Boo!

Happy Halloween 

It's been a bit spooky around our house for the last month.  

At the front . . . .

In the house . . . .

Hum, someone must have been relaxing in the sun room with the Halloween tree and pumpkin. 

It  wasn't only at our house. . . . check out Mr. Motorcyle . . . waiting at the library!  

You might be wondering why I've shared so many Halloween items.  (No, these pics weren't all the decoration we have.) But I have a new quilt that will take the place of The Witch Is In next year.  

This quilt has been a long time in the making.  Most of the picture blocks were from a swap of 4" blocks when I was on Prodigy. What's Prodigy you ask?  It was one of the first on line services geared for home use of the Internet. It was active from 1984 to 2001. At one time it was the largest and was user friendly with a graphical user interface. There was an active quilters group on it. All of the pieced blocks with surrounding borders were from the swap.  I'm guessing this swap took place in the early 1990s. (Yep, they are definitely old.) Last year I finished the top by making some additional blocks. I may have gotten some of the extra blocks with the black squares from the E Quilter group I'm in... but I don't remember. I know I don't recognize all of the fabric which makes me think I asked for some of them. I bordered the 4" blocks to match the 6" blocks. I didn't want to quilt all over the blocks so I used my trusty Bernina to stitch in the ditch.  Since this will be a wall quilt I'm sure the in the ditch stitching will be enough. It finished at 39' x 39".  

Here's a close up of a couple. I had to highlight the witch's legs. Whoever made that one pieced the stripes!!! Amazing. Love those crazy eyeballs too. 

Surprisingly I had several Halloween fabrics that could have been used for the backing.  But I really think this one is cute. It's sad it's on the back but I'm always happy to use up older pieces of fabric. It is Mind Your Mummy by Kim Chritopherson of Kimberbell Designs for Maywood Studio. (No I don't normally keep up with who designs the fabric I use. This one had a cute selvedge with all the pertinent information except the date. 

I'm going to share this post on the following Linky Parties. 

Finished or Not Fridays 

Off The Wall Friday 

Beauties Pageant 

Happy Halloween and Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 10 - 7 - 2024

Welcome to October -- we have put up most of our Halloween decorations including 4 or 5 quilts. Yep, I really have that many Halloween specific quilts. The smallest is about 8 x 10"; the largest is about 36 x 52".  One of these days I should take pictures of all our Halloween decorations -- inside and outside. Pat has made some fun wood designs for the outside. 

I did pretty well on my goals this week. Lots of check marks. Yea! Plus I got my Covid and Flu vaccines. Here's what I did on the quilting front.

9/30/24

✅Finish the border on Halloween top — finished but now thinking of quilting! 

√Make 2nd ornament — It is started, should finish w/o 10/7.

✅Quilt one of my tops — maybe the Halloween one — nope, picked the animals snowball quilt and it is done.

✅Layout more blue blocks and make top — 2 laid out, ready to sew at retreat. 

✅Finish hand sewing binding on baby quilt — done, ready to donate somewhere. 

✅A late addition — border the panel quilt — finished. I forgot to add this one to my goals so it was an add on. 

First up the finished Halloween top.  I didn't have enough of my first choice black fabric but I was very happy to find another black on black that I could use for the border and the binding. I plan to quilt this on my domestic machine because I don't want an over all design.  (My long arm was updated last year but I can no longer do ruler work.  For me, that isn't an issue.) 

And, I was quite happy to get the borders on the panel quilt.   Supposedly, I have another cabin panel in my stash.  So far, I haven't found it though. I'll take out my fabric stacks and really go through them carefully one of these days. 

Sharon shared some of her stash as I didn't have the right size leftover pieces for the cream fabric around the half star.  I auditioned several fabrics for the center star part.  Her multicolored piece really made the design stand out.  She was happy to have some of her stash used especially since I really only looked at leftover fabrics. (I miss cut one of the squares and I had to sew two pieces together to get the last square of the cream fabric. Sigh.) 

I laid out two sets of dark and light blue blocks I received from the FCQ Equilters.  I've got them pinned together along with a picture of each layout so that I can sew them together at retreat. Hum, I may move the dark blocks so the two darkest are on the same row. If I don't remember I don't think the baby would mind! 

Here are my goals for this week.  I probably have more than enough kits made up for retreat a week from now. But, it's always nice to have more than needed.   Hopefully it will be a light week in my studio. 

10/7/24

Bind the Animal Snowball blocks 

Quilt customer’s quilt

Make kit with leftover baby buggy fabric

Finish acorn block

Layout a set of Stashbusting blocks to sew at retreat

Pack up retreat supplies. 

I've been working on our lotto blocks for retreat over the last week or two.  I made quite a few of the leaf blocks but then I reread the directions -- I was suppose to use blue for the sky as the background fabric.  Oops! Here are the 3 that are finished. That acorn block is fiddly!  I've got a second one started but I don't think I'll make any more. Entries into the drawing require both blocks. 

I keep making progress on getting tops quilted.  I think I've done 4 since the last week of August. Unfortunately, I've probably finished 4 tops since that time too. Although I don't know how many plastic coat hangers I have, I do know I don't have anymore empty ones.  I need to up my quilting game. 

Linky parties I'm signing up for this week: Stitching Stuff, Oh Scrap, Design Wall Monday, and Monday Musings.

Nearly forgot to post my Stitching Stuff results.  It was a good week for stitching. 

W/ending 10/06  — 280 days in to 2024. 

• 15 minute days/week = 1/1 days
• 15 minute days/Sept = 6/6
• 15 minute days/2024 = 270/280 days
• Success rate = 96.4%

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

 

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 Meandering 12 - 5 - 2022

Wait, December?  OMG it's only a few weeks to, gasp! 2023!  That means it's time to drop my gazing at new quilt ideas and focus on what I want to finish this year. And, as typical in this household, we have rehearsals and a concert and additional singing opportunities bombarding us up until Dec. 18th.  With that said, I'm jumping right to last week's Goals list. 

11/28/22

✅Bind Economy quilt  — done.

✅Finish Clue 5 of Melodic Mystery — done and also December’s Clue 6.

✅Keep working on ornaments — I’m down to just 1.5 ornaments to finish.

✅Work on Halloween Quilt if time permits — Whoop! Whoop! The blocks are put together but…. 

✅Pull out Dec. APQ UFO Challenge piece  — It’s on the design wall and ready for me to proceed. 

Let me admit right now I am totally surprised how much I got done this past week. I had a couple of days where I was booked for other activities and did no sewing at all.  So, yeah me! for what I got done. 

Here's a few photos of what was worked on. 

November clue for Melodic Mystery -- 72 flying geese blocks. 

I actually got the Halloween quilt put together.  I'm not sure I'm done with this because I'd like to make it longer.  Still mulling over that idea but plan to let it rest for the rest of this year. Any ideas on what to add to the top and bottom to make it longer?  I'm thinking something in black. Share any ideas you might have. And, I really don't have much of the grey inner border left. I'm thinking of using it for a binding. 

There's a long history with some of these blocks.  In the '80s and early 90s I was active on Prodigy, one of the first commercial ventures offering Internet connections including graphics. I belonged to a quilting chat group where I participated in several swaps.  Most of the small blocks in the outside border were blocks I got in the swap. The eyes, legs, and the single ghost also came from that swap.  Why I liked the idea of small blocks is unknown to me now. The blocks were 4" finished blocks that I added a border to bring to the 6" finished size of the other blocks. I don't know the exact year of this swap but it was probably the first year or two of the 1990s.  They have really aged quite well. I'm quite happy that all of these blocks were able to work together to make this top.  But, should I make it bigger?  I can't see this as a baby quilt.  Can you? 

Last up is to look at the December UFO from the APQ UFO Challenge.  It is a smaller (less blocks) version of a Bonnie Hunter design, Talking Turkey.  (You can find the pattern in her book String Fling.) After reviewing the pattern I've decided I'm going to "try" to make the border as she shows it.  We'll see if it will actually work. (I'm hoping I have some dies I can use for the flying geese --- or just make the 4 at a time version that uses my Deb Tucker Wing Clipper. 

Thank goodness this is a scrappy quilt so I can use whatever scraps I currently have to finish it up. 

Let's get on to the goal list for this week.  Again, several days I'm already committed to other activities.  The only thing I really need to do is continue working on the grand's ornaments.  I can't wait to show you them around Christmas time. 

12/5/22

Keep Working on Ornaments

Quilt Natalie’s quilt

Make border for Dec APQ UFO Challenge piece. 

Make some single blocks

Prep wide backs for 3 quilts 

At Thanksgiving my daughter brought 2 quilts down for me to quilt, one for each of her daughters.  I'm really hoping I can get both done by Dec. 18th when we'll see them again.  I guess I'll be postponing quilting my quilts until after these are done. I sure hope I can use at least 1 of those wide backs this month! Prepping them is just washing and ironing if needed. 

I'm at the end of this post with the exception to the parties I'll be linking with. 

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday 

To Do Tuesday

Usually I try to write and post this blog Sunday night. Didn't happen... so rather than get any later, I'm ending this here.  

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 11 - 14 - 2022

How can it be Monday again?  It was a busy week with some stitching getting done but not as much as I would have liked.  Friday we sang in a Veteran's Day program put on by our community.  Following the program lunch was provided.  

Afterwards, Pat and I made a beeline straight to the door as we needed to get down to our beach house to do some work/evaluation of the place.  But remember reading about Nicole?  Her remnants greeted us all the way down to the Outer Banks.  Some rain was light and much was extremely heavy. (Thankfully no hail though.). However, we did get tornado warnings that buzzed loudly through both of our cell phones.  Thirty miles later I figured out we were exactly where the warning as we were getting names of small towns, we just didn't realize we were going through the first small town.  YIKES.  Luckily we never saw a tornado and I figured out it was going north east and we were going south east.  Do you know how hard it is to see possible tornado clouds when the road is lined with tall trees?  Obviously we weren't specifically in the path.  As we got closer to the Outer Banks we saw -

It was a huge double rainbow.  We could actually see to the opposite side of it too.  I snapped this through the front windshield so it isn't as good as it looked in person. By the time we got to our house the rain had gone.  

One of the things we did was hit up the Rusty Crow where we had purchased the ornament kits for the grands.  I asked a few questions about the finishing and, um, er, did a little shopping. The two Moda Grunge fabrics called my name.  Unfortunately the one on the left is a beautiful celery green not the color shown in the picture. 

All of the above is to explain why I didn't finish my goals list last week. So here's what I did get done. But I definitely made forward progress. 

11/7/22

Make Nov BOM from Quilting Life - nope! 

✅Finish quilting customer quilt - finished and returned 

✅Remove papers from string blocks - started but lots still to do

✅Work on Halloween blocks - forward progress made

✅Trim melodic Mystery HSTs - some done but a lot more to do

And, here's this week's list.  I need to start focusing more on the grands' ornaments. Christmas is only 5 weeks away.  I'm trying to decide if I want to finish a top to give to granddaughter #3 for Christmas.  I'll decide soon. 

11/14/22

Finish trimming Melodic Mystery HST and work on November clue 

Make Nov BOM from Quilting Life, and blocks for FCQ Equilter

Work on grands’ ornaments

Halloween quilt as time permits 

Rehearsal and concert for Heritage Singers

Yep concert season is starting a bit early this year.  Mid December we have another concert with the bigger county group. Luckily we don't have an additional rehearsal for it. 

Here's where I left the Halloween blocks last week. My friend Beth and I figured out how I could use most of the blocks.  I may want to make it larger as it is right at 36" square when finished.  Time will tell.  It is the November APQ UFO.  Who knows whether I'll actually get it done or not. 

I'll end with this visitor who was hanging around when I came down to the studio today. 

Yea, eeew.  He's not leaving so I'll have to remove him probably tomorrow. I'm off to stitching group today. 

I'm linking up with the following parties: 

    Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday

To Do Tuesday 

MidWeek Makers

Wednesday Wait Loss

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday MeanderingsTo 11 - 7 - 2022 Or To Do Tuesday

I am totally flaking out getting my blog posted on a regular day.  Sigh.  But here it comes late on a Monday morning. Um, it's coming to you Tuesday morning.  It was a great week for sewing. Up first is my goals for this past week.  It was a pretty good week with one squirrel. 

10/31/22

✅Finish Traffic Jam to top stage -- done! 

✅Work on different Halloween blocks -- several made (see below...) 

✅Work on Oct Melodic Melody mystery clue -- HSTs need trimming

Border Oct UFO Challenge tops -- Ugh, didn't get to this again! 

Order backing for Oct. UFO top —found another backing in my stash!

 

Traffic Jam is a great way to use a lot of 2.5" squares.  Here's the link to the pattern at Pat Sloan's web site. If this doesn't work go to Pat's free patterns page and scroll down to find Traffic Jam.  I like that she shows it with various colors of background fabric.  I chose to make it smaller by only making four blocks -- it will probably go to a child when done. 

Here are the extra Halloween blocks.  I have a slew of 6" blocks but they don't really play well together when lined up.  My thought is to make a bright center of 6" blocks and then add the others as a border.  I think it will work. Here are the center blocks I've made. I had fun figuring out easy blocks that would brighten up the center of the quilt. The eyes, the legs and the purple ghost on the bottom right were all part of my bounty from Equilter's group several years ago. The rest are new ones I made. Did I mention I have a LOT of Halloween fabrics?  

The above is as far as I got on Monday.  Fast forward to Tuesday. I was able to go to the stitching group in the community.  We always have some fun conversations and get a bit of stitching done.  Generally, that's where I've been working on the kids' Christmas ornaments the most.  I started quite a while ago but I only have 2 of the 4 mostly done. The third is started but I haven't even traced the 4th one.  They are a lot of fun but I won't be showing them until after Christmas.  Luckily they generally go fairly fast -- except the one I'm working on now that has a ton of beads on it. Better get sewing. Yikes ... Christmas is only 6 and a half weeks away. Are you making Christmas presents this year?  

Now for my plans this week. I'm already a day short so I'm cutting back my plans somewhat.  HA! It looks longer than usual but most are pretty easy and fluid. We'll see what gets done. 

11/7/22

Make Nov BOM from Quilting Life 

Finish quilting customer quilt (Last week's squirrel project)

Remove papers from string blocks 

Work on Halloween blocks 

Trim melodic Mystery HSTs

Work on grands' Christmas ornaments

I don't know how well I'll do with all of these.  I've got lots of things happening taking up my sewing time.  But at least I'll have a list of where I'll spend my time if I have much of it! 

VOTE

We voted a couple of weeks ago. I'll be happy when the political ads are off the airwaves.  

Let's see which Linky parties I'll link up with today. 

Design Wall Monday

To Do Tuesday

MidWeek Makers

Wednesday Wait Loss 

I'll be back to link up to the two Wednesday blogs. 

Remember to vote!

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie