Monday Meanderings 5 - 17 - 2021

 I finished quilting my daughter's quilt.  Isn't it cute? 

Maker: Jenny with input from her daughter Natalie

Pattern:  The Kittens by Elizabeth Hartman

Batting: Warm and White 

Thread: Superior So Fine #504 Silver Screen  

Quilting Design: Star E2E by My Creative Stitches 

You can see the cute cat backing here.

And another view that shows off the quilting better. 

My daughter made this quilt to give to her daughter Natalie's teacher.  Here's Jenny's thought on giving this quilt to her 3rd grade daughter's teacher. "I don't usually make quilts for the kid's teachers, but I feel like they really deserve it this year!" I so agree with that.  And, I am so happy I had retired long before this pandemic closed schools. 

Here's the UFO I finished today.  The blocks came from a 2009 swap at the Faithful Circle Quilt guild.  Part of them were used in this top and the more kid friendly were put in the top shown here. I'm hoping to get this top quilted this week.  I happen to have a perfect backing for it. 

On to my goals for last week.  Not too bad, really. 

5/10/2021

Begin red table runner — fabrics are chosen! 

Pull a UFO to work on✅

Quilt daughter Jenny’s quilt✅

Bind a quilt ✅

5/17

Start a new quilt

Quilt one of my quilts

Make red table runner 

Have fun with Sharon! 

So that is what is on my list for this week.  I've also been doing a lot of picking up and putting away in the studio.  I've been pulling fabric rather indiscriminately so I spent a short time restacking the fabric piles.  I have quite a few more to do so that section of my shelving will look spiffy.  I still need to put more things away (or possibly some will be thrown away or recycled.) Lastly, vacuuming the floor and cleaning a bathroom or two before Sharon arrives. 

I'm linking up with my regular parties: Oh Scrap!, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, and To Do Tuesday.  Join the fun and see what folks are making across the Internet.  Do you get way too many ideas from surfing like I do?  I keep photos of quilts I really like.  Every once and a while I go back over my file of ideas and get rid of duplicates, ideas I've used, ones I'll never use and then keep the rest.  My poor computer is getting old and stuffed.  I still have some room but not as much as I'd like to.  So throwing away unwanted ideas works for me. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

More Quilts to Share

Yep, I'm still on a roll.  I finished a small quilt (31" square.) I really fell in love with this quilt and the fabrics I used.  I very seldom make quilts for girls but this is all girly! 

Pattern: Jacquelynne Steves Silver Lining Sew Along 

Quilting Design: Curley E2E by My Creative Stitches. 

Thread: Top - YLI Variations Thread in Tulip; Bottom - Superior Threads So Fine #418 It's A Girl!

Many thanks to my excellent quilt holder, Pat.  We're showing off the beautiful azaleas in our side yard. The sad part is we have no view of these unless we walk around to the side yard.  Aren't they grand this year? 

I used a grey solid for the backing and a white with grey polka dots for the binding.  The pink alternate fabric also has polka dots.  

And one last look with the dogwood tree in bloom. 

All of these photos should enlarge if you click on them.  The garden is beautiful this spring and the weather has been unusually mild for the last couple of weeks.  It was great to walk around the house checking for the best photo spots! 

The sad situation this week is Sharon and I canceled her trip to visit.  With the gas shortages I couldn't guarantee she could fill up her tank for her return trip.  She'll be up next week.  No pressing engagements and probably a lot more gas available.  Her town ran out of gas the day before we made the decision.  Virginia was showing 50% of stations out of gas.  We both decided it was the right move. 

Here's a peek at the next quilt I am working on.  My daughter Jenny made this with input from her daughter Natalie. It's a real generational quilt!  (SHshshsh! Don't tell anyone.  It's a teacher present!) It's been such fun to quilt this. Natalie picked the fabrics, the block placements, and the quilting design.  I'll show more of it at some point.  

I've only got one more row to do.  Pretty soon I'll be back to piecing a UFO.  Except, I need to decide what size top to make.  I sure hope I can use up all of the blocks so I don't have a bunch left over to become another UFO! 

Today I'm linking up with my favorite linky parties for the end of the week: Mid Week Makers, Needle and Thread Thursday, Finished or not Friday, Whoop!, Whoop! Friday, and Beauties Pageant.  I think I'm going to sit on the deck and do a bit of surfing. How about you? Enjoy all the eye candy. 

Happy Quilting! Bonnie 

Monday Meandering 8 - 27 - 2018

Well, even though I thought I should blog twice this past week I only got one post up -- last Monday's.  Part of the reason (excuse?) is I don't have much in the way of pictures to share.  And, I still don't have much new but I thought I would share where my OMG stands.  I still have 5 days -- I should be able to get my goal done in that amount of time.  Here's what my top looks like now. My goal is to finish the top.  

You might notice I have a slew of little notes on the piece.  See the yellow note on the right?  Pretty much all the columns below that are in process of being added.  So far I've found a strip set for all 26 columns.  I had made a LOT of strata.  I lined up slices of the strata to match the column above.  And then I had to remove the stitches from the slice where the next color was.  Let me tell you -- I messed that up a lot.  So there was a lot of unsewing and sewing up going on.  I finally got that all figured out.  Next, I removed 4 squares from each of the columns -- I didn't want it too long.  Unfortunately for me I had already sewn some of the columns together.  More unstitching and then repairing (as in stitching back up) some of the squares.  Most of the columns to the right are individual columns.  All of the columns on the left have been stitched into groups.  So to finish this one up I still need to do any repair work from taking off the bottom 4 squares and then sew all the rows together correctly.  Then, I need to sew 2 columns to the top section.  And THEN I can sew the bottom section to the top section and I'll be done with the top.  Sure, I can do that in 5 days!  I'll let you know by the end of the month. 

I did pretty well with my goals this week, although I admit I didn't have a huge list because I had a lot of non-sewing things scheduled.   Here's last week list -- yes everything has been finished or at least worked on! 

August 20, 2018

Bind Charity quilt√

Finish 9 patches for flower pots quilt√

Continue working on bargello√

Make more Christmas lotto blocks for Oct. retreat√

And coming this week --- 

August 27, 2018

Finish Bargello top 

Make more Christmas lotto blocks for Oct. retreat

Work on Jamestown Landing borders

Attend Country Piecemakers Quilt In

Cut more blocks for pirate quilt

Make 3 pillowcases

I'm linking up with my normal Monday Linky Parties: Oh Scrap!, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday and Moving It Forward.  Yikes, only Oh Scrap is up tonight, Sunday.  I'll check back in the morning to see who else I can add.  I noticed Beth at Main Crush Monday was on vacation last week so I never was able to link up.  Maybe she's still on vacation but I will check tomorrow and a few times after just in case she's gets her next post up. I hope you spend some time checking out some of these linky parties.  

I'm ending with two of my granddaughters who we took out to lunch and to Build-A-Bear for their birthdays.  I know I've walked into a B-A-B location before but never with the intent to buy.  The girls had a good time picking their bear "skins" and putting music in and a heart and then watching their bear take shape with the stuffing machine.  Hubby says he refuses to get me a stuffing machine.  I used to make bears and it took me a LOT longer to stuff mine.  We then did a little clothes shopping.  

The green bear is a Power Ranger bear.  The pink is dressed in fairy clothes: Light up wings, light up dress and high heal sparkly shoes.  Yep, you read that right -- high heel sparkly shoes.  Orioles, the name of the green bear, also got some dinosaur pjs, a Univ. of Maryland t shirt and a Orioles baseball team shirt.  Definitely well dressed bears.  We had fun.  

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 2 - 19 - 2018

Progress is being made on the Alphabet Challenge quilt.  I've got one more "word" to stitch on the top border and then it is on to the bottom border.  

Once the top and bottom borders are done I can bind it and call it done!  Hopefully by the end of this month.  

Big thanks go out to our granddaughter, Natalie, for buying us flowers yesterday.  We had a quick lunch with them and then off to watch her big sister's basketball game.  Then we zipped home (note -- you NEVER can zip home traveling on I 95.  It was a mess for part of the way.) Then we met my best friend from high school for dinner.  We've been in touch infrequently but whenever we get together we have a great time.  They live about an hour north west of us.  It was so much fun to catch up and remember previous times together.  

You might notice I'm not sharing much on the quilting front.  Yes, I've been working away but lots of what I've been working on are half square triangles and string blocks.  You've heard about them -- a lot. You've seen them -- a lot.  I'm closing in on the 840 (or was it 860?) I need to make.  I think I just need to make another 150 or so.  I still need 100 of the string blocks. Not my favorite but I am plugging away on it.  And, surprise!  Tomorrow is the class.  Hopefully I will take some pictures to share from it and the Bonnie Hunter lecture the next night.

And, then there is the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival on Friday.  I've got 2 and a half months of pent up shopping to do.  I've got a list. I'm motivated -- we'll see if I go wild or not.  What 2 and a half months you ask? I haven't bought any fabric since November -- right after Thanksgiving.  Yea, I've got pent up shopping motivation!  

My goals got mostly done this past week.  And my list is pretty selective this week since so much else is going on. 

February 12, 2018

Sew more triangles and string blocks for class√

Sew plus quilt together√

Send Valentine’s cards to the grands√

Keep sewing on the Alphabet Challenge√

Work on Taps quilt

February 19, 2018

Prep for and attend Bonnie Hunter’s Jamestown Landing class (Whoop! Whoop!)

Attend Bonnie’s lecture

Attend Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show

Finish hand sewing on Alphabet Challenge

Put borders on Taps Quilt

Make 2 pillowcases

I'm linking up with my regular parties today: Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Moving it Forward and Main Crush Monday. I'll be sneaking time this week to see what's up with quilters around the Internet.  I'm really hoping I don't find some wonderful quilt I just have to make. I've got enough going and UFOs for now! 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meandering 7 - 24 - 2017

I was able to get two borders on Grid Lock which is exactly how many I had planned!  But boy, was it close on the bigger border. 

This is all I had left of the 20" of fabric I used for the 2nd border. I made the border the size that my fabric allowed. Do you ever do that? Size the border to available fabric?  I'm happy to report that the entire top has come from stash.  Now if I can just find enough material to get a backing from my stash I'll be thrilled.  

I turned A Tisket, A Tasket on the long arm and finished up the quilting.  Next up binding!  I'm pretty sure I've got fabric saved for the binding and I have the label already made.  (At least I think I do!) 

Once these two quilts are done I'm going to focus on the floral wallhanging and the new TAW. (TAW, better known as Trip Around the World.) 

I was surprised I did well on my goals.  I spent most of Sunday in my studio that allowed me to check off several items.  Here's the results. 

July 17, 2017

Sew borders on Grid Lock √

Finish quilting A Tisket, A Tasket quilt√

Keep working on the floral walhanging didn’t get to this

Hand quilt another block of the Civil WarQuilt√ making a little progress

Enjoy Natalie’s Birthday adventure √

And this week I'll be working on these projects.

July 24, 2017

Make backing for Grid Lock

Quilt Grid Lock

Bind A Tisket, A Tasket

Work on Christmas TAW

Keep hand quilting Civil War Quilt

Do something on the floral wallhanging

Make a fabric box

Natalie's birthday adventure was great except poor Natalie wasn't feeling well.  For the most part she was a real trooper.  I sent her an invitation to meet me at the American Girl Store so she could pick out her own AG doll.  Mom didn't give her the invite until that morning when she also got some accessories for the doll.  We took her all around the store and introduced her to all the different dolls.  I thought she might like a doll that looked like her but in the end she chose Julie, a doll from the 1970s.  WAIT!  I lived those hippie days in California.  Well, no, I wasn't really a hippy but I remember all the events that were going on. Were you a hippie in the 70s?  Here she is waiting for our lunch reservation.  She was doing pretty well.  But as the day progressed she was starting to feel worse. 

I'd invited her other grandma to join us so Nana and Grammy (that's me) got her the doll and one outfit.  Lunch was at the American Girl Cafe.  There were little chairs for the doll to sit up at the table.  The goodies included a decorated pony tale holder, a tea cup for the doll, a tiara for both the BD girl and her doll and a new T shirt for the doll.  I'm sure I left something out. Oh yes a birthday cake with ice cream.  I'm sorry Natalie wasn't feeling well but she did really well considering how she felt. 

I'm linking with my normal parties: Monday Making, Main Crush Monday and Moving It Forward. I really enjoy spending a bit of time surfing the links you see so many inspiring quilts. Sometimes there are tutorials and/or directions to make all sorts of fun things.  I know there will be some 18" doll clothes in my future -- I've already bought the book with patterns in it.  Christmas is coming! 

That's it for me today.  Time to get on with the morning. (Or spend a little of that time checking out those links!) 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie