Monday Meanderings 10 - 14 - 2024

It's retreat week!  I've packed up a bunch of pre-cut projects, sewing machine, and all my other supplies.  Except my little rotary cutting mat.  It's gone MIA.  I'll look for it a couple more times before I leave Monday morning. (Yes, I write my Monday post on Sunday night.) 

I have a lot of check marks on last week's goals list.  Let's see them! 

10/7/24

✅Bind the Animal Snowball blocks quilt — Done and being donated.

✅Quilt customer’s quilt — cute little quilt done.

✅Make kit with leftover baby buggy fabric — ready to take to retreat.

✅Finish acorn block — have 2 sets -- 1 acorn and one maple leaf in each set.

Layout Stashbusting blocks to sew at retreat — didn’t need any more projects so skipped this one. 

✅Pack up retreat supplies — done! 

I didn't take many pictures this week but here are the few I have. 

My customer made this sweet little star quilt for a baby.  She chose a stipple that happened to be built into my computer system.  The thread was a light blue So Fine.  

So now it is on to my new goals. 

10/14/24 

Have a great time at retreat

Make at least 4 tops from kits

Quilt one of my quilts after retreat

That goal list looks pathetic but if I get 4 of the kits done it will be great.  I think I have 6 available to work on.  

I did do a little off-list sewing.  It's suppose to be getting colder so I decided I would try to make a dog coat for Sunny.  The pattern was from MirtilliGirl on Etsy.  I purchased the Basic Dog Coat. The hardest part was taping the pattern together and that was actually easy.  She recommends you cut out the pattern with "junk" fabric that you won't mind not using.  I have yards of a decorator fabric that is more like a cotton chintz.  I used it to try two different sizes and the smaller of the two was perfect.  I haven't finished it because I need to get the right size Velcro.  Here's what it looks like so far. 

The right side is a lilac with white pin dots.  The lining is a flannel. The side flaps will velcro under her belly.  The top flaps go around her neck. 

It really didn't take long to make.  I'll hit JoAnns after I get back so she has warmer clothes to wear outside.  I see a few more coats in her future too. 

15 Minutes to Sew was a success this week.  I've spent at least 15 minutes sewing every day.  Some days it was nearly all day.  

W/ending 10/13  — 287 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/Oct = 7/7
• 15 minute days/2024 = 277/287 days
• Success rate = 96.5%

I'm keeping this short today.  The sewing studio needs to be searched again for the cutting mat. And, there are more things to bring upstairs.  

Please take a look at these Linky parties.  (Note to self: remember to link up the other two on Monday morning.) Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musing. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 10 - 7 - 2024

Welcome to October -- we have put up most of our Halloween decorations including 4 or 5 quilts. Yep, I really have that many Halloween specific quilts. The smallest is about 8 x 10"; the largest is about 36 x 52".  One of these days I should take pictures of all our Halloween decorations -- inside and outside. Pat has made some fun wood designs for the outside. 

I did pretty well on my goals this week. Lots of check marks. Yea! Plus I got my Covid and Flu vaccines. Here's what I did on the quilting front.

9/30/24

✅Finish the border on Halloween top — finished but now thinking of quilting! 

√Make 2nd ornament — It is started, should finish w/o 10/7.

✅Quilt one of my tops — maybe the Halloween one — nope, picked the animals snowball quilt and it is done.

✅Layout more blue blocks and make top — 2 laid out, ready to sew at retreat. 

✅Finish hand sewing binding on baby quilt — done, ready to donate somewhere. 

✅A late addition — border the panel quilt — finished. I forgot to add this one to my goals so it was an add on. 

First up the finished Halloween top.  I didn't have enough of my first choice black fabric but I was very happy to find another black on black that I could use for the border and the binding. I plan to quilt this on my domestic machine because I don't want an over all design.  (My long arm was updated last year but I can no longer do ruler work.  For me, that isn't an issue.) 

And, I was quite happy to get the borders on the panel quilt.   Supposedly, I have another cabin panel in my stash.  So far, I haven't found it though. I'll take out my fabric stacks and really go through them carefully one of these days. 

Sharon shared some of her stash as I didn't have the right size leftover pieces for the cream fabric around the half star.  I auditioned several fabrics for the center star part.  Her multicolored piece really made the design stand out.  She was happy to have some of her stash used especially since I really only looked at leftover fabrics. (I miss cut one of the squares and I had to sew two pieces together to get the last square of the cream fabric. Sigh.) 

I laid out two sets of dark and light blue blocks I received from the FCQ Equilters.  I've got them pinned together along with a picture of each layout so that I can sew them together at retreat. Hum, I may move the dark blocks so the two darkest are on the same row. If I don't remember I don't think the baby would mind! 

Here are my goals for this week.  I probably have more than enough kits made up for retreat a week from now. But, it's always nice to have more than needed.   Hopefully it will be a light week in my studio. 

10/7/24

Bind the Animal Snowball blocks 

Quilt customer’s quilt

Make kit with leftover baby buggy fabric

Finish acorn block

Layout a set of Stashbusting blocks to sew at retreat

Pack up retreat supplies. 

I've been working on our lotto blocks for retreat over the last week or two.  I made quite a few of the leaf blocks but then I reread the directions -- I was suppose to use blue for the sky as the background fabric.  Oops! Here are the 3 that are finished. That acorn block is fiddly!  I've got a second one started but I don't think I'll make any more. Entries into the drawing require both blocks. 

I keep making progress on getting tops quilted.  I think I've done 4 since the last week of August. Unfortunately, I've probably finished 4 tops since that time too. Although I don't know how many plastic coat hangers I have, I do know I don't have anymore empty ones.  I need to up my quilting game. 

Linky parties I'm signing up for this week: Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings.

Nearly forgot to post my Stitching Stuff results.  It was a good week for stitching. 

W/ending 10/06  — 280 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 1/1 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 6/6
• 15 minute days/2024 = 270/280 days
• Success rate = 96.4%

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

 

Monday Meanderings 9 - 30 - 2024

It's been a week.... we've had more rain this week than we've had in months.  The humidity is awful. The good news is we had two nights at our son's house instead of the one that we thought we were having. It was fun to hang around the kids. Soccer practice was canceled which made our job easier.  Sunny met Chewey.  Here they were checking out what Pat had. Was there a treat involved? 

You can see that Sunny is doing a great job of growing her hair back. We'd never really heard her bark until we crated both dogs in order to get the kids one afternoon.  They both were barking their heads off and howling as we left.  By the time we were back they were calm.  I should have recorded them. 

I didn't get as many of my goals accomplished this week. But there were extenuating circumstances. More on that later. 

9/23/24

✅Keep stitching on the ornaments — one is done except for bow/ribbon around the penguin’s neck. 

✅Evaluate purple floral top does it need 2nd border — sticking w/ 1 border and a slightly darker binding. 

Finish the panel top with border — didn’t even look at it. 

✅Pull out Halloween top to see what to do to finish — plan figured out, ready to proceed. 

✅Quilt one or two of my quilts — finished quilting a baby quilt and sewed the binding on the front.

Here's the Halloween quilt.  I started it last year because I had a bunch of Halloween blocks.  I think some were from the FCQ Equilters. But some were from a small block swap when I was on Prodigy in the '90s.  It was time to put them all to use last year. But then I couldn't make up my mind so I let it sit until this year. I have that one piece of black on black fabric -- maybe 17" by WOF, shown behind the right side of the quilt.  I'm pretty sure I can add a 1.5" border (fin.) and still have enough to use the same black as the binding. And, the backing will be a Halloween print fabric I've had for a while. Sometimes the planets are aligned just right! In the end this will be around 40" square. (Ok, almost square.) We have a quilt hanger over the fire place in the great room and this will fit nicely on it. You can see my progress here, here, here, and here. 

Here are my plans for this week. 

9/30/24

Finish the border on Halloween top

Make 2nd ornament

Quilt one of my tops — maybe the Halloween one

Layout more blue blocks from FCQ Equilters and make top

Finish hand sewing binding on baby quilt

Who knows whether I'll succeed with all of those goals. But I will be trying. 

One thing I was able to do because we left the kid's house before breakfast on Thursday was attend a craft club meeting at our clubhouse.  I don't get to many of them but I was interested in the jewelry making this time and we got home 10 minutes before the start time! I gathered some scrapbooking paper and headed out.  Here's the Halloween set I made for me! The earrings are missing the wires but I got them on before I left. 

I think the ghosts are really cute.  But the olive?  Just doesn't make it.  It really isn't an olive but it looks like it to me.  That one has two different glitter papers. I don't know if I'll ever wear it.  These were really easy to do.  We used 1" and 1/2" circle punches. You glued the papers on to the silver (colored) backings.  There was some fitting them into the backing but not all that hard. Then we glued the glass bezel on top. The earrings had the wires added. Easy peasy.  I may have to look into this to do with a couple of granddaughters.  Below are all the pieces the group made. 

I think the gal who did the other ghosts (after seeing mine!) did a better job placing the punch than I did.  I have a lot of seasonal jewelry from when I worked at the elementary school.  I try to remember to wear them but often forget! Maybe this year I'll succeed with my ghost collection.

I've been considering getting a new sewing machine for a while.  I really didn't think I would ever get a new one as I figured my Bernina did everything I thought I needed.  The only drawback is it randomly breaks a thread after sewing.  I've had it in to several certified repairmen but it's never been solved.  Sharon loves her new machine and let me try it out. Hum... it was pretty nifty.  Bernina was having a trade in event so I figured this was the best time to swap out machines.  I've been setting it up and trying to figure out all of its high tech functions.  Today I used it to sew binding on after I quilted a little baby quilt. It worked really well.  I need to get more familiar with sliding the fabric in at the 1/4" mark and foot.  But that will come with use.  I think I'm going to love it.  But there is a learning curve.  Guide classes start in November. 

Here my stats on time spent sewing this week. Not bad.  

W/ending 9/29  — 273 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 28/29
• 15 minute days/2024 = 263/273 days
• Success rate = 96.3%

Make sure you check out these links parties. Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings.  I've been neglecting reading other people's blogs because of all that has been going on. Hopefully this week I'll see what everyone is up to.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings - 9 - 23 - 2024

I had a great week visiting in North Carolina.  As usual I brought way more projects to work on than there was time.  I was very happy to finish two projects and move another project ahead.  Here's the skinny on my goals for last week. 

9/16/24

✅Keep stitching on the ornaments — a little done. Need to focus a little more as there are 4 to make. 

✅Drive to Sharon’s for a quilting get together — great time! 

√Put double border on purple floral top — one border on, need to evaluate 2nd. 

✅Put facing on Sea Side Village — done, better picture to come.

✅Cut out and make happy blocks, lay out and sew the top — finished top. Need backing. 

√Finish the panel top — good start, need to evaluate border and size of top. 

This little quilt is actually done but I forgot to take a picture.  I chose to face it rather than bind it as I didn't want the binding to take away from the picture.  I'll try to get a new picture this coming week to share next Monday. I sure hope it isn't crooked like it looks in the picture. 

This top took me way more time to finish than it should have. I was sewing the blocks together when I realized one of the blocks had slits through the frame.  I never noticed that while laying out the top but ugh. I had to use some of Sharon's fabric to finish it. (Not that she minded -- she has a lot of fabric also!)  It's hanging in the "to-be-quilted" closet.  I have several tops before I'll get to this one.  I've told myself to quit making so many happy block quilts.  Except I have two more groupings of blocks in different sizes. I'll have to add more blocks. Sigh. 

The panel top got to this stage late afternoon of the last day.  I have a brown border planned for it but I didn't want to work on it when I was tired. (That's when I start making mistakes -- when I'm really tired.) Pat thought it would make a good quilt to hang in our entry way.  I'm donating this one to the guild to send it off where it is needed.  But somewhere I have another panel so I could make another one. If I can find it.  The starburst top and bottom is from a Villa Rosa card called October Sky and was published in 2021.  I had to add to the panel to bring it to the size of the starburst. Hopefully it will be a finished top this week. 

On January 1, 2023 I participated in a Merry Mayhem mystery quilt.  I finished the main part a long time ago.  While looking through my closet I saw this hanging with the necessary fabrics  and decided it was time to finish it.

 

I got the light purple border on Sunday afternoon.  I have been tired from driving and not sleeping as well as I usually do at Sharons. So most of the day I unpacked, did a little shopping for dog things and then sat around most of the afternoon. The first border was finished before dinner.  And, now I'm trying to decide if I need the second border.  It would be repeating the dark purple squares.  If I don't add another border, the dark purple will be the binding.  I forget the size it is now -- maybe 55 x 66". Or that might be before the first border.  The pattern says to add a 4.5" border on all sides.  That seems huge to me for lap quilt.  Do you have an opinion? I'm inclined to say no border.  And it definitely won't be 4.5".  Maybe a smaller one.  

Here are my goals for this week.  We have a couple of days of watching grands as both parents have to be out of town for work.  It doesn't happen all that often so we don't mind doing it. We'll see if I can get through all of these goals -- mostly after we are home. 

9/23/24

Keep stitching on the ornaments 

Evaluate purple floral top, does it need 2nd border

Finish the panel with border 

Pull out Halloween top to see what to do to finish

Quilt one or two of my quilts

I was able to stitch every day this past week. Yesterday after I got home (5 hour drive!) I made a point of knitting for 15 minutes except I was at it for over 45! I was happy to start another of the little winter hats I make to donate. 

15 Minutes of Stitching:

W/ending 9/22  — 266 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 21/22
• 15 minute days/2024 = 256/266 days
• Success rate = 96.2%

Just before I left I ordered one of Connecting Threads Stash and Save specials.  It was called Chambray Tonals Landscape Fall Quarter Sampler of 24 fat quarters.  The price with shipping and tax came to $43.94 which is less than $1.83 per fat quarter or & 7.32 a yard. It came while I was gone. Oooooh! Aahhh! Today I washed the lights.  I'll get to the darks one of these days. These are going to be great blenders.

Lights.

Darks.

I like that they give a card showing all the colors and their names if I ever want to buy yardage.  I'm looking forward to using some of these soon. I've got to make some acorns to go with the maple leaves I made a while ago. They will be in a lottery at retreat.  Maybe some of these fabrics will work. 

Tonight I was watching a tv show and putting online puzzles together instead writing my blog.  So, I'm ending here.  Please take some time to look at some of the bloggers who link up with Stitching Stuff at Life in Pieces, Oh Scrap at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework, Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, and Monday Musing at Songbird Designs.  

When I went to post on Stitching Stuff she headlined her blog as Week 38 of 2024. Time is flying by!  I hope you have a great week planned. Before we know it December will be pushing into January 2025. Yikes! 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 9 - 16 - 2024

Wow!  We've forgotten how much work a dog can be.  Especially a needy dog like Sunny.  She needs to be fed 4 times a day. Every 3 days she needs a bath. We're still trying to figure out her cues for potty breaks. And, someone is walking her a couple of times a day.  Add in the trip to the vet and a trip north to watch Teddy's soccer game and introduce Sunny to the kids and grands -- she's keeping us busy. 

Soph and Sunny hanging out during the game. Sunny's working hard at growing her  hair and fur. Yep, Westies have two coats -- the bottom coat is fur and the top coat is stiffer hair. 

Here's what I tried to get accomplished this past week. And, yes, I did check a few things off but I didn't do all I thought I could get done. Sigh.

9/9/24

✅Finish one more of Joan’s blocks and mail them — finished; but not mailed.

✅Quilt customer top — done and returned.

Finish Sea Side Village — all threads tied, ready to put a facing on it. 

✅Make happy blocks and plan layout — picked all fabs for the blocks and began the layout. 

✅Cut another quilt kit— finished.  

✅Keep stitching on the ornaments — worked on one at Monday stitching.

Here's a bit of the customer's quilt I long armed this week. She chose Ginger Heart and a light blue thread.  I think I took this picture with just the first row done. She was quite happy with it. 

And here are the Happy Blocks I've been working on. I decided to make a bigger quilt and make it neutral so it can be given to a boy or a girl. 

I've been picking fabrics for additional blocks to set it 5 x 6 or 48" x 60" approximately. The blocks finish at 8". I'll get the new blocks all cut out before I leave for North Carolina Tuesday.  After making a lot of these quilts I'm finally learning that some colors look really dark and don't enhance the quilts.  I'm trying to pick lighter fabrics but not ones that look too light. (The elephant one seems too light while the top left island one seems too dark. I don't think I'm changing any of those already made!) For these I used a 4.5" center square and 2.5" strips to make 2 strips 4.5" and 2 strips 8.5". It is a really easy pattern. I'm ready to find a new super easy pattern one of these days! 

On Tuesday I'm off for a several days of quilting at Sharon's house. Here's what I hope to get done. And, yes, I'm pretty sure I have at least one or two more projects to bring but these are the ones I want to finish while I'm gone.  It's better to have too many projects than not enough. 

9/16/24

Keep stitching on the ornaments

Drive to Sharon’s for a quilting get together

Put double border on purple/floral top

Put facing on Sea Side Village 

Cut out and make happy blocks, lay out, and sew the top 

Finish the panel top

Remember that trip to watch the soccer game mentioned above?  We left the house at 9 and didn't get home until after 2. But we were exhausted (as was Sunny.) I don't think I did anything in the studio or any hand stitching that day.  So, I have another day where no sewing took place. I did finish a book or two this week. Here are my numbers. Considering my success rate is in the mid 90s percent-wise, I'm pretty happy with the results.  

W/ending 9/15  — 259 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 6/7 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 14/15
• 15 minute days/2024 = 249/259 days
• Success rate = 96.1%

Have you been keeping up with Material Girlfriends' website? They have been offering a free 3 yard quilt pattern every month. This month's is called Bravo. I'm enamored with it and may have to find fabric to make it this month.  I've been making a point of buying more 1 yard fabric pieces so I can use some of these cool patterns.  If you like the idea of 3 yard quilts check out their offerings.  

I mentioned finishing a book this week. I actually finished 5 with a couple being audio books that I listen to while stitching.  Being an avid reader I pay attention when folks recommend a book or I think I might like a book from the blurb that shows up in the catalog once my library gets it.  This week I read Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles who also wrote The Paris Library. It was excellent.  

Here's what Amazon says about it: 1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France (CARDS). Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians.  Then she disappears."

The story moves between what is happening in WWI France and 1987 New York  where a NYPL librarian and budding writer first reads about the organization and decides to find out more about Jessie. Her story is how she uncovers more information about the CARDS and writes a book about them. 

It was a riveting book based on many of the real women who were involved with CARDS.  My only problem with it is I've read too many world war historical novels recently.  I was really ready for something light and fluffy. I've promised myself I won't read anything but light and fluffy for the next few books. We'll see how that goes! 

I'll be linking with these parties: Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie