Quilting and Stuff by Knitnoid

Double Wedding Ring Quilt

August 22, 2009 10:22 pm ⋅

Double Wedding Ring

This is my Double Wedding Ring (DWR) Quilt – or what I’ve got done so far.

In September 1989 I signed up to take a Double Wedding Ring quilt class. I had previously made my first quilt in 1980 and I had been sewing for nearly 15 years, so I figured I could make this quilt with proper instruction.

The quilt was originally to be finished for our 5th wedding anniversary, which was 14 months away. I thought this was extremely do-able, although the ladies at the quilt shop had doubts since I didn’t have much had next to no quilting experience.

We used Mary Ellen Ingle Hopkins’ book The Double Wedding Ring Book.

I had no experience picking out multiple fabrics for a quilt. I knew I wanted blue and burgundy. The ladies at the shop had to guide me toward texture, print size and color value.

The class met at least twice, maybe more — at this point I can’t remember. I do remember an experienced quilter, who had made a DWR, taking the class. She said she was taking the class to ‘force’ her to get the quilt underway. It seems it was to be a wedding gift and the wedding was just two or three weeks away!

Anyway, I enjoyed the class. By the end of the class I had two rows sewn together. I continued to work on the quilt after the class was over for a while. However, life got in the way of completing it. We moved the following summer and the quilt got packed up. It was not finished for our 5th anniversary.

We moved a couple of more times and I would pull it out and work on it for a bit. My next goal was to finish it for our 10th anniversary, then 15th, and 20th. Well, it’s still not finished.

I really want to finish this quilt for our 25th anniversary — 15 months from now. Again I think this is do-able — probably more so now than it was then. To that goal my intermediate goal is to get the top done by mid-October so I can put it on the quilting frame. Yes, I want to hand quilt this top.

So I’ve got to get piecing. Here’s my most recent problem.

A combination of bad cutting and seam allowances. The arc on the bottom was cut out with scissors. The one on the top is an arc I ripped apart and re-cut using a rotary cutter and the templates my friend’s husband made me. That’s nearly 3/4 of an inch difference at the top of the arc. No wonder the newly cut pieces weren’t going together well. I’ve checked and the new arc is the right length, so I think I’m on the right path.

I’ll post my progress. Perhaps this time I won’t get distracted.

Posted in: dwr

Birthday Quilt Top

August 22, 2009 3:31 pm ⋅

This afternoon I finished sewing the Birthday Blocks and Stars together. I really need to settle on a name for this quilt so I know what I’m talking about.

I used my Flip-n-Set ruler to make the side triangles and they came out so much better than if I cut a large square and cut it diagonally twice. The packaging on the back said to cut a square the same size as the finished block then cut it in half diagonally. As a result it’s about an inch too large – but easy enough to fix.

Originally, there was a border planned for this quilt — not that I had settled on a border. But I think I’m going with my DH’s idea of just binding it. It measures approximately 68 x 86.

Posted in: birthday blocks

SBS Block Due 8/19

August 19, 2009 6:41 pm ⋅

K-9 Barrister’s Block

60 Pieces!

24 HST triangles finishing at 3/4″ — yes, less than 1-inch

Just don’t look at my points.

Posted in: SBS

Kansas Spirit BOM

August 18, 2009 9:07 pm ⋅


Here’s the quilt top I was working on all weekend and which was on my design wall in pieces yesterday. The last border was added to the quilt about 6 this evening which gave me just enough time to do a quick photo session and get to the shop before it closed. (I promise the quilt is ‘square’ and really doesn’t have lumps. It was the flannel behind the quilt and the hangers making it hang weird.)

The pieced blocks are from the book Kansas Spirit, by Jeanne Poore. Connie at Heritage picked out 12 of the 15 blocks to use as a Block of the Month and she choose to use a variety of Kansas Troubles fabrics to use for the blocks. Tomorrow participants are picking up the Courthouse Steps and then there are two more blocks.

This layout is not in the book, but rather one I pulled together. This will be the choice for the smaller of the two quilts (approx. 65 x 83). I’ve got about half of the instructions written for this layout. There will be a larger choice finishing at approximately 89 x 108 which I still have to write. I’ve got it drawn in EQ.

Posted in: BOM, EQ, KTS

What’s On My Design Wall? – 8/17

August 17, 2009 11:45 am ⋅


Last week I slowly got the Blue and Yellow stars sewn together into rows. Got to the setting triangles and realized I hadn’t washed the fabric. So, while it was in the wash, I took off for Heritage to pick up the finishing fabric for the Kansas Spirit BOM.

Boy did I have a scare when I got the first few blocks up. The contrast between the setting squares and the BOM squares was huge. I felt much better once I got the side setting triangles up — or at least the pieces for them up.

Yesterday I asked my DH about the quilt. The last time he had walked through the room I had the stars up. He was surprised that I had as much of the quilt done since it was a pile of fabric around 4 the previous day. It occurred to me later that he thought I had made all of the blocks and not just the setting blocks.

As soon as I get permission to post a picture of the quilt, I will. In the meantime see what other quilters have on their design wall by visiting Judy’s blog at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: birthday blocks, designwall, KTS

When Music and Quilting Collide…

August 16, 2009 12:30 pm ⋅

…around here you get an original piano composition by my husband which is illustrated by some of my quilts and quilt tops.

My DH is a instrumental music teacher. For the past 10 years he taught beginning 5th & 6th graders string and band instruments. Prior to that he taught at the high school level. Additionally, he has been a member of the Overland Park Civic Band and other ensembles.

To hear some of more of his original compositions or to hear some of his groups perform click here.

Posted in: family, music

Stash Report Week # 33

August 16, 2009 6:36 am ⋅

It was a simple task. Go to the LQS and get the 4 5/8 yards of fabric for the finishing kit for the Kansas Spirit BOM that I’m writing the finishing instructions for. True, I’ll need to get border fabric for my Blue and Yellow stars to finish it, but I don’t have to do that right now. There’s plenty on my plate that I want to finish that I have all the fabric for. But since I was in the store, I wandered back to the clearance shelves to see if anything on them would work for the stars. Maybe – but I’ll need to have the quilt with me before I buy. As I walk out of the room what do I spot but a bolt of fabric with music notes in Red on White!

But I’ve already finished the music quilt top! And I have enough music fabric to make 2 or 3 more — including backing. But I am working on those red work snowmen and they’ll have red and white pieced blocks — so a FQ came home with me in addition to the 4 5/8 yard — ok 5 yards of fabric for the BOM finishing kit.

So much for not making it though the first day of Burton’s UFO Challenge on her blog Quilting Literati

Outbound I made 2 sets of 6 blocks for the SBS swap (6″ blocks), 4 blocks for the birthday swap (12″), the last block for Kansas Spirit and cut all the fabric needed for the setting blocks.

So now for the report:

Fabric Added this Week: 5.25 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 168.25 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 3.865 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 62.618 yards

Net Stash: +105.632 yards

See how others are doing with their stash over at Patchwork Times.

Posted in: BOM, KTS, red work, Stash Busting Report

Mid-August Update

August 15, 2009 2:05 pm ⋅


Here it is mid-August and time for an update on my August goals.

  • At least 2 sets of blocks for the SBS Brown/Blue Swap Done 8/9
  • Keep up with the SBS BOW – 3 blocks done, 2 more to be announced
  • Finish star blocks to go with birthday swap blocks Done 8/7
  • Work on Josh’s quilt – spent 1 night hand quilting
  • Make up mind about applique on table runner – still deciding
  • Work on DWR – top needs to be done by mid-October – got my templates today — Thanks Mark!
  • Make rest of Birthday Swap Blocks (4 more needed) Done 8/12
  • Quilt a baby quilt to get a finish! Replaced with new goal
  • Keep scraps cut up – so far so good

    But what’s that picture of Kansas Troubles fabric doing at the top of this post? Well, this is how my goals change. Although the last block for the Kansas Spirit BOM at Heritage Fine Fabrics won’t be picked up until October, the fabric for the finishing kits need to be ordered now. And in order to know how much fabric to order, I’ve got to write up the instructions. I’ve got the easy part (for me) of the instructions written (setting blocks and triangles) so I now I get to test it. That’s bounced the baby quilt off my list. Oh and did I mention, that once I got the star blocks done, I decided I had to sew them together into a top?

    So for the remainder of the month:

  • Keep up with the SBS BOW
  • Work on Josh’s quilt
  • Make up mind about applique on table runner
  • Work on DWR
  • Finish at least center of birthday swap block quilt (will need to buy border fabric)
  • Finish Kansas Spirit Top and pattern instructions
  • Keep scraps cut up.
    • Posted in: block swaps, dwr, Josh's Quilt, KTS, monthly goals, SBS

    Waiting is Over

    August 12, 2009 7:37 pm ⋅


    DH came out of the procedure with basically a clean bill of heath. Apparently the test Monday was a “false positve”. What a relief.

    I didn’t get much done on the snowmen. Dad’s left arm, chest, neck and a bit of the face. It’s exhausting sitting around waiting and the surgery was running about 2 hours late. While the procedure was done, I ran down to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat and then read few pages in my book, before the doctor was telling me the results. Then we waiting and catnapped until it was time to come home.

    Posted in: family, red work

    Waiting

    August 12, 2009 5:47 am ⋅

    So what does this redwork pic have to do with the title of this post? Well, when I’m waiting, in doctor’s offices, for concerts or musicals to start, or for us to get somewhere (long drives), I work on my redwork snowmen.

    There were no plans to work on this project this month, however a trip to the doctor’s office changed all that.

    My DH is having a cardiac catheterization later this morning. So, I while I’m waiting for him to come out of surgery, I will do some stitching to try and keep from worrying.

    Everyone reacts differently when a loved one is in the hospital or in surgery. The last time DH had surgery I was working in the hospital computer department. My choices were to sit in a hard chair in an empty room and watch TV, or do something. I chose the latter. The nurses all had my pager number, and they let me use a small office to participate in a conference call that was on my schedule (my choice — not my employer’s). Then I wandered off to the medical records department to check on a software install we were doing — again my choice. Now admittedly, I couldn’t stay focused on any of these tasks, but it kept me from actively worrying.

    Today in my bag of tricks, I’ve got the redwork, a book to read and my husband’s netbook. Although I still work with hospitals and computers, I don’t work for the hospital — so there will be no running around working to keep me occupied. Of course this procedure won’t take near as long, so I won’t need to keep myself distracted as long.

    Posted in: family, red work, surgery