Monday Meanderings 10 -- 12 -- 2026

It's been a week of busy-ness.  We had a couple of rehearsals. I went to stitching group.  The rain has continued off and on.  Our Cabaret show on Friday night went really well.  We had a nice size audience too.  But, hubby and I were exhausted by the time we got home.  And, we were wound up so didn't fall asleep right away.  

Then Saturday rolled in.  Not a busy day except me trying to figure out everything I need to take to retreat.  Finally fell asleep after 11. Fast forward to about 2:30 we were rudely awakened by our fire alarm going off.  We got up and checked the house -- no fire but the alarms (every one in the house) kept going off. And then silence.  Back to bed.  15 minutes later they went off again. Oh good grief! I started reading thinking it was going to go off again. Hubby was cruising the Internet trying to figure out why it was going off.  He figured it out, turned one alarm off and restarted it. That was it! Finally, sleep came at about 4. Snore! 

That brings us to my goals list for this past week. 

10/5/26

✅Cut out boy 49 charm quilt — done! 

✅Work on Christmas ornaments — it doesn’t look like I made progress but I did stitch on one. 

Stitch on Snowman # 2 — didn’t do anything. 

Bind second blue quilt — binding made but not applied. 

✅Sing at the Cabaret with the Spotsylvanians — we had a great time singing and a wonderful audience. 

✅Prep supplies for retreat — mostly packed. 

These are my blocks from the FCQ EQuilters in 2025. There are only 6 of us and I got all of these blocks plus another 13 or so more. The blocks are 12 x 12". I am taking these to retreat to sew together.  The day Sharon and I go shopping I may take it with me to get a border for it.  I'm not sure it really needs it but I might add one. Although I suspect I would add a smaller border. I'll probably put this together on Monday so it is portable on our shopping day. 

Here's what's in store this week. 

10/12/26

Attend Country Piecemakers retreat

Make boy and girl 64 charm quilts

Make Honey Bouquet baby quilt

Sew EQuilter’s blocks into top

Put everything away and rest over the weekend! 

I stitched every day this past week.  Some was only 15 minutes but most were a lot more time.

Week ending 10/4/26: 284 days of 2026.

 282 stitching days out of 284 days 99.3%

I wanted to share a great idea for brushing dust out of your sewing machine.  I credit Sharon with coming up with the idea. 

That nice fuzzy brush is by Elf which makes make up and accoutrements for make up. The brush is called Total Face and is available at Target for $4.00.  The bristles are artificial. I dusted the underside of my Featherweight, around the motor and on along the edges of the base.  I was surprised how much dust clung to the brush. I bought three of them: one for each sewing machine I use regularly.  I'll let you know in a few weeks how it works for me. 

Here are the Linky Parties I use.  Please visit. Stitching Time, Oh Scrap, Quilting Patchwork Applique, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings.

I probably won't link up with Monday parties until Monday evening. (Yep, I'll be on the road to retreat for most of the morning.)  

I wanted to share some more voter information with you. Do you know about the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe? Their mission: "We work for stability, peace and democracy through an engaged political dialogue, shared values and joint action."  One of the actions they take is observing elections around the world. They have been observing American federal elections since 2002.  The administration has chosen to not invite them this year.  Instead, more than 1,000 federal election monitors will be sent out to the states by the Justice Department. That isn't unusual either.  Previously Justice Department has monitored federal elections to protect American voters.  My question now is will they continue to protect voters or will they impede voters or intimidate voters or try to seize voting machines.  If you want to find out more about this check Michael Seller's October 8, 2026 Substack. (Substack.com) You can read more about the OSCE at their web site: https://www.osce.org/#our-mission-1.  

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

 

Monday Meanderings 10 - 5 - 2026

Rain! Rain! And More Rain.  We've had several days of it and I'm getting tired of it.  I've walked the dog 2 nights with heavy mist.  I come back in wet and so does Sunny.  It looks like the rain is ending tonight.  Temperatures are going to be in the 70s during the days and mostly in the 50s at night. But, wait -- some nights it's going to be in the 40s.  I prefer the cooler weather.  I'm done with the ridiculous heat for this year.  I hope Mother Nature agrees with me! 

On the other hand, the rain gave me I a good reason to play in the studio.  I was basically done with my Goals list by Thursday evening.  Friday morning we sang in a neighborhood chorus and that afternoon I goofed off.  See below about my daily sewing times. And, just below for what I did this week. 

9/28/26

✅Finish Honey Bouquet top — Top done ! 

✅Bind small blue quilt — Done! 

✅Quilt another small top — Done but not bound

✅Layout top and ✅sew 2025 RSC blocks — Done!

✅Finish cutting kit for retreat — Done! 

✅Anything that strikes my fancy — Borders on Halloween stitchery.

I didn't take more pictures of the finished Honey Bouquet top.  Here's the link to last week's picture of it. I added a horizontal row to the top of the quilt.  Easy peasy and I had cut too many rectangles anyway.  I'll share it again after I quilt it. 

No pics of the bound quilt. I'm happy to have it done and was able to load another blue top that was quilted using the rest of the dark blue backing fabric. This was at the beginning. It's a Benny quilt using a lot of my 2" unf squares. (Although those little 2" squares pile back up really fast!) 

Unfortunately I'm having a few issues with Ruthie, the long arm. I think one of the connecting wires is slipping or not maintaining the connection.  Hubby took a look at it and tried something that should hold the connection through an entire quilt.  But, I haven't done another quilt yet.  

Sewing the RSC 2025 blocks together was on my UFO Challenge this fall.  I was able to get them laid out and sewn together. Now to consider borders. 

Here's the beginning of cutting out my 49 Charm quilt pattern. Thanks go to Nancy who blogs at Grace and Peace Quilting for the idea.  She makes 99 Charm quilts that finish 41 x 50".  My 49 Charm quilt will be 36" square, approximately. It is based on what is wanted at the NICU at the local hospital. I had some 5" squares from a charm pack that had baby girl squares.  I added some more fabric and came up with 49 charms.  It will be made at retreat next week. 

And, what was my "anything that strikes my fancy"?  I decided to add the borders to the owl stitchery I showed a while ago. I am thinking about how to finish it. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of batting and backing, quilting in the ditch and maybe some extra bats flying in the stitchery to hold everything together.  

Now, here's my plan for this week.  

10/5/26

Cut out boy 49 Charm quilt

Work on Christmas ornaments

Stitch on Snowman # 2

Bind second blue quilt

Sing at the Cabaret with the Spotsylvanians

Prep supplies for retreat

I've been doing so well on my 15 minutes of stitching every day.  Except Friday, after singing and buying lunch, we came home and ate it in our sun room. It was warm and cozy and we all fell asleep for at least an hour. I finally woke up and realized I had to make Apple Squares to take to the pot luck we were attending that night. So baking happened, reading happened, socializing happened.  But no stitching! Oops. I've missed 2 days out of 277 this year. 

Week ending 10/4/26: 277 days of 2026.

 275 stitching days out of 277 days 99.3%

I am looking forward to next week's retreat.  I plan to get a lot of sewing done, some shopping, and one lunch out. I usually take Sharon out in honor of her birthday.  This year it lands on Friday so we'll go earlier in the week. I'll try to take more pictures of the finishes this year. I tend to forget. 

Please check out the following links to read what people across the Internet are making: Stitching Time, Oh Scrap, Quilting Patchwork Applique, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings.

Are you looking for a sew along or a mystery quilt this fall?  Take a look at my last post which lists both sew alongs and mystery quilts that have recently started or starting soon.  

As we move closer to Election Day I hope you have been reminding your friends, family, and neighbors to vote.  Remember, America is a free country where your vote can make a big difference in all of our futures.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

October 2026 Mysteries and Sew Alongs

Join the Alison Glass Community Quilt Along: Color Study. This is a sampler-style quilt that explores color and value. Blocks will be released every week beginning October 2. Find out more and sign up at https://alisonglass.com/pages/community-quilt-alongsrsltid=AU7gw4WCuiC8cDNLKrC7HEfzQ7L_M1ngWUFWq2xV2SA0RAj3fYiO7ng5

Garden Song Sew Along started 9/28. Pattern downloads will be bi-weekly. You have 2 weeks to pick them up free. These are applique blocks that you can choose the applique you enjoy doing: hand, machine, with wool.  Quilt will be 60” x 70”. https://quiltery.com/garden-song-info/

Suzy’s Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom has a plethora of sew alongs/mysteries going on now.  First up is A Little Bird Told Me that started August 7. You still have a few days to pick up the free pattern. Suzy has 2 ways to get her sew along/mystery patterns: Remember to pick up the new free pattern once a month. Or for a modest fee become a Little Bird Prime Member. You won’t miss a single pattern as you will get a monthly email reminder and have your own page with all of the blocks released to date. And, there is also a table runner pattern. Also check out Bedtime Critters, Bearadise and Pennsylvania Dutch Heritage sew alongs or mysteries. Check out all of these at https://suzyssitcom.com/ $ or free if each month is picked up in time. 

How about an eerie quilt? Visit The Forgotten Rooms quilt along which started Aug 10 and runs until Oct 31. Check out the house at https://www.ajourneysewreal.com/forgottenroomsqal . $42. 

America Patchwork & Quilting started Harvest Sampler Quilt Along on August 1. You can purchase the current magazine locally, purchase a PDF download or buy a digital issue of the magazine. Find more info at All People Quilt, https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/harvest-sampler-quilt-along-fall-2026-12012847#toc-material-requirements .

Monday Meanderings -- 9 - 28 - 2026

Boy, it's been a week.  I was off doing way more things away from home than I usually do. I made it through the week but I'm still exhausted.  Let's start with my goals. 

9/21/26

✅Bind Popsicle Quilt — Done! 

✅Quilt 1 or 2 small quilts and bind — One quilted. 

✔️Finish bright Honey Bouquet top — One more row to sew on.

Layout RSC blocks from 2025, sew together — nothing done! Oops. 

Attend ✅Sewing Expo and ✅State Fair — both done. 

I feel like I did a great job on the goals considering I was out and about so much.  Let's see what I have to show for my ✅s. 

Oops -- no pictures of the Popsicle quilt.  But I took at least one picture of the baby top I quilted late this afternoon! I'm pretty sure the bricks are 2.5" x 5" and the beige squares are 2.5".  I had hoped to quilt two but .. nope, didn't happen. 

This is only 36" x 39" give or take an inch. I finished the top in March of this year. That's a fast turn around for the quilting part.  But I did buy a navy blue backing when I was in NC this summer so this one fit well with it.  I still have nearly 2 yards of backing left! Another quilt top should get done fairly soon. The quilting design is Feather Late Than Never by My Creative Stitches.  It is a great design to add some motion to a top. I like this quilt pattern so well I'm thinking of picking another color and duplicate it. Maybe red or green. I should have lots of scraps in either color. 

Here's how far I got on the Honey Bouquet quilt.  I went wild cutting big bricks but I'm keeping this one at about 36" wide, as it is here.  I am going to add a row on the top using 4 horizontal bricks to bring it up to a size for a lap quilt.  It will go to one of the community organizations that Va. Star Quilt Guild supports. It may be a while as I need to figure out a backing. (Note to self -- Check to see if enough navy blue from the quilt above is left.....) 

Thursday I went to the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo in Fredericksburg. I spent some time checking out the vendors and the quilts.  But most of the time I was an Ambassador with the assignment to help out a teacher in one of the classrooms.  I was very impressed with both of them I helped.  The first class was about using rulers with your domestic machine. Cris Roach did a wonderful job showing how to use rulers. I particularly liked how she recommended rulers to buy - one straight and one curved. (Or better yet one that had both.) Her class was full. My job was to take tickets and keep a count of the number of people who attended.  I also helped as needed with samples.  

After 2 full hours learning about ruler work the next teacher came into the room. Eric Drexler was giving a talk on threads. I've never actually gone to a threads discussion by a professional.  He is a Sulky Educator and makes beautiful pieces.  It turns out Eric is also the son of the man who started Sulky many years ago.  He spoke about needles and lots of different Sulky threads.  Below is a Zentangle style piece he shared with the class.

I enjoyed listening and viewing the information both teachers presented.  It was a bonus that I got free admission to the Expo and basically was able to attend 2 classes for free! And, by doing so it helped my guild get free booth space. 

By the end of the day I was exhausted!  But, I was up and out to workout early on Friday. A friend had died and we attended his funeral later that morning.  One of the disadvantages of living in a 55 and older community is our friends are old. It was a nice service and a lovely luncheon held afterwards.  Hubby's small barbershop group was asked to sing at the luncheon.  

Friday afternoon and Saturday morning I spent time doing a bit of sewing and more time actually prepping hand stitching projects.  One was my on-going snowman project that I've been ignoring recently.  And the other was organizing the grand's Christmas ornaments.  I prepped 4 ornaments and one snowman for sewing while I manned Va Star Guild's booth at the State Fair on Saturday afternoon. 

HA! I got one branch added to the snowman and nothing else done of my own. Susan was sitting with me working on this fabulous witch's hat she made. You can see all the clips she used to hold the binding in place.  In the 4 or so hours we were there she was almost finished with her binding.  We also were selling raffle tickets and teaching any interested kids how to sew a button on a little fabric star they could take home.  It was a busy and fun event. I was really tired by the time I got to the car for the 40 minute drive home! 

Several of my guild friends had quilts in the fair and had won ribbons. I was particularly pleased to see a friend from my neighborhood had won a red ribbon for her quilt. Actually she entered two and they both won a ribbon! Here's Sue's sunflower quilt. I'm pretty sure she did most of the sunflowers by hand using English paper piecing method.  (I did not enter anything but I really need to think about it next year.) 

Here's what I hope to work on this week. I've got a lot planned.  And, happily not very much else happening! 

9/28/26

Finish Honey Bouquet top 

Bind small blue quilt 

Quilt another small top 

Layout top and sew 2025 RSC blocks together

Finish cutting kit for retreat 

Anything that strikes my fancy 

I somehow got 15 minutes of sewing done every day this week! Yeehaw! 

Week ending 9/27/26: 270 days of 2026.

 262 stitching days out of 270 days 99.7%

I started cutting out a 40" wall hanging to sew at October's retreat.  I finished the whites and still need to cut the floral that goes with it.  I'm hoping I can use it eventually on the quilt hanger in our bedroom.  Time will tell! 

Please spend some time checking out these blogs and the Linky parties shared on them: Stitching Time, Oh Scrap, Quilting Patchwork Applique, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings. I didn't get to visit many this week -- just too busy! 

Have you encouraged your friends and neighbors to vote?  I make a point of reminding people that early voting is going on now.  From what hubby reports people are getting out early to vote in Virginia.  He will work one day a week for all of early voting.  And then he is a voting chief at a polling location on Election Day. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie  

 

Monday Meanderings -- 9 - 21 - 2026

It's amazing how much sewing I did this week.  Most of it was done Saturday and Sunday.  The funny thing is I only had 4 goals for the week.  Needless to say, all of them got done and then some!

First up -- last week's goals. 

9/14/26

✅Quilt Popsicle quilt — quilting done, binding made.

✅Cut another quilt kit for retreat — done, but already sewing it together. 

✅Sew July UFO together. Add something to top and bottom to make it rectangular — top sewn together but no additional top and bottom. 

✅Cut out Marigold Mystery blocks for Sept — blocks are finished.

Here's a look, um, er not...  Yep, I finished the Popsicle quilt but I didn't taken any pictures.  In fact I left it on the frame until late Sunday night.  I'll try to remember to take pictures this week after it is bound. 

I did cut another quilt for retreat, or at least supposedly for retreat... but I went ahead and started making it.  Here are several blocks from Honey Bouquet, a Villa Rosa Design. Notice the bright multicolored print?  I have 2 fat quarters of it and decided one would be great for Honey Bouquet. What I didn't have is enough fat quarters to make HB at the stated size.  So I grabbed pieces of fabrics that went with the colors in the print. I'm not sure what size I'll actually make this. I may leave off a column and then add a border to make it the size requested by the guild for donations. 

Cutting takes a bit of time when you don't have the number of untouched fat quarters needed per the instructions.  I may be able to work on it this week.  If so I'll try to get pictures of it as a top. 

The July UFO is together but not the top and bottom additions.  I have lost interest in it and put it away.  I can take it out again later -- once I am more interested in actually finishing it. 

The two block sets for Marigold Mystery were cut out and I went ahead and finished them too.  In fact I made an extra one of the Ohio Star block.  What? I'm not sure how that happened but I will keep both for now and decide which one will work the best in the quilt. It'll be interesting to see how these blocks will be used.  These weren't hard just time consuming. 

And now this week's goals.  I shouldn't have so many things on it as I will be volunteering at the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo in Fredericksburg one day and working our guild booth at the State Fair one evening.  Hopefully I will remember to take photos at the two events. 

9/21/26

Bind Popsicle Quilt 

Quilt 1 or 2 small quilts and bind 

Finish bright Honey Bouquet top

Layout RSC blocks from 2025, sew together

Attend Orginal Sewing & Quilting Expo and State Fair 

I did get started sewing my current leader ender together.  Here's what's on the design wall now. The missing row is red and it was at the sewing machine when I quit for the night. I figured I could sew the blocks into rows even if this isn't how I want them to be put together. I haven't a clue what order I want the colors to be in. I'll probably need more rows also.  I have another stack of block so I should be fine.  I will be moving some of the blocks around a bit to spread out the darker ones. BTW, the last row is black and gray.  

I sewed every day this week again. Here's my current stats. 

Week ending 9/20/26: 263 days of 2026.

 262 stitching days out of 263 days 99.6%

I pulled a book off my shelf and boy was I surprised by the insides.  I've had it for many, many years but evidently I didn't look at it all that much.  

It was published early 2000's.  The authors are Judy Turner and Margaret Rolfe. The reason I was amazed by it is it basically gives a slew of block colorings for Potato Chip blocks. Most of the actual patterns use a smaller rectangle but the ratio appears to be the same.  It does a good job discussing light/dark colors, textile patterns, and the like. But I was surprised that the main block they used was what we now call the Potato Chip block. I did a quick Internet search and there are books available through various used book sites -- if you are interested in one check several sources as there are a variety of prices too.  I guess I'll be considering one of the block layouts to make a quilt -- preferably a baby size quilt! I might even use one of the smaller brick sizes. Although I do have quite a few pieces of the standard Potato Chip brick cut.  

I'm linking with the following parties.  Stitching Time, Oh Scrap, Quilting Patchwork Applique, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings.

The state of Virginia began early voting on the 9/18. It will run until 10/31.  They are trying to make it easy for all registered voters to vote whether during early voting or Election Day.  If your state allows early voting check out their website to get the locations, days and times.  Kudos for Virginia offering some late nights, two Saturdays and two Sundays.  I have a feeling the actual Election Day may be very crowded this year.  If your state only uses mailed ballots make sure to mail it early or drop it off at your county election office or kiosk.  And then, get back to quilting. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie