Monday Meanderings 11 - 28 - 2022

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our daughter and her family.  We missed our son and his family as they were visiting his in-laws.  (He might have wanted to stay home when it took over 9 hours to make a 6 hour drive!) I'm glad we stayed home and hosted. 

I did pretty well on my goals this past week.  Although I did have to make some changes. Here's the list: 

11/21/22

✅Border r,w,b quilt - done

✅Quilt and bind r,w,b quilt - backing too small, switched to different quilt. Quilting done on Economy top instead. 

✅Keep working on next ornament — changing my mind on the turtle.  May do 2 sharks if I can find enough wool for the second one. 

✅Enjoy Thanksgiving — great time and good food.

Finish trimming clue 4✅ and sewing and trimming the rest of Clue 5 — Clue 4 is done, Clue 5 has about 30 of 72 done… sigh.

✅Work on Halloween quilt as time permits — a very little bit was done but not much. 

Here's what's up this week. 

11/28/22

Bind Economy quilt

Finish Clue 5 of Melodic Mystery 

Keep working on ornaments

Work on Halloween Quilt if time permits

Pull out Dec. APQ UFO Challenge piece and decide what to do 

Now for some pictures -- first up is Ruthie quilting away on the Economy top.  I'm happy to report I finished it yesterday afternoon.  Now on to binding it before the end of the month.

Here's the r,w,b quilt I had to put aside because the backing wasn't big enough. (Funny, I measured carefully but I guess I forgot I added the borders.) I haven't decided what I'll do for backing for it.  But it will be done one of these days.  It was a great way to use 2.5" squares.  

Do you get Connecting Threads' emails about their Stash and Save special everyday?   I do and boy howdy, in a way I wish I didn't.  I tend to stop what I'm doing and check it when the notice comes in. I really don't need more fabric but, um, er... I fell in love with this fabric grouping at a ridiculously good price.  This is Faux Linen Tonals Gilded Age fat quarters. I love it. I even have a plan for it. I recently purchased the Maple Leaf die from Accuquilt. You can see where I'm heading, right? Yep, there is a maple leaf quilt in my future. (Probably after Christmas depending on what else I decide to do in December.) I'm thinking I'll pick a beige or light tan for the background, hopefully one that is already in my stash. (No, I do not get compensated for my mentioning these two retailers. I just like them....) 

I think I've shared enough wonderfulness for today.  I'm linking up with these parties today. Please take a few minutes to visit them and follow the links to be inspired by quilters across the globe. 

Oh Scrap! 

Design Wall Monday

To Do Tuesday 

I caught the sun hitting these trees as we left to work out.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Finally -- Pictures Were Taken!

I finally got pictures of the quilt I finished in October.  I used Kelly Young's book Stash Statement for the pattern. I tried to sew the panels in the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I'm so happy with it! Thank you Kelly for such an inspiring book. 

I used Random Clams quilting design by Jessica Schick. 

Thread - Superior 504, a light grey.

Finished size is 54 x 65". 

The solid grey is Kona. 

The backing fabric is a wideback from Connecting Threads, called Sprinkles.  (I keep my eyes peeled for sales on wide backs at CT.) 

I have to admit that all of these colorful bits and pieces used in this quilt did not make a dent in my scraps.  Hum, I wonder if I should make another quilt from the book?  Maybe, maybe not.  Time will tell.  Heaven knows I have a lot of unfinished tops and a slew of unquilted tops.

We had to go to Meadows Farms in Spotsylvania today so I grabbed the quilt in case I could find some photo ops.  Most of the plants have been moved out, replaced with a lot of Christmas trees. It looked like a good setting but you can't really tell the trees are firs.  I was hoping they might have some daffodil bulbs still but nope.  I keep talking about planting some bulbs in the planting area I can see from my sewing machine.  Evidently not this year.  I am not a gardener but I do like cut flowers and seeing flowers from the walkout basement where my studio is. 

I'm linking up with the following parties. I hope you have some time this weekend to do a little Internet surfing. 

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? 

Finished or Not Friday

Beauties Pageant 

SOS Scrappy 

I'm done for tonight. Tomorrow I hope to finish quilting a top and get the binding on.  I just might be able to get another smaller top quilted and bound before the end of the month. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings -- November 21, 2022

Did you have a great week last week?  I felt like I made some very good progress.  Today I'll share my goals for last week and this coming week along with my fabric use statistics for October. (I didn't realize I hadn't figured them or share them until I was talking with my daughter today.)

It was a pretty good week for making forward progress on my projects. I love seeing all those check marks.  I didn't get everything on each item done but I definitely made progress. I'm particularly happy with the ornament progress.  I was almost done with one 1. Now 2 are done, one has had good progress, and the last one is ready to be cut out. Not a bad week for sure. 

11/14/22

✅Finish trimming Melodic Mystery HST and work on November clue - made progress on both but have more to finish on both clues. 

✅Make Nov BOM from Quilting Life, and blocks for FCQ Equilters — done! You can see the FCQ Equilter block here. 

✅Work on grands’ ornaments — 2 of 4 are completely done

✅Halloween quilt as time permits — center section done; started sewing  border together.

✅Rehearsal and ✅concert for Heritage Singers -- one concert done, 2 more for Spotsylvanians to go.

This week with Thanksgiving Day will mean I have less quilting time.  But that's ok.  I'll focus on the Christmas ornaments and getting a top finished  and the rest will be done as time permits. Here's the list. 

11/21/22

Border r,w,b quilt

Quilt and bind r,w,b quilt 

Keep working on next ornament

Enjoy Thanksgiving 

Finish trimming clue 4 and sewing and trimming the rest of Clue 5

Work on Halloween quilt as time permits

The only picture I took was of the November block from A Quilting Life Block of the Month 2022. I was tickled that I could use a lot of my precut 2.5" squares.  I'm looking forward to the last block although I probably won't put it together until next year some time. I'm pretty sure I'll do it next year if Sherri plans to do it again. 

Here's my stats for October. Whoop, Whoop! It was a very good month. I only bought one fat quarter and won several at retreat. On the other hand I used a lot of fabric (for me.) Hopefully I'll get at least one quilt done in November. 

2022	Fabric In Month	Fabric In Year	Fabric Out  Month	Fabric Out Year	Total In or Out Year
Oct	1.25	92.25	10.5	114.25	22

I've been helping a friend get rid of her quilting supplies as she isn't able to quilt anymore.  I am keeping some of her notions but I'm also going to make some available to members of my guild.  After seeing all of her supplies I realize I have way too much also but I'm not ready to go wild moving things out.  I will be looking at my stuff to see what I could move out so someone else can use those notions.  Below was a real surprise to me.  Not that I had the snaps (I have enough for years since I don't use them often) but the cost of the them from years ago. 

See that price tag? It says 59¢. If I remember correctly Longs was a drug store but I don't remember if it was in Virginia or California. I must have something like 5 to 10 cards like this (mostly full.)  Do you have old sewing notions hanging around?  I even have a darning egg.  I like having it but I doubt I'll ever use it. How about you? Do you use any of your "antique" supplies?  I still use a pair of black scissors that I was told was used by medics in World War II. I can't think of any others but I'm sure I do have other treasures from either my mother or my grandmother -- they both sewed. 

I'm linking up with my normal Linky parties.  I hope you have some time this week to surf the web and see what people are making.  

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday 

To Do Tuesday 

Midweek Makers 

Wednesday Wait Loss  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Finished or Not Friday - NOT It Is!

My hope was I'd have another quilt to share with you this week.  Well that fell apart as we've been way too busy to get some photos.  Soon I'll have another quilt to show... all I need is photos. 

So, this is going to be a super short post as I only have 1 project to share. The following leaf blocks are going to Pat a member of the FCQ Equilters. She asked for Turning Leaves.  Here are my Leaf Blocks.  Hopefully, the fabrics aren't too wild. Each of us has a two month period where we pick a block and colors. Then the other members make the blocks and send them to the leader.  With 9 members it takes a year and a half to go through all the members.  It has been fun to try a bunch of different blocks. And to make a dent in my fat quarter collection. (Yep, I generally use fat quarters to make what ever blocks are requested.) 

 

These blocks are 12" when finished.  Here's the link to Turning Leaves quilt with the block directions.  The quilt shown at the website has sashing between the blocks that I think looks much better than putting them right next to each other.  

Hopefully, I'll get pictures of the finished quilt one of these days.  I'm linking up with 

Needle and Thread Thursday

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? 

  Finished or Not Friday

Beauties Pageant

I have the second to the last block Block of the Month 2022 from Sherri McConnell at A Quilting Life almost done.  Instead of finishing I needed to get ready for the concert this afternoon. This year the neighborhood group decided to have a concert before the normal Christmas season. Now that it's over, hopefully I will have a bit more sewing time.  

I hope you have a fun weekend and get lots of projects moved forward. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 11 - 14 - 2022

How can it be Monday again?  It was a busy week with some stitching getting done but not as much as I would have liked.  Friday we sang in a Veteran's Day program put on by our community.  Following the program lunch was provided.  

Afterwards, Pat and I made a beeline straight to the door as we needed to get down to our beach house to do some work/evaluation of the place.  But remember reading about Nicole?  Her remnants greeted us all the way down to the Outer Banks.  Some rain was light and much was extremely heavy. (Thankfully no hail though.). However, we did get tornado warnings that buzzed loudly through both of our cell phones.  Thirty miles later I figured out we were exactly where the warning as we were getting names of small towns, we just didn't realize we were going through the first small town.  YIKES.  Luckily we never saw a tornado and I figured out it was going north east and we were going south east.  Do you know how hard it is to see possible tornado clouds when the road is lined with tall trees?  Obviously we weren't specifically in the path.  As we got closer to the Outer Banks we saw -

It was a huge double rainbow.  We could actually see to the opposite side of it too.  I snapped this through the front windshield so it isn't as good as it looked in person. By the time we got to our house the rain had gone.  

One of the things we did was hit up the Rusty Crow where we had purchased the ornament kits for the grands.  I asked a few questions about the finishing and, um, er, did a little shopping. The two Moda Grunge fabrics called my name.  Unfortunately the one on the left is a beautiful celery green not the color shown in the picture. 

All of the above is to explain why I didn't finish my goals list last week. So here's what I did get done. But I definitely made forward progress. 

11/7/22

Make Nov BOM from Quilting Life - nope! 

✅Finish quilting customer quilt - finished and returned 

✅Remove papers from string blocks - started but lots still to do

✅Work on Halloween blocks - forward progress made

✅Trim melodic Mystery HSTs - some done but a lot more to do

And, here's this week's list.  I need to start focusing more on the grands' ornaments. Christmas is only 5 weeks away.  I'm trying to decide if I want to finish a top to give to granddaughter #3 for Christmas.  I'll decide soon. 

11/14/22

Finish trimming Melodic Mystery HST and work on November clue 

Make Nov BOM from Quilting Life, and blocks for FCQ Equilter

Work on grands’ ornaments

Halloween quilt as time permits 

Rehearsal and concert for Heritage Singers

Yep concert season is starting a bit early this year.  Mid December we have another concert with the bigger county group. Luckily we don't have an additional rehearsal for it. 

Here's where I left the Halloween blocks last week. My friend Beth and I figured out how I could use most of the blocks.  I may want to make it larger as it is right at 36" square when finished.  Time will tell.  It is the November APQ UFO.  Who knows whether I'll actually get it done or not. 

I'll end with this visitor who was hanging around when I came down to the studio today. 

Yea, eeew.  He's not leaving so I'll have to remove him probably tomorrow. I'm off to stitching group today. 

I'm linking up with the following parties: 

    Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday

To Do Tuesday 

MidWeek Makers

Wednesday Wait Loss

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Small Finish

I’m trying something new tonight — writing and publishing this post from my iPad. Generally I use my laptop but thought I give this a try.   This quilt was quilted and bound in October.  I finally took the pictures this week. It’s even a different location then I’ve tried before. 

This quilt is about 36” x 42”. The squares are 6”.

The quilting design is Ginger Flower by Apricot Moon. I used a white Superior So Fine thread.  

The backing is from Connecting Threads.  I’ve been really pleased with the backings I’ve bought from CT recently.  I’ll probably buy more early next year so I can continue to finish my collection of tops.  

That's it from me tonight.  I’m linking up with these parties.

Needle and Thread Thursday

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

Finished or Not Friday

Beauties Pageant

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

PS — I don’t like using the iPad for writing my blogs.  Next post will be from the laptop again.

Monday MeanderingsTo 11 - 7 - 2022 Or To Do Tuesday

I am totally flaking out getting my blog posted on a regular day.  Sigh.  But here it comes late on a Monday morning. Um, it's coming to you Tuesday morning.  It was a great week for sewing. Up first is my goals for this past week.  It was a pretty good week with one squirrel. 

10/31/22

✅Finish Traffic Jam to top stage -- done! 

✅Work on different Halloween blocks -- several made (see below...) 

✅Work on Oct Melodic Melody mystery clue -- HSTs need trimming

Border Oct UFO Challenge tops -- Ugh, didn't get to this again! 

Order backing for Oct. UFO top —found another backing in my stash!

 

Traffic Jam is a great way to use a lot of 2.5" squares.  Here's the link to the pattern at Pat Sloan's web site. If this doesn't work go to Pat's free patterns page and scroll down to find Traffic Jam.  I like that she shows it with various colors of background fabric.  I chose to make it smaller by only making four blocks -- it will probably go to a child when done. 

Here are the extra Halloween blocks.  I have a slew of 6" blocks but they don't really play well together when lined up.  My thought is to make a bright center of 6" blocks and then add the others as a border.  I think it will work. Here are the center blocks I've made. I had fun figuring out easy blocks that would brighten up the center of the quilt. The eyes, the legs and the purple ghost on the bottom right were all part of my bounty from Equilter's group several years ago. The rest are new ones I made. Did I mention I have a LOT of Halloween fabrics?  

The above is as far as I got on Monday.  Fast forward to Tuesday. I was able to go to the stitching group in the community.  We always have some fun conversations and get a bit of stitching done.  Generally, that's where I've been working on the kids' Christmas ornaments the most.  I started quite a while ago but I only have 2 of the 4 mostly done. The third is started but I haven't even traced the 4th one.  They are a lot of fun but I won't be showing them until after Christmas.  Luckily they generally go fairly fast -- except the one I'm working on now that has a ton of beads on it. Better get sewing. Yikes ... Christmas is only 6 and a half weeks away. Are you making Christmas presents this year?  

Now for my plans this week. I'm already a day short so I'm cutting back my plans somewhat.  HA! It looks longer than usual but most are pretty easy and fluid. We'll see what gets done. 

11/7/22

Make Nov BOM from Quilting Life 

Finish quilting customer quilt (Last week's squirrel project)

Remove papers from string blocks 

Work on Halloween blocks 

Trim melodic Mystery HSTs

Work on grands' Christmas ornaments

I don't know how well I'll do with all of these.  I've got lots of things happening taking up my sewing time.  But at least I'll have a list of where I'll spend my time if I have much of it! 

VOTE

We voted a couple of weeks ago. I'll be happy when the political ads are off the airwaves.  

Let's see which Linky parties I'll link up with today. 

Design Wall Monday

To Do Tuesday

MidWeek Makers

Wednesday Wait Loss 

I'll be back to link up to the two Wednesday blogs. 

Remember to vote!

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

To Do Tuesday

Another week has rolled by and surprise, surprise -- I'm doing my goals post on a Tuesday again.  But, oh it's been a good week!  Here was the plan for last week.

10/24/22

✅Finish quilting and bind quilt

✅Finish binding previous quilt

✅Make October BOM from A Quilting Life

✅Work on Halloween quilt

Border Oct UFO Challenge Quilt

Sew borders on Traffic Jam 

Yes, I did get a lot done.  I can't share the top two finishes yet since I haven't taken photos of them. Maybe I'll get organized and get some pictures taken so I can share them -- sometime. On to what I want to accomplish this week.  It's another longer list but I'm optimistic and there isn't too much going on this week. 

10/31/22

Finish Traffic Jam to top stage

Work on different Halloween blocks (UFO Nov Challenge)

Work on Oct Melodic Melody mystery clue 

Border Oct UFO Challenge top

Order backing for Oct. UFO top 

While at the retreat at the beginning of October I finished stitching all the elements of Mr. October down.  I found this picture which was to remind me how to use some of the extra Halloween blocks I had and to make Mr. October a bit bigger lengthwise. Except -- I forgot all about it. You can see Mr. October finished on this post.  

Now I need to add blocks and make a Halloween lap quilt. The Halloween blocks came up as November's APQ's UFO Challenge. I'm going to make some more blocks and then figure out how to lay them out.  There's a good likelihood I actually have a backing for this one.  Time will tell. 

Hopefully this list won't do me in.  I have a lot of time to sew so most of them can be accomplished. (Did I just jinx myself???) 

While looking at my picture roll I found the one below.  It's from the Homestead Dairy I shared about here. Remember me raving about the ice creamy? It's worth another plug!  These lovely cows were on what looked like a barn on the other side of the parking lot. I'm sure it's all part of the Homestead Dairy.  Wouldn't they make a cute quilt? 

Wait, no I do not plan to make one.  But maybe you'd like to?  (Just call me the enabler...) 

It's time to get sewing so I'm linking up with the following Linky parties. 

To Do Tuesday

Midweek Makers 

Wednesday Wait Loss 

I'll stop by Wednesday to add the last two links.  

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie