Sunday, October 4, 2026

Monday Meanderings 10 - 5 - 2026

Rain! Rain! And More Rain.  We've had several days of it and I'm getting tired of it.  I've walked the dog 2 nights with heavy mist.  I come back in wet and so does Sunny.  It looks like the rain is ending tonight.  Temperatures are going to be in the 70s during the days and mostly in the 50s at night. But, wait -- some nights it's going to be in the 40s.  I prefer the cooler weather.  I'm done with the ridiculous heat for this year.  I hope Mother Nature agrees with me! 

On the other hand, the rain gave me I a good reason to play in the studio.  I was basically done with my Goals list by Thursday evening.  Friday morning we sang in a neighborhood chorus and that afternoon I goofed off.  See below about my daily sewing times. And, just below for what I did this week. 

9/28/26

✅Finish Honey Bouquet top — Top done ! 

✅Bind small blue quilt — Done! 

✅Quilt another small top — Done but not bound

✅Layout top and ✅sew 2025 RSC blocks — Done!

✅Finish cutting kit for retreat — Done! 

✅Anything that strikes my fancy — Borders on Halloween stitchery.


I didn't take more pictures of the finished Honey Bouquet top.  Here's the link to last week's picture of it. I added a horizontal row to the top of the quilt.  Easy peasy and I had cut too many rectangles anyway.  I'll share it again after I quilt it. 


No pics of the bound quilt. I'm happy to have it done and was able to load another blue top that was quilted using the rest of the dark blue backing fabric. This was at the beginning. It's a Benny quilt using a lot of my 2" unf squares. (Although those little 2" squares pile back up really fast!) 



Unfortunately I'm having a few issues with Ruthie, the long arm. I think one of the connecting wires is slipping or not maintaining the connection.  Hubby took a look at it and tried something that should hold the connection through an entire quilt.  But, I haven't done another quilt yet.  


Sewing the RSC 2025 blocks together was on my UFO Challenge this fall.  I was able to get them laid out and sewn together. Now to consider borders. 



Here's the beginning of cutting out my 49 Charm quilt pattern. Thanks go to Nancy who blogs at Grace and Peace Quilting for the idea.  She makes 99 Charm quilts that finish 41 x 50".  My 49 Charm quilt will be 36" square, approximately. It is based on what is wanted at the NICU at the local hospital. I had some 5" squares from a charm pack that had baby girl squares.  I added some more fabric and came up with 49 charms.  It will be made at retreat next week. 



And, what was my "anything that strikes my fancy"?  I decided to add the borders to the owl stitchery I showed a while ago. I am thinking about how to finish it. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of batting and backing, quilting in the ditch and maybe some extra bats flying in the stitchery to hold everything together.  



Now, here's my plan for this week.  


10/5/26

Cut out boy 49 Charm quilt

Work on Christmas ornaments

Stitch on Snowman # 2

Bind second blue quilt

Sing at the Cabaret with the Spotsylvanians

Prep supplies for retreat


I've been doing so well on my 15 minutes of stitching every day.  Except Friday, after singing and buying lunch, we came home and ate it in our sun room. It was warm and cozy and we all fell asleep for at least an hour. I finally woke up and realized I had to make Apple Squares to take to the pot luck we were attending that night. So baking happened, reading happened, socializing happened.  But no stitching! Oops. I've missed 2 days out of 277 this year. 


Week ending 10/4/26: 277 days of 2026.

 275 stitching days out of 277 days 99.3%


I am looking forward to next week's retreat.  I plan to get a lot of sewing done, some shopping, and one lunch out. I usually take Sharon out in honor of her birthday.  This year it lands on Friday so we'll go earlier in the week. I'll try to take more pictures of the finishes this year. I tend to forget. 


Please check out the following links to read what people across the Internet are making: Stitching Time, Oh Scrap, Quilting Patchwork Applique, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings.


Are you looking for a sew along or a mystery quilt this fall?  Take a look at my last post which lists both sew alongs and mystery quilts that have recently started or starting soon.  


As we move closer to Election Day I hope you have been reminding your friends, family, and neighbors to vote.  Remember, America is a free country where your vote can make a big difference in all of our futures.  


Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 


Saturday, October 3, 2026

October 2026 Mysteries and Sew Alongs

Join the Alison Glass Community Quilt Along: Color Study. This is a sampler-style quilt that explores color and value. Blocks will be released every week beginning October 2. Find out more and sign up at https://alisonglass.com/pages/community-quilt-alongsrsltid=AU7gw4WCuiC8cDNLKrC7HEfzQ7L_M1ngWUFWq2xV2SA0RAj3fYiO7ng5

Garden Song Sew Along started 9/28. Pattern downloads will be bi-weekly. You have 2 weeks to pick them up free. These are applique blocks that you can choose the applique you enjoy doing: hand, machine, with wool.  Quilt will be 60” x 70”. https://quiltery.com/garden-song-info/

Suzy’s Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom has a plethora of sew alongs/mysteries going on now.  First up is A Little Bird Told Me that started August 7. You still have a few days to pick up the free pattern. Suzy has 2 ways to get her sew along/mystery patterns: Remember to pick up the new free pattern once a month. Or for a modest fee become a Little Bird Prime Member. You won’t miss a single pattern as you will get a monthly email reminder and have your own page with all of the blocks released to date. And, there is also a table runner pattern. Also check out Bedtime Critters, Bearadise and Pennsylvania Dutch Heritage sew alongs or mysteries. Check out all of these at https://suzyssitcom.com/ $ or free if each month is picked up in time. 

How about an eerie quilt? Visit The Forgotten Rooms quilt along which started Aug 10 and runs until Oct 31. Check out the house at https://www.ajourneysewreal.com/forgottenroomsqal . $42. 


America Patchwork & Quilting started Harvest Sampler Quilt Along on August 1. You can purchase the current magazine locally, purchase a PDF download or buy a digital issue of the magazine. Find more info at All People Quilt, https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/harvest-sampler-quilt-along-fall-2026-12012847#toc-material-requirements .