. This week I hope to get this row of rings onto the quilt.

Check out what other quilters are working on by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: designwall