Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Stash Report Week # 52

December 27, 2009 10:31 am ⋅

Well, here it is my final stash busting report of the year. I started these reports to play along with Judy at Patchwork Times and to see exactly how much fabric was coming into the house and then being used. While I was at it I tracked all of my expenditures — thread, patterns, notions, classes, etc. I must say it’s been an eye opener.

This past week I had fabric coming in and going out. My LQS had a 40% off coupon — first one I think I’ve ever seen in 5 year. So, I bought 6 yards of bright white on white. I’ll use it to finish up Carolina Christmas and then put whatever is left back in the stash. Along with the WOW I was given a Civil War charm pack. So 6.69 yards in this week.

I didn’t quite use as much as I brought in this week. I made a baby quilt from Dorothy Young’s current mystery quilt Raising Cane. Two more borders and then I have top and 2 yards out of my stash. This week I also made a pillowcase, bound two labels (didn’t discover the error until I started to put it on the quilt), and I’m counting the fabric I’ve used so far in my leader/ender project Oklahoma Backroads. In all that’s just shy of 5 1/2 yards.

Fabric Added this Week: 6.69 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 289.273 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 5.487 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 114.263 yards

Net Stash: +283.786 yards

It doesn’t look like it, but I was more selective in my purchases. I can only think of two or three yards of fabric (or FQ equivalent) that I bought just because I liked it. Most of my purchases were either everything I needed to make a quilt (which I still haven’t done) or to finish something I was working on. The rest of the inbound number is the result of generous friends who know I love making scrap quilts and they where cleaning out their own stash. It’s taken 24 years, but my husband has finally said “no more fabric”. And I agree, until I get some of what I have worked up. Then, we’ll see.

Posted in: Stash Busting Report

Merry Christmas, Snow and Wind-Up for the Weekend Quilting

December 25, 2009 5:53 pm ⋅


Merry Christmas!


A blizzard was predicted so instead of venturing out to my mom’s and brother’s for Christmas, my husband and I stayed home and called our families today. Looking out the front window the roads don’t seem too bad, but then I watched the weather report and last night’s storm is supposedly going to whip around and get us again.


We are considering ourselves snowed in (we could get out if we had to, but are choosing not to get out on the roads), I’m working on a couple of quilts. The pink, yellow, lavender and butterflies is Raising Cane, a Dorothy Young mystery. This is up through step 8 which is the last step posted so far. I have no idea where this is going and can’t wait to see the finished quilt.

The pink on the bottom right are my ‘bonus HST’. The dark fabric is what I’m using as my leader/ender project. They are for Oklahoma Backroads, a Bonnie Hunter quilt. I’ve got the 4-patches made and I’m 1/4 of the way through the ‘picket fence’ pieces.

Since I’m waiting on clues, I can either baste the music quilt together and start quilting it, or go back to Carolina Christmas. I finally decided that I really want to finish Carolina Christmas with the bright white instead of off white. So, I bought 6 yards of a bright white on white. I think it’s more than I need for this quilt, but since I only have the two pieces I’m saving for my redwork snowmen, I could use some WOW in my stash. I’d like to get both Carolina Christmas and Raising Cane to the top stage, so I’m leaning toward more piecing.

Tamara at tamara quilts is starting a Wind-up for the Weekend Mr. Linky to see what everyone is planing on working on over the weekend. I’m going to play along – of course it will be interesting to see what actually gets done because I’m a great one to plan one thing and do something else entirely.

Posted in: Carolina Christmas, Christmas, Raising Cane, snow, Wind-Up

Stacked 4-Patch Race Cars

December 24, 2009 7:26 pm ⋅


Another UFO finished in 2009. This is “Race Cars”. In 2008 I taught the 4-Patch Stacked Posies and this was my class sampler. Finished it measures 47 x 59.

I hope everyone is having a safe and Merry Christmas.

Posted in: finish, race cars

A Start & Finish in One Night

December 24, 2009 12:15 am ⋅


Ok, it’s not a quilt, but it is fabric out of my stash! A while back a friend gave me a pillowcase kit and as simple as pillow cases are to make (although I make them harder encasing all seams) I simply had not gotten around to making this up. So tonight after shopping for what seemed like hours (wait, it was hours — not that we bought a whole lot), this was all my brain could handle.

Before we left for shopping, I finished binding the 4-Patch Race Car quilt. I need to put the label on it and wash it, then I’ll get a picture posted.

Posted in: finish, pillowcase, race cars

What’s On My Design Wall? – 12/21

December 21, 2009 8:32 am ⋅


I am recycling an old photo. There’s nothing on my design wall this morning.

Today I hope to finish the quilting on the 4-Patch Race Car quilt. I had tension issues yesterday and ended up ripping out everything I put in. Once that’s done, I have a pillowcase to make, and maybe one of those bulletin boards with ribbon.

Nothing like last minute quilting.

Check out other design walls over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: designwall, race cars

Stash Report Week # 51

December 20, 2009 2:03 am ⋅


Finished the back to the music quilt and I made the back and cut the binding for the 4-patch Race Cars. I’m going to try and get it quilted today. Nothing fancy, diagonal stitching through the squares and cornerstones. I’m not sure what I’ll do in the border.

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 282.583 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 3.35 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 108.776 yards

Net Stash: +173.807 yards

See how everyone else is doing with their stash over at Judy’s blog at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: music star back, race cars, Stash Busting Report

Half a Back – Part 2

December 19, 2009 7:05 pm ⋅


The second half of the backing is now done. Just one more seam then I have to figure out how I’m going to quilt it. If the weather holds I’ll take it out side tomorrow to get a picture of the entire back.

Posted in: music star back

Half a Back

December 17, 2009 2:35 pm ⋅


This week I’m off from work. I thought I would have a whole week to do nothing but quilt, but it’s not turning out like that. Monday morning I went with my mom to what was supposed to be a simple hour or hour and a half appointment. It turned out to not be so simple and Monday became an all day affair and it rolled into Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s not over yet, but I am grateful I have the time off from work to help her.

So, today is the first that I’ve gotten any quilting done. That’s not to say I didn’t sit at my sewing machine and pretend to piece earlier in the week. I say pretend because I couldn’t concentrate and everything I did sew I ended up ripping out. Just how hard is it to thread a sewing machine? Or sew a 1/4″ seam?

Anyway, I’ve finally got the first six rows of the back to the Music quilt pieced together. After explaining how I pin my rows so I don’t get them out of order, I got the last two pieces of the last row switched and had to rip them out. In my defense, earlier this week I picked them up off the floor without pinning them, thinking I’d lay them back out before sewing. Instead I put them on my ironing board in order – or so I thought. Since they weren’t next to the previous row, I didn’t see my mistake. In fact, I didn’t see the mistake until I was pressing the row. But hey — if that’s the only problem I’ve to this point, I’m happy.

My nephew’s Christmas program is this evening, so as soon as my husband gets home we are going out to my mom’s and brother’s. The guys are going to hook up a DVD writer and install some software so they can transfer home videos to DVDs. I’ll work with Mom on the paper work she needs to fill out and then we’ll have dinner before the program.

Tomorrow I’m quilting!

Posted in: music star back

Music Star Top – Revisited

December 14, 2009 5:16 pm ⋅

This is the top or front of the quilt that I’m currently piecing the backing to. There are 168 different pieces of music themed fabric in this top. Admittedly some are simply color variations such as Column 4 Row 3 and Column 8 Row 4 or Column 1 Row 5 and Column 14 Row 6. Black & White prints vs Color Prints. Column 1 Row 2 & Column 10 Row 5; is a bit trickier. Since it had multiple images scattered on it, I was able to grab two different images so it is not just the color that makes a difference.

There is also a piece of fabric I printed that no one else will have. Doesn’t look like much in the picture (Row 6 Column 8), but it’s a print of a scan of one of my husband’s original compositions – Large Egg Rag. You can hear it here.

Posted in: music quilt

What’s On My Design Wall? – 12/14

December 14, 2009 7:30 am ⋅


This week it’s my Design Floor. The design wall is only 60 x 80, so it simply won’t work for this project. This is the backing for Music Star. Each large square finishes at 10 inches, so the backing will be about 90 x 110 when I finish it. The first 3 rows are sewn together and the next 3 are waiting to be sewn. I hope when it is finished it is a pretty day out so I can get a picture of the entire backing.

To help me keep my place as I pick up each row to sew, I’ve taken some of my flat head pins and written numbers on them with a permanent marker. These go in the top left corner of the odd # block. Then I flip the next block over on top of it and pin the right edge at the top to show me where the seam is supposed to go. I do this down on the floor so when I get to the sewing machine I don’t get the blocks out of order – or more accurately put them back in the correct order. So far, it has worked well.

Check out other design walls by visiting Patchwork Times.

Posted in: music quilt, music star back