Monday Meanderings 2 - 24 - 2024

 

Here's last week's snowy walk -- Sunny and Pat.  It was such a fine snow that even after all day there wasn't much.  For the most part it was easy to sweep away.  On the other hand it was really cold for most of the week.  But this week there's a warm up coming.  I'm hoping it actually does warm up -- it might be in the 60s this week.  Hope springs eternal! 

Now on to the goals from last week.  Not my best week but I did make progress on several projects. And, one off list project. 

2/17/25

Make blocks for FCQ EQuilter of the month — Not started. 

✅Quilt rwb top — Done! 

✅Bind flannel quilt — Finished! 

✅Sew border on ’22 McConnell mystery top — still need the top and bottom borders

Quilt another top? — Nothing done. 

Unfortunately I didn't take a lot of pictures this week.  But here is the '22 BOM mystery quilt by Sherri McConnell. I worked on this at the end of the weekend and ran out of time to add the top and bottom borders.  

After a lot of thinking on what to use as a border and how big it would be I decided to use the same fabric and size as the sashing.  I'll get the top and bottom borders on this week and then it will be stashed in the to-be-quilted closet. 

Moving right along - here's this week's goals list. I decided to trim it back since I haven't been able to get all of the goals done recently. 

2/24/25

Finish knitting current sock and start its partner

Bind the R,W,B quilt

Go to Mid Atlantic Quilt Show

Make blocks for FCQ EQuilter of the month 

Here's what else I worked on this week even though they weren't on my goals list. 

First I finished the last 2 potato chip blocks and sewed them together. Except, I didn't think to get a picture of it. It's in the same closet! 

I'm still knitting hats with left over yarns to give to charities. The blue-green was just a little ball of leftover yarn.  When the hat was done I had a ball about the size of a walnut.  My friend made the cute pompom on top. She started with the leftover blue-green and added the white.  We thought it was funny the way the blue green was only on the bottom of the pompom.  Someone will enjoy the hat especially when it is so cold outside. 

My next off list activity was cleaning off the shelf on my long arm.  While Ruthie was stitching away on the R,W,B quilt I spent time cleaning up this mess. 

I folded and put away fabrics. I cut up some scraps and put them with same sizes -- things like 2", 2.5" squares and 2.5" strips -- you get the idea. Then there were a bunch of orphan blocks.  Surprisingly, those got stashed in the box called -- Orphan Blocks! Some papers were tossed and a few were added to a bulletin board.  When all was done it looked like this: 

Now, if I could just be as diligent with the front of the cutting table.  I keep trying but I haven't made a long lasting dent.  Maybe during the next big quilt Ruthie works on I can get the front end of the cutting table cleared off.  Don't hold your breath! 

I've maintained my 15 minutes to stitch all week. Here's the details:

W/ending 2/24/25. 55 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/Feb = 23/23
• 15 minute days/2024 = 55/55 days
• Success rate = 100%

I'm linking up with the following parties. Please take a look at them to find links to bloggers across the world. 

15 Minutes to Stitch

Oh Scrap!

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musing 

I'm looking forward to going to the Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival.  Hopefully I can take some pictures to share. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 1 - 27 - 2025

Did you know we are 6.85% through with 2025? That doesn't sound like a lot of time but we are almost done with January. February is creeping up on us.  I'm hoping to get a quilt bound before the month is over. 

I had a terrific week finishing my goals this week.  Look at all those check marks!

1/20/25

✅Bind grape quilt — Done!

✅Finish 3.5 rail blocks to top — Main section done, need to buy more border fabric. 

✅Make a couple of potato chip blocks — Done!

✅Quilt another top — Done! 

✅Keep cutting up scraps and putting fabric away — Some done but more to do. 

✅Start new mystery quilt with Sharon, choose and prep fabric for it — Fabric picked and first block finished. 

Here's the top I got quilted this past week.  I was happy to move it from top to quilt. I only need to bind by Friday to have a second finish this month. 

I used So Fine white (401) on this quilt.  And, yes, sadly the greens don't really match.  They are both bright and happy colors though. The design is Quick and Easy Edge to Edge Swirls by My Creative Stitches. The backing fabric will be used for the binding too. 

You know sometimes you win the bobbin challenge and sometimes you lose. I really loss when finishing this quilt. This is the computer read out. Yep, I ran out of bobbin with only 2% left to finish.  The good news is I had another bobbin with a small amount on it that I could quickly load up and finish the top. And, no, I didn't finish the bobbin. But I did finish my first spool of thread (actually a big cone) for 2025.

Sharon and I try to do a mystery quilt or quilt along together every year. We FaceTime and talk while we follow the directions for the month. We decided to do Cali-Co by Coriander Quilts. (It's not too late to start this year-long block of the month.) Read through all the info to find Block 1, Fabric Requirements, Calendar, and the You Tube information.  

I decided I was going to use my stash. I had a nice hunk of turquoise fabric with dabs of pink, yellow, and green. I also had a very bright green, pink, yellow and blue fabric.  I started pulling small bits of fabrics that went with the bright green, pink, yellow and blue.  Then it became apparent to me that the bright fabric was way too bright and there wasn't enough to use as the border. So it served the purpose of finding fabric to use but got sent back to the shelf.  Here's my original fabric pull:

When I started cutting up fabric for block 1 I decided I probably had enough precut half square triangles to make the blocks I needed. Ditto for the 2.5" blocks I needed. And ditto again for most of the white. I did grab a 1.75 yard piece of white on white that I'll continue to use for the borders and some of the HSTs.  Here's my block 1 all finished. 

I am tickled with the finished block.  I chose colors that wouldn't be so dark as to look black. (Um, except that one bottom left square.) My only issue is my seams must have been slightly bigger than 1/4". The block turned out to be 12.25 rather that 12.5".  Hopefully it won't make a difference and the rest of the blocks will come out the right size. 

Since, I didn't take photos of my other projects let's move on to this week's goals. 

1/27/25

Make more potato chip blocks

Bind black, green, and white quilt

Make a placemat from orphan block

Make backing for flannel quilt 

Spend 15 minutes/day cleaning up studio

Start a knit headband 

I wrote another list of things I wanted to do on Friday because I pretty much finished with my list. Several of the items went on my goal list for this week. One of the off list items I did was alter the bottom of a fairly old sweatshirt. I chose my Zermat sweatshirt to remove the bottom ribbing and put on a woven cotton binding. 

This looks weird because it is a dark grey shirt with a lighter grey binding. (And the photo was taken early evening in only artificial light.) See below for a close up of the binding. I did make bias binding so it does have a little stretch. 

Many years ago I made a sweatshirt with a machine appliquéd pig flying and words that said When Pigs Fly or something like that. (You can see it here.) I wear it a lot and the bound bottom edge is so much easier to take on and off and more comfortable to wear. Thus my new attack on my old sweatshirt. I'll let you know how it works.  If I like it I have another one I want to do. It's been so cold this winter that I like having either a sweater or sweatshirt on -- but I hate dragging things over my head for some reason. 

I've maintained my 100% of stitching this week. Here are the details. 

W/ending 1/26/25. 26 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/Jan = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/2024 = 26/26 days
• Success rate = 100%

I'm linking up with my regular parties. Come take a look. I'll try to link up the other two when they are available. 

Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday 

Monday Musings

That's it for me now.  I'm hoping to get some reading done before I head to sleep. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meandering 7 - 18 - 2022

Oops!  I thought I had finished all of my goals last week.  But when I really read what I had written I hadn't. Not that I didn't get a lot done.  Just not all of what I wrote. I did quilt and bind a patriotic quilt that Marlyn, Beth and I made together last year. Here are the goals from last week. 

7/11/22

✅Finish July UFO to top stage -- done.

Quilt and bind July UFO -- didn't even look at it! 

✅Cut out Picnic Time wall hanging and start machine appliquéing pieces all pieces were cut out but no stitching was done. 

Make ✅June BOM from A Quilting Life, ✅Rainbow Scrap Challenge & ✅R, W, B blocks -- finished some of each of them.

✅Work on Christmas ornaments for grands -- progress was made.

 Here are the blocks I made... First up all the blocks from Sherri McConnell's, of A Quilting Life, block of the month. This month's block was the second row, middle block.  Looking at the blocks as a picture makes me realize I might need to lighten up some of my fabric choices for the upcoming blocks.  I've enjoyed making these and haven't had any problems keeping up. 

Next, my purple Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks. 

Yes the darker part of the middle block is a really dark purple -- doesn't it look like black instead? 

And my final block is a log cabin (with strips cut using the Accuquilt Log Cabin block on board.) I decided I would use a waving flag print as one side of the block because there would be enough difference in the fabric to be interesting. It's a 12.5" block.

I have enough strips cut to make at least one more block, possibly two.  Since I won't be turning these patriotic blocks in until Wed evening I hope to make some more of them.  

This week I'll be working on the following projects.  

7/18/22

Keep working on Picnic Time

Quilt and bind July UFO 

Look at Halloween blocks and make some more 

Make more red, white and blue blocks 

I have an eye appointment and a couple of evening meetings this week.  Hopefully I'll make progress on all of these goals. 

Please take some time to visit the following Linky parties.  You know you want to see what everyone is working on!  I've finished this blog fairly early this week.  So, I'll have to come back to link up with the rest of the parties.  

Oh Scrap

Monday Making 

Design Wall Monday 

To Do Tuesday 

That's it for today.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 5 - 25 - 2020

Have you woken up recently and not known what day of the week it was?  Yea, me too.  It is the oddest feeling to have no clue what day it is.  Although I did figure out what  day it was,  I'm guessing this will continue to happen for a while.  

I dgot quite a bit of reading done this week.  I put ebooks on reserve and it never fails that lots of them come in at the same time.  I finally had to postpone some of them.  I'm currently listening to Becoming Mrs. Lewis, by Patti Callahan.  It's the story of Joy Davidman who becomes C.S. Lewis's wife. It's been interesting and very different then my normal read. I need to spend some more time with it because it's due in 3 days and I'm only a third of the way through.  You know what I'll be doing while I quilt over the next few days!

Pat made us a new bird feeder recently.  It's been very popular because bigger birds attempt to eat from it.  I was pretty surprised to see about 5 starlings trying to get on it the other day.   (Click on the picture to get a larger view.) We get beautiful yellow finches on a regular basis, along with mourning doves, blue birds and even a curious hawk every once in a while. But these starlings were just being piggy. And, great news, we had our first hummingbird of the year on Saturday. 

Surprisingly earlier today a bird got caught inside the house feeder.  The right-side roof raises so we can clean it out and refill it.  Some crazy bird got in there, we suspect through the tray, as we always keep the roof down.  Pat opened the roof for the bird but he had to tip the bird out to get him to fly off.  

I did get quite a bit of quilting and piecing done this week.  
Here's what was on my goal list last week. 

1) Finish binding the table runner. √ (pictures to come) 

2) Make 5 blocks from last year's BOM for Country Piecemakers. How about 3? 

3) Quilt charity quilt for a friend.√

4) Cut out a bunch of little rail fence pieces to do as leader enders.√

These are 3 1/2" square blocks.  I loved the rainbow version that Nann made.  You can see her's here. 

I also have been working on another UFO called Braid Shuffle by Karie Patch Designs. (Scroll down to see the pattern.)  You can see a couple more braids from February 2017 here. All the blocks with the white on the sides were left over from 2017 RSC.  I decided I would make some more blue ones and try to make a small baby quilt.  I've been hitting the blue scrap bag but it isn't going down at all!  I may have to do a pink one at some point since I have some of them left too. 

I felt pretty good about getting my goals moved forward this week.  I also made a couple more masks. But the biggest surprise is I actually redid my batting pieces inventory.  I wrote about it here a week ago when I was the guest blogger on Confessions of a Fabric Addict. I've had it on my to do list for months... or so it seems to me.  I finally took one morning and actually took all the pieces out of my big plastic bin, measured any pieces that weren't marked and then entered them on my Excel spreadsheet.  It was so great to be able to find a couple of pieces on the spreadsheet without having to plow through every piece.  I made sure I moved them to the "used" section too.  

Next up are my goals for this week. 

1. Pick a top of mine to quilt and get it done. 
2. Make some more BOM from Country Piecemakers.
3. Make a bunch more braid and split rail blocks. 
4. Clean up front end of cutting table 

   I'm linking up with my regular linky parties:   

   Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday, and Design Wall Monday.  Have fun checking the various blogs out. 

I'll leave you with a beautiful dogwood I found in the neighborhood.  We've got a different type of dogwood in our yard but I do love these pink ones.


Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Design Wall Monday -- 2 - 3 - 2014

Did you hit a Super Bowl fabric sale?  I did.  And it was great fun and great bargains.  I had to be talked into going but with a week before the sale I was all excited.  And, I had some plans -- I wasn't going shopping without a list. 

First I needed to figure out some quilts or UFOs to focus on.  Well part of that was easy.  I had already decided that I would do an An Art to Heart Christmas Favorites quilt as my own block of the month.  I decided to look for a border fabric for it, some beard fabric, and maybe a stripe.  

Next up I picked a UFO. I won a set of 12" blocks of red and pink hearts on black backgrounds last year.  A while ago I had decided to use a book called Circle of Nines to figure out a setting.  Hum, I couldn't find the book at either Martingale's or C&T. Here's what I did find -- Quilting a Circle of Nine.  It is based on the same layout concept, but not the book I have.  Late Saturday night I was playing with the blocks and came up with two possible fabrics to use.  Here is fabric one.  It is "newspaper" bits with funny quilting events.  Ok, that might work. 

And layout number two. This is a darker picture when you realize how bad the fabric above looks.  The grey is a sueded look and it is leftover from Easy Street (which I haven't finished....) Does one appeal to you more than the other?  I just now thought I might like to see it with a red and white fabric I have in the stash.  Hum.  I really like the layout, I just need to figure out the fabric.  On to the list went fabric for a border or maybe a backing. 

Then I pulled out the 8 blocks I have finished of the A Tisket, A Tasket from Bunny Hill's bom in 2009.  (Nobody can accuse me of rushing through things!) I had gotten 6 pinks from Pink Castle in their monthly Short Stack mailing last year.  I plowed through all my pinks and came up with one that I think is perfect. The picture is fuzzy but the fabric I chose was perfect.  Then I decided I need either a small inner border or a final border in green or maybe a blue.  So that idea went on my shopping list.  By now it was way past my bedtime and was time to quit coming up with stuff to shop for!

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon where I joined Kay and Jane for lunch and then on to shopping.  We hit Rose's Quilt Patch in Crewe, Virginia close to opening time. Once I got the lay of the quilt shop I was grabbing bolts and fat quarters. I found a great green for A Tisket, A Tasket. A possible border for the hearts, a border for the Christmas quilt along with beard fabric. Then I threw in a white on white stars fabric. I don't know about you but I can always use white on white. There was a line to have your fabric cut and a line to pay but we had a great time. And, perhaps the best thing is I stuck to my list.  Of course, I will need to finish a quilt in February to keep my fabric used bigger than my fabric bought! 

Here's the goals from last week which are mostly checked off. Good week. 

Week of January 27, 2014

Finish borders on Split 9 Patch -- one is on, one is cut and pinned

Quilt brown and blue quilt√

Make and put binding on stain glass quilt√ done

Write a shopping list for Sunday’s quilt shopping expedition and go shopping! √

Embroider shirts for Sophie and Natalie nope Dumb.  Some how this was duplicated last week. 

Finish√ & mail Valentine T Shirts for Natalie & Sophie

Get hair cut√

And this week's plans: 

Week of February 3, 2014

Finish & mail hearts for Quiltville Hearts group

Make block for CP bom lottery

Make first Christmas Favorites bom

Work on A Tisket, A Tasket

Mail Valentine T Shirts for Natalie & Sophie

Make & mail FCQ Equilters blocks

Finish borders on Split 9 Patch

Make backing for Split 9 Patch

And, I leave you with a photo that came into my email box this weekend. 

Ellie wearing her Valentine shirt that I embroidered.

Make sure you visit Patchwork Times to see what folks are showing on their design walls today.  

Happy Quilting All!