Monday Meandering -- June 10, 2024

It was lovely to have a quieter week for the first week in June.  I did a lot of reading, a little knitting, some piecing and quilting. Not that I got everything done on my goals list though. But that's okay. 

6/2/24

✅Make some placemats ✔️✔️(2 - 3) — 2 done maybe more over the next week or two.

✅Quilt and bind one of my quilts — Quilting done, binding coming up.

✅Start sewing Picket Star blocks together — blocks are together, need to sew a top and bottom row to make it a vertical quilt, not square.

✅Put some more fabric away — More away but then I pulled out a different grouping for something else that needs working on. Sigh.

Cut scraps into squares, rectangles and bricks —Very little got cut but some did and got put away! 

Here's Picket Star.  The blocks were made by the FCQ Equilters a couple of years ago when it was my turn to decide on the blocks and receive them from the members.  (The block was designed by Preeti who blogs at Sew Preeti Quilts. Here's the link to the directions.) These blocks are much brighter and lighter in real life. 

The two rows at the top will actually be attached one on top and one on bottom. I think I'll only made one of these 9 blocks but I couldn't find any leftover fabric. (That's a positive, it means I've used those two fabrics up. Or, maybe they are put somewhere I didn't look! Sigh.)  I'm also thinking of adding a white border between the squares and the Picket Star blocks.  I will be donating this quilt and it makes more sense to me that the quilt is rectangular rather than square.  

Next up is my top that I quilted today. It is a Fabric Cafe 3 Yard Quilt. It's called Stepping Up. It is available as either a printed pattern or a download. Also, Fabric Cafe has been offering free pattern downloads for a while.  Here's the link to the free patterns that are currently available. When I checked it out while writing this post they had 2 patterns, Pretty Please and Zig Zag Quilt, available as free downloads. Needless to say I grabbed a copy of Pretty Please but I already have Zig Zag quilt directions.  I try to visit every month although they don't necessarily change the free quilts every month. 

Here's a close up while Ruthie, the long arm, was working on quilting it. I chose a  beige So Fine thread and a quilting design by My Creative Stitches called Rhapsody Edge to Edge Leaf. (I also have the puppy paws version.) 

I was playing it close on the bobbin thread. Needless to say I was very happy that I got the last row quilted without running out of thread. 

Here's what I hope to get done this week.

6/10/24

Bind my 3 yd quilt

Make 1 or 2 more placemats 

Sew the top and bottom section of Picket Star to the top

Pin baste seaside picture and start quilting 

My design wall is so covered in projects that I couldn't get a picture of the placemats I made this week. I have almost two weeks before the next guild meeting so I am going to try to make a couple more placemats.  The ones I've been making recently are just a pretty print cotton that I quilt and bind.  Easy peasy and I move fabric I probably won't use out of the stash. 

Here's what I'm calling the seaside picture.  It's been on my design wall for YEARS. I'm guessing around 6 to 7.  It needs very intensive quilting because all the little pieces that make the scene are only glued on. (Yes, one or two have fallen off...eek!) Any way, a piece of netting is over it and now every little piece needs to be quilted in place.  You might understand why I've been putting this thing off.  My friend Sharon did hers a long while ago and said she changed thread color a lot.

 

I don't imagine I'll spend hours and hours this week but I will get it started.  The blue fabric hanging on the right side is the backing fabric. I think I'll start with the sky and the sea.  I'll figure out an order for some of the other colors.  

Evidently I haven't been sharing many finished quilts recently. (Like for months!) I'm hoping to get a post up some time later in the week to share a few finishes. I may go back to my first 2024 goals list to see which quits I've finished this year. 

Seven days of stitching took place this week! Whoot! Whoot!.  Here's my numbers for the 15 minutes to stitch effort. 

W/ending 6/9 — 161 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/June = 9/9 days
• 15 minute days/2024 = 154/161 days
• Success rate =95.6%

Don't forget to do a little internet surfing this week.  You can start by visiting these Linky parties.  (Do you find this surfing is a black hole and you just get pulled in? Me too but I do try to visit some of the blogs listed.) 

I hope you can spend some time checking out these quilting blogs by using these Linky parties: Life In Pieces 15 Minutes to Stitch, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings. 

It's amazing but it's not way past bedtime as I finish writing this.  I'll proof read it, post it, and then link up to the available Linky parties.  I'll be back tomorrow to finish up.  

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie