Moving to WordPress

Come visit my new blog at knitnoid.wordpress.com

A year ago I first starting blogging about my quilting to participate in Judy's Stash Reports over at Patchwork Times. I knew nothing about the various blogs tools which were available and so, essentially picked one at random. Blogger is easy to use and is some what intuitive. It was a great tool for my first attempts at blogging.

However, over the year I've needed a place where I could post a PDF file for a mystery quilt and I really like the idea of pages. It wasn't until I was working with my husband on his webpage (www.tedavara.com) that I found I could get both of these things in a single location -- a WordPress blog.

It's not intuitive as Blogger, but then it seems to have more features. So, moveing forward, I'll be blogging at http://knitnoid.wordpress.com/. I'll leave this blog up as there are all sorts of links to it -- Judy's Design Wall Monday & Sunday Stash Report are the two biggest.

All of my posts and the comments which have been left for me have been imported into the new blog, but the links back to previous posts point back here. So come visit me at my new internet home and let me know what you think. It's still a work in progress.

What's On My Design Wall? - 12/28

Another week where I am recycling an old photo. There's nothing on my design wall this morning.

I finished Raising Cane yesterday and I don't want to start anything new. Not that I don't have plenty to work on. My goals for the rest of the year are to get the borders on Ladder to the Stars and finish the rest of those seams on the DWR. I'm not sure what's up with the DWR.

So last night, instead of doing either of these tasks, or even working on step 3 of Carolina Christmas I was playing with WordPress to see if I would like it better than Blogger. I like the idea of pages and with WordPress I can upload PDF files. So this may be my last Design Wall post from Blogger.

But I will not work on it any more until I get the DWR ready to baste! Keep reminding me of this. I really want this quilt on our bed by the end of November.

Check out what everyone else has on their design wall this last week of 2009 over at Judy's blog.

Raising Cane - A Dorothy Young Mystery Quilt

This morning I added the borders to Raising Cane.

Originally, I had a beautiful butterfly print for the border, but it just wasn't working when I finished the center of the quilt. Then I remembered a stripe fabric I bought that didn't work for it's intended purpose. It was perfect. The top now sings.


While I was debating the border, I finished up Part 2 of Carolina Christmas.

Stash Report Week # 52

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.

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

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.

Stacked 4-Patch Race Cars

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.

A Start & Finish in One Night

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.

What's On My Design Wall? - 12/21

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.

Stash Report Week # 51

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.

Half a Back - Part 2

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.

Half a Back

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!

Music Star Top - Revisited

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.

What's On My Design Wall? - 12/14

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.

Stash Report Week # 50

This week I didn't sit at my sewing machine very much. I find that after a finish, whether it's a complete quilt, or a top, I tend to need a break. It's not that I don't have plenty on my list that I want to do - like finish the last few seams on DWR - but that it ends up becoming a chore and quilting is supposed to be fun. So once I finished the Autumn Splendor top on Monday, I read a couple of Lynn Kurland's books.

Sometime this week I pulled out my music fabrics and started thinking about the back of the Music Star quilt top. Naturally the back is going to music as well. After all I conservatively STILL have 40 yards of music fabric. I based my calculation on the 156 unique fabrics in the quilt top -- I had to buy at least a FQ and frequently bought more. However it's probably closer to 90 yards since the music fabric is stored in 2 drawers about the size of my fabric boxes and they are stuffed. My fabric boxes can hold 45 yards of fabric. Of course since I made the top, I've bought or was given a few more FQs and I didn't use every fabric I had in the top.

Anyway, I'm making the back ala' Bonnie Hunter (scroll to the bottom of the page). So Friday after dinner with the girls, I started cutting 10 1/2" squares, one from each piece of music fabric. I've got a few pieces which won't work as 10 1/2" squares such as this border print called Marching Band (It's Pattern # 2923 from Andover Fabrics and was designed by Gail Kessler).


I love this print, and searched the Kansas City area for it when it came out. That was the year of the Iowa Road Trip (13 stores in 3 days). I found it on our last day at Quilting Connection in Ames, Iowa. I bought 1 yard of it then. I've since bought a 2 yard piece mail order. Other than going into the Music Quilt I didn't know how I was going to use it. I cut one strip that didn't quite finish at 10 x 40 so I pieced a couple of squares to make it work. (Any ideas for how to use the rest of the fabric?)

This panel is another pieces that didn't fit.


I'm adding a couple of fabrics not already used in the back to it to make it finish at 20 x 30.

When it's all said and done, I'll need the equivalent of 99 10 1/2" squares. I managed to get 91 cut Friday and Saturday.

So if you've made it this far, here is my stash report for the week.

Fabric Added this Week: .25 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 282.583 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 9 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 105.426 yards

Net Stash: +177.157 yards

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

P.S. That Snowflake FQ is for the Guild Christmas Party tomorrow. It's the first thing I've bought in 5 weeks.

Autumn Splendor Top is Done

Cross one thing off my December quilting list. I just finished the borders for Autumn Splendor. The binding is also made. This is from the pattern Crazy Eights by Bits 'n Pieces. I used 12 FQs instead of 8 and added borders. The top measures 63 x 78.

I Must be Crazy

I just found out that Dorothy Young is doing a Christmas Mystery called Raising Cane. I've made several of her mystery quilts - Spring Breeze, Diamond Links and The Chain Event and have loved all of the quilts/tops. (Only have Spring Breeze Quilted). I'm in the middle of Carolina Christmas and I know everyone thinks I'm crazy with the list of quilting stuff I'd like to get done by the end of the month.

I must be crazy is the only explanation I have for why I'm even considering starting a new quilt before the end of the month.

What's On My Design Wall? - 12/7

I took my swap blocks down Saturday, so there wasn't anything on the wall until I put Autumn Splendor up there for a photo shoot. Yesterday I finished sewing on the inner borders, and then cut the fabric for the outer borders binding. That's 2 of my 4 yards to get me to 100 yards used for the year.

See whatever one else has on their design walls by following the links over on Judy's blog.

Stash Report Week # 49

This week I cut the fabric for Part 2 of Carolina Christmas. No other fabric out and no fabric in. That makes it 5 weeks since I brought any fabric into the house. I might just hit 100 yards out before the end of the year.

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 282.333 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 3 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 96.426 yards

Net Stash: +185.907 yards

Check out how everyone else is doing over at Patchwork Times.

December 2009 Quilting Goals

Here's a quick recap of November Goals first:

* Keep up with the SBS BOW - no

* Finish the hand quilting on Josh's Quilt - Finished and given!

* Finish piecing the DWR - no (why haven't I got this done?)

* Complete Finishing Instructions for large Kansas Spirit BOM - finished (technically in December)

* Keep Scraps Cut Up - yes

I've gone back over my goals that I've listed over the year both here on my blog and on the Quilt in a Day Forum. After a review here's the list of what I didn't get done that I'd like to see done by the end of the year.

* Get the DWR on the quilt frame and quilt 11 rings by the end of the year.

* Get the borders on Autumn Splendor

* Get the borders on Ladder to the Stars

* Catch up on November's SBS Blocks (D1, E4, M7, B3 & J5)

* Complete the quilting on my Green and Cream swap blocks (quilting in sections)

* Prep the applique for a quilt so I have handwork

* Quilt a baby quilt

* Keep Scraps Cut Up

If that is not enough, I'd like to get the backing pieced to my DH's music quilt. That will push me over 100 yards of fabric used this year.

I must be crazy. Even with 2 weeks of vacation I'm not certain I can get all of this done.

Missing Recipe - Found

Earlier this year I found an awesome cinnamon bread recipe on the web. It made 3 cute little loafs. I'm not much of a bread maker, but this recipe looked, so much so, I went out and bought these 3 small pans. They are about 4 x 7 edge to edge. The bread was yummy.

Now I can't find the recipe! I printed it off, so you would think it would be in my recipe drawer, but it's not. About the only thing I remember is that I found it reading a blog and that the blogger recommended Saigon Cinnamon. Is this ringing a bell with anyone?

Well, I'm going to search some more, now that I've remembered the the detail about the cinnamon and then do a bit of sewing.

9:20 - I finally remembered where I found the recipe. The Quilt in a Day forums. I searched for Saigon and found the thread. Once there I searched again for Saigon and found the recipe.

Carolina Christmas - On Temporary Hold

Ok -- I peeked at Clue # 3 even though I haven't finished sewing Clue # 2. Boy am I glad I did.

Since I'm using "clear" pinks and blues, I opted for a bright white on white for the background. Thinking I needed 2 yards, I pulled everything from my boxes and just barely had enough. I thought I was going to have to cut into my snowflakes and snowmen that I'm saving for my redwork snowmen quilt. One or two strips each would still leave me enough, so I was OK with that.

However, it turns out we need more than 2 yards of background fabric, so I have to make a decision.

1 - use the creamy off white moving forward
2 - back track and remake some of Part 1 and Part 2 using the new creamy off white so there will be some bright white on white to use in the rest of the parts
3 - get over it and go buy some more bright white on white to finish the quilt (I still don't have enough using all of the snowflake and snowmen fabrics)
4 - toss in the towel and use what I've made for something else.

I'm stubborn so #4 isn't an option. In fact last night and DH and were discussing my options, that was nixed right away. #3 really isn't an option since I want this to be from my stash and I don't want to buy any more fabric this year. So that leaves #1 and #2.

Until I see the quilt put together I won't know which way I want to go. In the end who knows what I'll end up doing. But I have learned something. I need to focus on gathering some 'shirting' type fabrics -- light backgrounds with bits and pieces of color.

Can't wait to see Bonnie's finished quilt.