Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Christmas Star Swap

A Few Finishes

I’ve finally gotten to some of the binding. It’s not all done, but I’ve finished a few.  First up is Cairdeas. This wall hanging was done in commemoration of my trip to Ireland in June with Bonnie Hunter. She designed this quilt, and the pattern is available in her on-line store.  I started the embroidery in Ireland June 14th and finished the binding August 4th. It measures 24 1/2 x 25 1/4 after washing.

Up next is the Christmas Star Swap quilt.  In April 2019, I attended a quilt retreat and some of us swapped blocks.  This quilt was on my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO list.  This quilt finishes at 74″ x 93 before washing.  The quilting is a combination of ruler work — 1 1/4″ and 3/4″ circles using the Handi Quilter Swiss Cheese ruler, free-motion continuous curves in the chain, and computerized motifes-Feathered Square 3 which I divided in half for the white areas and used who in the pieced blocks, and Christmas 2010 Border and Boder Corner by Sweet Dreams Quilt Studio. It took about 6 bobbins of Glide 40wt in Pistachio.

Kimberly is my most recent finish.  I started this quilt at the MQA Summer Gathering and finished it August 21st.  The quilting motif is Liberty. I used 3 bobbins in Glide 40wt in Mercury. It measures 65 x 82 1/2.

What’s on My Design Wall

This is a photo I took Saturday afternoon.  Friday night I was cutting fabric for a couple of new quilts and cut something wrong, so I decided I needed to focus.

Clockwise, starting on the long arm

  1. Christmas Star Swap on the long arm
  2. Squedge 18 degree tablerunner on the design wall
  3. Community Quilt for Brandon Quilters (brown bag on floor by design wall)
  4. Auction Quilt from Brandon Quilters (butterfly bag on floor by design wall)
  5. Postage Stamp Leader/Ender because I need to cut more HST for Rivanna (brown bin)
  6. Pink, Green, & Purple Quilted Sweatshirt
  7. An old sheet to make some body pillow cases
  8. Fairy Frost Sunset pillowcase and remaining fabric to process
  9. Christmas Star Swap pillowcases & binding fabric
  10. HSTs for Rivanna
  11. Kimberly from Stripology 3
  12. Tara from Stripology 3
  13. Crystal from Stripology 3

So this is the progress I made over the weekend.  I’ve left the numbers the same, but obviously stuff has been moved around.

  1.  Christmas Star Swap is off the frame and trimmed.  Not only that, I have the binding cut (it’s on the far side of the sewing machine) and most the trimmings have been processed.
  2.  Squedge 18 table runner is now a top. There is a pile of fabric on the corner of the ironing board that is for the backing and binding.  I counted wrong and have some extra wedge pieces, so I may end up making either a square table topper or a pillow.
  3. The Community Quilt is still waiting to be quilted.
  4. The Auction Quilt will be up next on the longarm.
  5. Postage Stamp Leader/Ender. It’s put away.  I only sew use the 1-1/2″ squares as my L/E when I don’t have another L/E project going on.
  6. Pink, Green, and Purple Quilted Sweatshirt is still waiting to be finished — I don’t need it until September, so I have some time.
  7. An old sheet to make some body pillow cases – I’ll work on it after I get the Christmas quilt bound while the longarm is running.
  8. Fairy Frost Sunset pillowcase is pinned to the design wall.  The extra fabric is processed and put away.
  9. Christmas Star Swap pillowcase and extra binding if I need it. I won’t make it until after the quilt is bound in case I need more fabric for the binding.
  10. HST for Rivanna.  I trimmed the 60+ HST which were sewn, then cut another 240, which should keep me going for a while.
  11. Kimberly from Stripology 3 – 4 of the 14 fabrics are cut
  12. Tara from Stripology 3 – 4 of the 14 fabrics are cut
  13. Crystal from Stripology 3 – I’ll the fabric for this quilt after I get the rest of the fabric cut.

 

As I was recording my most recent purchases I realized I missed the April Stash Report.

Progress

I finally got my Fairy Frost Sunset quilted. It’s been hanging around since September 2010. It’s been bound, but needs to be washed. Hopefully next week I’ll get that post written.

The Christmas Star Swap from April 2019 is now a top.  I’ve pieced the backing from some vintage Christmas stash and cleaned out a project box.  I hope to get this loaded on the frame in the morning.

Both of these quilts are on my Brandon Quilters UFO list.

Design Wall Monday

On this Design Wall Monday I first have a finish.  Last week I made the Midi Bag. This past weekend I made the larger Mondo Bag.   I think this will make a great reusable shopping bag.

Here are the two of them together for size comparison.

After the bag was finished, I pulled out my Christmas Star Swap blocks from April 2019.  I made the 6 alternate squares, now I need to do the setting triangles.

 

2023 Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge

Happy New Year!

Over the next few days I’ll update my list of Finishes, Quilts in Progress and Tops to be Quilted, but today I’m listing out my 2023 Brandon Quilters UFO Challenge quilts. My list was created and turned in at our December meeting.  The goal to finish all of these quilts by our meeting December 4th, 2023. So here’s the list:

  • Mom’s Sweatshirt – Started in December 2008. My goal now is to have it finished by September at the latest, preferably May.
  • Black & White Stacked 4-Patch – Started this in Spring 2008. I started the quilting on it, but needed to rip it out since the border wasn’t lining up.
  • Christmas Row Quilt – This was a block swap I did in October 2008. I want to have the quilt finished by July.
  • Fairy Frost Sunset – The top was mad in 10 days in September 2010. It’s time to get it quilted.
  • Auction Strings IV: Turquoise & Cheddar –  These are the last of the blocks I bought at the auction in September 2018.
  • Princess & the Pea – The retreat mystery quilt started with a panel. I got it quilted last month, then realized I don’t have binding fabric.
  • Christmas Star Swap – These was swapped in April 2019. I have a plan and the fabric on how I want to set these blocks. My goal is to finish by July.
  • QBHD 2022 Pizza Box – We finished the swap in November, my goal to to take it finished to our next meeting on January 16th.
  • Athena – I started this quilt last January.
  • Donna’s Log Cabin – I started this quilt at the September retreat. All the blocks are finished and I sewed the last seam of the 1st half of the quilt just before midnight.
  • Rainbow Challenge – These squares were swapped during the year. I started doing “something” with them in October. I have a plan.
  • Chilhowie, the 2022 Quiltville Mystery – My plan is to keep up with the rest of the clues, but I will lengthen the top.

What’s on My Design Wall

Over the weekend I finished both Clue #3 and Clue #4 of the Quiltville Mystery Quilt Chilhowie. I saw some grumbling about folks running out of orange fabrics and I think I know why.  Although 2 yards is mathematically 1/2 yard more than is needed, when working from FQs and needing matching sets, if the orange squares from Clue #2 were not evenly distributed from each FQ and not cut along the width of the FQ I can see where you would run out if you only purchased 8 FQs.  I had 13.

 

My current Leader & Ender project is Rivanna. I think I have 30 different fabrics, so I’m about 1/4 of the way through the HST. This is a quilt for my guest bed, so there’s no rush.

After finishing Clue # 4, I worked on the sashings for my Pizza Box quilt. The units for the inner portion of the border sashing is done and now I’m working on the outer portion. I hope to have everything pieced before the next clue comes out.

But I’m already planning my next quilt – or rather how to finish a quilt on my UFO list.  I pulled the fabrics on the left from my stash, but naturally I don’t have enough fabric, so a trip the LQS was in order to see what I could find.  The fabric on the right came home with me.  I love the that diagonal stripe as a binding. We’ll see if I use it or not.  My plan is to have my decorating Christmas Quilting done by July this year as the guild program that month is Christmas Quilts by our members.  I have 2 Christmas quilts on next years UFO Challenge list. The list was complied and turned in prior to knowing what the program was going to be. I might have added a 3rd quilt had I known.

 

 

 

Did Someone Say Rulers?

Yes, I seem to have duplicates. I found all of these because I was looking to see if I  had something to help me trim the hourglass units from Part 3 of the Quiltville Mystery – Chilhowie.  I can attest to having recently purchased an Easy Angle Ruler. I couldn’t find mine — or my Essential Triangle Ruler.  Then I found the small one which worked for whatever it was I was doing. I just opened the new ruler last weekend….

As I was putting the box up, I looked up through the wires shelf and yes, I found my Essential Triangle tool. I’ve put all the rest of the tools back in the box.

As for those hourglass units, I found a Quilt In A Day Fussy Cut ruler the exact size of these hourglass units.  It has made trimming these units so much easier and makes me wonder why I put off working on them.  I  think I have 1/3 of the sets left to do before I start Clue 4 which was released this morning.

 

It wasn’t just the dread of making the hourglass blocks which caused me to put them off.  I’ve been working on the sashing for my pizza box quilt.  I think I have all the sashing cut and just need to sew. I hope to get both Clue 4 and this top finished this weekend as I have decided how I’m going to finish another set of swap blocks and just bought the necessary fabric…..