Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Final Countdown

A Little Bit of This and That

I had grand hopes of having my Chilhowie top finished, the Log Cabin finished, and perhaps even the Pizza Box top quilted.  But the last few days since I checked in I’ve done a little bit of everything so nothing is finished.

Bonnie released the final clue to Chilhowie.  The clues will only be available for a short time — my guess is the end of January 2023. Anyway, I need to make 4 more blocks and corresponding border and sashing pieces to finish the top.

When I get the Chilhowie top finished, I have the backing for it. I found it in my stash while digging for binding.

 

Binding was the challenge on the log cabin. The original plan was to carry the center fabric to the border.  I had been warned off using a yellow for the center, for fear it would leap out, but it doesn’t. However, I was afraid the yellow border would, so I dug through my stash and came up with these options.  Each of them had their advantage and disadvantage, but none were “right”. Facebook was evenly divided. So I went to my LQS to see if I could find the “right” fabric. It was suggested that I use the backing fabric and I was just about to walk out of the store when the “right” fabric was spotted.

 

This Kaffe Millefiore. It’s darker than the yellow so will “frame” the quilt nicely, but at the same time it’s lighter than my previous choices.  Finally, it has all the colors.  After my running around over the weekend I started working on the binding. However, in my haste to finish it up missed spots when machine stitching it down.  I’ve got to take another look at it.

In addition to finding the backing for Chilhowie, I found another 3 Yard kit.  I think this was a ‘contest kit’ at the Quilted Cow. They called it ‘Anthony’, but I’m calling it Dragonflies & Flowers. I am adding it to my WHIMMs page.

Today it the last day to post about the results of the Final Countdown tasks. Here’s my recap.

Day 1 – Choose something you can finish quickly and do it  Big dreams, but I finished my pillow – a UFO from 2008.

Day 2 – Clean out a storage area – I got all the books put up which were stacked in the “Quilt Studio Annex”. As I look at the before and after pictures, I realize that I had already started putting the books up and when I took the before.

Day 3 – Take a project inventory and devise a plan. Since my Quilt Tops and Quilts In Progress (aka UFOs) were already tracked, and I had my UFO Challenge List defined, I decided to work on my PIGs and WHIMMs and what that means to me. I’ve added two tabs at the top of my page. I spent a good bit of time digging though my stash cataloging my projects.  I still haven’t found everything.  Earlier I wrote down “Bubbles – 4/23/22 Have a collection of FQs, now need pattern”. I have no idea what this is, but I’m sure it’s bagged up together and when I find it I’ll add it to my WHIMMs page.

Finally, I’m gearing up to begin the next phase of renovations.  My contractor and I have decided to tackle the den next.  I’ve narrowed down my paint color to one of the 2 purples that nearly blend into the sheetrock.  The paneling will be replaced with sheetrock.  The doors will get trimmed out, ceiling accent lights will be installed and replaced, and new flooring and base board trim will be installed.

 

 

Day 3 – The Final Countdown

Day 3 of The Final Countdown.  I’ve got this…

Take a project inventory and devise a plan

but there is room for improvement.   In 2008 after 5 years of quilting becoming my primary creative outlet, I started my WIF_UFO spreadsheet and I’ve maintained it.  I split it into two categories – Works In Progress and Quilt Tops because the number of projects was over 100 and that number was too big to wrap my head around.  Today combined list is down to 52 with 36 on the WIP list 7 of them are on my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge.

My Quilt Top list is down significantly as well.  I noticed earlier this week all of the tops, with their backings, fit into a single tote. I have 16 tops waiting to be quilted, 5 of which are on my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge.

This past year was the first time in a long time that I allowed myself to buy both speculative fabric – fabric I like but have no idea what project it will end up in, and new projects just because.  I have most of them ‘kitted’ together and most of the kits are in the same place, but I don’t have a good inventory of them. I want to sprinkle some of these into the mix as I’m working on my challenge list.

 

Now an update on previous tasks. Task 1 – a quick finish

The Machine Quilting Sampler is DONE.

Progress has been made on the Faux Applique — I finished the bird tail and stitched around 1 1/2 purple leaves.

As for Task 2 I have put the books on the bookshelves in my office and den – and they are even somewhat organized. The Sunroom still needs a bit more work, but at least now I can move stuff from the house into this space while the house is being worked on.

 

 

 

A Quick Finish of a UFO

As mentioned in my Countdown Day 1 post,  I took a class back in April 2009 on free-motion quilting on my sewing machine.  Managed to get the center done in class and simply didn’t finish the piece.  This afternoon I sewed a couple of FQ to the top and bottom so I could load it on my longarm.

Originally the intent was to do free-motion on the long arm, but I decided the piece was too small to mess with, especially since I had cool triangles I could drop into the corners.

I sewed an envelope closure and used an 18″ pillow form.

 

Day 2 – The Final Countdown with Prairie Moon Quilts

Today’s task is:

Clean out a storage area

My Quilt Studio doesn’t have any closets, so everything is out in the open, albeit it storage totes. So, I’m going to first focus on this tote and project box.

The tote on the left is the leftover fabric from Frolic – the 2019 Quiltville Mystery. Although I finished the top in the middle of 2019, I knew I needed to make the backing wider and wanted to make additional blocks to piece down the middle. I had both a project box and this tote with the top in it. Once the backing was complete, I put everything “away” into the tote.  I finished the quilt this past summer so now it’s time to really put this fabric away.  The project box on the right contains the leftover fabric from Shimmer and the 2021 SQG BOM.  Those fabrics need putting away as well.  There is another project waiting to go into the project box and I’m sure I have enough fabric laying around to fill up the tote.

The 2nd area which needs worked on is the Sunroom AKA The Studio Annex.  Although I won’t be able to move the pile of quilts in the corner, I do need to get the books back on the shelves.

 

Here’s an update on yesterday’s task.

Option 2 – the Faux Applique.

I found the floss — and it was in the first place I looked! Many moons ago a couple of friends and I took an applique class and we had matching sewing baskets.  Apparently a few years later when we went to the Faux Applique class we took our baskets because that’s where I found my floss. Now if I could find my hoop.

Option 3 is the log cabin quilt.

One log was added to all of the blocks and I started stitching the second log when I ran out of bobbin thread.  So I called it a night.

The Final Countdown with Prairie Moon Quilts

I have sporadically participated in The Final Countdown with Prairie Moon Quilts over the years and I’ve decided to do it again this year.

Today’s task is:

Choose something you can finish quickly and do it

 

This past year I’ve been working hard to knock my UFOs out.  I finished all 12 of the UFOs on my 2022 Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge list, plus another 5, so there’s not a whole lot left that is a quick finish.  After going through my UFO list these are my options:

On the left is the Machine Quilting Sampler from a class in 2008. Free motion quilting on my sewing machine is not a skill I ever became proficient at and at this point it is unlikely that I will.  However, my free-motion skills on the long arm could use some practice. I could add some fabric to each end so I can load this on my longarm and finish the quilting there.

On the right is another class project, this one from May 2012. The first thing I need to so is sit still, in good light, and do the embroidery, then I can decide how to finish the piece. Maybe I need to pull my notes and thread and set this by my chair to work on while I’m watching TV in the evenings.  Currently I’m re-watching The Librarian — both the moves and the TV show.

A third option is to simply finish these blocks.  I think there are 26 or 27 blocks that each need 2 more logs.  Once that is done I can start on the quilt top. This quilt is on my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge. It is what I’m working on until the next Quiltville Mystery Quilt clue comes out on Friday  I want to have this quilt completed (quilted, bound, labeled and washed) by mid-January, so I can’t procrastinate on this quilt.

On my 2023 UFO list5 is the Pizza Block quilt. I plan to have finished by mid January as well.  I haven’t decided how it will be quilted, but I can make the binding so when it comes off the longarm I can finish it.

Finally there is this quilt – Princess and the Pea.Also on my 2023 UFO list, I threw it on the long arm and the computer quilted it earlier while I was working on the log cabin blocks. Then I realized that I have no idea what I’m going to use for binding.

 

So, in summary the plan for my  ‘quick finishes’ are

  • loading the machine quilting sampler on the long arm to practice my free-motion quilting
  • gathering the thread and working on the embroidery on my Faux Applique in the evenings
  • finish the last of the log cabin blocks so I can begin assembly
  • make the pizza box binding so it will be ready to go when when the top is quilted
  • decide and make the binding for the Princess and the Pea quilt.

I won’t get them all done before the first, but I should have significant progress on all of them by the 9th.

2020 Final Countdown Recap

It’s time to do my 2020 Final Countdown Recap.  Shelly over at Prairie Moon Quilts hosts the Final Countdown each year so we start the new year with a clean(er) sewing room.

Task One was Clear Your Main Work Surface.  Here it is 7 days into the new year and the main work surface still only has the current project on it.

Task Two was Fabric Storage and Stray Fabric Piles.  The above picture shows one of my biggest problem areas. It’s still a mess, but it’s better than it was.

Another place was the fabric  shelves.  Most of the fabric was backings, so they are now stored with my quilt tops.

Task Three was Take Stock /Organize/Deal with UFOs.

I did a several things here.

  • Passed 4 unfinished projects to friends and family
  • Sorted my quilt tops. I’ve now have a box of tops with the fabric I’ll need to make the backing and a box of tops with wide backs, no backing and backings without tops.
  • Finally started the binding on my ModaU quilt which was quilted several months ago.

The sewing room is not perfect.  I still have a pile of fabric on the sewing table to enlarge the backing for Frolic, and if I load anything on the longarm, I’ll have to move a couple of bags, but I think the room is in a better place than it was.

There was a bit of piecing as well.  I finished the lavender Broken Dish units for the wedding quilt and pressed and stitched a few seafoam HST.   Those finished seafoam Broken Dish units were from before.  I need 32 of each color for the next 16 blocks.  Even with this progress, neither my 350 Challenge # nor my  Easy Breezy # has gone up.

 

  • 350 Challenge = 15
  • Easy Breezy = 92

Tuesday’s Progress

There was a bit of binding while  I watched Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and the second half of The Lion King.  Then I got up and went to the sewing machine.

All of the lavender HSTs are sewn and pressed.  I’ve even started assembling the broken dish units.

Tonight I’ll review my Final Countdown Challenges to see where I stand.  I think it’s a case of progress is made, which is definitely a step in the right direction.

  • 350 Challenge = 15
  • Easy Breezy = 92

HSTs and Binding

Have I mentioned that the wedding quilt has a gazillion HSTs in it?  Yesterday I cut a bunch more. After I get these sewn and trimmed, I should have enough tomake another 1/4 of the quilt.

As for the binding of the Moda U quilt, I have less that 6″ to go before I turn the first corner.

 

  • 350 Challenge = 15
  • Easy Breezy = 92

Sorting Through the Quilt Tops

This morning I started working on the piles of fabric stuffed here and there.  So it follows that I pulled out all of my quilt tops, right?

It all started with me trying to answer the question, where can I put these backings.  The green at the top left I purchased this past summer with no idea what I’m going to use it for. But at 75% off you don’t worry about things like that.  The blue floral next to it I purchased for Shimmer, which is still in pieces. The peach is the left over wide backing. There are also several other leftover pieces.  They are just too big for me to put them into the scrap users system, but the really can’t live here. On the right is my Wonky Broken Dishes and backing. That needs to be one of my next quilts that I quilt, so I left it out.

I’ve sorted and reorganized my quilt tops.  This box contains completed tops and the backing fabric. I’ll have to make the backings, but I won’t have to worry about it being used for something else before I get that far. 10 Tops.

The second box contains this pile.  On the left 2 Quilts with their wide backings, a pillow top sandwich that I’m machine quilting, 2 vintage tops, nearly cut off is Baubles and Beads. It’s backing is either in the project box or wrapped on a bolt on the other shelf.  I’m not sure if I’m going to use the background fabric or the plaid that I bought for Atomic Starburst.  The right pile is backing which is not matched up to a top.  I just remembered I have the backing I originally bought for the RWB Wonky Broken Dishes that I need to put in this box.

In these boxes I found some Sunbonnet Sues which were given to me. I’m passing those along to my Guild.

There was also this partial “backing”. This was the left over backing to Eeyore.  As it currently measures 44 x 70, I think adding a more inches to the width and I’ll have a new quilt top.

Finally, I’m taking this quilt center off my list of UFOs by passing it along to a fellow Guild Member.  It was passed along to me in 2009. The blocks were from a block swap if I remember correctly. It’s just not me.

Now, to get the binding on the quilt.

 

2020 Final Countdown, Task Three

The 3rd task of the Challenge is Take stock/organize/deal with unfinished projects.

I’ve kept a spreadsheet of my projects for the last 12 years.  The thought was the numbers would go down.  And I suppose they have to a certain extent. Today I updated the Tops to be Quilted and Quilts in Progress tabs. But I don’t think that’s really what Shelly had in mind.

As I was comparing the spreadsheet to the blog, I found 1 or 2 projects, I’m going to pass on to my sister, and a couple I’m going to pass to one of my Guilds – when we are able to meet in person again.  But the most tangible thing I’m going to tackle is getting the binding on this quilt.  I quilted it in October, so it’s time.  Check back in the next few days to see if I get it done.

Easy Breezy = 89