Monday Meanderings -- 10 -- 19 -- 2026

What a great week retreating.  I was worried it would be chilly and rainy but the weather turned out beautiful.  No rain going down or coming up. The only rain was overnight. Do you hear me singing "The rain will never fall 'til after sundown" in the background? (For those who don't know it's from Camelot and my folks had the record of the original cast...it got played quite a bit!) 

The retreat was sponsored by a guild in Powhatan, Va where I lived before here. I've maintained my membership as has Sharon as we both enjoy this group of women.(Sharon joined after the first time she went on retreat with us because they didn't have enough members sign up.) It was held at Skelton 4 H Conference Center in Wirtz, Va on Smith Mountain Lake.  It is about 3.5 hours from my home, longer with stops for a meal. I got a lot of my projects completed or moved forward.  Here's how well I did on my goals this past week. 

10/12/26

✅Attend Country Piecemakers retreat — I had a great time!

Make boy and ✅girl 64 charm quilts — held off on the boy quilt as it was hard to lay out. 

✅Make Honey Bouquet baby quilt — done!

✅Sew EQuilter’s blocks into top — done!

✅Put everything away and rest on the weekend! — Almost everything has been put away but not a lot of resting took place.

Here are pics of what I accomplished. I shared this top as it was laid out last week. Now it is a top.  One thing I hadn't noticed was that several of the blocks were not made as the others. And frankly, I don't have any idea why I didn't notice them. I won't be changing the layout though! (Call me lazy 'cause I do not want to rip out all those stitches!). 

This is my 64 Charms baby quilt. I found some charm squares left from a pack of baby squares.  I separated them into boy and girl squares.  Then I added squares from my stash that go with the colors.  Here's the girl one. There will be a boy one eventually but laying the girl one out at retreat was difficult.  I haven't decided if I'll make the boy one at home or maybe just lay it out at home and take it to a March retreat.  I particularly like this top pattern (and the one below) as they only take one length of fabric for the backing. 

Here is the baby version of Honey Bouquet from Villa Designs. This was actually finished but I didn't get a picture of it when done.  I made it smaller than the pattern called for as our baby quilt donations go to the two local NICUs and they want them approximately 36 x 36.  I started with the ABC fabric and added what I could find to go with it.  I'll share it when I get it quilted and bound.

I also made some progress on my leader-ender project but I didn't take any pictures.  My progress on putting everything away is not enough. I still have a bag of goodies.  I also have a quite a few of new fabrics waiting for a spin in the washing machine before they get put away.  I'll share them soon.  

Here's my plan for this week. 

10/19/26

Sew borders on paper pieced pastels top

Finish Halloween stitchery

Quilt a small quilt of mine

Cut pieces for Marigold Oct Clue

Wash, dry, and iron new fabrics 

Do you doubt that I got 15 minutes plus of sewing every day this week? It was way more than that during the retreat days! 

  

Week ending 10/18/26: 291 days of 2026.

 289 stitching days out of 291 days 99.3%

Here's another project I sewed together on retreat. I always precut my projects before going on retreats or sew days. It's much easier to cut on my table that is just right for my height.  Although we put risers under tables for cutting and ironing so if I have to cut it isn't too bad height-wise. I used a very old fabric that really says spring.  I've received a lot of compliments on this top from the retreaters. It actually should have a floral border that finishes at 2". I've decided to leave it as is even though I'd already cut the borders.  They will become the binding. I only have about 10" of the fabric left!  

This is Spring Splash, a free pattern from McCall's Quilting.  Here's the link to the pattern: https://www.quiltingdaily.com/friday-free-quilt-patterns-spring-splash-wall-quilt-pattern-mccalls-quilting-blog/

Even though I didn't get all my "stuff" put away I did get a small top quilted. Ruthie, the long arm, did a great job.  No problems.  Hopefully she'll continue to be reliable. Here's the top I quilted for the local guild. This one is 37" square.  I used New Zealand Kofu by My Creative Stitches.  Unfortunately this picture was taken while the first row was stitching. This top will go back to the guild on Wednesday so that another member can bind it. 

As always I'm linking up with the following Linky parties: Stitching Time, Oh Scrap, Quilting Patchwork Applique, Design Wall Monday, Monday Musings. Just a note: I'm sorry to say I forgot to link up to the Monday Linky parties last week.  I forgot to link up Monday before I left for retreat.  And once there the available Internet connection was pretty bad.  So no links added for the Monday parties.  Hopefully this week I do it correctly! 

I also noted that I didn't receive any emails from my commenters. That lack of emails means I never responded to my comments. I'll be going back and responding this week... sorry for the delay.  

Hubby reports a busy day at early voting in our county today.  He works at early voting every Tuesday and a few other days.  If you haven't voted yet -- get out and do it as soon as possible.  My guess is Election Day will be packed with folks voting.  Make it easier on yourself and opt for early voting. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

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