Monday Meanderings 8 -- 25 -- 2025

Hello All!  We've been traveling this past weekend.  I've gotten some knitting done but no quilting. It has been raining most of today but we did do some outlet shopping.  A concerted effort was made to have most of my goals from last week done before we left. Take a look!

8/18/25

✅Keep working on project bag — made some progress.

✅Quilt RWB Sampler — finished, next up binding.

✅Make some more blocks: RSC, — RSC, some 9 patches, and started Cali-Co mom.

✅Sew current Happy Blocks into a top — done!

✅Finish current hat. — done except pompom.

I didn't take a new picture of the project bag but I did decide I would only work at it at home to avoid more mistakes.  Hum, who knew talking would distract me so much! 

No photos of the quilted RWB sampler quilt but it is all quilted. 

Here are both of the RSB teal blocks. Last week I showed the more colorful one. This week it is the two together. I need to spread all of the blocks out to see how they look together. 

Earlier in the week I worked on the current Happy Block quilt. With the help of my friend Beth we came to a decision about placement.  Here's the end result.  I think I made a new block to replace one of the dark ones. (It's second row, third block. Both fabrics were from the 25 yard haul. Unfortunately the cute animal print is only a 6" WOF piece.)  The dark ones (that mostly show when I turn the picture to gray scale) are in a diagonal row from top left to bottom right.  It's hard to believe that red often looks really dark when seen as on the gray scale.  

Now let's see what I hope to do this week. 

8/25/2025

Bind Space quilt and Red, White and Blue quilt

Quilt another small top

Cut a top kit for October retreat

Finish Cali-Co block

Keep working on project bag

That seems like a big list although I don't have a lot of commitments this week. We'll see how I do. 

The other thing I'll admit is I totally screwed up the Cali-Co bom for this month. I failed to put on the second frame before I put on the triangle corners and trimmed the block.  UGH. The block was 2" too small and I sliced into all four corners before I realized my mistake. Jack and I were getting too well acquainted this past week. I won't have to remake the whole block but I need to take out each of the corner blocks in the center. Sigh. Shouldn't take too long if I can keep focused. 

Another successful week of stitching 15 minutes every day.  (If I get this post done soon enough I'll be able to get today's 15 minutes done.) 

W/ending 8/24/25. 236 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/August = 24/24
• 15 minute days/2024 = 236/236 days
• Success rate = 100%

Here's an older quilt that I made for our beach house.  I decided to bring it home and substituted a quilt with ocean fabrics - whales, star fish, and the like.  These Wild dogs just make me smile! Too bad there isn't a West Highland Terrier like Sunny! 

I'm linking with the following parties. 

Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday 

Monday Musings

I hope you have a quilty week. Keep your spirits up and your hands doing what you like to do! 

Happy Quilting! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 8 -- 18 -- 2025

This past week was quiet for me -- especially after all the fun and action while my friend was visiting. I took afternoon naps... not necessarily on purpose. I would be reading after lunch on the sun porch and all of a sudden I would wake up an hour later with my Kindle in my lap and feeling way too warm.  I figured I must have needed the extra sleep.  I did finish some books and  I've halfway finished another ebook.  Although I did pretty well on my goals I didn't spend as much time being productive in the studio. 

8/11/25

✅Keep working on project bag — one sheep done. 

✅Read a book or two — finished 2 audio books and 1 ebook.

✅Wash and iron new fabric and put it away — only a few pieces to finish.

✅Quilt one of my tops — a RWB sampler quilt is loaded. 

✅Make blocks for various projects — 3 blocks made, more still needed to be done.

This red, white and blue sampler top was from Sherri McConnell's block of the month in 2022.  Earlier this year I put the blocks together with sashing and borders.  I have to say I really like this top.  I've decided to keep it rather than give it to my local quilt guild to give away.  We have a quilt hanger in our entry way which can take this size quilt so that is the plan for it.  I probably won't get back to quilting it until Tuesday.

Here's my Rainbow Scrap Challenge block in aquamarine.  Unlike my normal method, this month I decided to focus on turquoise fabrics that lean more to the green side.  I haven't made the opposite color way with more light blocks yet.  Hopefully I will get it done this week. 

I also realized this week that I missed some of the monthly colors for RSC this year. I need to make blocks for orange and purple. I'll be trying to get caught up on those colors over the next several weeks. 

Here's the last Happy Block I made using the popsicle fabric I used at the retreat. 

I've got another Happy Block quilt almost ready to sew together.  Here's the current layout. 

The blocks need to be moved around a bit still. Because these blocks have all sorts of colored frames I like to look at the grayscale version.  Hum, just what I thought. There are three blocks that read dark in column three.  I think I've substituted some thing else for the 4 row, 2nd column block also very dark. I'll be playing around with these using this photo as my guide.  Hopefully I'll be able to finish the top and find a backing for it soon.  

Here's my plan for the upcoming week. 

8/18/25

Keep working on project bag

Quilt RWB Sampler 

Make some more blocks: RSC, nine patches with the white center,  

Sew current Happy Blocks into a top

Put borders on a 3 yard top and possibly quilt it.

Finish binding two quilts. 

I've maintained my 15 minutes of stitching this week.  I knit hats for an organization that needs around 300 in the fall so I always have a hat on my needles and can knit a couple of rows to make up my stitching time each evening if I haven't already done some quilty "stuff." 

W/ending 8/17/25. 222 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/August = 17/17
• 15 minute days/2024 = 222/222 days
• Success rate = 100%

I keep finding mistakes in my postings.  I'm pretty sure next year I'll change up this report to make the math more accurate or easy.  Did I ever mention that I went to 11 different schools from kindergarten through high school? Once my folks took me out of public school to put me into private school. Sometimes I went to a different school in the same school district. And, a couple of times we moved mid school year or at the beginning of a school year.  What I finally figured out rather late in life is I did not have a good grounding in arithmetic.  I'm lousy at math in general. I say all of the above to explain why I keep finding mistakes in my stitching reports! I do know that 222 days is as of Sunday, 8/17. So this report looks accurate. 

That pile of new fabric I shared last week has been ironed and put away with the exception of the top fabric. This week I washed 5 or 6 yards from a bolt of fabric I purchased from Marshall Dry Goods. It's a mottled beige and I plan to use it as the borders and backing of one of the 3 yard quilts I started at retreat. If I get the borders done I'll share pictures then. 

As usual I am linking up with four Linky parties.  Please take a some time to visit and check out some of the blogs that are listed on the parties. I keep getting way too many ideas but I like to see what everyone is working on! 

Stitching Stuff 

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

And before I call it a night I want to mention the administration's assault on Washington, DC.  DC is not a state although they would like to be. Because they are a federal district the administration can send troops into the city to patrol. From local news reports these troops have been working in the areas that are more visible -- near where federal buildings and parks are located.  One of the things that has been said is that DC is a crime ridden area.  That there are awful people in the city.  Just to put the record straight DC's crime rate is down. "Total violent crime for 2024 in the District of Columbia is down 35% from 2023 and is the lowest it has been in over 30 years, according to data collected by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and announced by United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves." You can read more about it here. 

One of the scary things about federal troops "policing" the District is they have no training in that area.  I keep waiting for some one to be killed or seriously hurt because of the wrong people "policing" the area.  

I, for one, do not think DC is in an emergency and it does not need federal assistance.  I am hoping that the troops are only there for the 30 days allowed for  this "emergency".  America is NOT a police state.  

That's it for me.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 2 - 10 - 2025

All of our snow from the first week of January has finally melted. Guess what! We have another big storm coming in Tuesday through Wednesday! Right now 4 to 6" of snow is predicted but it may change between now and then.  And, there will be rain the rest of the week.  It's a great reason to stay in the studio and play!  That's what I did most of this past week.  I got quite a bit done this week. Here's a look at my goals last week. 

2/3/25

✅Sew ‘22 McConnell mystery blocks together with sashing — well started.

✔️Make more Potato Chip blocks — just 1 finished 

✅Quilt flannel baby quilt — top is now quilted.

✅Cut out and sew together a new quilt using only stash fabrics — Bears and Pinwheels now a top! 

Find a backing or two for some tops I have ready to quilt — nothing done.

Again this year Sharon and I are working on UFOs.  My February project was making a top from the 2022 Mystery blocks designed by Sherri McConnell.  I made all the blocks but never put it together. So I decided to start the month getting these blocks into a quilt top.  Here's what's been done so far. Whoops -- This is my entire design wall... blocks all over the place. The bottom left red, white and blue blocks are from Sherri's mystery. (Notice the 4th row pinned to the right....I ran out of design wall!)  

I was originally thinking I'd use a white for the sashing. But rifling through my stash I found a blue that has cream stars on it.  I realized it would look much better than the white.  Except I'd already made the cornerstones based on the white sashing.  So I made two more red and white 4 patches. The row below where the red and white are there are two cornerstones made with red and a blue from the blocks.  The red and white definitely looks better than those. So I'll be making 4 more of them this week and sewing the rows together and hopefully the two borders also.

A quick trip around my design board --  top left are my potato chip blocks using the rectangle die from my 9" Accuquilt Cube. The right hand top are the Rainbow Scrap Challenge potato chip blocks cut 2.5" x 4.5".  This month's color is blue. So, I went ahead and got my 2 blocks done right away. 

Underneath is the block the FCQ Equilters are making. (That's the one I made to check the instructions.) The bowtie block is a random leftover block. The light, bright star is the first block in Cali - Co block of the month. Hum, I do keep a lot of miscellaneous stuff on the board.  I need to look at all the stuff on the right to see if I can clear it off so I have more room for blocks. 

I figured this streak of lightening quilt out quite a few years ago but didn't cut it out and put it together until last month. Today, I put it on Ruthie and used a basic stippling on it. I was happy that it didn't take all that long. On the other hand, it is under 40" square. 

And the last item checked off on my goals list last week was to cut out and make a new top.  I did a bit of snooping in my fabric stash and found an old but cute bear print on white with red hearts.  Looked like a perfect baby quilt fabric. I paired it with red and blue -- both left overs from backing fabric. It's hard to see but there is a narrow inner border that is beige/brown check. I didn't realize how directional the bear fabric was until I was cutting the borders.  Luckily there was enough fabric so I could seam the last border. Now I need to find a backing for it. 

Hopefully this week I get as much done. Here are my goals for this coming week. (Hey, remember the snow storm...I bet I can get a lot of these goals accomplished during it all the rain were suppose to get.)

2/10/25

Bind baby Quilt 

Quilt another top 

Finish '22 McConnell mystery top 

Make 2 napkins and a placemat

Make more Potato Chip blocks

Find a backing or two for some tops I have ready to quilt

I have kept up with my 15 Minutes to Stitch record. Here are the details.

W/ending 2/9/25. 40 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/Feb = 9/9
• 15 minute days/2024 = 40/40 days
• Success rate = 100%

I'm linking up with these Linky Parties.

Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musing

Thanks for all the answers regarding binding on flannel quilts. It seemed that both ways were popular.  At this point I'll probably use whatever I can find that will go with the quilt's colors. 

I've had the Super Bowl on in the background while I was writing this post. I wasn't impressed with the ads this year although I did miss some of them.  Was there one you particularly liked?  One I did like was the Jeep ad with Harrison Ford. I laughed out loud when he mentioned he liked his Jeep even though his name was Ford. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie   

Potato Chip Block --

 I bet you can't make just one. 

I was bemoaning the fact that I didn't have a Accuquilt Die that cuts a 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle so I could more easily cut the blocks for a potato chip block.  I do have a 2.5" strip cutter so I can cut the strips from leftover pieces or used fat quarters. 

My friend Nancy offered her rectangle die from her 8.5" Cube and bingo my brain fired a synapse. Why couldn't I use my rectangle in my 9.5" Cube.  So I got to work cutting bits and bobs of fabric that could be put to a perfect use. Lots of lights and some medium and darks. (I need to cut way more to make a quilt. 

Then the sewing. I didn't actually sew it the way I've usually seen them made.  But I realize it didn't make much of a difference.  Here's my new block. 

I know you are wondering what I did "wrong."  My center 2 rectangles should be up and down.  But wait! I checked the other 4 blocks I've made and a couple of them aren't the way I "thought" they should go. If I were willing to unpick some seams I would have the first 2 rectangles turned so the seam is up and down. Then the rest would have been the same. Hum, I'm back from a slight trip down the rabbit hole to see if I could find a definitive Potato Chip block. Um, no, not in the 5 minutes I spent looking.  So this block is fine! 

So, here's the info if you have any of the regular Cubes. Number 8 die can be used for making Potato Chip blocks.  Yep, any size Cube, Number 8 die. My 9.5" die gave me a block that measures about 13.75".  I also have a 3.5" x 6.5" rectangle that I will be trying also.  But I'm pretty sure it will work too -- just a bigger finished block will result. 

When picking colors I "try" not to pick one that will be overwhelming dark. Yes, like the upper right top piece. It is actually a dark green with a lighter design. I will be more careful in the future because I like a lighter, airier look to these blocks. 

Evidently, I now have 2 potato chip quilts going. One for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge and this one for the 9.5" Cube.  Oh boy. Maybe I can make a dent in some of my scraps and fat quarters.  

I'm linking up with Wednesday Wait Loss and Finished or Not Friday.

Now it is on to finishing a rail fence top.  Or quilting a red, white and blue quilt. Or maybe cutting some more chips, er rectangles from scraps and half used fat quarters. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie