Monday Meanderings 6 - 22 - 2026

Happy Father's Day -- at least here in America. We were able to spend part of it with our son and his family. I hate to complain about the weather so I'll say we've had some wonderful days with low humidity and reasonable summer temps. We may have a lot of rain this week.  My weather saying is wait a few days it will change! Do you say that about weather where you live? 

Here's what I got done this week.  It was satisfying to move forward on all of these goals. 

6/15/26

✅Bind 1 quilt — Done.

✅Cut one quilt kit — Done. 

✅Make more ✔️Veronica blocks and ✔️✔️Hollow 9 patches — 3 blocks were made. Another two are started. All the blocks for Hollow 9 patches are finished. 

✅Baste Fall Blocks top (June ufo challenge project)— Done. 

✅Check a couple of project boxes, empty, and put away fabric if project is finished — One zippered pouch was liberated. 

Here's the finished quilt with binding. My grands helped me out with holding the quilt.  You can read more about it here. 

Before we left for our son's house I was able to finish pin basting the fall quilt.👇The blocks are old -- 10 or 12 years old. Last year I put the finished blocks into a quilt. And then I let it sit for a while. I did put it on my 2026 UFO Challenge I do with Sharon.  Its number came up for June.  

At one point I was thinking of doing some more applique blocks but decided I probably couldn't do the hand appliqué as nicely as I did the original blocks.  And, we have a quilt hanger over the fireplace where this would fit beautifully. It's about 38" square. I will be quilting it with my domestic machine and a walking foot.  My preliminary plan is to stitch around each square but in the black and gold fabric. I'll stitch in the ditch on the outside of the small gold border. I will probably do something in the middle of the black border. You might notice I'm not talking about the rust rectangles. 

Well, lazy me says stitch in the ditch and call it done. The more artistic me says, maybe some parallel lines 1" or so apart. Or a checkerboard on the diagonal.  I will probably do some parallel lines using whatever size masking tape I have to mark them. But it is going to take way more time than this last week of June!  I'll try to keep you posted on my progress. 

I have way too many projects started and am using way too many project boxes and plastic zippered bags. I did check one of the boxes and found it full of fabrics with an ocean theme. I know I've made one quilt from the fabric but there is a lot more. The quilt kit I cut was made from 5" squares of the same fabric. It will stay in the box until I make some more quilts out of it.  It's going to take a while! Plus there is another project in the box that I didn't even look at but I think it is also ocean scenes. Oh my!

Here are my goals for this week. Wait, how did I get sooooo many items on the list? 

6/22/26 

Start quilting Fall Blocks (June ufo challenge project)

Finish two more Veronica blocks that are already started

Keep checking project boxes and/or zippered pouches to free them up for other projects

Work on Snowman #2

Knit a beanie

Start table runner for retreat  

I may not get to everything but I hope I can get some of each of these projects done.  

I did sew everyday this week including spending some time this morning finishing the pin basting before we left for our son's house. I'm glad I did as we stayed later than planned and I was unmotivated* when we got home. (*I admit I fell asleep on the couch while trying to read!) 

So I was successful on sewing every day this week. 

Week ending 6/21/26:  172 days of 2026.

  172 stitching days out of 172 days. 100%

I notice I often make mistakes on the info regarding sewing every day.  Last week was a big one when I said I'd stitch 158 of 165 days.  OOPS! I'll try to proofread better but don't hold your breath! 

Now another quilt my friend Sharon quilted while here last week. 

This is her version of Cheryl Brickey's Magnificent Mystery.  You can see my top here.  It's amazing how differently they look but they are the same pattern.  I'll get around to quilting mine someday! 

Please spend some time checking out these Linky Parties.  Lots of fun pics and info about what quilters around the world are doing. 

Stitching Time 

Oh Scrap

Quilting Patchwork Applique 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

I've got 3 more weeks to get ready for retreat with friends. We rent a house in the Shenandoah mountains and sew for 6 days. So, lots of projects need to be readied.  I generally take about 6. I think I have two or three ready so far. I think I'll check some of my projects that are sitting around waiting to be worked on. That's better than starting new projects for sure.  We also need to plan a dinner with another attendee.  I have it easy as I usually do dessert and a salad while a friend does the main dinner. Dinners are very good. We bring our own breakfasts and lunches. It is a great week to spend sewing times with good friends I don't see as often. 

How is your quilting going? Do you keep a goals list or just tackle what ever you feel like each week? I hope you get a lot of stitching done this week. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 6 - 15 - 2026

 What a week of fun! My friend Sharon is visiting and we're sewing up a storm. And talking. She's on her 3rd quilt on Ruthie, the long arm. And both Ruthie and Sharon are doing a great job. I'll share a picture later in the blog.  But let's look at my goals for last week first. 

6/7/26

✅Bind 2 quilts — one done. Second one is trimmed but still need to make binding and stitch it on. 

✔️Knit more kid-size beanies — one finished, one more started. 

✅Stitch on Snowman #2 — he’s coming along well. 

Cut one quilt kit — nothing done. 

✅Make more ✔️Veronica blocks, ✔️Hollow 9 patches, & ✔️E Quilter blocks —  made some of each type. 

First quilt bound. I'm calling this one Bubbles and Squares -- the blue is dark and light blue squares. I'm not sure what I plan on doing with it but it will be put to good use. 

Here are my Veronica blocks. I made three more and almost finished a fourth one.  This pattern is very easy to make and I was lucky to have these bright 10" layer cake pieces to make them from.  I'm probably going to make a decent size throw quilt rather than a bed quilt. You can buy Preeti Harris's pattern here. I can see a lot more of quilts in this pattern. 

Here are the 12 blocks I made for Pat, this month's E Quilter. The blocks will be going into kids quilts she will be making and donating to various organizations.  There are all sorts of ways to arrange them. I liked this one best but I would probably fuss around with them so all the 'characters' are facing up.  I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of any quilts she makes. 

Here are my goals for this coming week.  I plan to attend the Caroline County Fair Thursday afternoon to help with the booth Va. Star Quilters will have there. I haven't been to this fair before but it should be fun.  There will be several of us there. I am hoping to get a hat knitted while there. 

Here are this week's goals.  Hopefully I'll get more of them done this week. 

6/15/26

Bind 1 quilt

Cut one quilt kit

Make more Veronica blocks and Hollow 9 patches

Baste Fall Blocks top (June ufo challenge  project)

Check a couple of  project boxes, empty, and put away fabric if project is finished

I've continued my 15 minutes of stitching this week:  

Week ending 6/14/26:  165 days of 2026.

  165 stitching days out of 165 days. 100%

Sharon and I have been having a lot of fun. She's finished quilting 2 quilts. Tomorrow she'll finish her 3rd one.  I will try to get a picture of it and her first one for next week. Below is the quilt, Happy Hues, she finished on Ruthie today.  It is stunning. Here is the link to the quilt along directions.

Check out these linky parties this week. 

Stitching Time 

Oh Scrap

Quilting Patchwork Applique 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

Pat and I are celebrating our 53rd wedding anniversary on Tuesday.  Boy has the time flown by.  I think we deserve a dinner out -- now to decide where to go! 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 6 - 8 - 2026

Recently beginnings of my post have been weather related, especially through winter and a semi-wet spring.  Summer has finally hit (with a vengeance) and we are in the hot, humid and repeat stage. Which will probably be the case for the whole summer. I'm lucky because my studio is in the basement which is naturally cooler.  In fact after a few hours down there I usually need to put on a light sweater or come up stairs to warm up.  I see a lot of sewing going on this summer. 

I did pretty well on my goals this week. Most progress came at the end of the week rather than the beginning. Here's what I did. 

6/2/2026

✅✅Quilt two of my quilts — One baby top and one throw top quilted! 

✔️Make some hollow 9 patches - just one finished but a couple more cut out. 

✅Knit more kid-size beanies — one done, one more started.

✅Stitch on Snowman #2 — a little stitching done. 

Cut one quilt kit - not even planned! 

So the big finish was quilting two tops.  The first one I did was scrap blocks made by my FCQ E Quilter's group.  I don't remember when I got these blocks but I made the top last year.  I purchased the backing at a local store probably last month. 

The block is the Ultimate Scrap Busting Quilt Block by Create with Claudia.  You can find the block here: https://www.createwithclaudia.com/2019/08/scrap-busting-quilt-block-tutorial/.  I really like how vibrant the colors are and the way it looks like it has been sashed. Nope, that is part of the block. 

I chose Feather Late Than Never, by My Creative Stitches,  for the quilting design. It stitched out beautifully.  I chose a beige thread -- it doesn't stand out very much so  maybe I should have picked a different color. 

Here's some of the back and a close up of the front. The backing is little flowers in fall colors on a beige background. I will probably use that leftover fabric in a small quilt with other autumn colors. This picture definitely doesn't show it off well.   

I also quilted a baby top. I've decided to call this Bubbles and Checks. (That blue fabric has little checks in it.) All the fabric came from my stash.  So I think of it as a free quilt! For the back I used the last larger piece of the purple from the bolt I got from Marshall Dry Goods a year or so ago.  I still have odd ball scraps from it so I'll be using it for years to come!  (You can just see it in the upper left of the picture.) 

I used Hills and Valleys #1, again from My Creative Stitches.  I check the web site to see what they recommend for nesting, whether it had overstitching and the size it was designed at.  Yes on nesting, no on overstitching. It was pretty close to a square design.  I thought that made a lot of sense for a square quilt. (36" x 36" basically.) 

I also tend to read the reviews to see if there is any more information shared there.  Yes, many folks said it stitched out quickly.  Yep. It really did. I think it took about 3 minutes to stitch each row.  It dawned on me closer to the end of my 7 rows why it stitched out so fast.  Each row was like a half a row.  It needed to be tightly nested to make it look like a full row.  And this was done really quickly with no problems. See the close up 👇. It creates lots of nice texture. 

And this week I'll be trying to get these items done, or at least moved forward. 

6/7/26

Bind 2 quilts

Knit more kid-size beanies 

Stitch on Snowman #2

Cut one quilt kit

Make more blocks for Veronica, Hollow 9 patch, & E Quilter blocks 

Attend Country Piecemaker's meeting and class 

I did a little off list sewing this week. Pat W chose blocks for the EQuilters to make her during May and June. She wants them child oriented with bright colors. She chose Jenny Doan's Two Step Quilt. Here's the link to the directions if you want to make it yourself. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r7eObCvo9H4.  I've decided that each of my blocks is good individually but they are pretty busy together. Or, I haven't arranged them correctly.  

I was successful sewing every day. Most days were much more than 15 minutes. 

Week ending 6/7/26:  158 days of 2026.

  158 stitching days out of 158 days. 100%

Sharon should be coming to visit at the end of the week. And we'll be going back to Country Piecemakers (west of Richmond) as she is teaching a mystery class.  And, no, I don't know what it is! I'll be sewing along with the other guild members. 

Don't forget to check these Linky parties. 

Stitching Stuff 

Oh Scrap

Quilting Patchwork Applique 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

Oh yes, there is one more item to share. 

The Spotsylvanians sang the National Anthem at the Fredericksburg Nationals, a farm team for the Washington Nationals.  This is the fourth year we've sung and we had a large turnout of singers.  These are mostly the sopranos. This was the only picture I could find that you can actually see me!  After singing we had a great dinner and could watch the game from seats on the first base line.  (And, yes, we had to pay for all the tickets and dinner. But some how we got free parking.)  The Fred Nats won and we actually lasted through the whole game. 

As much as I am enjoying my Monday nights off, I miss these ladies, gentlemen, and singing.  We'll start up again in mid August. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 6 - 2 - 2026

We enjoyed some beautiful weather over the last week or so.  Temps in the low 70s and low humidity.  It's been lovely. Unfortunately the first week of June shows temps going up to the 90s with humidity. Bummer.  I tend not to bake (cookies, brownies) when the temp hits 80+.  We have a kitchen that opens into the living room.  Heating the oven heats the main part of the house. It doesn't make for comfortable tv watching or reading in the evening. 

So, my goal list doesn't have a bunch of ✅ this week. I didn't realize how long it would take me to make the 2 pillow shams I finished.  Here's what got finished and what was left out!

5/25/26

✅Stitch on Snowman #2 — made some progress. 

✅✅Make pillow shams for Ombré Log Cabin quilt — 2 done but they need a little more work to look better. 

✅Knit 2 kids size beanies — finished one and started and finished #2. 

Make some hollow 9 patches — nothing done. 

Trim Bargello quilt — Didn’t trim; need to buy binding first. 

Quilt one of my quilts — didn’t happen! 

We've had the Ombre Log Cabin quilt on our bed for about a month. It looked funny with pillow "shams" that were just white pillowcases.  So I decided it was time to make shams.  Unfortunately, I need to stitch about an 1 inch inside the edges of the sham so it stands up (hopefully).  Right now, this works but the shams are a bit floppy.    

I finished 2 beanies and found another one finished in my knitting bag.  We were asked to use bright colors and make kid friendly hats.  I generally give them to a friend of mine who turns them in every couple of weeks.  Hopefully I'll see her tomorrow at our weekly stitching meeting and she'll be able to turn them in. 

I use a pattern that allows me to knit the hat flat and then seam up the back. I find it easy to knit and doesn't take long to do the finishing work.  I've been making these stripe hats with two rows of color followed by 2 rows of the white. It sure helps to use up the little bits of yarn left from making other hats.  I decided to skip the pompoms on top as I worry about them falling apart too soon. I'll see how many more I can get done before the summer program passing out school clothes. 

Here's what I will be working on this week.  

6/2/2026

Quilt two of my quilts

Make some hollow 9 patches

Knit more kid-size beanies 

Stitch on Snowman #2

Cut one quilt kit

My June UFO project is a fall top. All I wrote was Fall Blocks Top.  Hum, I sure hope it will be obvious when I check for it in my quilt closet! 

I had another successful week stitching. 

Week ending 5/31/26:  151 days of 2026.

  151 stitching days out of 151 days. 100%

I did not attend the estate sale again this week.  For the most part I forgot all about it.  So no new things to share.  

We went out to dinner and a concert this weekend.  We left way too early so after dinner we went to a deli/bakery to have a piece of carrot cake. It's our favorite cake.  Here's the cake: 

Here's the review: not as good as my home made carrot cake or the one we get from our local Publix! The sad part is it cost nearly $8.00! And, yes, we shared our dessert! The concert was by another community chorus.  It was interesting music choices.  And, that's all I'll say. 

As usual I'm linking up with these parties. 

Stitching Time 

Oh Scrap

Quilting Patchwork Applique 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

Not much else is going on this week until Saturday.  The Spotsylvanians will be singing the national anthem at the Fred Nats minor league baseball game. This is the fourth year we've done it. It's always a fun event. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie