Monday Meandering 12 - 5 - 2022

Wait, December?  OMG it's only a few weeks to, gasp! 2023!  That means it's time to drop my gazing at new quilt ideas and focus on what I want to finish this year. And, as typical in this household, we have rehearsals and a concert and additional singing opportunities bombarding us up until Dec. 18th.  With that said, I'm jumping right to last week's Goals list. 

11/28/22

✅Bind Economy quilt  — done.

✅Finish Clue 5 of Melodic Mystery — done and also December’s Clue 6.

✅Keep working on ornaments — I’m down to just 1.5 ornaments to finish.

✅Work on Halloween Quilt if time permits — Whoop! Whoop! The blocks are put together but…. 

✅Pull out Dec. APQ UFO Challenge piece  — It’s on the design wall and ready for me to proceed. 

Let me admit right now I am totally surprised how much I got done this past week. I had a couple of days where I was booked for other activities and did no sewing at all.  So, yeah me! for what I got done. 

Here's a few photos of what was worked on. 

November clue for Melodic Mystery -- 72 flying geese blocks. 

I actually got the Halloween quilt put together.  I'm not sure I'm done with this because I'd like to make it longer.  Still mulling over that idea but plan to let it rest for the rest of this year. Any ideas on what to add to the top and bottom to make it longer?  I'm thinking something in black. Share any ideas you might have. And, I really don't have much of the grey inner border left. I'm thinking of using it for a binding. 

There's a long history with some of these blocks.  In the '80s and early 90s I was active on Prodigy, one of the first commercial ventures offering Internet connections including graphics. I belonged to a quilting chat group where I participated in several swaps.  Most of the small blocks in the outside border were blocks I got in the swap. The eyes, legs, and the single ghost also came from that swap.  Why I liked the idea of small blocks is unknown to me now. The blocks were 4" finished blocks that I added a border to bring to the 6" finished size of the other blocks. I don't know the exact year of this swap but it was probably the first year or two of the 1990s.  They have really aged quite well. I'm quite happy that all of these blocks were able to work together to make this top.  But, should I make it bigger?  I can't see this as a baby quilt.  Can you? 

Last up is to look at the December UFO from the APQ UFO Challenge.  It is a smaller (less blocks) version of a Bonnie Hunter design, Talking Turkey.  (You can find the pattern in her book String Fling.) After reviewing the pattern I've decided I'm going to "try" to make the border as she shows it.  We'll see if it will actually work. (I'm hoping I have some dies I can use for the flying geese --- or just make the 4 at a time version that uses my Deb Tucker Wing Clipper. 

Thank goodness this is a scrappy quilt so I can use whatever scraps I currently have to finish it up. 

Let's get on to the goal list for this week.  Again, several days I'm already committed to other activities.  The only thing I really need to do is continue working on the grand's ornaments.  I can't wait to show you them around Christmas time. 

12/5/22

Keep Working on Ornaments

Quilt Natalie’s quilt

Make border for Dec APQ UFO Challenge piece. 

Make some single blocks

Prep wide backs for 3 quilts 

At Thanksgiving my daughter brought 2 quilts down for me to quilt, one for each of her daughters.  I'm really hoping I can get both done by Dec. 18th when we'll see them again.  I guess I'll be postponing quilting my quilts until after these are done. I sure hope I can use at least 1 of those wide backs this month! Prepping them is just washing and ironing if needed. 

I'm at the end of this post with the exception to the parties I'll be linking with. 

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday 

To Do Tuesday

Usually I try to write and post this blog Sunday night. Didn't happen... so rather than get any later, I'm ending this here.  

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie