Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Chain Of Blossoms

Quilt #2 of 2026 – Chain of Blossoms in Green & Orange

Yesterday a couple of friends came over to see my quilts and hear their stories as even if it is winter, my sister doesn’t need that many quilts on the bed. I told stories, we folded the quilts and stacked them in the other bedroom.  If I had a matching pillowcase, it went into it. I didn’t think to get a picture before I dropped the sheet over them.  This stack also includes most of my vintage quilts. One day I’ll have a proper way to store and showcase them, but for now, this will do.  Now to the finish.

This is the 2nd Chain of Blossom quilt. I used purple binding with an orange flange simply because that’s all the matching fabric I had left. This is quilt is on my Brandon Quilters UFO list.

Chain of Blossom 2

  • Started 12/25/24
  • Finished 1/17/26
  • 47 x 47
  • Nectar B2B
  • Glide Thread – Kiwi

Up next is Windmill Weave.

Chain of Blossom 2 – Quilted

Although I should have been folding laundry, I chose to work on my 2nd Chain of Blossom quilt. I added a narrow white stop border before the outer border.  Finding fabric was a challenge. I though I had enough but came up about 20″ short, so found another FQ with a similar background and low volume print. The outer border used up the rest of that piece of fabric.

I dug in my box of backing scraps – the ones that are too big to chop up — then I loaded the backing backwards. At this point the rest of the backing will go into the strip bins. I still need to cut those, but I ran out of time.

The batting is even pieced together from 3 pieces I measured and prepped earlier this week.

The binding is cut, tonight I hope to get the binding on. It will be purple with an orange flange — the same fabrics in the quilt. I only have a strip of each left.

Meanwhile, my Quilt Studio is still clean – of course it’s only been a day. After the binding is attached to the quilt I’ll process that little pile of fabric next to the cutting mat.

 

Batting Scraps

I’m a longarm quilter and purchase batting by the 96″ wide roll. Most of the quilts I made do not have a dimension of 90″. As a result I end up with batting scraps.  The pile got to be quite large.  Last night I cleaned up the pile.  If the piece was less than 10″ wide, I cut it into 2 1/2″ strips for  jelly roll rugs. I think I have enough for now.  The big stack to the right have all been measured. This will allow me to easily grab a pieced for smaller quilts or even to make frankenbatts. Now I need to remember I’ve put them in a tub under my longarm.

After dealing with the batting I added the sashing and cornerstones to my second Chain of Blossoms.  Now I need to figure out the border. I’m not sure what my plan was for the border, but I don’t have much fabric left.  I have 1/2 a yard of 2 different greens, the purple and the orange. My scrappy neutrals I just have what is left from a FQ of some of the fabrics. No telling what I’ll figure out tonight.

 

 

Handwork Tuesday

Handwork Tuesday actually started on Monday evening after Bunco.  I prepped these blue hexies for the next row — just as soon as I get the neutral row stitched onto the section I’m working.

Tuesday, I stitched this section of my redwork. Time to move the hoop. Since I’ve worked on these two projects, I suppose next week I need to make a star.

On the Studio cleaning front I found my flat surfaces!  The box on the sewing table is a bookshelf I need to assemble for the Sunroom, but I need to get the paint cans moved so I have a place for it.  But since the flat surfaces are cleared, I can now start working on the Green and Orange Chain of Blossoms. I would love to get it quilted this week.

Quilt Studio Cleaning

It’s an ongoing battle to keep the mountains of fabric beat back. Between multiple on-going projects and the desire or need to move to the next project, stuff gets piled on my tables. Honestly, I’m not sure when I last saw the surface of that far table.  It’s supposed to be be my cutting table.  But instead of speeding ahead into my next project I started working on the tables. I have a deadline — Sunday.  My sister will be here for 2 week sharing the space with me.

On the near left corner is fabric which needs to make it into one of my FQ bins. I’m stacking it because I’m sure there is more and my fabric bins are stuffed.  I may need to shuffle fabric to get it all put away. On the stool in front of the far table is yardage. Honestly I’m not sure there’s room in the cabinet, but I can’t put it in there without more comic book boards, so I gave in and ordered them. They should be here sometime today.

As I’ve been cleaning up the scraps I’ve added them to my strips bins — selvedges, strings, 1 1/2″, 2″ and 2 1/2″ strips. Only the very top layer is new and there is more on the table.  In fact I counted 5 bags and bins of scrap fabric. There’s one on the floor by the table, a bag on the table and 3 bins under my longarm. Maybe after I get through a couple more of my UFOs I’ll do a scrap quilt.

This is the next quilt I plan to finish.  It is the 2nd version of the 2025 Brandon Quilters Mystery Quilt. I want to put in sashing and cornerstones. But first I have to finish the cleaning.

 

First Finish of 2026

My first version of the 2025 Brandon Quilters Mystery, Chain of Blossom, is finished. This quilt is on my Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge for 2026.  All the fabric came from my stash, thus the design decision on the binding. I think I have a 1 1/2″ wide strip of the gold and maybe a 7″ strip of the blue left.

Chain of Blossoms

  • Started 12/1/2024
  • Finished 1/10/2026
  • 43″ x 43″
  • E2E – Nightlight
  • Sand thread

Additionally, I finished my Twirling Leaves top and made the backing for it.  I am sending this one out to Shelly Pagliai at Prairie Moon Quilts. I’m a head of schedule since my slot is in March.

My sister is visiting for 2 weeks to use the longarm. I think she has a dozen tops ready to quilt.  So I plan on spending this week cleaning the quilt studio and cutting hexies. I have hexies cut for yellow and neutral, but I need to cut and prep blues and oranges since I’ve changed how I’m putting the quilt together.  Once I’ve got the tables clean, then I’ll work on the my next UFO – the 2nd version of the mystery quilt.

 

First Quilt off the Longarm in 2026

My first long arm quilt for 2026 is off the long arm, it just needs to be bound now. This is Chain of Blossoms, the 2025 Brandon Quilters Mystery quilt that I designed.  Just needs a binding now.

The First Few Days of 2026

I’ve spent the first few days of 2026 in the Quilt Studio.  Just poking about and making forward progress.  The sewing table is cleared off (well was until I pulled Twirling Leaves out), half the pressing station is cleared, the long arm is cleared (or was until I got back from the laundry mat), and the piles on the other two tables are lower. I’ve also identified 12 projects I want to complete in 2026.  A description of the projects and their current state can be seen HERE.

I pulled Twirling Leaves out and assembled the first two sections.  I still need to do the turn back on the last section before assembling and attaching it, then adding the borders.  This is my # 1 project as I’m sending it out to be custom quilted and I have a slot on the longarmers calendar in early March.

I mentioned going to the laundry mat.  My two oversize king quilts needed washing. They just don’t fit in my washing machine and dryer.  One hour and $18.50 later, the 2 quilts, as well as 2 table runners and a knitted afghan are clean. While I sat there I ripped apart the green and orange Chain of Blossoms so I can put in sashing and cornerstones.

When I got home, I dug through my backing box and found a piece of fabric big enough to make a backing for the red, white & blue Chain of Blossoms.

Brandon Quilters meets tonight, so I’ll probably only get the long arm cleared off again.

What I’m Working On this Week

I did not do my What I’m Working on Wednesday post as I had nothing new to show and Wednesday evening was spent installing spice racks.  I bought the Vertical Spice racks I’ve seen on my Facebook feed — but not before actually going to the home office while I was in Minnesota. I probably would have bought them on the spot had I not decided the week before I left for the trip that I wanted to lower the shelf so my original measurements were all wrong.

When I got home, I pulled all the spices out of the cabinet, as well as bringing in the last box from the sunroom.  Turns out I have duplicates of some of the spices. I combined bottles where I could and pulled the duplicates out. They now live in the bottom of the utensil pull out.  The plan was to get what I needed for the bottom shelf first.  I ended up putting the larger slide on the 2nd shelf. I failed to consider the angle of the door in my calculations, so the wide slide out didn’t fit. I haven’t decided if I’m going to get more slides or not.

For my segue to quilting, I offer these napkins.  The plan was to have 6.  However, it’s been a couple of years since I made any and I simply couldn’t remember how they were done, as a result the first one ended up smaller.  After I took this picture and had them put away, I found the 5th large napkins.  For future reference, I washed the fabric first, then cut the back/binding square at 13 1/2″ square — essentially 1/3 the width of the fabric. The contrast was cut at 9 1/2″ square.  Cutting the inside 4″ smaller allows for a 1-inch border.

Last night I finished block 1 of the 2025 Brandon Quilters Mystery Quilt.  I have 2 weeks to get the next set of instructions written.

Finally, I’m still working on A Vintage Christmas Sampler.  I started working on the Tall Trees last night.  I have 2 or 3 small trees to do, then it will be on to the Candy Canes.