Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Quilting Studio Tour

This summer one of my e-mail groups did a virtual sewing room tour. Since my area was not presentable, I did not participate. The studio is now presentable, so I’ll take you on a tour.

I’m using what the builders called the den or family room as my quilt studio and office. It is in the front of the house and entry into it is via the garage, kitchen and living room.

This first picture is looking diagonally across the room from the living room door. I’ve created a working/sewing triangle — my work computer is on the front wall under the quilt, my personal computer is on the garage wall and across from them is my sewing machine. Also on the garage wall is a folding craft table with only one side raised. This is my cutting table. The bookshelf, below the edge of the desk, holds the various computer parts and pieces that I don’t need access to on a daily basis.

Moving into the room and toward the front wall, is the view diagonally across to the garage and kitchen doors. The room is a bit deeper, than this picture would lead you to believe, but I’ve got my large ironing board and a shelving unit temporarily in the corner behind me. The white tables are temporary as well. I had friends over this past weekend to sew and they all needed a space to setup. Also from this view is one of my two main sets of shelves with my fabric in bins.

A better view of the shelves and looking into the living room (where I was standing when I took the first picture). Again I’m not in the corner as now I’ve got the desks behind me. There is a short bookshelf for my quilting books and to the right of the door is a chest of drawers. This is where the orphan blocks go and I keep my music fabric. The guest chair is in front of the chest of drawers currently, but usually it’s closer to the sewing table.

Finally, from the kitchen and garage door corner is a view of the design wall, the big ironing board and a hopefully temporary set of shelves. The ironing board is in front of the design wall so there was room for the extra sewing tables. It’s final home will either be up against the front window or along the back side of the sewing tables.

Well, that’s the tour. There’s still work to be done — get real window treatments, clear that black shelf off and recover the chair along with a second one currently stored in the garage.

I just hope this clean room doesn’t stifle my creativity.

What’s On My Design Wall? – 9/7

I’m afraid my design wall looks the same as it did a week ago — except now I can’t really reach it! The room was rearranged to accommodate three additional quilters. This week I hope to get this row of rings onto the quilt.

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

SBS Block Due 9/6

J3 – Farmer’s Daughter

I’m cutting it close this week. Paper piecing is not something I necessarily enjoy, but it sure comes in handy when working with odd shapes. I drew the block in EQ6 and printed it off on Monday. Tonight I finally pulled it out to work on.

SBS Swap Block Set #5


L6 – Steps to the Altar

All the sets are now done — and well ahead of the deadline. I need to make my labels and get them in the mail.

This block went together so much easier than the last one — none of those 1″ finished HST units. The brown fabric is some that came in last week from my friend. The blue with tiny dots was some I picked up to see if it matches a DWR I picked up at an estate sale (it doesn’t). Who knows when I picked up the background fabric.

Now to get this week’s BOW made!

Stash Report Week # 36

Due to all the cleaning and paper work, very little piecing got done this week. Although I did make a set of 6″ blocks. But those blocks just don’t use much fabric.

On the other hand, I did get a pile of fabric from my friend washed and brought up stairs, so the count goes the wrong way again. Remind me next year not to count gifts — I’d only be in the hole by about 50 yards then.

Fabric Added this Week: 46.5 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 214.75 yards

Fabric Used this Week: .75 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 67.986 yards

Net Stash: +146.764 yards

Check out how others are doing by visiting Judy’s blog Patchwork Times.

SBS Swap Block Set # 4


G10 – Arizona

This is the fourth of the five block sets I’m making for the SBS swap. I needed to make 5 to swap and a 6th to keep for myself, but I ran out of the beige fabric. I’ll dig around in my stash to find something similar to finish my block — but not tonight. I haven’t made this week’s SBS BOW. I’ve got another 23 hours to get it done and turned in. But first I’m headed to bed.

A Week Without Quilting!


Who knew that a missing ruler could cause a week without sewing? I finally found my missing Easy Angle Ruler in a pile of papers. Apparently when I was clearing (note, not cleaing) my desk it got grabbed up and put on the shelf.

But truth be told, I’m not sure much sewing would have occured this week anyway. Earlier in the week I was working on the finishing instructions for the smaller Kansas Spirit quilt and I’ve been cleaning the house.

Today and tommorow I’m hosting a couple of my quilting buddies and we are going to sew all weekend. I’ve got Taco Soup in the crock pot for lunch, and the chicken is marinating in the refrigerator. I’ve talked my husband into grilling it tonight by making an Italian Wedding Cake to snack on.

Now to pick something from my list to work on this weekend.

What Cleaning Does


I did not set out to clean. However, I received a “ton” of fabric cast offs which needed to be put up. There is still more in the basement waiting to be washed.

When we redid my sewing studio/office, I made the decision that if it didn’t fit on the two sets of shelves, I had to find another home for it — whatever it is. A few weeks ago I looked through all of my quilting magazines and donated a 12″ stack. You can’t tell by looking my shelves, because I gathered up the magazines that were scattered through out the house.

The fabric is a bit tougher. But, since I’ve made significatant progress on my DWR, it moved out of the bin it’s in and into one of my project bins. I also pulled out the extra fabric from a couple of other quilt tops recently finished and either put it away or dumped it on my table to be cut up into scraps. That’s the pile on the right in the picture below.

The pile on the left if what I found when I cleared my cutting table off. I’ve midplaced my small EZ Angle Ruler. I misplaced the large EZ Angle Ruler at the begining of the year. I didn’t even know I had one let alone two, plus the Companion Angle Ruler until I started working on Bonnie Hunter’s Orange Crush. Now I can’t find either!

I guess I keep digging.

September 2009 Quilting Goals

Since it appears that listing my quilting goals here and on a large printout by my computer helped, I’m doing it again.

* Complete remaining 2 sets of blocks for the SBS Brown/Blue Swap

G10 – Arizona

L6 – Steps to the Altar

* Keep up with the SBS BOW

* Work on Josh’s Quilt – needs to be off the frame by 10/15

* Work on DWR – top needs to be done by 10/15

* Complete Finishing Instructions for both sizes of Kansas Spirit BOM

* Quilt a baby quilt

* Keep Scraps Cut Up

This is a relatively modest list this month. But I’m itching to start something new and I have several kits so that might happen as well. On the other hand I realized today that I have more quilt tops waiting to be quilted than I do quilts in various stages of progress, so maybe I can talk myself into quilting 2 quilts instead of starting something new.

Review of August 2009 Quilting Goals


Here it is the end of the month. I must say I’m pleased with what I accomplished. I don’t know if I set more realistic goals than I’ve done in the past or simply stayed focused for the most part. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

* At least 2 sets of blocks for the SBS Brown/Blue Swap

The 3rd set was completed 8/9

* Keep up with the SBS BOW

5 blocks turned in for August

* Finish star blocks to go with birthday swap blocks

not only finished the blocks, completed the quilt top 8/22

* Work on Josh’s quilt

completed hand quilting block #10 and started block # 11

* Make up mind about applique on table runner

decided against applique, repaired quilt, made and attached label 8/27

* Work on DWR – top needs to be done by mid-October

attached row of 5 rings, repaired previous work and made more rings

* Make rest of Birthday Swap Blocks

completed them on 8/12 and addressed envelopes for mailing

* Keep scraps cut up

no new scraps added to scrap bucket

* Quilt a baby quilt to get a finish!

This is the one thing I did not get done.

In addition to the above, I finished another baby quilt top (blocks already made) and I completed the shop sample for the Kansas Spirit BOM for my LQS.