Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

It’s So Silly…

…but I  now have a pair of Tigger pajamas – or at least pajama pants.  A friend is embroidering a Tigger for me to appliqué onto the t-shirt.

Why do I have Tigger pajamas?  It all started so innocently.  I decided I wanted a new watch — something big enough for me to see.  Those Mickey Mouse watches where his hands are the watch hands are cute – but in my mind, a dime a dozen.  So I picked Tigger.

I’ve had this watch for about 12 years.  I’ve gone through at least 5 batteries and probably as many watch bands.  I really need to get the case re-plated.

I have a great gray Tigger t-shirt, but I can’t wear it anymore due to holes.  I have no idea how they got there.  Since then I’ve gotten a couple of other t-shirts, but they just aren’t the same.    A few years ago I picked up this fleece sweatshirt jacket.

Of course I have a few stuffed Tiggers as well.

The one with the red lilly travels with me to quilt retreats.  My quilts tops need “cat approval” and Seven refuses to travel with me, so Tigger fills in.

I’m sure if I dug deeper I’d find more Tigger “things”.   Instead I think I’ll go dig some more for UFO #10!

The Year of the PIG – Question #3

Jill’s Year of the PIGS Question #3 is:

What is the main reason(s) why you put PIGS and UFOs to the side?

Where do I start? First the UFOs

  • The quilt has a deadline and I didn’t meet it, so now it’s on to the next quilt and deadline.
  • I have a stack of blocks and don’t know how I want to set them (usually from swaps).
  • I have a stack of blocks from a swap or raffle and don’t have time to deal with them ‘right now’.
  • The process is tedious and I’m tired of it.
  • I’ve run into a problem and I don’t know how I’m going to fix it.
  • Something new has caught my eye and has to be done “right now”.
  • The project is long-term (BOM, SBS, lots of handwork) and the timeline gets extended to handle my lack of progress.
  • The quilt doesn’t have a ‘destination’, so it’s gets bumped down in priority.
  • Life gets in the way.

Now the pigs.

  • I’ve decided I don’t have enough time to get the project done in the amount of time I have.
  • I don’t want to start anything new with so many other projects needing to be finished.
  • What was I thinking?
  • That will be a good retreat project.

These are just a some of the reasons projects get set aside. The good news is I was easily able to list these out and I’m actively working on overcoming them.  I haven’t joined a swap or raffle in a while (the blue & brown SBS blocks was the last swap I joined – blocks received in November 2009).  I haven’t bought a new project  in a while that I wasn’t going to start working on immediately (last PIG was The Night Before Christmas in May 2009).

I’m doing my best to not set dates for my quilts, except where absolutely necessary – the mini quilt is for the Guild silent auction in April, or the mystery quilt I’m writing for a quilt retreat, also in April.  A few dates sneak in.  I’d love to have my Double Wedding Ring finished to hang in the Guild quilt show in April.  There are two other quilts I’d love to have for show and tell at the April retreat.  But then I remind myself, there are only 9 weeks left until April, do the mini and work on the DWR – forget the other two since I haven’t even STARTED them.

Forget the PIGs, I’m focused on the UFOs — now if I can just find # 10….

February UFO Challenge

Judy has drawn the UFO Challenge number for February.  The link to the January challenge finishes can be found here.

This month’s number is 10. That means I’ll be working on my bright Colorworks Dresden Plate Quilt-As-You-Go project…


…if I can find it.

The top picture is a relatively current picture. I took it this past December. That portion of the quilt is in my UFO crate on the shelves. The bottom picture was taken a while back. I’m not sure where those two finished blocks are – or for that matter the box of black batting I purchased for the project.

This project was started in 2006.   Most of the prints are from the  Colorworks collection which came out in the early 1990’s.  I  know this, because the fabric is from a  “broomstick”  skirt that my Mom made for me as ‘model garment’ at a now defunct chain fabric store shortly after I moved to Texas.  I am here to tell you that quilting cotton does not make an easy to care for broomstick skirt.  Which is not to say the skirt wasn’t cute.  Mom used the same fabric to make a skirt for my sister and sister-in-law — although I don’t think their skirts had as many tiers.

I loved the skirt.  Wore it for nearly 10 years (I’m obviously not a clothes horse) but tended to roll over the hem when getting up from my desk at work.  Since the skirt had an elastic waistband,  it made for some potentially awkward moments.  The last time it happened,  I decided I would make a quilt from the miles of fabric in the skirt and came home and tore the skirt apart. I managed to acquire the other two skirts and found some leftover fabric in Mom’s sewing room.

Of course as a project without a known destination, this quilt got set aside to languish unfinished as I worked on something else.  Since it was started, I’ve completely gutted my sewing room, so there is no telling where the missing blocks and batting are.  For a while, the missing batting (and maybe the missing blocks?) was in a crate sitting in the living room.  Then we cleaned up the living room and the crate got moved.  Our best guess is it’s in the basement – but everything in the basement got moved around not too long ago when we had the plumber out.  So, before I can really begin working on this project, I’ve got to work on the basement.  I wonder if Judy will let me count a cleaned basement as a finished UFO?

I’ll search for the missing batting and if I don’t find it in the next two weeks, I may have to swap out UFO #10 for something else on the list.

January UFO Challenge Met – Part 3

It happened!  I finished two UFOs this month.  This baby quilt (about 38″ square) was quick to quilt — once I figured out how I was going to quilt it.    The backing is a piece of fabric left over from a dress I made 4 or 5 years ago.

The binding was made when I finished the quilt top last August so, I’ll only get to count the backing at the next Stash Report.

Since  February is a short month, and I still have to my “regular quilting” to do, I hope Judy calls a low number.  My “regular quilting” for February will consist of resuming the hand quilting on my DWR, and piecing mini-stars for the miniature quilt I’m working on.

What’s on My Design Wall

This is UFO #6 off the second list.  Yes, I might just finish 2 UFOs this month.  The binding is on and I just need to stitch it down — then decide if I need to go back and quilt the around the outside edge (I’m thinking yes.)  I even have the quilt labeled.

Follow the links over at Patchwork Times to check out other design walls.

And check back this evening to see if I finish the quilt before midnight!

January UFO Challenge Met – Part 2

Over on my UFO Challenge 2011 tab I have two lists.  The first list is for quilts I will consider “done” when they get to the “Top” stage.  The second list is for quilt tops which will be considered “done” only when they are quilted and bound.  Thus my announcement on January 25th that I had met this month’s challenge.  I had finished UFO #6 off the first list.

Well, I’m happy to announce that I’ve finished Three Sisters’ Choice.  As in quilted and bound.

After washing, where is scrunched up beautifully, it measures 53″ x 74″.

I hoped to have the quilt off the 2nd list to show tonight, but I rapidly ran out of time.  My husband hung it so I could photograph it.  There’s a pillow case to go with the quilt.

Check back tomorrow to see if I finish the second quilt.

Stash Report

This was a really good week.  I prepared the backing and binding for Three Sisters’ Choice and the backing for the Mystery Quilt and made a pillow case.   So lots of fabric out.  No fabric in for quilts, but I did purchase three yards of fabric to make some pajamas.  Since it’s cotton and the extra fabric will end up in my stash, I’ve decided to count it in.

Fabric Added this Week:  3 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 5.25 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 7.29 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 14.267 yards

Net Stash for 2010: -9.017 yards

Check out other results by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

All Ready to Sandwich and Quilt

I’m too tired tonight to sandwich the quilt, but I’ve prepped the backing, made the binding, found a piece of batting the right size and wound two bobbins.  I see quilting (instead of piecing) in my future.

January 2011 UFO Challenge Met

Three Sisters’ Choice is now a top.  It’s come along way from a pile of pieces with no design (or good name) in mind to this finished quilt top.

The name is derived from the fabric designer, Three Sisters, and the block, Sister’s Choice.  I don’t see where I have any other choice but to call it Three Sisters’ Choice.

Earlier today I rooted around in my yardage boxes, and found 4 yards of a peach fabric which will make the perfect backing.

The fabric was originally intended to be either the framing or sashing around some 4-patch Stacked Posies blocks, but I used the 4-Patch fabric back in October or November to back the Row Quilt I gave my brother and his wife for Christmas.   There is enough of the border fabric for binding and the cuff of a pillow case.  All I have left of the rest of the fabric is 2 – 2″ strips WOF of the green and a pile of trimmings.  I’m going to have to be inventive for the body of the pillowcase.

 

What’s on my Design Wall

This weekend I was on call for work, so I spent some quality time with my sewing machine and completed the center of my 2008 Charm Challenge quilt which is UFO #6 for Judy’s UFO Challenge.  Now I’m working on the borders.

I had 13 1/2 inches of the green fabric and 7 inches of the peach.  Needless to say my options were limited.  I managed to mangle the math, but I think it’s going to be OK.  The inner peach border will finish at 1/2 inch, the middle green border 1 inch and the outer border 3″.  The finished size of the quilt will be about 54 x 76 — a smaller than the 60 x 85 I try to aim for.

Another evening or two, and I’ll have this quilt top finished and off my UFO list and on to my “to be quilted list”.  I do hope that whatever # Judy draws next month, it’s something I can finish without much thought.  #2 or #7 would be good numbers for February.

Check out what others are working on by following the links over at Patchwork Times.