Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Maybe Its Summer

July 3, 2025 10:16 am ⋅

I’m not sure if its the heat or the storms, but I feel like I’ve not been in the Quilt Studio very much this week. And it’s not because I’m watching the Royals on MLB.tv.  They’ve been in Seattle and the game haven’t started until 8 PM.  Last night I loaded the Americana quilt which was brought to me Sunday afternoon.

I got the binding made for the Wonky Tree quilt.

And I found everything in my stash to make this Villa Rosa pattern “Sheryl”.  I’m going to double the size to use the entire layer cake.  I found this layer cake in a box of stuff I got from my friend Sheryl. My LQS is having a 25% off sale starting on the 4th, so I planned on getting the “sashing” fabric, but found this slightly gray white fabric in my cabinet – and I have enough! Not wanting a ‘white’ binding, found some lavender fabric in the cabinet which blends well with the layer cake.  All I need now is a backing, but that can wait until the top is made.  I’ll probably take this to an upcoming retreat to make.

Posted in: Machine Quilting, Sheryl, Wonky Christmas Trees

What I’m Working on Wednesday – 7/2/25

July 2, 2025 8:39 am ⋅

Not a whole lot has changed since yesterday’s post.  Yesterday evening there were thunderstorms, so I couldn’t turn on the long arm.  I did get the backing loaded and the batting cut.  After the storms blew through, I fired up the computer to begin working on the quilting design.

Apparently this is the first time I’ve attempted to do and E2E since I finally upgraded the Mach3 software.  Notice the blank spots at the top and bottom of the quilt layout.  I tried several times, then picked a different design that I know I’ve used.  Same thing occurred. Finally I figured out that the clip connect setting got reset with the upgrade.  I was then able to create the quilting profile, but I decided it was too late to start quilting.  Assuming there are no more storms, I’ll get this quilted tonight.

Posted in: CustomerQuilt, Machine Quilting

July 2025 Goals

July 1, 2025 10:17 am ⋅

Here we are 1/2 way through the year and I have crossed off 1/2 of my quilting goals for the year.  Normally I’d list out what I want to get done for the week, but given the nature of my quilting goals, I’m going to list it for the month.

  • Keep up with A Vintage Christmas Sampler Quilt A Long.  Those are the blocks at the top right of the design wall. Although I have the pattern and fabric for the center of the quilt, I’m not quilting ahead.
  • Bind Wonky Trees  – I want this done so I can take it to the guild meeting on Monday.
  • Decide where I’m going to hang the framed backing. I know it goes in my den, but I don’t know if it’s portrait or landscape. Once that’s decided I can add the wire.
  • Add top coat to barn quilt.
  • Quilt the American quilt on the front of the frame. I’ll do that tonight, as my customer wants to bind it this weekend.

  • Finish the prep work for the Wonky Tree class.
  • Complete the Cascades quilt top.  Bonus if I get it quilted and bound

Not pictured

  • quilt & bind the Auction Quilt Top I bought last year
  • finish the mystery quilt clues (the next one is due Monday!)
  • help Ruby put up her design wall (I’ve got to find my other flannel sheet)

In other news, a couple of shop sampled came home.  They are laying on the take-up rail of the longarm.  Double 4-Patch Table Runner & the Dragon quilt Emerald Reigns.  I need to get a label on the dragon quilt and get it shipped off to the recipient.

July is looking to be busy from a quilting perspective.

 

Posted in: A Vintage Christmas Sampler, Cascade, Double 4-Patch Table Runner, Emerald Reigns, goals, Wonky Christmas Trees

Stash Report for June 2025

June 30, 2025 10:05 am ⋅

 

I started to compile the stash report this past Friday and realized it had been nearly a month, so I decided I’d just wait to do the report since I was expecting fabric to arrive Saturday.  Well, fabric arrived, but it was not what I ordered, so an email was sent and I’ll call them later today. I also realized that since they fabric was paid for, I had already accounted for it in my #s.

The above piece I picked up in Iowa on my way home earlier this month. It was on the clearance rack.  I have 4 of these squares.  I thought they would be great practice pieces for free-motion/ruler work.

The purchase #s are up – but then again I did go to 2 quilt shows and did a little shop hopping on my trip.

The Stash Report.

Fabric Added Since Last Report: 49.873 yards
Fabric Added to Date:  158.933 yards

Fabric Used Since Last Report: 10.917 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 97.885 yards

Net Fabric Stash: 61.048 yards

Posted in: Stash Busting Report

Wonky Trees is Quilted

June 30, 2025 12:03 am ⋅

It’s a small quilt, but it still took me 2 sessions to get it quilted.  I started with a little ruler work to make the ‘garlands’ on the trees, but I couldn’t remember how to mask the trees. Since it was late I decided to regroup in the morning.

I read the book, and watched 2 different videos on YouTube.  I eventually figured it out — for the 1st 3 trees.  When I advanced the quilt, I had to rewatch the video again. The last 3 trees I didn’t have to watch the video, but I did struggle with doing the steps in the right order, but I got it done.  I think if I had to do it over again, I would outline the trees completely, but naturally I didn’t think of that until I was halfway though the quilt. Maybe next time. Now to get it bound.

Posted in: masking, Ruler work, Wonky Christmas Trees

Wonky Christmas Trees

June 28, 2025 8:37 am ⋅

A few months ago I was asked to teach Wonky Christmas Trees at Ritzy Quilting for Christmas in July. As I did not make the sample quilt, I thought it best that I make a few blocks before I taught the class.  I pulled fabrics from my stash to make this small top.  It goes together really quickly.  I hope to get it quilted today.

This past week I also got caught up with the A Vintage Christmas Sampler QAL by Kansas Troubles Quilters.  I was slow to get started as I didn’t get the fabric kit until this past Monday. The HST on the far right are NOT part of the quilt – they were made with the cut off corners from the Square in a Square blocks and the Flying Geese.  I don’t often participate in a BOM or QAL where the fabrics are kitted as I don’t want a quilt that looks like hundreds if not thousands of other quilts.  This week Lynne “gave us permission” to use other fabrics outside of the kit for our blocks, suggesting we pull from our KTQ stashes.  This is something I planned to do if I had too many ‘oops’ and needed more fabric, but decided not to wait.  I have a whole bin of KTQ fabrics waiting to be used.  It’s hard to tell, but I used 3 different fabrics in the pinwheel blocks.

Posted in: A Vintage Christmas Sampler, Quilts, Wonky Christmas Trees

Another Art Project

June 27, 2025 10:25 am ⋅

Earlier this year at a guild meeting we did a hands on project with narrow strips of fabric.  I was careful in cutting out the dragonfly which allowed me to create a second project.  The first project can be seen HERE.

Last week I finally got a frame to put it in.  Now to decide where to display it.

 

 

Posted in: Art Quilts

What I’m Working on Wednesday – 6/25/25

June 25, 2025 10:51 am ⋅

This summer I’m participating in the Kansas Troubles Quilters Quilt Along for A Vintage Christmas Sampler.  Every two weeks Lynne Hagmeier is posting a videos on how to make the blocks. The first videos came out the day I left on the road trip and the fabric arrived while I was gone.  As I had it held, I had to pick up the package Monday morning and I finally watched the videos last night.

My first two blocks are done and I have the fabric cut out for the next 4.  I didn’t get those done because I was playing with one of my new toys…

I’m still tweaking the exact alignment of the light, so I’ve ripped out the stitching of the block a couple of times.  Perhaps tonight I’ll have better luck with it.

Posted in: A Vintage Christmas Sampler

A Quilting Road Trip – Part 2

June 25, 2025 10:27 am ⋅

The plan was to make it to St Cloud, Minnesota in time for the Preview Night a The Minnesota Quilt Show – and actually make a stop at Vertical Spice in Maple Grove before that.  HA!  We spent the night in Ames, Iowa and I wanted to stop in at the Quilting Connection which didn’t open until 10 AM. We then visited with Ruby’s friend who took us to It’s Sew Tempting in Story City.  At this point I decided we would stop at Vertical Spice on our way home.  After a few more quilt shops we decided to just wait until Thursday morning to go to the quilt show.

For this show we started with the quilts first.  The quilts were divided into 4 sections: Judged, Youth, NonJudged (viewer choice) and Special Exhibits.  The quilt above was one of my favorites in the Judged category. It is called Eyes on You.

 

The Eagle and Sunset were my choices for the Viewer’s Choice in the Non-Judged category.

After viewing all of the quilts, we wandered through the vendor area. After spending way too much money in Kansas City, I showed considerable restraint.  I picked up a top for the school glue stick, 1 yard of clearance fabric, a new rotary cutter and blades, and a couple of water damaged books.

It was early afternoon when we finished at the show, so we made the spontaneous decision to drive to the headwaters of the Mississippi River, located in Itasca State Park, about 2 1/2 hours north of St Cloud.

Here I am contemplating crossing the river on foot.  I got out about 2 stones and decided I needed to be barefoot.  That got me out to about 4 stones at which time I turned around and came back.  I did get across about 20 feet down stream.

Look at how clear that water is!  It’s nothing like the river here in Mississippi.

Friday morning we started our trek home.  The first stop was Vertical Spice.  I didn’t buy the spice drawers, but plan to once I figure out my configuration. I was told there will be a sale July 4th weekend.

It wasn’t a straight shot home.  I needed to hit 2 more quilt shops in Iowa to get to 5 for the Shop Hop and Ruby had never been to Wisconsin, so naturally we took a detour, aiming for River Falls, before heading south.

About 1/2 hour outside of Hannibal, Missouri, I asked Ruby if she had ever been to Illinois. Since the answer was no, I popped over the river to Quincy.  Made a wrong turn and got caught in a safety stop by the highway patrol.  Eventually we got to our hotel in O’Fallon, Missouri.

Saturday morning we had one stop planned — The Quilted Cow in St Peter’s, Missouri.  I’ve now been to 5 – West Branson, MO, Raymore, MO, Gulf Shores, AL, Bentonville, Ark, and St Peter’s, MO.  I still need to get to the Springfield, MO and Colorado Springs, CO.

We swapped drivers every hour, stopping just off the interstate getting home about 7 PM.

It was a great trip. Now to get every thing put away.

Posted in: Quilt Show, Road Trip

A Quilting Road Trip – Part 1

June 24, 2025 10:53 am ⋅

I recently got back from a 10 day quilting road trip.  Last fall I had the opportunity to choose any date for a speaking engagement at Candlelight Quilters in Raytown, Missouri. They meet on the 3rd Monday of the month.  I picked June as I could drive up and go to the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival the weekend prior and the Minnesota State Guilt Quilt Show the following weekend.  Naturally, along the way my SIL Ruby & I  visited family and friends and hit a few quilt shops between here and there.  Pictured above is my portion of the luggage.  The big suit cases have the quilts I’m showing, the little bag next to Luger contains my laptops (yes plural – I had to haul my work laptop) and the next bag my clothes.  The charm bag has a quilt & pillow and the other two were my purchases through Monday morning.

My SIL Penny and my sister Alison joined us at the KCRQF.  Penny doesn’t quilt, but enjoyed looking at the quilts, did some Christmas shopping and picked out a quilt for me to make her.

This is one of my favorite quilts in the show.  

Those blocks are tiny — I just happened to have a yardstick from one of the vendors — then I read the the card….

 

Sunday we took in a ball game. Penny is a great one for taking selfies.  Alas, the Royals lost to the A’s.

 

Let me backup a moment.  Penny fell in love with this quilt and I agreed to make it for her.

But the Quilted Chicken had sold their last kit. They found these FQ (not the bottom one) they had used in their quilt, so Penny bought the pattern and FQs.  Monday, before my presentation at the guild, we wandered around to a few quilt shops.  I found the border, binding, and background fabric and a few more FQs.  I was not able to find the backing, even trekking through the Iowa and Minnesota shops, so I ordered it from a shop in Ohio.  It should be here on Friday.

I don’t have any pictures from the presentation. There was a communication mix up between the group and the venue, so we were in a small room with out a projector (and I’m not convinced there was AC in the space).  Fortunately I had 2 suitcases of quilts and a printout of the notes from the slideshow.  That evening we stayed with my sister as she lives north of Kansas City and I got to shop in her ruler collection!

The next morning we headed to Iowa.  We saw 3 of the 5 covered bridged of Madison County, but not the one in the movie as it was in the wrong direction.

We also saw the exhibit at the Iowa State Quilt Museum.  That evening we had dinner with one of Ruby’s friends. The next day she took us to the quilt shop in her town. Then we were off to Minnesota. Did I mention June & July is the All Iowa Shop Hop?  Naturally we stopped at a few more shops before we hit the state line. We did not make it to St Cloud in time for the Preview night.

More on the rest of the trip in the next post.

 

 

Posted in: Art Quilts, Quilt Show, Road Trip