Monday Meanderings 3 -- 24 -- 2025

Spring has come!  The cherry blossoms are getting ready to bloom in Washington, DC and our front yard.  It will be beautiful once the blooms come. Tonight I noticed there were some blooms and surprisingly some were already on the ground. Must have been the wind.  Although it has been a nice week weather-wise I spent a lot of time in my studio.  It's been a good week getting my goals done. Here's my list from last week. 

3/17/25

✅Quilt another of my quilts — quilting done, binding to come.

✅Start sewing March UFO blocks together — the half log cabin blocks are now a top! 

✅Bind baby quilt — done! 

Make a couple of placemats — didn’t get to this one. 

✅Finish sewing the lining in the needlepoint scissors case — finished this cute little case. 

Here's last week's quilt.  It hasn't been trimmed or bound -- that's for this coming week's goals.  This is Pat Sloan's pattern, Traffic Jam.  I changed it to use 2" squares since I had a bunch of them to use up. 

The quilting design is Saffron Blossom by Apricot Moon. One of the things I added to this quilt is a lot of little squares that have surprises in them: an elephant, a fish, a mouse. Any little animal I had in my collection of 2" squares I threw in. Whoever receives this quilt will find a lot of cuteness among the squares. 

On Sunday afternoon I finished my March UFO top. It is my half log cabin. Here's the quilted top. I haven't even trimmed it yet. It's on the goals list for this week. 

I've finally finished a cute needlepoint scissors case. This was a freebie project from a cruise many years ago.  The project came completely finished except the needlepoint design. I've been working on it for at least 5 years. I finished the needlepoint last year. I knew I would need to line it to protect my scissors from the stiff needlepoint canvas.  Here's what the out side looks like. 

The design is stitched with floss rather than tapestry wool.  I'm happy to have this one finished. I knew the needlepoint canvas would be rough on my scissors so I lined it with some velvet like fabric.  We took another cruise on the same line with stitching sessions on sea days so I got a new project. It's suppose to be a glasses case but I've dismantled it so I can use it on a tote bag I'll make for it when it's finished. And here's the inside of the scissors case. 

Now on to this week's goals.  It took me a while to come up with this list.  I decided not to make it too long this week. 

3/24/25

Make 2 RSC yellow blocks

Quilt and bind one of my quilts 

Mail blocks to FCQ Equilter 

Cut out a new quilt

If I make it through this list I have another top for the quilt guild.  Or perhaps I'll quilt another of my tops. I have 28 tops waiting to be quilted.  Did you notice the purple backing on my quilt up there? ⬆️ There's a big piece left over. I've used almost 5 yards of the original 15 but I'm going to have a lot of scraps and pieces leftover. 

Another great week stitching every day. Here are the stats:

W/ending 3/23/25. 82 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/Mar = 7/7
• 15 minute days/2024 = 82/82 days
• Success rate = 100%

Here are two more quilts from the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show. First up is On Eagles Wings by Beth Filko. Notice the use of string blocks.  

I took this picture for a friend who enjoys doing wool work.  I really liked it although I probably would never do anything like it. 

On Saturday we volunteered at the local food bank to pack student food boxes. They are given to school kids to augment their family's food. We signed up for 2 hours but we were done in about an hour and a half.  We and a group of students from Mary Washington Univ. packed enough boxes to fill 6 Gaylords. From what I found on line Gaylords can be 40 x 40 x 40" or bigger and generally are on a pallet so they can be transported by forklifts. After they were filled they are shrink wrapped to keep everything controlled. The staff was very happy we finished the packing early and had been cleaning up as we went along so there was no mess to clean up at the end. Pat already volunteers two times a month on weekdays.  We might continue to volunteer on a Saturday each month if we can. Evidently weekend time slots fill up fast. 

Hum, there are several Gaylords behind me. Me keeping boxes on the line.

I'm linking up with the following Linky parties: 

Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap! 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings 

That's it for me today. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 3 - 17 - 2025

I'm not sure what I did all week but I certainly didn't get much done on my goals list!  I did get the new Cali-Co block done though! My friend Sharon and I are doing this Mystery Block of the Month together. Every month we Face Time when the new block comes out and make our blocks while we chat.  It's a great way to keep up while we make a new block. 

Here's mine from this month. 

And here are all three blocks together. 

I really like them so far.  But I'll have to pay more attention to the fabrics I pick so they don't get dark -- I'm looking for light, bright fabrics. Cali-Co is sponsored by Coriander Quilts. You can go to her website and search for the three blocks on the third Saturday of each month.  I'm not sure I am thrilled with the number of half square triangles but I have a die for them! 

Here's last week's goals list. 

3/10/25

Quilt another of my quilts — didn’t even pick one to quilt! 

✅Quilt guild top and trim — done, ready to return. 

✅Continue working on March UFO — laid out blocks, changed some of the logs. 

Bind baby quilt — I picked the fabric out! 

✅Finished last FCQ Equilter blocks — ready to get them ready to mail. 

Here's the guild veteran quilt that I quilted. I really like the design I used called Quick and Easy Stars from My Creative Stitches. I have many star patterns but I  like this one because it incorporate swirls along with the stars. And, it's quick and easy just like its name! 

Here's my plan for the March UFO which is my half log cabin block.  I'm using the circles version. 

Look for the blue circle around the two orange blocks. On the top row second block from the left has been changed.  As has row 6, block 5. I decided they both stuck out like sore thumbs. I may move some blocks that might conflict with other blocks around them. Plus I notice that some of the lights look pretty dark in the bottom right corner.  I'll play with this one during the week and hopefully start sewing it together. 

Here are the FCQ Equilter blocks I've made. They are ready to be sent to my friend. 

These look great. I'm looking forward to seeing how these mix with the other blocks she is receiving. 

Now, on to my goals for this week. Hopefully, I'll get more done.

 

3/17/25

Quilt another of my quilts 

Start sewing March UFO blocks together

Bind baby quilt

Make a couple of placemats

Finish sewing the lining in the needlepoint scissors case 

Three are repeats from last week.  I've got half of the lining of scissors case sewn in. I just need to sew the other half in. The quilt guild meeting is this week so I hope to make a couple of placemats to donate. 

I've done a pretty good job getting my 15 minutes of sewing in every day. Today I repaired a fleece hoody for my grandson.  He evidently wears it all the time. The fleece may be too hot with spring coming. Here are my current numbers. 

W/ending 3/16/25. 75 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/Mar = 7/7
• 15 minute days/2024 = 75/75 days
• Success rate = 100%

Yea!  I'm getting quite a bit of sewing/knitting done even though I'm not getting everything on my list done. 

Here are a couple more pictures from the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show.  One of the guilds I belong to did a challenge for their entries in the show.  Here's the sign explaining the challenge. I thought it was pretty interesting but I wasn't willing to commit to it. 

Here's my friend, Michele's quilt.  She started this in June at a retreat we were at. I'm sorry she didn't put the size on her author's statement.  I think the HSTs finished at 1". 

Here's an original design from the show. I love how vibrant the cat looks. And even though the edges are straight lines it doesn't look like they are. This cat has catatude! 

I'm linking with the following parties: 

   Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday 

Monday Musings

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 3 - 3 - 2025

Last week I attended the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show.  I didn't have a lot of time because Pat, Sunny, and I were going to the beach house after the show.  (We did the same thing last year but no Sunny yet.)They spent time walking around the parking lot and sitting in the car.  I spent about an hour and a half at the show and saw a surprising number of the quilts and did just a little shopping. Okay, also one big shopping. I've been buying rolls of Pellon 80/20 batting from I Sew Desire Quilts.  This year was my third purchase. I now have a roll 90" by 30 yards.  It's 50% bigger than my former rolls. My first roll took two years to use up. The second roll is almost finished after a year.  Hopefully this bigger, third roll will last a year to two years. Except I am trying to turn more tops into quilts so ... who knows how long it will last. 

Afterwards we drove to Nags Head, NC to do a little work on our rental house. Some locks were changed, some baseboards were washed, some screens replaced and some spots painted.  A little shopping took place.  And Sunny went on a walk on the beach with us.  It was a beautiful day although not really warm. 

The above explains why I didn't do very well on my goals this week. Sigh. Here's what I was suppose to work on. (Remember I only had 3 1/2 days at home!) 

2/24/25

✅Finish knitting current sock and start its partner — Done. 2nd one barely started

Bind the R,W,B quilt

✅Go to MidAtlantic Quilt Show — Enjoyed the time I had! 

Make blocks for FCQ EQuilter of the month 

Here's the sock and the beginning of its mate. 

See my original sock I finished last March. ⬇️ Yep, it looked ridiculous.  I ripped it out and started over. Hopefully it won't take too long to finish the 2nd sock.  It's been so cold here this winter I've been wearing my hand knitted wool socks a lot. 

Here's what I hope to get done this week. I probably should think up a few more items but I haven't a clue at this point so I may add some off list project(s).

3/3/25

Bind the R,W,B quilt

Quilt another top 

Make blocks for FCQ EQuilter of the month

Cut a new kit out

Work on the March UFO challenge 

With JoAnn going out of business I've decided to try another source for backing fabrics. I recently purchased a bolt (15 yards) of fabric from Marshall Dry Goods. I chose a basic purple because I have several tops that this will work for backing and possibly the binding. I originally planned just to buy several lengths of fabric for some different colored tops. I was having a hard time making up my mind and thought I'd try a bolt. Bolt prices are less than by the yard fabs but no free shipping option for buying a lot.  As it turns out by the bolt plus shipping is cheaper than the fabric purchased by the yard. 

I plan to cut a couple of backing lengths from the bolt and then prewash it.  I'm pretty sure that one of the tops that the purple will work with will be my next top loaded on Ruthie. Check in next week! 

I took some picts of some of the quilts hanging at Mid-Atlantic.  I'll share a couple of them this week and if I remember, more will be shared over the next few weeks. First up is Lady Bug.  I specifically shot this quilt for my daughter-in-love. She loves bugs and was thrilled when I shared it with her.  Enlarge the picture to read all the interesting facts. Unfortunately, I was so excited to get the picture I forgot to photograph the maker's statement. Enjoy Lady Bugs and all the facts shared. Aimee said she nailed all the facts. 

Next is Midnight Compass by Laurie Mutalipassi.  Here's her card telling about her quilt. 

And her wonderful quilt. 

Look for more quilts in the upcoming weeks. 

I was able to keep up my 15 minutes of stitching every day.  I am lucky to be able to knit in the car so driving home I was able to start an easy hat. Here are the stats.

W/ending 3/2/25. 61 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/Feb = 28/28
• 15 minute days/Mar = 2/2
• 15 minute days/2024 = 61/61 days
• Success rate = 100%

I'm linking with these parties. Come join the fun by checking them out. 

Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings 

Happy quilting All! Bonnie 

 

Monday Meanderings 3 - 4 - 2024

What a busy week.  Did any of you get to either Quilt Con or Mid-Atlantic Quilt show over the past two weeks?  Pat and I made it to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt show Thursday morning.  We had about 2 hours to see some quilts, hit a few vendors, and then get on to Nags Head, NC.  

First, here is my friend Michele's quilt. She designed the quilt for Colchester Mills Fabric and Quilting a few years ago as a mystery quilt. Michele designs one yearly for Colchester.  This one was spectacular.  A new mystery started at the beginning of February. Check it out at Marvelous Mystery. My friend Sharon is her tester and she made air in Christmas fabrics.  I am pretty sure this one fits on a king size bed. 

I also got to see several friends from several different places I've lived.  Pat snapped a photo of Mary Beth and I.  We both lived in Maryland for years and were (heck, are still) members of Faithful Circle Quilters.  She moved to Florida so we don't see each other very often... it's been almost 2 years now. We were on such a tight time frame we really only had a few minutes to chat and get a hug. (That's me on the right.)

Despite our travels I was able to get all my goals done this week.  Or maybe it was because of our travels.  I almost always take my featherweight down to the beach house with me and work on some projects. This mess was me making string blocks on telephone book pages.  I was amazed how many I got done since every string I sewed had to be ironed and cut.  I also put together the green, blacks, and white to top stage that I'll show when the border is done. 

Here's what the goals list looks like from last week. Not bad! 

2/26/24

✅Bind Picket Fence Quilt - Done!

✅Bind secret project - Done! Come back Wednesday, 3/6/24 to see it. 

✅Make some more FCQ Equilter blocks - Some done, more needed. 

✅Attend the Mid Atlantic Quilt Show  -  Attended a short time. 

✅Sew the green, blacks, & white 3 yard quilt - Center together, borders next.

Here's a corner of the Picket Star top being quilted. Since it is done I need to take it on a photo shoot soon. I chose Random Clams quilting design.  The block was designed by Preeti who blogs at Sew Preeti Quilts.  Here are the directions for the block. 

Let's take a look at this week's list. 

3/3/4/2024

Knit on socks 

Find fabric for appliqué blocks

Mail package to FCQ Equilter from last round 

Border green, blacks, and white top

Quilt customer top 

Quilt one of my tops 

Hum, should be doable. All of a sudden I have 4 customer quilts waiting to be quilted.  I hope to get one done this week. I should get one of mine on and done this week too. The others aren't as time sensitive. 

We were working on our beach house in Nags Head.  The master bathroom is being updated but more importantly Pat needed to replace some windows. I was his trusty assistant. My job was to hold the window while Pat pulled a cord and attached it to the top of the window. (I have no clue what it was called but it wasn't a one person job!) After he got the cords installed on each window I was free to go back to quilting.  It meant I was running up and down stairs a bit too often but I did get a lot of piecing done.  Here's a window on the way out...  We had to take them to the transfer station rather than leave them in our regular trash. Nine were replaced and more need to be done soon.

It is a good thing we went down, as it turns out something is wrong with the heater. It was taking a long time to warm the house up 5 degrees when we arrived.  And then the thermostat went off twice.  Sunday morning we woke up early to a cold house. So we left around 7am to have breakfast at Stack Em High and to drive back to Virginia.  Pat will have to go down to replace more windows in a month or so. Hopefully he can get our son to go with him.  It was hard work for the "old folks." 

I knew it wouldn't last.  I was unable to sew the day we went to the quilt show and drove to the beach house.  So I missed the 29th.  But I was right back at it  including spending an hour or so on putting things away and finding some more strips for my strip quilting project this afternoon after getting home. I'm happy with the 98%.  

• 15 minute days/week = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/Feb = 28/29 days
• 15 minute days/March 3/3 days 
• 15 minute days/2024 = 62/63 days
• Success rate = 98%

Here are the Linky parties I participate with.  Please take a look at some of the blogs listed. 

Oh Scrap

Life in Pieces: Stitching Stuff

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musing 

This and That 

Hopefully this week I'll remember to link up to all the parties I list here.  I was pretty focused on quilting and being down at the beach house.  I hardly looked at the internet over the last week. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie