Monday Meanderings 2 -- 23 -- 2026

It's been a great quilting week.  I've been able to stitch a lot every day.  So there are a lot of check marks on my goals this week.  And, we have had another snow storm. Although, we aren't getting much snow.  It started around 4 pm. But now, at 8:15 pm we aren't getting much at all. It's done by 9pm.  Fingers are crossed that we won't get much more. This past week the temps have been in the 40's all the way to high 50s.  So, even the snow that has appeared won't stay for long.  If we lived farther north we might be getting a lot more snow.  

Here's my goal list.

2/16/2026

✅Work on Feb UFO Challenge blocks — New background fabric purchased, several blocks have been put on point. 

✅Quilt one of my tops — done!

✅Work on snowman block 1 — more done. 

✅Continue knitting on hat — more than halfway done. 

√Make more dash blocks — 2 more cut out but not sewn yet.

I went to a new quilt store last week looking for fabric to go with my Feb UFO Challenge blocks. Get Stitched is a small store but it had a very nice selection of fabrics.  I left with two 1.5 yard pieces.  One is a teal to go with my UFO challenge and one was a nice red.  I consider both of them go-with fabrics. Here's a couple of the blocks put on point with the new fabric. 

In the past I've tried to match current fabric to blocks made from old fabric.  It took me a couple of years to find anything that would go with them.  I consider myself lucky I was able to find something at all, especially in a small store. Note: this shows the teal leaning to blue more than it does in person. 

I will be finishing putting the 5 blocks on point this coming week.  And, then I'll start figuring out how the other 4 blocks will be fitting in with these on point blocks. I had some good ideas from my commenters which I hope to incorporate in the finished top. But next Sunday a new number will be drawn for another UFO project to be worked on. March is a longer month so maybe I can finish both projects. 

Here are my goals for this week.  I hope to finish 2 quilts this month even though one hasn't been quilted yet. Lots on the list but I hope to get all of this done. 

2/23/26

Bind two quilts 

Quilt one of my quits

Set last 2 UFO blocks on point

Knit on hat

Make B blocks of Magnificent Mystery quilt

Sew up more dash blocks 

One of my off list projects is coming along well.  I started these blocks in January to use some blue fabrics for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I have a lot of blues from turquoise to deep navy.  I will continue to make these little blocks until I've used all currently cut pieces.  If you want to make your own, the beige square is 2.5" x 2.5".  The blue rectangles are 2.5" x 5". And, no, this project hasn't really made a dent in my blues. Sigh.  I still need to move some colors around so there is better balance plus I think I have 3 or 4 columns to add.  

It's been another 100% week of sewing at least 15 minutes a day.  (Generally, I sewed a lot more every day!) 

Week ending 2/22/26: 53 days of 2026.

  53 days of 53 100%

Here are the Linky Parties I join.  Enjoy surfing the web to see what quilters are doing around the world. 

Life in Pieces 

Oh Scrap

Quilting Patchwork Applique 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

Alycia, who posts at Quilty Girl, is running a sew along to make a patriotic quilt sized to fit the Quilts of Valor organization. It's not too late to join in.  At this point I'm saving the steps but I really want to start in on the steps. Alycia is planning the steps to take an hour or less each week. (Your sewing time may vary! I know mine will take longer.)   Here are links to the photo of the quilt with the fabric requirements and the first set of instructions: 

Winter Sew Along Intro and Fabric Requirements 

Week 1 Instructions 

I leave you with a pic of a little pig statue I have in my backyard. This was a week or so after the big snow storm. I thought he looked a little cold! You can also see how chunky/icy the snow was. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings -- 1 - 26 -- 2026

⛄️ ❄️ WOW  ❄️ ⛄️

We've had snow and sleet and icy rain.

How about you? Hubby has cleared the driveway, sidewalks, deck, and backyard walkways multiple times. Actually 4 times!  I, on the other hand, hung out in my studio and did some quilty stuff (cut a baby quilt out) but mostly goofed off, read, and tried to finish my puzzle. Earlier in the week I did participate in this: 

I was tickled to be able to pick up my Bernina on Wednesday.  And, to see this sale going on at Button and Bolts quilt store in Richmond.  Even though I was trying to hold off buying any fabric I couldn't resist two pieces of orange.  Each had about a yard and a quarter.  And, since I'm low on orange fabric I finished two bolts and added the fabric to my stash.  I didn't know the sale was going on when I left the house or I might have come prepared to buy some fabric for backings. Oh well! 

I did fairly well on my goals this week. 

1/19/26

✅Work on cross stitch zippered bag — making great progress. 

Make binding for panel quilt — didn’t happen & ✅stay at home round robin — binding cut, applied, and halfway sewn down.

✅Work on snowman block — small amount done on 1st block. 

✅Cut out a quilt — baby quilt with koala fabrics cut out.

Here's the block layout for the baby quilt. In late December someone brought some crafting "stuff" to my stitching group.  I went through the fabric and thought this one would make a great baby quilt even though there wasn't very much fabric.  This block is just laid out, not sewn. But it will be a quick sew.  (And, it wasn't the only fabric I took.)  

This is another pattern from one of my favorite baby quilt books, Even More Quilts for Baby by Ursula Reikes.  Here's the pattern. Unfortunately all three of Ursula's baby quilt books are out of print but they are great basic books if you can find one.  I frequently use mine although I often change them to fit what I have. 

My version of Simple Patch will have 9 blocks and be 39.5" x 39.5".  Perfect for the local hospitals' requirements. 

Here are this week's goals.  With snow and ice all over I'll probably stay home most of the time. No, we don't expect much melting as the temps are staying cold. In fact several nights will be in single digits.  I think the pup will be sent out in the back yard rather than taking her for a walk! 

1/26/26

Finish sewing machine block

Cut & sew binding on panel quilt 

Work on Snowman block

Finish cross stitch zippered bag 

Make a few stash dash blocks in r,w,b

This is the bottom part of the sewing machine block I'm making for the center of the spool blocks. I still have a lot to finish this 12.5" block.  I'm looking forward to seeing how it works with my spools.  (See spools here.)

I've continued to be successful on my 15 minutes of stitching. 

Week ending 1/25/26 24 days of 2026 

24 of 24 days 100% 

This week should be pretty quiet because the streets are going to stay icy.  I'll stay home and try to make progress on my many projects! 

Take some time to visit these Linky Parties.  

Stitching Time

Oh Scrap!

Quilting Patchwork Applique

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings  

I've missed linking with the Monday postings for several weeks. I could have sworn I did it last week but ... I'll make sure I actually link up this week. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Starts and Finishes

Here are two starts and one finish for you to enjoy.  First up the starts. 

For the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2022 I chose Whirl pattern.  It's a 9" finished block.  I specifically chose a 9" block so that I could use my Accuquilt Go 9" Cube and Go Companion Set Angles.  I'm continuing to try to use my Go dies as often as possible this year.  Over the last 2 years I've gone a little crazy buying dies (mostly on sale) so I really need to use them.  I can't decide whether to make only this block or make several different pinwheel style blocks.  What do you think?  

If one is good how about 2 and a sew along block? 

I want to make 3 RSC blocks each month so I would have 30 blocks after 10 months of colors.  We'll see if I actually succeed. The top block is the first block in Sherri McConnell's Quilting Life Quilt Block of the Month. You can read all about it, find the fabric requirements and the first block here. My friend Sharon has been doing these yearly sew alongs for awhile.  I decided to join her this year. I hope she pushes me to keep up. 

Next up is one of my finishes from December.  

Hum, for some reason this didn't come out as great as I thought it did.  I fell in love with this fabric with little bunnies wearing hats and holding peppermints. Truth be told, I bought it from Thousands of Bolts, Just One Nut probably in 2018 or so.  It was on sale for maybe $5.00/yard.  I let it simmer in my stash for a while but finally chose a pattern from one of Ursula Reikes books and made it up. It sat for a while  until I decided it was time to buy backing fabric and get it finished.  I originally planned to give it away but I like it way too much to send it out into the world.  It will be donated eventually but I'm enjoying it now.  

Here's an up close of the backing.  I can't find any info on the quilting design.  I know it is fairly new to me but I haven't been able to find it at any of the regular places I purchase designs from.  Weird. I do know I used a white So Fine thread from Superior Threads for the top and bobbin.  Unfortunately, I have not been recording all that information in my quilting book so I'm not sure the exact color number or the name of the design. It's a small quilt, maybe 35" square. (When I next go down to the studio I'll check the design name and the company name.) Click on the pic of the backing to see the design better. In fact, all the pics should enlarge if you click on them.

Last picture -- Pat holding the quilt with snow in the foreground. (That snow is left over from Jan 3.) 

I hope you will spend some time with these linky parties: 

Midweek Makers

Needle and Thread Thursday

Can I Get a Whoop, Whoop?

Finished or Not Friday

Beauties Pageant 

Scrap Happy Saturday

That's it for this Friday evening.  Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and check out what people are making across the Internet. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 12 - 10 - 2018

My goals list was shot to pieces as in I hardly did anything!  I did take pictures of all the quilts I've finished over the last few weeks though.  Several All were donated.  Up first is the rail fence quilt.  This started as another quilter's project.  After she died I was given her stash and projects.  I've used quite a few of her pieces for backings.  This rail fence had been started but not finished.  I decided it would be good to finish it and donate it to one of the charities Virginia Star Quilters support as she had been a member.  

These photos were taken near the end of the day and lighting was wonderful.  More dumb luck than skill but happy to have such decent photos.  The edge to edge design is Saffron Blossom by Apricot Moon.  Thread was So Fine but I don't remember which color.  Evidently it blended well with the various fabrics.   Oh well.  In this blog I asked for suggestions about the sashing.  I thought I liked the dark blue the best but I didn't have enough of it.  I had enough of this cranberry and I really like how it brightened up the piece.  

Next I finished this panel for CP.  The guild was given a lot of fabric from a man who was dealing with his wife's stash.  I'm not sure how or why he learned about Country Piecemakers but he did and donated a bunch of very usable fabric to us.  I volunteered to quilt several panels -- this is the only one I actually took a picture of. 

I like how the pattern really shows on this quilt and it almost looks like puffy clouds.  It's called Melody and was designed by Sarah Ann Myers.  I've liked the quilting results on every project I've put this design on.  I may actually use in on my Jamestown Landing quilt when I finally quilt it.  This went to the NICU at St. Francis Hospital in the Richmond area. 

Finally here is 9 Patch Garden.  The pattern is from one of the Quiltmakers magazines.  I was given quite a bit of fabric from a friend who is no longer quilting.  She was tickled to see this picture of her fabric and very pleased that it was going to a nursing home Country Piecemakers support.   I've got about a half yard of the flowerpot fabric left.  And, it was used on the back too.  Great use of the fabric and I was able to use a bit of my fabric too.  Must think about how the last piece of it can be used.

Most of these quilts won't give me large fabric usage but at least I am getting some of my fabrics used.  (9 patches, borders and bindings on 9 Patch Flower Garden and bindings on the other two and the sashing of the rail fence.)

Today we were hit with a winter storm.  Yikes.  It started snowing around 10 am and kept up until after dark.  In the end we probably only got 5" or so but that is a lot for our part of Virginia at this time of the year.  Here's a picture of the deer sculpture that is outside of our development.  During the warmer weather there is a fountain too.  Hum, the deer is about midway down on the left side.  She's kicking up her heels.  Unfortunately there is no where to park to actually get pictures of it so this was taken in a moving car.  The trees were covered in snow.  Hopefully tomorrow it will all melt and we can go back to getting things done! 

I'm almost embarrassed to share my goals this week.  I really didn't get all that much done. 

December 3, 2018

Load Jamestown Landing eek… didn’t do it 

Finish the Angel ornaments double eek … didn’t do it 

Sing Sparetime Singer’s Concert√

Attend Country Piecemaker’s meeting√

Pick a UFO and work on it oops — didn’t do it

Quilt a charity quilt and bind it√ finally I did something quilty! 

Work on a counted cross stitched ornament√ started yea! 

And here's what's happening this week:

December 10, 2018

Work on counted cross stitched ornament 

Embroider grand’s Christmas shirts 

Finish Angel ornaments

Attend 2 rehearsals and 2 performances for the Spotsylvanians 

Eye Appointment and Hair Cut! 

Have the family over for pizza 

Bind a charity quilt

There's a good chance I won't get all that much sewing done this week -- just too many other things happening. But I really want to finish the shirts for the grands so I can give them their shirt when they visit Sunday. (I'm hoping everyone will come to our afternoon concert and then come for pizza at the house.) 

Linky parties: Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday and Moving it Forward.  Check them out.  Lots of holidays are floating around the internet! (I'll try to get the other two linked up on Monday in the morning.)  Enjoy your week! 

Happy Quilting All.  Bonnie 

Have You Tried This?

Even with my new Accuquilt Go I am still going to have to cut with rotary cutter and ruler -- think of the expense of all those dies?  I remember seeing a teacher  talk about cutting her strips this way and decided to try it again.  

I was cutting 3 1/2" strips.  I have my large 8 1/2" ruler placed to the left of my fabric end.  Then I used a smaller ruler to actually measure the 3 1/2" strip.  Once I determined that the measurement was accurate at top and bottom, I removed the small ruler while carefully holding the large ruler steady.  And then it was time to cut. 

It worked like a charm!  It saved the step of flipping the fabric after I evened up the edge. I think I will use my 6 x 12" ruler from now on as it has a larger straight edge to align the large ruler.  Here's where these borders went to: 

Most of these fabrics with the exception of the cream background, the border and a few of the brick fabrics, were part of a bigger bag of fabrics I got at the last retreat for FCQ.  Someone had donated fabric to be used for a challenge.  I got a bag of (excuse me if you love these but) awful fabrics. Ugh.  Too busy. There were several color ways of hummingbirds, strawberries, raspberries and flowers. We had to use some of the fabric on either the front or the back.   I saw the Stacking Brick pattern at Jo's Country Junction and drew it in EQ to make it a bit bigger. (Easier to count how many bricks I needed to cut.) It was a snap to make.  All the rows are made the same. On the end of each row you add a square instead of a brick.  When you lay it out you flip the row so that the square is on the left, next one on the right... etc.  Tres easy!  

Back to the challenge fabrics. I didn't make much of a dent in my fabrics and I sure didn't want any leftovers.  So, I picked several untouched fat quarters and some of the leftovers from the blocks and pieced the backing.  I tried to put less busy fabrics next to the busy ones but honestly, there wasn't much I could do to calm it down.

First row done. 

Backing complete.

Hopefully it will be fine on the back.  I believe these quilts will be donated to Project Linus when completed.  Hopefully this one will be done to hang in the FCQ quilt show in April.  

Do you live in the Mid-Atlantic states?  Watch out then.  Here's the snowfall predictions for the storm that is moving in tomorrow.  Do you see Richmond down there?  We live a bit to the left of it.  About where the 3 to 6" turns into 6 to 12".  Our kids both live in the 12 to 24" area. Yuck.  Done that, been there and really don't want to do it again. 

So we are prepping our house and lives for a snowy weekend.  Gas is available for the small generator we have.  Water is available for drinking in case we don't want to run the generator for long periods of time. (We have a well.)   Food is available that doesn't have to be heated up.  Ice is packed into the freezers to help keep the food cold.  I keep charging the electronics so that I can have something to read on. (I have an old cell phone I only charge up when I will be somewhere that may not have electricity to recharge for a while.)  And, I've got lots of fabric I can cut up on my Go if the power does go out.  We have a gravel driveway so we don't have to clear that although, we probably won't be able to leave for a few days either.  Our streets get plowed early on because the local sheriff lives in the neighborhood.  Stay warm this weekend and sew to your heart's content! I'll be firing up Ruthie this morning to quilt some quilts today and tomorrow, hopefully. 

I'm linking up with Really Random Thursday, Let's Be Social, Needle and Thread Thursday and Can I Get a Whoop? which I'll add once it is up. 

Happy Quilting All! a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank">