Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Pillowcases for Frolic

Since Frolic is big enough for a pillow tuck, I really don’t need pillowcases. However I recently bought new sheets and need a couple of more cases.  I had approximately 1 -1/8″ yard of the blue and the gray that I used in the border fabric which was just enough to make 2 cases, swapping the colors.  The black accent piece is used somewhere in the piecing.

Ready for Christmas?

It’s taken 4 years, but the matching pillowcases for my Christmas En Provence are done.  And the fabric is put away.

Nora’s Notebooks

The Nora’s Notebook pattern is a padded cover which fits those inexpensive black and white composition notebooks. The pattern is exclusive to The Quilted Cow in West Branson, Missouri.

Three Fat Quarters are needed, a little bit of lightweight interfacing, Soft &  Stable (I used Pellon Flex-Foam FF78F2), and an 1/2″ magnetic closer, but a piece of hook & loop tape could also be used.

There are 4 pockets, one on the outside, 2 on the inside left cover,

 

and one on the back cover.

I simply quilted around the circles using pink thread.

My number 1 recommendation is to label the pieces.  2nd, when putting in the snap,  orient the tabs top to bottom so you can stitch around the tab and top stitch the cover when done.  I had to remake my tab so I could to the topstitching.

For my second cover I actually used 5 fabrics.  I wanted a way to easily see this is my Quilters By Hearts’ Desire notebook, so I made it to match my Pizza Box Quilt we made.

To quilt it, I did a 2″ crosshatch, with 1/2″ vertical lines behind the pencil pouch.

The tab is shorter as I oriented the fabric the other way.

The Quilt Studio is a bit neater as well. As I was working on the cover, I cut up my scraps which have been sitting in the pizza box and put them away.

I have one more I want to make for my Brandon Quilters notebook cover, and I think I’ll use the fabric I used in the mystery quilt we did last year.

 

More Finishes

First up is my Black & White 4-patch Stacked Posies quilt.  The quilt top was finished in 2008.  I even started quilting it after my sister got her long arm.  Then I ripped out a bunch of the quilting. I finally pulled it out late last month.

Each block is quilted individually with the same motif, the sashing is quilted with another motif and the borders were quilted separately.  Given my thread color – Mercury – the quilting is not very visible, and an edge-2-edge design might have worked just as fine.  On the other hand, I learned a lot.

  • Quilt Top started: Spring 2008 and finished 9/8/2008
  • Quilting Finished 2/5/2023
  • Before Washing 60 2/4″ x 85 1/4″
  • After Washing 56 1/4 x 79″
  • Thread Glide 40wt in Mercury

This is quilt is on my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge list.

This is Spider Webs.  A few years ago at a quit retreat, a quilter made Night & Day, a Quilt in a Day quilt. That particular pattern has odd  cuts, which can be used to make SpiderWebs. She didn’t want the extra pieces and gave them to a friend, who in turn passed them to my sister.  My sister put the center together.  While we were in San Antonio, we picked out the border fabrics and backing.  I added the border, quilted and bound the quilt before sending it back to my friend.

 

  • Start: unknown
  • Finished: 2/5
  • Thread: Glide 40wt in Biscotti – 2+ bobbins
  • Quilting Motif: PR105298 – Alpine – Grande with -7 row gap
  • Before Washing : 49 3/4 x 57 1/4

 

San Antonio Shopping

Last week I was in San Antonio, so naturally I needed to visit the quilt shops – even though I didn’t need anything.

The first shop was Mesquite Bean Fabrics.  I stayed strong, but my sister did buy the fabric shown above so I can complete this quilt.

The 2nd stop was Las Colchas – Quilt Shop. It is housed in an Sears Craftsman house. The ladies were very friendly, but I still was staying strong and didn’t buy anything.

Thursday afternoon, we hit 3 more shops. At the new Grome’s Sewing Machine Shop in Universal City, batiks were 50% off, patterns 30% off and the clearance fabric was 30% off.  I succumbed and bought a yard from clearance and a yard of batik (top left corner) and the Harrison Shirt pattern.

Then we drove out to McQueeney and stopped in at Fiberworx Fabric Studio.  We found wonderful neutrals (the pile in the middle back) so bought 6 half-yard cuts and split them when we got back to San Antonio.  I also picked up 2 sets of 1/2″ magnets for a project I have planned.

We then had to make a decision — head to New Braunfels or continue east to Luling.  We ended up at HollyDee Quilts at Luling, which was my downfall.  I was born in Texas and lived there until I finished 7th grade, I then moved back and spent another 8 or 9 years there as an adult so, I have a fondness of Bluebonnets.  I bought the 2022 Bluebonnet Shop Hop kit (bundle in top left), a FQ of Texas wildflowers, and a Bluebonnet pattern. My sister picked up several of the Villa Rosa Design pattern cards and needed  2 more for a bundle price and I picked Bohemia and another, which I’ve given to my sister-in-law.

Saturday, I did make it to The Quilt Haus at New Braunfels, but held strong in not buying fabric.

All of the shops had fabric I hadn’t seen here in Mississippi, but I was watching my pocket book and luggage space.

 

The Next Generation – USAFR

I spent this past week in San Antonio Texas as the 3rd generation of our family joined the Air Force Reserves.  This photo of my brother, sister-in-law and nephew was taken immediately following the graduation ceremony.  This was day 2.

This was the first day — the Airman’s Run.  It was cold and blustery — for San Antonio.  The run was the first time families got a glimpse of their loved ones after 7 1/2 weeks of BMT – Basic Military Training.  I will admit this view made me emotional. My nephew is in the 2nd flight.

After the run, there was a break as the Airmen got cleaned up for the Coin Ceremony. It marked the end of their basic training.

Everyone was given a Town Pass so we went into town for lunch at one of the eateries at the Pearl.  It’s a collection of eateries and and shops in the old Pearl Brewery. We ate at the Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden then had desert at Lick Honest Ice Creams.  Both were excellent. Afterwards we headed back to the Airbnb we were staying at to visit more with David.

The next morning was the Graduation Parade.  Another blustery day.  But both days were sunny.  David is the 2nd from the right in the 2nd rank.  This is at the end of the parade right before they were dismissed.

 

 

A New Name Tag

The President’s Challenge this year is for us to make a name tag.  This is mine.

The cream ribbon will be used to attach little bows that we’ll get for each show-n-tell project. We’ll also get one if we demo a ruler, or are the meeting speaker.

But since I’m in multiple guilds, I have made extra labels.  They are held on by Velcro.

I also added a pocket!  When I was in Starlight Quilters Guild, we had raffle tickets that I had to keep up with during the meeting and we were handed our ribbon bows as we approached the stage for show n tell.   This would have been handy.

This was my old name tag.  I can’t wait to start adding ribbons to my new one.

Another Quilt?

Well, it’s not bound yet.

Over the weekend I updated the software on my longarm. So between that and wanting to remember how to setup a separate border, I pulled out this Stacked Posies quilt from 2008.

In addition to having a separate border, each block and sashing is quilted individually. If you click on the picture the quilting becomes visible.  In retrospect, given the thread color I used (Glide 40wt Mercury) and edge-2-edge design would have worked just as well.

This quilt is on my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge list. As soon as I get it bound it will be the 4th quilt I’ve knocked off my list.  That leaves me just 12 quilts tops waiting to be quilted.  We won’t talk about the # of quilts I’m still piecing.  Those can be seen HERE.

 

Quilt # 4 of 2023

I’m on a roll.  This is Cityscape.  Barb Q, a member of Candelight Quilters Guild pieced the top a few years ago, the put it in the guild’s auction.  My notes indicate I bought it in January 2020.  Last week I tossed it on my longarm and did some simple quilting.  Straight lines randomly spaced using my electronic channel locks in the sections with the buildings.  “Calm waters” turned vertically and chopped up for the ‘sky’ and ‘river’. The “Tree” section I sliced, diced and concatenated bubbles on a string.  For the binding I used  a Grunge in Moutarde.

Quilt Stats:

  • Obtained top: 1/20/2020
  • Finished: 1/21/2023
  • Glide 40wt in Strawberry Blond – 1 bobbin
  • Legacy 80/20 batting
  • 35 3/4 x 47

 

Quilt # 3 of 2023

This is Princess and the Pea.

I won the panel at a guild auction back in 2019. That year the retreat mystery quilt started with a panel. If I remember correctly, I brought the panel and a bunch of fabric that I thought would go with the top.  After I got the borders on it, I folded it up and it’s sat in the To Be Quilted pile.

This quilt was put on the 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge list because I  knew that the January program at Quilters By Hearts’ Desire was Panels and Cheaters. This even worked into our new monthly lesson on borders, as the first lesson was Coping Borders.

When it came time to bind it, I opted to use the same fabric as I used for the backing. It’s black and has multi-colored swirls on it.

Quilt Stats

  • Started 4/13/2019
  • Finished 1/16/2023
  • Glide 40wt in Amethyst
  • E2E – Radiate with Pearls
  • Legacy 80/20 batting
  • Size before Quilting & Washing 48 1/2 x 64 1/2
  • Size after Quilting & Washing 46 x 59