Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Oops

November 4, 2010 4:00 am ⋅

This week I wanted to get two more rows of blocks sewn together. I got on a roll and finished up all the rows and started sewing the rows together. I even turned the two center blocks on the top row. Once I sewed the last seam I hung it up to photograph it.

Oops! That doesn’t look right.

Took me a minute but I figured it out. I had the top in two halves — that center seam was the last seam sewed. Apparently I sewed the top to the middle. Ugh! I see ripping in my future.

Upon closer look, the last block on the 3rd row appears to be turned as well. Fiddlesticks.

Does anyone see anything else?

Posted in: Blue Ridge Beauty

QA Wednesday

November 2, 2010 11:10 pm ⋅

No pictures today, but I can report that I completed everything that was on my list and then some.

  • Get at least two rings on Row 5 quilted on the DWR – Done!
  • Quilt at least two blocks on my Cream & Green quilt – Done!
  • Rip out the quilting I’ve already done on the Cream & Green quilt – Done!
  • Write up entry for Amy’s Creative Side – Blogger’s Quilt Festival– Done!

I’ve nearly completed 3 rings on the 5th row – so I managed to quilt 4 rings this past week.  The Cream & Green quilt is coming along nicely — I ripped out all of the previous quilting, quilted 4 blocks for a total of 5 and have the batting prepped for the remaining 15 blocks.  Finally I wrote and posted my Blogger’s Quilt Festival entry early last Friday morning.

So what’s on my list for this coming week? — More of the same.

  • Finish quilting Row 5 on the DWR
  • Quilt at least 4 blocks on the Cream & Green quilt
  • Piece at least two rows on Blue Ridge Beauty

These are the minimum it will take for me to make my monthly and yearly goals.  — Well really need to move faster on the DWR, but again I don’t think it’s realistic.  I’ve bumped up the count on the Cream & Green quilt, because I need to have time to put the blocks together and then quilt the borders.    I’m off from work the week after Thanksgiving, so I hope the 11 day stretch gives me a concentrated time to make a chunk of progress.

Check in next week to see if I’m as successful as I was this week, the links on Bari’s blog to see what others are planning to accomplish.

Posted in: goals

A Little Duffle

November 1, 2010 10:43 pm ⋅

Tonight, because I clearly don’t have any projects to finish, I dug through my stash and found a couple of fabrics to make this little bag.

I used Karen West’s pattern A Little Duffle Do It, available at www.lovethefabric.com or your local quilt shop.

The pattern calls for a 20″ zipper on the large bag, but I only had a 14″ zipper. I made it work, but I definitely see where the longer zipper would make things easier.

Posted in: Duffle, finish

What’s on my Design Wall

November 1, 2010 12:14 am ⋅

When I’ve not been working on the DWR or Cream & Green quilt, I’ve been sewing blocks into rows on Blue Ridge Beauty.  The rows still need sewing together, but I think I’ll wait until I get all of the rows sewn.  I ended up swapping two rows because I ended up with the same fabric next to each other when I got the last row on the wall.  I think I’ve also spotted a flaw in the design with the center two blocks on the first row.

They are just like what we (my DH did the final layout in EQ7) had in EQ, but when I started to draw the quilt larger I was having a tough time extending the pattern.   I think the top center two blocks is why.  I’ll play with it more before I get to the last row.

To see what others have on their design walls, follow the links over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: Blue Ridge Beauty, designwall

October Recap/November Goals

October 31, 2010 8:00 pm ⋅

  • Continue quilting the Double Wedding Ring — can I get 3 rows done by Halloween? –Yes & No
  • Make the September & October KVQG BOM – No
  • Prep backing for quilt* – Yes!
  • Bind quilt*- Yes!
  • Make progress on Cream & Green quilt – Yes!

A  mixed month, but lots of progress regardless.  No, I didn’t get three rows quilted on the DWR, but I did hit the halfway mark (total of 4 rows quilted) and I’ve got two more rings quilted on row five.  So I’m plowing ahead full speed as long as my wrist holds out.

Another month and I’ve blown off the Guild BOM.  Maybe I’ll get caught up in December. (Yes, I’m already planning on blowing off the November block.)

Prep the backing and bind a quilt — Yes!  That’s the row quilt I took down to Rocking Chair Quilts and finished on the 18th.

Make “progress” on the Cream & Green quilt.  – I ripped out all of the quilting I had done previously (6 blocks) and I have 5 blocks quilted uniformly.  There are twenty blocks so I’m 1/4 of the way through.  Still  need to figure how to quilt the sashing and then exactly how I’m going to put it together.  I have a rough idea, but I need to think it through.

So all of the specified goals have been accounted for.   Additionally, I completed the Star Struck quilt top, have sewn 1/2 of the Blue Ridge Beauty Blocks into rows, started working on a mini quilt and started a quilt which needs to be done by late Spring.

All in all, I’m happy with what I accomplished this month.

NOVEMBER QUILTING GOALS

  • Continue quilting the Double Wedding Ring – how much can I get done by the end of the month?
  • Make progress on Cream & Green quilt
  • Complete center of Blue Ridge Beauty
  • Finish quilting center of Compass Lone Star

Just a few things on the list this month – three of the four are on my list to do by the end of the year so I want to focus.  I think the reason I’ve not been able to pick a leader/ender project is that I really want to finish these quilts.   So, check in with me throughout the month to see how much progress I made on these quilts and if I end up starting something new.

Posted in: goals, monthly goals

Stash Report

October 31, 2010 12:02 am ⋅

This week I worked on projects for which the fabric is already counted.

These are 4 of the blocks I ripped the quilting out of to redo (one I had not previously quilted).  I really like how it’s coming along – and it’s not taking me that long to do.   I wanted to quilt at least two blocks this week, so I’ve met that goal.

Another goal involved quilting at least two rings on the 5th row of my DWR.  I’m into my second ring – but no fabric to count.  I did mail off some strips of music fabric to a friend, so although I didn’t use it, it is out of my stash and I get to count it.

Saturday afternoon and evening my husband and I went to a marching band contest.   He has several bands he wanted to see since he taught kids in those bands when they were younger.  As a happy coincidence I got to see my alma mater, Shawnee Mission South perform.

On the way home we drove by an outlet mall which at one time (May 2009?) had a quilt shop in it.  I guess it’s a sign of the times because the mall was nearly deserted.  I think there were only 4 shops still open in the strip.  Bottom line no fabric came in.

Here are the numbers:

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 154.011 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 1.275 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 88.176 yards

Net Stash for 2010: 65.835 yards

Check out how others are doing over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: goals, Stash Busting Report

Half the Quilting is Done!

October 29, 2010 12:14 pm ⋅

Posted in: dwr

My Favorite Quilt – Bloggers Quilt Festival

October 29, 2010 12:36 am ⋅

Amy over at AmysCreativeSide.com is hosting the Blogger’s Quilt Festival October 29th – November 5th.  This is the second time I’ve participated.  Last fall I showed the  Blue Applecore quilt I gave my husband.   This year I’m entering “Music Lessons” – another quilt I’ve made for my husband.

This quilt started off with a casual purchase “oh, look music fabric” and an innocent remark by my husband.  “Wouldn’t it be cool to make a quilt with nothing but music fabric – just a single repeat of each fabric?”

It was the Spring of 2003 and I was still a machine knitter and a want-to-be-quilter.  I had quilt patterns and magazines, and a little bit of cotton fabric, but I hadn’t really been bit by the “Quilt Pox’.  In fact I purchased my first music FQs the Spring of 2003 in at Silks & More Fine Fabrics – now Appletree Quilting Center in Columbia, Missouri, while I was making arrangements for a statewide gathering of Bond Machine Knitters.

Isn’t it funny how we can remember where we purchased some of our fabric.  Or is it just me?

Anyway I showed the fabric to my husband and the comment about a quilt and the idea for a music quilt was born.  Although I didn’t like his idea of chunk of fabric – I wanted to piece something.

Over the next five years I began to collect music themed fabric.  It was given to me my by my mom and friends.  I bought music fabric on-line that I couldn’t find locally.  Since I didn’t have a pattern in mind, I kept collecting music themed fabric.

I think this picture was taken after I completed the quilt top.

Then one day while I was surfing the web, I spotted a picture of a quilt with lots of floral fabrics.  Each one was different and the “piecing” was done in the sashing and cornerstones.  I then had a design for my music fabric.

I started the quilt in September 2008 and finished the top the following April.  It would take until the end of the year begin quilting on it.  I needed a back!

So, I pieced the back from the “leftover” music fabric.

See that swag fabric in the middle of the back.  That’s Andover Fabrics Marching Band by Gail Kessler.  I searched the entire metro area for that fabric without success.  I found it on-line, but didn’t want to buy a border fabric without seeing it.  On the Iowa road trip (13 stores in 3 day) I found the fabric in one of the last stores we visited that weekend.

Music fabric still came into the house after the quilt top was completed.  Some of it got worked into the back of the quilt.  The top left corner is one piece and the last full square on the third row was a new fabric.

In total there are 168 different fabrics on the front of the quilt.  Two different colorways of the same print count as two. I also included a block I printed which has a scan of one of my husband’s original piano pieces on it.    The back contains at least three prints which did not make it into the front of the quilt  – two were purchased after  the top was complete, the third was the swag.

As I was finishing the quilting my husband and I started thinking about what to call the quilt.  It had been known as “the music quilt” & “music star”, but I felt the quilt needed a more significant name.  We came up with “Music Lessons”.

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for reading. Check out other quilters’ favorite quilts over at Blogger’s Quilt Festival.

Posted in: blogger's quilt festival, music quilt

QA Progress Report

October 28, 2010 6:29 pm ⋅

Just a quick note of my progress on this week’s goals so far.

  • Get at least two rings on Row 5 quilted on the DWR – 1/2 of the last block on row 4 done.
  • Quilt at least two blocks on my Cream & Green quilt – have one done
  • Rip out the quilting I’ve already done on the Cream & Green quilt – have ripped out 3 of the six
  • Write up entry for Amy’s Creative Side – Blogger’s Quilt Festival – written and ready to post tomorrow.

Off to work on the DWR.  I wonder what I can find to watch on television tonight?

Posted in: goals

QA Wednesday

October 27, 2010 7:00 am ⋅

Maybe I need to put on my list of things to do is write the  Quilter’s Accountability post each week.  I  didn’t get much done last week -and I can’t tell you why.  So, let’s go back to the previous week’s goals:

  • Quilt on the DWR – at least one hour a day – I’ve gotten distracted and it shows
  • Piece the backing for the Row Quilt – Done!
  • Attach the backing and quilt top to the HandiQuilter leaders – Done !
  • Quilt the Row Quilt – Done!
  • Piece the Sept & Oct KVQG BOM – still not done — maybe I’ll get all three blocks done by the Nov meeting?

So on to the goals for this week.

The DWR is self explanatory — I want this quilt done by our wedding anniversary at the end of November.  2 rings won’t get me there — I think I need to quilt one ring a day, but I don’t think that’s realistic.  This quilt is on several of my UFO challenge lists, so if I miss our anniversary I would like to get it done by December 18th – the last day to turn in finishes for the UFQ project at Heritage Fine Fabrics.  This is the last quilt on that list.  It is also on my list for the Finn’s End of Year UFO Challenge & one of my on-line e-mail lists.

The Cream & Green quilt is on two UFO challenge lists.  I have until the end of the year to finish it.  There are twenty blocks, so I need to do at least two blocks a week to get it done.  Additionally, I’ve decided I’m not thrilled with the way the quilt came out on the first six blocks I’ve quilted .

If you click on the picture you should be able to enlarge it to see the quilting on this block.  This was done with just a few registration marks.  Needless to say the quilting is not consistent on all of the blocks. I could go with it, but I tried something different tonight which I like better.

I’ve drawn out the quilting on a full sheet label (contact paper could work as well) and put it on the block to stitch around. I’ve done this in the past, so I’m not sure why I didn’t consider it this time.

Check in next week to see if I got any of this done, and follow the links on Bari’s blog to see what others are planning to accomplish.

Posted in: goals