Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Category Archives: Dancing Strings

Two Finishes

Over the weekend the long arm saw 5 quilts.  I started off with 2 mystery quilts from the Brandon Quilters. Friday night I quilted my SILs, then Saturday morning I quilted my version.

This is Starflower, designed by Tyanne Agle. Tonight we are bringing our finished quilts (or tops) to show as last month we got the final installment.  After washing the quilt measures 45 1/2″ x 61″. I used the E2E design Pretty Paisley by Jodi Beanish of Willow Leaf Studios. The thread is 40wt Glide in Lilac. The batting is Legacy 80/20.  I used the same backing fabric as I did on the Go! Big Crazy Quilt, but I pre-washed the fabric.  I didn’t have near the shrinkage as I did on the other quilt.  This quilt was started 1/15/22 and I finished binding it 5/1/22. It will be donated via the Brandon Quilters.

Auction Crazy String #3 is done.  This quilt is on my UFO list as “Pink & Black Auction Crazy Strings”. When I decided to enlarge it to fit a twin bed, I needed more fabric.  This quilt will be donated to the Mississippi State Veterans Home via the guild.

I used Anne Bright’s B2B design “Bubbles”. It is quilted with 40wt Glide in Kiwi and had Legacy 80/20 batting. After washing it measures 72″ x 86 1/2″.

The other 2 quilts are still waiting to be bound, so I’ll show them then.

Blocks!

I’ve been making up for lost time away from the sewing machine.  These are the swap blocks that I’m taking to retreat next month.  It is Friendship Scrap Block from Quilters Cache.

I also finished making the string blocks.  Now I can clean up the mess. I’ve yet to figure out how to work with strings that doesn’t create a huge mess. I’ll intersperse these blocks with the others and hopefully they’ll blend in.

Miss Genie Is Home

After my big machine died, I picked up Ruby’s Brother to use until Miss Genie came home. I picked  her up yesterday afternoon and after I got home from the quilt guild meeting I opened her up and started piecing.

The sewing machine is currently sitting where the longarm will go.  This is what the space looked like Friday night.  I’ve been busy.

But first there was a bit of retail therapy.  The blocks on the left were cut with the Accuquilt Machine.  I stopped in at Twin Oaks Crafts in Richland, Mississippi and rented their GO! Big Crazy Quilt-10″ Finished Die.  It didn’t take me long to cut out all 50 blocks and they went together SO fast — right up until my sewing machines died.  I still need to one more seam on about 20 of the blocks then this quilt will be ready to assemble.  As to the retail therapy, I plan to do a narrow border of the turquoise and then use the black splatter as the border.  The Purple space/star is a wide backing that I’ll use on both quilts.

The pile of blocks on the right are the last of the auction blocks.  They are trimmed and ready to sash.  The lime green is the sashing and the bubbles is the border.

I’m aiming for a 70 x 90 quilt, so I’m 18 blocks short. Last night I only had seven completed, with 3 in progress when Miss Genie decided I needed to go to bed. This morning I changed the needle, re-threaded the machine and pulled some thread off the bobbin and I was able to finish 3 more blocks.

Also over the weekend I made significant progress on my swap blocks. I need to finish the brown set and then sew them into a 12″ block.

Not shown are the two Pizza Box Blocks I made for the Guild swap.  I wasn’t able to work on the block right away since my brother arrived the evening of the Guild meeting.  So 2 weeks of house remodeling, a week to recover, and then the machines died.  As soon as I picked up Ruby’s spare machine, I made the block I was to swap last night.  I brought a new box home and IMMEDIATELY made the block I’m to take back next month.

I have a few more days of piecing then I’ve got to clean up my mess to make room for the long arm.

A Quilting Challenge – Really?!!

I’m living in a house which has NO room completed, so naturally, I’m going to participate in my quilt guild’s UFO Challenge.  I’ve picked 12 quilts which need to be completed and shown by December 5th, 2022.

1- Hand Quilted White Work. This is my oldest quilt “top” from sometime in 2005.  I took a hand quilting class in preparation to quilt my DWR.

2 – QIAD Green & Cream Swap from the fall of 2006. It’s my 3rd oldest UFO.

3 – Johnny’s Strip Twist.  I started this at a quilt retreat in 2016. I had problems with my 1/4″ seam, so started over. I have enough sections to make at least 2 quilts.

4 – Pink & Black Auction Crazy Strings. I bought the blocks at an auction in 2018. This will be the 3rd quilt I’ve made from them. I pulled the fabrics when I thought I was going to a Sit-n-Sew in December so I’m counting it.

5 – Christmas Wall Hanging. My SIL and I purchased the fabric for this quilt at the same time — July 2018.  Hers is finished, I have part of 1 block done.

6 – Frolic the 2019 Quiltville Mystery Quilt. This looks like it just needs to be quilted.  But I need to make the backing bigger, so I’ll be making more blocks.

7 – Baubles ‘N Beads – I made this top in August 2020 and just need to quilt it.

8 – Shimmer – I’m using the leftover fabric from Bauble ‘N Beads and Atomic Starburst to make this quilt. I started it  August 2020.

9 – Atomic Starburst – the top was completed in March 2021, which is why it’s listed after Shimmer.

10 – MQA BOM – I finished the quilt top the end of September 2021 – so it is possible to piece with the house torn apart.

11 – Ruby’s Sampler – I started this the New Year’s Eve 2020. I still need to write up the patterns for the blocks and of course finish making the top.  I need to make 4 more blocks.

12 – SQG BOM – The first block came out February 2021. I made 3 blocks before I stopped sewing last year to start packing.  I didn’t get a picture of the 3rd block.

In addition to the above I’m participating in a Pizza Box Challenge – one block a month with one of my guilds & I’m considering a mystery quilt with the other guild.  The retreat usually has a lotto block – I’ll try to make one; a swap block – I’ll probably skip this time; and a mystery quilt – which I may not do either.

My goal is to not start anything new, but now that I think about it, there’s a pot holder and possibly a sweatshirt jacket in my future.