Monday Meanderings 3 - 9 - 2026

 Weather changes and time changes.  It was really nice to walk Sunny this evening -- it was still light. And it was in the high 60s at 7 pm.  So nice.  Spring is coming.  And I have a spring-looking UFO to work on soon. Here's what I got done this week. 

3/2/26

✅Bind bottom of grey sweatshirt. — done. 

✅Keep working on sewing blue bricks together — All sewn together, maybe. 

✔️Plan rest of February UFO blocks and start sewing together — All blocks framed.

✔️Finish knitting sock currently on the needles — Still have a few inches to finish the sock.

✅Keep working on the Magnificent Mystery blocks and rows — all blocks made.

✅ Look at the March UFO project — 42 blocks to make a 6 x 7 center.

I got a lot done this week but some things weren't finished so I've marked them with the black check mark.  

Here's the blue bricks sewn together. It's about 30" wide by 39" long. I think I'm going to add a few more columns to bring it up to 36" wide. The bricks are 2.5" x 5". The squares are 2.5", just incase you want to make your own.  

I snuck in a few special blocks for laughs. Check out the frog in the center  of full top picture.  

Here is one suggestion for the Feb. UFO blocks.  I have a really nice Oriental fabric that was with all the blocks.  The flowers in the basket block are from it. This way this border is overwhelming the blocks.  

So then I added a little border of fabric that is used in many of the blocks. I don't think this really works.  What do you think? Any different ideas? Maybe I'll try some sashing or a different border fabric. 

Here are 4 blocks from the Magnificent Mystery top -- one of each full block and half block. I've got all the blocks done. But I need to start putting them together. Shouldn't take long to put 5 full rows and 2 half rows together.  I just need to be motivated to do it! It'll go on this week's goal list to help with my motivation. (What looks like really dark fabric is actually a purple print with leaves and vines -- rust, gold and greens on the purple ground.)  

And now, this week's goals. 

3/9/26

Finish Feb UFO to top stage

Stitch on Snowman block

Trim March UFO blocks 

Sew Magnificent Mystery blocks into rows

Finish knitting sock

I'm not sure I'll be able to finish February's UFO to top stage as I'm not sure how I want to finish it.  Decisions, decisions. But there's always March's UFO project. I won some of these paper pieced blocks years ago from Paper Panache. Then a few years ago I had my FCQ Equilters make me some more.  I've not been really interested in finishing them but this year I put them on the UFO challenge 3 times. It came up for March so the first activity I planned was to evaluate the blocks, remove the papers and sew the blocks together.  I have 42 blocks and will set them 6 x 7, 36" x 42".  I've decided on using the green with various whites to make the border blocks the next time these blocks come up on the challenge. 

I've stuck to stitching every day this week. Many days were a lot more than 15 minutes. 

Week ending 3/8/26:  67 days of 2026.

  67 days of 67. 100%

I went wild recently.  I bought a bunch of wide backs from Marshall Dry Goods to go with several tops that are waiting to be quilted.  I'll share what I bought once it arrives in the next week or so. And, then I need to get some quilting done! 

Now, I'm reminding you to visit some Linky Parties to see what is going on across the Internet.     

Stitching Stuff 

Oh Scrap

Quilting Patchwork Applique 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

Also, check out my listing of March 2026 Mysteries and Sew Alongs. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

March 2026 Mysteries and Sew Alongs

Bearadise features a camping-loving bear and his forest friends enjoying the great outdoors. https://suzyssitcom.com/join-the-bearadise-sew-along Free pattern available each month on the 24th, if you miss it there is a small fee to purchase it.  Begins on Feb 24th. 

Are you looking for a special America 250 quilt? Take a look at the free quilt along, “Semiquincentennial” in honor of America’s birthday.  https://bomquilts.com/2026-semiquincentennial-bom/#google_vignette  The patterns are issued monthly beginning March 20. TK Harrison, who designed the quilt, also has a page with tutorials to make different units in the quilt.  Blocks are 15” finished. 

Congratulations! You've been appointed  ambassador to Polychromia! And you’ll be having some fun experiences working with color. You can make either a wall quilt 49 x 49" or 98 x 98". Take a look at the explanation of the experience. It sounds like a lot of fun. https://www.modernquiltstudio.com/product/ambassador/  $

Sewcialites 3 began on February 20th. Every Friday until August 21 a new block will be released. (Except the Fourth of July weekend you get a break!) https://blog.fatquartershop.com/join-us-for-the-free-sewcialites-3-quilt-along/. I notice there is also a page you can  bookmark to make it easier to pick up the patterns. https://www.fatquartershop.com/sew-alongs/sewcialites-free-pattern-series?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=sewcialites-3

Buttonwood Village by Piece O Cake designs is a cheerful applique BOM. Patterns are included in the fee of $48.  https://pieceocake.com/products/buttonwood-block-of-the-month-digital-pattern .  It started Feb 26 and runs for 10 months. $

Monday Meanderings 3 - 2 - 2026

I'm so happy we are out of the deep freeze. Monday snow is expected and high temps may be 39º. Then the next few days will have chances of rain. But wait, there's more. Thursday it is suppose to hit 74º, followed by 80º on Friday.  I know spring is around the corner but honestly I don't think I want 80º yet!  Our summers are too hot and humid to start in March! 

I've had a really quilty week and got lots done. Here's what was finished or moved forward.

2/23/26

✅✅Bind two quilts — both finished.

✅Quilt one of my quits — just a small quilt but quilted and bound.

✅Set last 2 UFO blocks on point — done.

✅Knit on hat— finished! (Picture to come soon.) 

✅Make B blocks of Magnificent Mystery quilt — all are sewn but still need to be ironed.

✅Sew up more dash blocks — two more done. 

Here's a picture of my 2 finished quilts. The one on the left is from More Quilts for Baby Easy As ABC by Ursula Reikes. (I love all of Ursula's baby quilt books.) I often  change patterns to fit the fabric I have on hand. This time it was to use the Mickey fabric. The quilt is about 35" square. The quilting design is Ginger Snap by Apricot Moon. 

The one on the right is a half log cabin from a booklet by Sharyn Squire Craig.  Here's the whole quilt. The logs are 2" wide.  I used Quick and Easy Swirls by My Creative Stitches for the quilting. I was tickled when I found a binding already made that worked well with it.  

I haven't taken pictures of any other projects from last week.  Oops! I did get a picture of my entire design wall which shows some of those ongoing projects. 

Here are the projects from top to bottom.  Some 16 patch blocks, Dash blocks, an A and B block from Magnificent Mystery. Moving to the right blue bricks, top right is the February UFO challenge blocks and the rest are small bits and pieces, including a doll quilt. 

And this week I want to work on these projects. 

3/2/26

Bind bottom of grey sweatshirt

Start sewing blue bricks together

Plan rest of design for February UFO blocks and start sewing together

Finish knitting sock currently on the needles 

Keep working on the Magnificent Mystery blocks and rows.

Look at the March UFO project to figure out what needs to be done

As you might have guessed I've had another 100% week of sewing 15 minutes a day. And, yes, most days it was way more than 15 minutes! 

Week ending 3/1/26;  60 days of 2026.

60 days out of 60 days.  100%

Here's a close up of the doll quilt shown above. 

I started this and then let it sit as a top while I decided how I would quilt it. I finally stitched in the ditch with my Bernina.  Then it sat some more while I tried to decide on a binding.  I only had a few pieces of the blue left from when I first made it. I didn't have any of the yellow left. I didn't want to use the light fabric. But, while I was finding more blues for the brick quilt I found a couple more pieces of blue although they had lots of cuts taken out already. The main thing was I was able to make the binding that matched the little quilt. (And make a brick or two.) 

Do you like to get inspiration for your quilts? Visit lots of blogs across the Internet by starting with these Linky parties. You can find all sorts of ideas for your quilting! 

Stitching Time 

Oh Scrap

Quilting Patchwork Applique 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 2 -- 23 -- 2026

It's been a great quilting week.  I've been able to stitch a lot every day.  So there are a lot of check marks on my goals this week.  And, we have had another snow storm. Although, we aren't getting much snow.  It started around 4 pm. But now, at 8:15 pm we aren't getting much at all. It's done by 9pm.  Fingers are crossed that we won't get much more. This past week the temps have been in the 40's all the way to high 50s.  So, even the snow that has appeared won't stay for long.  If we lived farther north we might be getting a lot more snow.  

Here's my goal list.

2/16/2026

✅Work on Feb UFO Challenge blocks — New background fabric purchased, several blocks have been put on point. 

✅Quilt one of my tops — done!

✅Work on snowman block 1 — more done. 

✅Continue knitting on hat — more than halfway done. 

√Make more dash blocks — 2 more cut out but not sewn yet.

I went to a new quilt store last week looking for fabric to go with my Feb UFO Challenge blocks. Get Stitched is a small store but it had a very nice selection of fabrics.  I left with two 1.5 yard pieces.  One is a teal to go with my UFO challenge and one was a nice red.  I consider both of them go-with fabrics. Here's a couple of the blocks put on point with the new fabric. 

In the past I've tried to match current fabric to blocks made from old fabric.  It took me a couple of years to find anything that would go with them.  I consider myself lucky I was able to find something at all, especially in a small store. Note: this shows the teal leaning to blue more than it does in person. 

I will be finishing putting the 5 blocks on point this coming week.  And, then I'll start figuring out how the other 4 blocks will be fitting in with these on point blocks. I had some good ideas from my commenters which I hope to incorporate in the finished top. But next Sunday a new number will be drawn for another UFO project to be worked on. March is a longer month so maybe I can finish both projects. 

Here are my goals for this week.  I hope to finish 2 quilts this month even though one hasn't been quilted yet. Lots on the list but I hope to get all of this done. 

2/23/26

Bind two quilts 

Quilt one of my quits

Set last 2 UFO blocks on point

Knit on hat

Make B blocks of Magnificent Mystery quilt

Sew up more dash blocks 

One of my off list projects is coming along well.  I started these blocks in January to use some blue fabrics for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I have a lot of blues from turquoise to deep navy.  I will continue to make these little blocks until I've used all currently cut pieces.  If you want to make your own, the beige square is 2.5" x 2.5".  The blue rectangles are 2.5" x 5". And, no, this project hasn't really made a dent in my blues. Sigh.  I still need to move some colors around so there is better balance plus I think I have 3 or 4 columns to add.  

It's been another 100% week of sewing at least 15 minutes a day.  (Generally, I sewed a lot more every day!) 

Week ending 2/22/26: 53 days of 2026.

  53 days of 53 100%

Here are the Linky Parties I join.  Enjoy surfing the web to see what quilters are doing around the world. 

Life in Pieces 

Oh Scrap

Quilting Patchwork Applique 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

Alycia, who posts at Quilty Girl, is running a sew along to make a patriotic quilt sized to fit the Quilts of Valor organization. It's not too late to join in.  At this point I'm saving the steps but I really want to start in on the steps. Alycia is planning the steps to take an hour or less each week. (Your sewing time may vary! I know mine will take longer.)   Here are links to the photo of the quilt with the fabric requirements and the first set of instructions: 

Winter Sew Along Intro and Fabric Requirements 

Week 1 Instructions 

I leave you with a pic of a little pig statue I have in my backyard. This was a week or so after the big snow storm. I thought he looked a little cold! You can also see how chunky/icy the snow was. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings -- 2 - 16 -- 2026

It's warming up!  Finally after two full weeks of temperatures below freezing we are finally hitting 32º and above.  Today's high was 44º.  But it rained all day and that means I was in my studio most of the day.  But I can't really show anything I got done!  I also took a nap. Let's see what I did get done this week. It was a great week of getting goals done. 

2/9/26

✅Mail quilt blocks MB, Joan, and Many Hands and Many Hearts — Done.

✅Begin planning on Feb UFO Challenge — started, evaluated fabrics, came up with a tentative plan.

✅Finish back stitching zippered bag and add buttons — The bag is done! 

✅Work on snowman block — definite progress on several parts. 

✅Continue knitting on hat — several more rows finished. 

✅Continue putting Magnificent Mystery blocks together — 13 A blocks are done, 1 block B. 

And I have pictures to share of many of these goals!

These blocks are from the mid 1990s. Three quilters from different parts of the US met on a chat group from the internet. I don't remember what project we were involved with.  It might have been a row robin or a secret pal block swap.   The three of us decided to make some blocks and swap them. Julianna Phillips, from Washington,  made the compass block and the hand along with a block for us to sign which I will put on the back.  I have no recollection of the blocks I made nor the ones Terri Willet, of northern Virginia, made. At the time we lived in Georgia and I remember flying up to Va to meet up with Terri to attend a national quilt show with her.  Later in the year we moved to Maryland. I have held these blocks since 1996 or so. At first I didn't think my skills were up to putting them into a quilt. Then, they spent several years in a box unchecked. Finally, this year I put them on my UFO Challenge list and it came up this month. 

I laid out the blocks similar to quilts in the book Circle of Nine Quilts by Janet Houts and Jean Ann Wright. I have tentatively decided I'll put some of them on point and then figure out the other four, probably not on point. Here are some closeups of them. This will be centerpiece of the quilt. I'm not committed to this background fabric. Or, any of the other ones I have. 

One of the side blocks. Any suggestions on fabrics to use with these blocks? I was thinking of using a turquoise. Unfortunately, I'll have to take these to a quilt store and find new fabrics.  

Next up is what's been finished on my first snowman block. I decided I needed to mark the embroidery for future stitching. Here's what I've done so far. (This is one of 6 blocks.) You can see some of the outlines where the wool will go, and the markings that will be embroidered. (See the beginning of the tree needles? I learned the Fly Stitch to make it. There's a lot more of that stitch coming on that tree.) I also did some of the embroidery on a little bird that is going to be on the left bottom.

And here is the finish on my cross stitch zip bag. I was tickled that I finished this in less than a year. Right now it is holding my supplies for my snowmen. This week I finished the back stitching and sewed on the buttons. (Check last week's pic to see the right colors. This is way off!) 

This coming week has some repeat goals and new ones. Will see how I do on them. 

2/16/2026

Work on Feb UFO Challenge blocks 

Quilt one of my tops

Work on snowman block 1

Continue knitting on hat

Make more dash blocks 

 

After a day of rain some of the snow in our front yard is melting. The back yard is still mostly covered as we don't get much sun there.  I'm hoping all the snow will be gone at the end of the week -- at least the snow in our yard.  It's going to take a lot longer for the piles of snow from streets or parking lots to melt. 

I've been doing really well on stitching every day.  Here's this week's report. 

Week ending 2/15/26  46 days days of 2026.

  46 of 46 days  100%

Let me know if you have any suggestions on the UFO Challenge blocks.  I probably won't get the top together this month but there's always next month to finish it off. 

Please take a look at these Linky parties. You never know what great ideas you can find across the internet. 

Stitching Time 

Oh Scrap

Quilting Patchwork Applique 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie