Monday Meanderings 2 - 27 - 2023

Good morning - afternoon, evening or night depending where and when you read this! I'm in shock that we've only got one day of February left.  I've gotten some things done but not as much on the quilting front as I thought I would. But on the other hand the new "eyes" really are well worth the time taken from quilting.

I'm seeing distance really well without any glasses.  I sometimes can read without readers but not most of the time.  And I've done a ton of reading over the last 10 days or so. But now I'm ready to focus back on quilting especially finishing a few quilts. Ruthie is being fixed today (fingers crossed!) Tomorrow I hope to get at least one smaller top quilted and bound.  I haven't got many finishes this month year! 

Let's start with last week's goals.  Not a bad week overall. 

2/20/2023

✅Pick an easy quilt using my stash and Go dies — It's cut out and 3 blocks sewn together.

✅Begin sewing Melodic Mystery together — two rows are done two more are in the works.

Work on hand embroidery🤞🏼if I can see it well enough  — didn’t try it. 

✅Left eye gets a new lens! — done although it really looks beaten up! Sight is working pretty well. 

And here's this week's goals...

2/27/23

Finish baby quilt to top stage

Sew Melodic Mystery together 

Quilt something on Ruthie

Finish the pink blocks for Rainbow Scrap Challenge

Anything else that strikes my fancy 

I'm not putting a lot on my goals list this week.  I've been a bit distanced from quilting the last two weeks so it'll take me a while to figure out what I need/want to do. 

I'm linking up to the following Linky parties. Take some time to surf the web using these links as a starting place. 

Oh Scrap!

Design Wall Monday 

Monday Musings 

To Do Tuesday 

I'm calling it done today.  I'm looking to a Quilty day most of tomorrow. But now I think I'll straighten up a bit in the studio. (Ha! I could spend days doing that but a little bit works for me!) 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings -- 2 - 20 - 2023

I feel like a one-eyed cat!  Thursday last I had the cataracts removed from my right eye and a new lens implanted.  It went really well, including me getting a small inspiration for a new wall hanging. I love how well I can see things in the distance. But now I have no close up vision in that eye.  I've bought a pair of readers that helps a lot however, I still can only use one eye to read. (I can also read by bringing the Kindle or iPhone up to my nose and reading with my left eye and shutting my right eye.) I go in Wed. to have my left eye done.  I had originally planned to go in the following week because I really wanted to go to the Mid Atlantic Quilt Show.  I realized it would be really irritating to spend 2 weeks with mismatched eyes. So no quilt show for me this year but I will have far superior vision. 

Even with the surgery I was able to get most of what I wanted to get done in the studio -- some before and some after the surgery. Let's look at how I did on my goals. 

2/13/2023

✅Make last 3 blocks of UFO challenge quilt — finished the blocks and the top! 

✅Make a walker bag — One done and ready to give to the guild.

✅Finish making binding for Spider Web Quilt  — Binding made but quilt not ready for it.

✅Right eye gets a new lens!  Probably won’t get any more sewing done until next week — surgery done! I was back to a bit of sewing on Saturday and Sunday. 

Not bad!  Here's the pic of the UFO challenge piece for February. I'm always "planning" to get tops done and every once in a while I surprise myself and get more done. Darn, didn't happen this time.  

This was made using the Lazy Angle ruler.  Most of these pieces were cut out years ago. I started sewing them together during the October retreat.  I only had 3 more to cut and sew before sewing the top together. I am sure I'll need to put a bright border on this one but I haven't decided what I'll use for it.

Here's this week's goals.  Again, there aren't that many of them because of surgery and a get together of friends in DC on Saturday.  

2/20/2023

Pick an easy quilt using my stash & AccuQuilt Go dies — cut it out

Begin sewing Melodic Mystery together

Work on hand embroidery🤞🏼if I can see it well enough 

Left eye gets a new lens! 

I am typing this with my left eye closed and the readers on.  If there are mistakes -- I'm blaming the eye for them! 

Sunday I spent some time reviewing some boxes of fabric and quilt blocks I've been storing for a friend.  She needs to decide what she wants me to do with them and then I'll donate some of the fabric to my guild's charity group and use some to finish some blocks into quilts.  

As I was going through a lot of fabric and blocks, this one really struck me.  It is a hand sewn flower garden block.  This isn't English Paper Piecing this is just sewn together.  Check the next picture of the back. 

On the left side there's a needle and thread with several stitches ready to be pulled through.  I doubt the quilter realized she would never get back to this project.  

Which brings me to a question for you.  Do you have plans for your stash and projects if something happens to you?  I have a plan although my daughter might not be thrilled with it.  She can take what she wants and then pass on the rest to the charity committee at my local guild. I used to say my friend Sharon and my daughter could go through the mess studio and take what they want and spread what is left to charity groups.  But Sharon doesn't live all that close anymore.  But she is still welcome to check it out.  

That's it for me today. The eyes are feeling strained (or is it the head?) I'm linking up with the following parties. 

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday

To Do Tuesday6 

I hope you can take some time to surf the web to see what quilters are working on these days. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 2 - 13 - 2023

Changes are coming . . . but first how did I do on my goals last week?  Not as well as I wanted to but not terrible either. 

2/6/23

Make 2 walker bags — nope, didn’t happen

✅Make Spider Web backing - done

✅Quilt Spider Web Quilt — not sure I like it, but I did it. **

Prep binding for Spider Web Quilt — started but not ready yet

✅Work on Feb UFO Challenge blocks

Prep binding for Moose quilt — didn’t do it

** I'm pretty sure I'm going to rip out the quilting as it doesn't look all that good. I tried a spiral with a curvy stitch -- ugh looked awful.  I only did a couple of rounds before I realized it looked terrible. That got ripped out.  

Second time I tried organic lines.  I did the whole quilt but in the end it wasn't enough quilting and it looked terrible so glad I didn't make the quilting denser.  I'm putting the quilt in time out for a few weeks.  I'll be having a lot of fun ripping stitches out for a while.  Any suggestions on what I should quilt on the Spider Web quilt?  

As an aside -- Ruthie the long arm is still not quite right.  For some reason she is stitching larger stitches when she is working from right to left or vice versa. Stitches going up and down are close to normal.  Still waiting to hear what must be done to fix this.  Sigh. 

Here's what's happening this week. 

2/13/2023

Make last 3 blocks of UFO challenge quilt 

Make a walker bag

Finish making binding for Spider Web Quilt 

Right eye gets a new lens on Thursday!  I probably won’t get any more sewing done until next week  

Since I really didn't get anything done to share I've pulled out the pictures from the last quilt I finished in 2022.  I received a bunch of Roman Stripes blocks using Asian fabrics from Faithful Circle Quilters in our monthly lottery.  Thank goodness one member put the date on her block so I know it was the September, 2009 lottery block.  I had it on my APQ UFO Challenge list last year.  It came up in September.  I finished the top and finally quilted it the last week of 2022. 

I had to make several additional blocks.  Sharon shared some of her Asian fabrics so I had a better variety. I used Saffron Blossom quilting design by Apricot Moon.  Recently I've been buying wide backs from Connecting Threads when they go on sale.  One of my favorites is Cobblestone. I used a soft lavender lavender Cobblestone for this quilt. And a darker Fossil Fern purple for the binding. (Talk about using older fabrics....) 

And a closeup view of the front...

All my sewing needs to be done by Wednesday evening this week. On Thursday I'm going in for cataract surgery.  Everyone tells me I'll be very happy with my vision afterwards.  Two weeks later I'll have the other eye done.  My big worry is what the colors will look like in the quilts I've done since my eyes started going bad.  They may be a little wilder than I think they are!

Hopefully I'll be able to blog next Monday using one eye for reading. I'm getting a fancier lens that will give me good distance and mid range vision but not up close.  Right now I tend to take my glasses off for reading.  It will take a while to have to put glasses on for reading.  Have you had cataract surgery? How easy was it to adjust to the changes?  

I'm linking up with my regular Linky parties. Take time to visit some of the blogs through these links.  

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings 

To Do Tuesday

It's a busy week for me so we'll see what I can get done.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Mysteries and Quilt Alongs -- February

Good Grief!  How can it already be February 8th?  I completely forgot to write a post on mysteries and quilt alongs from February.   Here's what I found at the end of January.

Check out Coriander Quilts latest mystery quilt Sunny Patches.  I really like the setting she has shown here. A new announcement was made February 8 listing the start date as March 18, 2023.  It will run until October. 

The Fat Quarter Shop is sponsoring Stronger Together Quilt Pattern and Stitch Pattern to support the United Negro College Fund. They have provided free patterns and ask for a $15 donation to their campaign for UNCF.  

Carole, who blogs at From My Carolina Home, is sharing a new mystery quilt called Scrap Dance Quadrille. You can find fabric and cutting directions at that link. Clues will be posted  on the second Friday of each month, beginning on  February 10 and going for 6 months.

Join Edyta Sitar in her Season in Blue quilt along.  You will make various blocks from the book "Season in Blue" to make a sampler quilt.  $ for book 

Bess of Side Lake Stitch is offering a Quilt Along for her pattern Pine Tree Quilt.  It begins on February 8 and will run for 6 weeks.  $ for pattern.  

This last quilt along is over but the free pattern is still available.  Wendy Shepherd, who blogs at Ivory Springs, designed the pattern and used it for a weekend quilt along.  Find the link to the pattern here.  I was thinking of making it in a bit larger size so I could use my Accuquilt Go half square triangle die. 

AccuQuilt and "American Patchwork and Quilting" are cosponsoring a quilt along in February. It features Accuquilt Cubes but rotary cutting instructions are included.  Here's a link to the cutting instructions.   It is recommended that you join AQS Quilting Project Parade Group on Facebook to keep up with all the info about this quilt along. Cutting and sewing begin on February 15. AQS and AccuQuilt will be presenting a quilt along every other month. 

If you know of mystery quilts or sew alongs that are coming up in the next few months please share them with me.  I know I miss a lot of them because I also want to spend time quilting! (Who knew surfing the internet took so much time!) 

I'm linking with these Linky parties.

Midweek Makers 

Wednesday Wait Loss 

Needle and Thread Thursday 

Because I haven't shared any photographs this week I thought I'd include this little one I took of the "newspaper" fabric I plan to use as the backing of my Spider Web quilt.  I'll share more of it when I get the quilt done. (This doesn't sound as funny as the rest but I found it humorous because it is announcing the fabric that it was printed on.) 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 2 - 6 - 2023

What a week we've had.  During the days I spent a lot of time reading and working on various quilting projects.  I'm so happy with what I got done.  Three nights in a row we were out socializing.  Let me just say we don't go out all that much but three events lined up one after another.  Ok, we can be social animals but boy we were tired each night! 

Here's the skinny on last week's goal list.  It's mostly good. 

1/30/23

✅Finish the hearts top — done and hanging in the great room.

✅Finish sewing Spider web together,  find or buy backing — together, backing figured out.

✅Dance around the studio because Ruthie’s being fixed on Thursday! — Not too much dancing done but she’s ready to go except one cord that needed to be replaced. It should come in the mail soon. 

Quilt spider web — not yet - see above. 😏

✅Keep working on Traffic Jam border — definite progress made but still working on it as a leader/ender.

✅Finish Moose quilt to top stage -- It's done and ready to be measured, tagged and stashed in the to-be-quilted closet. 

Here's the finished top photo. I'm so happy it is done even if I don't have any fabric for the backing. This all came from my head. I did do a search of panel quilts before I started but in the end I really just had to proceed with trial and error. I've run out of the blue used to highlight the moose pictures, the dark brown used as the border and in the center, and the light blue inner border. I'm hoping one of the darker browns I pulled but didn't use will work for the binding once I find backing fabric. (I plan on checking that tomorrow and then hang that fabric in closet with the quilt.) 

Truth told, I finished this a 5:45pm on Sunday evening! 

Here's what is on the list for this coming week. 

2/6/23

Make 2 walker bags

Make Spider Web backing 

Quilt Spider Web Quilt

Prep binding for Spider Web Quilt

Work on Feb UFO Challenge blocks

Prep binding for Moose quilt 

You might be able to tell that I am relying on getting the part I need for the long arm so that I can finish up the Spider Web quilt.  

In the meantime, I have a ton (20+ yards) of decorator fabric (and who knows where I got it from but I can guarantee that I did not buy it!).  I think it works pretty well for walker bags as it is a little heavier than regular cotton.  Hum, thinking about heavier fabric I may also have some lighter upholstery fabric that might work. I will be working on walker bags for years before I use up all I have! 

This is short as I don't have much to add.  I do know I'm being really strong and not starting any new projects. Actually nothing new has been started since 2023 began. Hopefully this month's UFO challenge won't take much time to do.  Time will tell! 

I'm linking up with the following Linky parties.  I hope you can spend a few minutes visiting some of the links at these parties. 

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday 

Sew and Tell

Monday Musing 

To Do Tuesday 

That's it for tonight - yep, I generally write this Sunday evenings.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie