Monday Meanderings 4 - 7 - 2025

This week seems to have flown by.  I wasn't as focused on my stitching as usual.  But I did continue my stitching streak. Let's start with my goals...

3/31/25

Start on April UFO — pulled it out but haven’t started. 

✅Cut out a new quilt — finished.

✅Quilt a top — half done.

✅Order more backing fabrics — done should arrive this week.

✅Start another knit hat — half done.

Here's photo evidence of several of my goals!

Nine Patch from Even More Quilts for Baby by Ursula Reines. I'm adding 2 rows to make it rectangular. I have the doggy squares and the two colors for the 9 patches cut out. Inner and outer border will be cut when the inside is done. (Hum, I may have taken this photo before I actually cut the fabrics.) 

This quilt was started on Jan 1, 2023 as Merry Mayhem's New Year's Day Mystery.  I picked a bunch of different floral fat quarters for the bricks. I don't remember exactly when I finished it but I remember I didn't like it all that well. It has sat long enough and is a great quilt to use some of the bolt of purple fabric. I've decided I rather like it now. I thought about using a quick, easy edge to edge pattern to finish it but these cute butterflies grabbed my attention. I'm very happy with how it looks. This is "Diana" edge to edge by My Creative Stitches.  There is a good possibility I'll keep this one. 

The group that I donate hats to has a large amount of supplies you can use to make items for them. My friend was going by the location and I asked her to get me some yarn for more hats.  She found this terrific ombre, self striping yarn. It's been so much fun to see how it stripes.  I'm guessing I'll have some left over so I see at least one more hat with white stripes and this pink ombre.  I forgot that I normally knit these hats flat and then sew up the back seam.  OOPS -- I knit it in the round. Luckily I have some double pointed needles to finish this off. (Did you know your Apple Watch will give you "steps" credit for knitting? Yep, it does.)

Now for this coming week's goals. Hopefully I'll make it through all of them and more... 

4/7/25

Finish quilting and bind quilt 

Baste top for quilting on domestic machine (Apr UFO) 

Finish knitting on hat

Make April Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks in red 

Start on FCQ Equilter blocks for Apr/May

I am still at 100% on 15 Minutes to Stitch. (I actually set a timer for 15 minutes and knitted to make sure I got my 15 minutes done a couple of times!) 

W/ending 4/6/25. 96 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/Mar = 1/1
• 15 minute days/Apr = 6/6
• 15 minute days/2024 = 96/96 days
• Success rate = 100%

And something new for 2025.  I decided to keep my fabric statistics monthly but report on them quarterly.  You might guess that I didn't actually figure out my fabric usage each month... I did pretty well writing down what I bought or acquired each month, but I had to go back to other written records to see which quilts I finished each month and then figure out how much fabric I used.  Was I surprised at the results! 

2025	Fabric In Month	Fabric In Year	Fabric Out  Month	Fabric Out Year	Total In or Out Year
Jan	3.750	3.75	9.875	9.875	6.125
Feb	15.000	18.75	6.50	16.375	-2.375
Mar	0.750	19.50	28.50	44.875	25.376

I'm a thrilled I finished enough quilts to absorb that 15 yard bolt of fabric. I have one more top to quilt with the purple fabric. I'll only have 4 yard-piece left. I might see if I can find some fabrics to go with it and use it to make a top. (Don't hold your breath on that happening any time soon!) 

Between warm weather and a bit of rain the cherry tree I showed last week has lost most of its blooms and is looking green from the new leaves. I enjoy seeing all the different colors of green leaves turn in the spring. I'm not much of a gardener but I have plans to plant some cosmos seeds a friend gave me.  Maybe I can get it done this week.  

I'm linking up with these parties: 

Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings   

On a personal note: I have been horrified with this administration's decision to destroy our government. There is a big difference between chaotically and arbitrarily closing down departments and offices and looking at each department/office and what is done there and whether they have enough people to continue to provide citizens information and support. Having lived in Maryland and now living in Virginia I know fellow citizens may have lost their jobs or are afraid they will be next to go. I personally have 3 family members who work for the federal government. Needless to say I worry on a regular basis for them. Luckily they all appear to be in required jobs, for now.  

There have been a large number of lawsuits filed against this administration. Apparently the administration no longer believes in the rule of law.  I don't want to see my nation turn its back on our allies, our neighbors, our institutions that make America such a wonderful and unique country.  If you feel the same it is time for us to reach out to our Senators and Representatives and let them know it is time to stand up for our country. It's time to speak out against what has been done and what is yet to come. I don't want to live with a king, a dictator -- I want to live in a democracy.

Happy Quilting -- yet I'm not as happy quilting as I used to be. I'm worried. Bonnie

April Mysteries and Sew Alongs (and few March ones too!)

 I forgot to send out March Mysteries and Sew Alongs so I'm starting with March and then going on to April. 

Late but you can still play along with the Riley Blake Sew Along.  16 of Riley Blake’s designers have made blocks which are being released about 3 times a month.  This started on Jan. 14 and will end May 27. You can read more about it here https://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/2025-rbd-block-challenge. From there follow the link for the patterns. 

2025 Marvelous Mystery Quilt is designed by my friend Michele Holt of My Quilting Beehive and sponsored by Colchester Mill Fabrics and Quilting.  The fee is $25 for the 9 month program and patterns.  The first clue will be coming out on March 7 and will continue on the first Friday of each month until Nov. 7.  Our own Sharon Rhoton is Michele’s pattern tester. https://colchestermillfabricsandquilting.com/products/2025-marvelous-mystery-quilt-registration  $

I missed this cute free pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop in time for Valentine’s day but there is always next year! “Little Loves” is available at:  

https://www.fatquartershop.com/little-loves-quilt-pattern-free-pdf-pattern-fqs-exclusive. It’s 22.5” x 30.5”. 

April Mysteries and Sew Alongs 

Fourth and Main Designs is offering a 12 part sampler. Clues will come out every Monday starting May 5th, 2025 through September 1st, 2025. There are skip weeks throughout — refer to the welcome document for when those are and to see the quilt. It is 76” x 88”. https://4thandmaindesigns.com/summer-quilt-along-2025 

Nancy Zeeman Productions is offering a free Block of the Month.. It’s a big quilt at 74” x 86″ Both Feb and Mar blocks have been shared and you need 5 of each of them. This is a free BOM but there is some serious selling going on. From what I can see your basic supplies should work just fine. Use this page to get to all the posts about this BOM: https://nancyzieman.com/blog/category/2025-block-of-the-month/

Sew With Me is a beginner friendly sampler quilt. Although it started at the beginning of the year, there is only one block to make each month. Blocks are released on the 2nd Thursday of the month.  Here’s the link to the launch page. (In other words you can go back each month and all the previous links and the newest one will be available.) There is also a cross stitch sampler available at the same site. Check it out here: https://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2025/01/2025-sew-with-me-series-introduction-details.html

Here’s a choose-your-own-size quilt along at Sew Becca’s Quilt Along. There is a You Tube video that goes with each block which will be available the 2nd Saturday each month. Go to this page for the basic information about the quilt along. https://sewbecca.com/pieces-of-becca/announcing-2025-quiltalong . Each instruction sheet has a cutting chart for a 3”, 6”, 9”, and 12” blocks.  Here’s the link to the March pattern with a link to the pdf for the current pattern and links to the previous patterns: https://sewbecca.com/pieces-of-becca/2025qal-block3. What a great way to get so many sizes of basic blocks.