Monday Meanderings 9 - 30 - 2024

It's been a week.... we've had more rain this week than we've had in months.  The humidity is awful. The good news is we had two nights at our son's house instead of the one that we thought we were having. It was fun to hang around the kids. Soccer practice was canceled which made our job easier.  Sunny met Chewey.  Here they were checking out what Pat had. Was there a treat involved? 

You can see that Sunny is doing a great job of growing her hair back. We'd never really heard her bark until we crated both dogs in order to get the kids one afternoon.  They both were barking their heads off and howling as we left.  By the time we were back they were calm.  I should have recorded them. 

I didn't get as many of my goals accomplished this week. But there were extenuating circumstances. More on that later. 

9/23/24

✅Keep stitching on the ornaments — one is done except for bow/ribbon around the penguin’s neck. 

✅Evaluate purple floral top does it need 2nd border — sticking w/ 1 border and a slightly darker binding. 

Finish the panel top with border — didn’t even look at it. 

✅Pull out Halloween top to see what to do to finish — plan figured out, ready to proceed. 

✅Quilt one or two of my quilts — finished quilting a baby quilt and sewed the binding on the front.

Here's the Halloween quilt.  I started it last year because I had a bunch of Halloween blocks.  I think some were from the FCQ Equilters. But some were from a small block swap when I was on Prodigy in the '90s.  It was time to put them all to use last year. But then I couldn't make up my mind so I let it sit until this year. I have that one piece of black on black fabric -- maybe 17" by WOF, shown behind the right side of the quilt.  I'm pretty sure I can add a 1.5" border (fin.) and still have enough to use the same black as the binding. And, the backing will be a Halloween print fabric I've had for a while. Sometimes the planets are aligned just right! In the end this will be around 40" square. (Ok, almost square.) We have a quilt hanger over the fire place in the great room and this will fit nicely on it. You can see my progress here, here, here, and here. 

Here are my plans for this week. 

9/30/24

Finish the border on Halloween top

Make 2nd ornament

Quilt one of my tops — maybe the Halloween one

Layout more blue blocks from FCQ Equilters and make top

Finish hand sewing binding on baby quilt

Who knows whether I'll succeed with all of those goals. But I will be trying. 

One thing I was able to do because we left the kid's house before breakfast on Thursday was attend a craft club meeting at our clubhouse.  I don't get to many of them but I was interested in the jewelry making this time and we got home 10 minutes before the start time! I gathered some scrapbooking paper and headed out.  Here's the Halloween set I made for me! The earrings are missing the wires but I got them on before I left. 

I think the ghosts are really cute.  But the olive?  Just doesn't make it.  It really isn't an olive but it looks like it to me.  That one has two different glitter papers. I don't know if I'll ever wear it.  These were really easy to do.  We used 1" and 1/2" circle punches. You glued the papers on to the silver (colored) backings.  There was some fitting them into the backing but not all that hard. Then we glued the glass bezel on top. The earrings had the wires added. Easy peasy.  I may have to look into this to do with a couple of granddaughters.  Below are all the pieces the group made. 

I think the gal who did the other ghosts (after seeing mine!) did a better job placing the punch than I did.  I have a lot of seasonal jewelry from when I worked at the elementary school.  I try to remember to wear them but often forget! Maybe this year I'll succeed with my ghost collection.

I've been considering getting a new sewing machine for a while.  I really didn't think I would ever get a new one as I figured my Bernina did everything I thought I needed.  The only drawback is it randomly breaks a thread after sewing.  I've had it in to several certified repairmen but it's never been solved.  Sharon loves her new machine and let me try it out. Hum... it was pretty nifty.  Bernina was having a trade in event so I figured this was the best time to swap out machines.  I've been setting it up and trying to figure out all of its high tech functions.  Today I used it to sew binding on after I quilted a little baby quilt. It worked really well.  I need to get more familiar with sliding the fabric in at the 1/4" mark and foot.  But that will come with use.  I think I'm going to love it.  But there is a learning curve.  Guide classes start in November. 

Here my stats on time spent sewing this week. Not bad.  

W/ending 9/29  — 273 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 28/29
• 15 minute days/2024 = 263/273 days
• Success rate = 96.3%

Make sure you check out these links parties. Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings.  I've been neglecting reading other people's blogs because of all that has been going on. Hopefully this week I'll see what everyone is up to.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings - 9 - 23 - 2024

I had a great week visiting in North Carolina.  As usual I brought way more projects to work on than there was time.  I was very happy to finish two projects and move another project ahead.  Here's the skinny on my goals for last week. 

9/16/24

✅Keep stitching on the ornaments — a little done. Need to focus a little more as there are 4 to make. 

✅Drive to Sharon’s for a quilting get together — great time! 

√Put double border on purple floral top — one border on, need to evaluate 2nd. 

✅Put facing on Sea Side Village — done, better picture to come.

✅Cut out and make happy blocks, lay out and sew the top — finished top. Need backing. 

√Finish the panel top — good start, need to evaluate border and size of top. 

This little quilt is actually done but I forgot to take a picture.  I chose to face it rather than bind it as I didn't want the binding to take away from the picture.  I'll try to get a new picture this coming week to share next Monday. I sure hope it isn't crooked like it looks in the picture. 

This top took me way more time to finish than it should have. I was sewing the blocks together when I realized one of the blocks had slits through the frame.  I never noticed that while laying out the top but ugh. I had to use some of Sharon's fabric to finish it. (Not that she minded -- she has a lot of fabric also!)  It's hanging in the "to-be-quilted" closet.  I have several tops before I'll get to this one.  I've told myself to quit making so many happy block quilts.  Except I have two more groupings of blocks in different sizes. I'll have to add more blocks. Sigh. 

The panel top got to this stage late afternoon of the last day.  I have a brown border planned for it but I didn't want to work on it when I was tired. (That's when I start making mistakes -- when I'm really tired.) Pat thought it would make a good quilt to hang in our entry way.  I'm donating this one to the guild to send it off where it is needed.  But somewhere I have another panel so I could make another one. If I can find it.  The starburst top and bottom is from a Villa Rosa card called October Sky and was published in 2021.  I had to add to the panel to bring it to the size of the starburst. Hopefully it will be a finished top this week. 

On January 1, 2023 I participated in a Merry Mayhem mystery quilt.  I finished the main part a long time ago.  While looking through my closet I saw this hanging with the necessary fabrics  and decided it was time to finish it.

 

I got the light purple border on Sunday afternoon.  I have been tired from driving and not sleeping as well as I usually do at Sharons. So most of the day I unpacked, did a little shopping for dog things and then sat around most of the afternoon. The first border was finished before dinner.  And, now I'm trying to decide if I need the second border.  It would be repeating the dark purple squares.  If I don't add another border, the dark purple will be the binding.  I forget the size it is now -- maybe 55 x 66". Or that might be before the first border.  The pattern says to add a 4.5" border on all sides.  That seems huge to me for lap quilt.  Do you have an opinion? I'm inclined to say no border.  And it definitely won't be 4.5".  Maybe a smaller one.  

Here are my goals for this week.  We have a couple of days of watching grands as both parents have to be out of town for work.  It doesn't happen all that often so we don't mind doing it. We'll see if I can get through all of these goals -- mostly after we are home. 

9/23/24

Keep stitching on the ornaments 

Evaluate purple floral top, does it need 2nd border

Finish the panel with border 

Pull out Halloween top to see what to do to finish

Quilt one or two of my quilts

I was able to stitch every day this past week. Yesterday after I got home (5 hour drive!) I made a point of knitting for 15 minutes except I was at it for over 45! I was happy to start another of the little winter hats I make to donate. 

15 Minutes of Stitching:

W/ending 9/22  — 266 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 21/22
• 15 minute days/2024 = 256/266 days
• Success rate = 96.2%

Just before I left I ordered one of Connecting Threads Stash and Save specials.  It was called Chambray Tonals Landscape Fall Quarter Sampler of 24 fat quarters.  The price with shipping and tax came to $43.94 which is less than $1.83 per fat quarter or & 7.32 a yard. It came while I was gone. Oooooh! Aahhh! Today I washed the lights.  I'll get to the darks one of these days. These are going to be great blenders.

Lights.

Darks.

I like that they give a card showing all the colors and their names if I ever want to buy yardage.  I'm looking forward to using some of these soon. I've got to make some acorns to go with the maple leaves I made a while ago. They will be in a lottery at retreat.  Maybe some of these fabrics will work. 

Tonight I was watching a tv show and putting online puzzles together instead writing my blog.  So, I'm ending here.  Please take some time to look at some of the bloggers who link up with Stitching Stuff at Life in Pieces, Oh Scrap at Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework, Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, and Monday Musing at Songbird Designs.  

When I went to post on Stitching Stuff she headlined her blog as Week 38 of 2024. Time is flying by!  I hope you have a great week planned. Before we know it December will be pushing into January 2025. Yikes! 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 9 - 16 - 2024

Wow!  We've forgotten how much work a dog can be.  Especially a needy dog like Sunny.  She needs to be fed 4 times a day. Every 3 days she needs a bath. We're still trying to figure out her cues for potty breaks. And, someone is walking her a couple of times a day.  Add in the trip to the vet and a trip north to watch Teddy's soccer game and introduce Sunny to the kids and grands -- she's keeping us busy. 

Soph and Sunny hanging out during the game. Sunny's working hard at growing her  hair and fur. Yep, Westies have two coats -- the bottom coat is fur and the top coat is stiffer hair. 

Here's what I tried to get accomplished this past week. And, yes, I did check a few things off but I didn't do all I thought I could get done. Sigh.

9/9/24

✅Finish one more of Joan’s blocks and mail them — finished; but not mailed.

✅Quilt customer top — done and returned.

Finish Sea Side Village — all threads tied, ready to put a facing on it. 

✅Make happy blocks and plan layout — picked all fabs for the blocks and began the layout. 

✅Cut another quilt kit— finished.  

✅Keep stitching on the ornaments — worked on one at Monday stitching.

Here's a bit of the customer's quilt I long armed this week. She chose Ginger Heart and a light blue thread.  I think I took this picture with just the first row done. She was quite happy with it. 

And here are the Happy Blocks I've been working on. I decided to make a bigger quilt and make it neutral so it can be given to a boy or a girl. 

I've been picking fabrics for additional blocks to set it 5 x 6 or 48" x 60" approximately. The blocks finish at 8". I'll get the new blocks all cut out before I leave for North Carolina Tuesday.  After making a lot of these quilts I'm finally learning that some colors look really dark and don't enhance the quilts.  I'm trying to pick lighter fabrics but not ones that look too light. (The elephant one seems too light while the top left island one seems too dark. I don't think I'm changing any of those already made!) For these I used a 4.5" center square and 2.5" strips to make 2 strips 4.5" and 2 strips 8.5". It is a really easy pattern. I'm ready to find a new super easy pattern one of these days! 

On Tuesday I'm off for a several days of quilting at Sharon's house. Here's what I hope to get done. And, yes, I'm pretty sure I have at least one or two more projects to bring but these are the ones I want to finish while I'm gone.  It's better to have too many projects than not enough. 

9/16/24

Keep stitching on the ornaments

Drive to Sharon’s for a quilting get together

Put double border on purple/floral top

Put facing on Sea Side Village 

Cut out and make happy blocks, lay out, and sew the top 

Finish the panel top

Remember that trip to watch the soccer game mentioned above?  We left the house at 9 and didn't get home until after 2. But we were exhausted (as was Sunny.) I don't think I did anything in the studio or any hand stitching that day.  So, I have another day where no sewing took place. I did finish a book or two this week. Here are my numbers. Considering my success rate is in the mid 90s percent-wise, I'm pretty happy with the results.  

W/ending 9/15  — 259 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 6/7 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 14/15
• 15 minute days/2024 = 249/259 days
• Success rate = 96.1%

Have you been keeping up with Material Girlfriends' website? They have been offering a free 3 yard quilt pattern every month. This month's is called Bravo. I'm enamored with it and may have to find fabric to make it this month.  I've been making a point of buying more 1 yard fabric pieces so I can use some of these cool patterns.  If you like the idea of 3 yard quilts check out their offerings.  

I mentioned finishing a book this week. I actually finished 5 with a couple being audio books that I listen to while stitching.  Being an avid reader I pay attention when folks recommend a book or I think I might like a book from the blurb that shows up in the catalog once my library gets it.  This week I read Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles who also wrote The Paris Library. It was excellent.  

Here's what Amazon says about it: 1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France (CARDS). Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians.  Then she disappears."

The story moves between what is happening in WWI France and 1987 New York  where a NYPL librarian and budding writer first reads about the organization and decides to find out more about Jessie. Her story is how she uncovers more information about the CARDS and writes a book about them. 

It was a riveting book based on many of the real women who were involved with CARDS.  My only problem with it is I've read too many world war historical novels recently.  I was really ready for something light and fluffy. I've promised myself I won't read anything but light and fluffy for the next few books. We'll see how that goes! 

I'll be linking with these parties: Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

 

Monday Meanderings 9 - 9 - 2024

It's been a week.  You'll see by my goals I didn't get much done.  Either that or I went off goal a bit.  I thought I had a lot of quilting time this week but both Saturday and Sunday had only limited stitching going on.  Let's look at what I wanted to get done! 

9/2/24

✅Keep working on grands’ ornaments — a little more done.

✅Finish seaside top  — worked on but not finished yet.

Border old purple top — didn’t start.

Make blocks, if needed & lay out happy quilt — took out the blocks but nothing more! 

Quilt another top if I have time — Nope, didn’t happen but got the backing ironed.

I did get the first row of 2.5" squares around the panel but notice I didn't put it on my goals list. What was I thinking?  It took longer than I thought to sew on the strips of squares.  

I did get the last stitches into the Seaside top. I have a lot of threads to tie off on it.   But my motivation has been low tying off the thread.  I'll spend some time this evening finishing those threads.  And then I need to figure out how to face it rather than bind it. 

Here's what I think I'll work on this week. Time will tell if I succeed!

9/9/24

Finish one more of Joan’s blocks and mail them

Quilt customer top

Finish Sea Side Village 

Make happy blocks and plan layout

Cut another quilt kit 

Keep stitching on the ornaments

I'm hoping I can get all that done. Time will tell. 

I skipped my stitching group Monday while I made a dish to take to our street-wide  Labor Day party.  I did spend some time reading and finished a book or two.

By the time Saturday came by I hadn't done as much as I thought I would. We spent most of Saturday at a session on leadership and looking to the future of the Spotsylvanians Community Chorus. It was interesting but no sewing was involved! 

And Sunday wasn't any better sewing-wise. (After I finish this I'll need to stitch for 15 minutes still!) But it's been a terrific day.  We have been looking to adopt a rescue West Highland Terrier.  And, we were approved to get one this past week.  Miss Sunny came into our lives this morning.  She's needs a lot of tender loving care until she looks like a Westy.  She has a problem with her skin which made her lose her hair. It's a pretty common thing with Westies and is definitely treatable. 

Here's what she looks like now. 

Here's what she looked like before the issues. 

We've got some challenges ahead.  For the next week she needs to be bathed every day with special shampoo and then we need to massage in a mousse. You can't tell from her current picture but a bit of her fur is making a comeback on her back and the top of her head. She's also very underweight. But she is a real cuddle bug.  I'll keep sharing photos of her so you can see how she is progressing.  She's two years old.  She's not had a lot of experience with grass so that is a bit of a challenge to get her on the grass for her business. We took her for a walk to the end of the street and back and she's totally wiped out next to me on the couch. I'll put her to bed when I'm finished with this and my stitching time. 

Here's my stitching info for this week. I made the assumption I will get 15 minutes done.  

W/ending 9/8 — 252 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 9/9
• 15 minute days/2024 = 243/252 days
• Success rate = 96.4% 

I'll be linking with: Life in Pieces, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings.  Hope you can do a bit of surfing this week. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings

Happy September.  We had a roaring thunderstorm Friday night. From what we could find out we got 3+" of rain which we definitely needed.  The lightening was almost nonstop.  The thunder for a while was breaking over the house or so it seemed.  I think the power went out three times.  I haven't talked to anyone to see if they had any damage.  In previous bad storms neighbors have lost several electronics from the lightening strikes.  I always unplug my sewing machines -- at least two of them stay unplugged unless I'm using them. My last one is my Bernina that I use every day, or just about. I unplug it when I know a storm may be coming. 

With all that wild weather you would think I wouldn't get much done on my goals. But I have been dedicated and made progress on everything. Here's how I did. 

8/26/24

✅Quilt pink & turquoise Picket Fence top — I quilted and bound my Benny Quilt. 

✅Finish sewing snowballs together — sewn together, measured and stashed in my top closet. 

✅Get sides of panel cut and sewn on — first border is on. 

✅Keep working on grands’ ornaments — head done on the first animal, body started.  

✅Cut out another quilt kit — done! 

I didn't take as many photos as I usually do so not many pictures to show my progress.  But I did take a picture of my finished Benny quilt.  You can find the directions to make one at Michelle's Romantic Tangle blog.  See her directions here.

This is an old post (2013) but I really liked the idea of using up some of my 2.5" squares. I made mine one row bigger than Michelle shows. 

I used a light aqua solid in the centers. I used So Fine thread #518. It's called barely green. (I thought it was a light aqua.) It worked well. 

The quilting design is called Busy Bees by My Creative Stitching. Here's a close up.  There is a flower on the left with the bee on the right. 

Busy Bees by My Creative Stitches

I made a little bit of progress on the panel.  I'll be adding to it over the next few weeks.  I'm not motivated to finish it in a hurry. 

Next up I plan to put one or two rows of 2.5" squares around it. We'll see how far I get on this one over this week. 

On to what I'll be doing this week. 

9/2/24

Keep working on grands’ ornaments 

Finish seaside top 

Fill out panel sides with 2.5” squares

Border old purple top

Make blocks, if needed & lay out happy quilt blocks

Quilt another top if I have time

I did have another great week of stitching every day. 

W/ending 9/1 — 245 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/Aug = 31/31 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 1/1
• 15 minute days/2024 = 236/245 days
• Success rate = 96.3% 

I did make another foray to JoAnns to buy more fabrics. I got backings for two more tops.  I tend to only shop for backings when JoAnns has the Keepsake fabric on sale at $4.99. I also was able to buy some Kona fabric at $2.99/yard. Yep, you read that right.  I bought the end of two different turquoise Kona cottons - Ice Frappe and Aruba. One had nearly 3 yards on it and the other had 1.5 yards.  I'm not sure what I'll be using them for but I wasn't turning that price down.   As you might guess I watch the ads carefully. I've got several tops with backing ready to quilt. 

I'm linking up with these parties: Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday and Monday Musings. 

That's it for me this week.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie