Monday Meanderings 12 - 2 - 2024

 I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving this year.  We were happy to get together with our family and our daughter-in-law's family. We generally celebrate Christmas together. We'll be repeating the gathering again for Christmas.  Now we're on the slippery slope running up to Christmas.  EEEK -- I have no presents yet. (Or I don't think so!) 

As you might imagine, I didn't succeed with all of my goals this week.  But I'm happy with what I did finish. 

11/25/2024

✔️Make apple pie and a squash casserole for T-day dinner — done and eaten!

✔️Work on last ornament — not finished but definitely started.

Finish top made with stash busting block — a few more rows were sewn but not finished yet. 

✔️Quilt a top on Ruthie

✔️Make a couple of blocks — not too many but a at least 2. 

Mail tree blocks to Washington state — oops. Not yet.

One of the blocks I made was the opposite coloring of the Potato Chip block I made previously. Here they are together.  I'm thinking of using this block for my 2025 Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I wish I had an Accuquilt die for the pieces. Instead I'll be cutting a lot of 2.5" strips into 4.5" bricks.  

I finally loaded and quilted a top on Ruthie this weekend. I wasn't enthused to load the quilt because I didn't want to sew the backing together. Was I surprised when I checked the backing fabric.  I had already sewn it together when I first got it. All I had to do was load it and start Ruthie.  Here's the top after the first 2 rows of quilting.  I used Quick and Easy Swirls from My Creative Stitches.  I really like that quilting design as it truly is quick and easy.  

The quilt design is Picket Star. You can find the directions for it on Sew Preeti Quilts. When I get the binding done I'll post pics of the whole quilt. These blocks were made by my friends in the FCQ EQuilters. 

Here's my goals for this week.  I've cut back on the number of goals.  

12/1/24

Finish top made with stash busting block

Mail tree blocks to Washington state

Bind quilted top

Quilt a customer top

Sing at the Mall 

Speaking of singing -- a small group of the Spotsylvanians sang at the Mistletoe Mart on Saturday.  Gee Wilikers! It was cold.  I doubt it was above 35 degrees until after we got home. (I'm the one in the blue coat. Pat was next to me but not in the picture.) 

Life is getting busier with concert season.  This week we we'll be singing at the local Mall.  Next week will be almost all singing.  Or so it seems. 

I took a break from my 15 minutes of stitching on Thanksgiving.  I thought I'd do 15 minutes of hand stitching but no, it didn't happen. 

 

W/ending 11/30 — 336 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 6/7
• 15 minute days/Nov = 29/30
• 15 minute days/Dec = 1/1
• 15 minute days/2024 = 326/336 days
• Success rate = 97.% 

One of the things I did on Black Friday was buy some new backing fabrics. I tend to wait until JoAnns has their Keepsake cottons on sale. Recently the fabric has been selling at $4.99 for big sales.  I found one of my notes that I paid $4.49 a yard.  But this Black Friday Keepsake was selling for $3.99 a yard. I always want to feel it before I buy so I don't end up with a stiff fabric that no amount of washing will make soft or one with a low thread count. I bought several backing fabrics and a big hunk of white on white.  Here's what I got.

So far, I've washed the black and purple fabrics. I've even sewn the black backing together too. I wonder if I could get it quilted this week?  Unfortunately, I ended up buying more fabric than I actually needed because I didn't figure the amounts correctly.  I'll put it all to use eventually but I'd rather I got the right amount.  This will make a small dent in my finished tops.  I'll be buying more fabrics once I use this batch up. And, it goes on sale again. 

I'll be linking up with Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musing.  Please check them out if you want to see what quilters are doing around the world. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie