Monday Meanderings 10 - 20 - 2025

 It was a terrific retreat!  So much fun chatting with all the quilters -- friends for years and new friends too. The weather was wonderful -- cool but not cold at night, sunny and warm during the day.  And, no rain.  What more can you ask for? Um, and we didn't short out the sewing room. (I say that only because at one quilting class, many years ago, the quilters caused an entire community center and the local police station to lose electricity!) 

Here's what was on my goal list.

10/13/25

✅Have a great time at retreat - wonderful retreat, good food, fun and quilting.

Finish at least 4 of 6 projects — nope, 1 finished at home, 1 is ready for a border, 2 were moved forward. 

✅Start loading a quilt on long arm when back home — loaded and quilted a small quilt.

First up is a 3 yard quilt from the book Quick Christmas 3 Yard Quilts called Irish Christmas.  My quilt is definitely not a Christmas quilt.  I used fabrics from my stash and one purchased fabric. Here's what it looked like after retreat. I had the border strips cut but it's easier to cut the length and apply at home. 

Here's what it looks like with the borders I put on over the weekend. 

It's gone to the "To-be-quilted" closet.  I do need to see how much fabric I have left. I know there's a hunk of the floral print and some of the pink. Maybe I have enough to do the backing or at least a start. 

Here's a small baby quilt I was able to finish the inside. I brought a couple of possible border fabrics but they were vetoed.  One was a bright orange that just didn't work. I have more of the polka dots but I hope to find something in my stash for a border.  I'll report when I find it. 

Here are two of the blocks for Benny's Quilt. I made it with 2" squares rather than 2.5" squares it called for. I did find a link to the pattern too. It was on Michelle's Romantic Tangle.  I'm pretty sure it isn't a current blog but the patterns are still available. Benny's Quilt is the first one -- just click on it if you are interested in making your own. There are several more you can look at to see if you might want to make a different one. 

I was able to sew all the 2" squares needed for the "foursies" at retreat. I then started sewing the blocks together. I was mostly using them as my leader enders and then starting to make the squares.

I made some inroads on another project using it as a leader ender but I haven't taken any pictures yet. I hope to move all of these projects forward over the next few weeks. 

Here's what I hope to work on this coming week. 

10/20/25 

Work on the Benny Quilt 

Find border for baby quilt

Sew sections 3 and 4 of the tall tree

Pick a top to quilt 

It finally happened! I forgot to sew the day I drove home from retreat. Honestly, I can't believe I forgot to even knit for 15 minutes! I did get most of my stuff put away. One more container has a few things in the bottom that need to be put away before I can stash it in the basement. 

W/ending 10/19/25. 292 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/October 18/19
• 15 minute days/2024 = 291/292 days
• Success rate = 99.6% (it would be 100% if I rounded up!) 

Here are two of Sharon's quilts she finished at retreat. The first one is a Fabric Cafe 3 Yard Quilt. (Sorry, don't remember which book it is from although I know I made one of these too.) 

This second one used charm squares and Cheryl Brinkley's book Just One Charm Pack Quilts.

I wasn't very good at taking pictures this time.  But I did take several pictures of this sunset last Monday evening.  Isn't it beautiful? It was the only day we had such a spectacular sunset.

I did notice this license plate frame. I'm all about the fabric! In fact, I went shopping at Fork MTM Quilting (in Rocky Mount, Va)  and came home with a couple of yards of mostly red, white, and blue fabrics. I'll share them later. 

I'll be linking up with these parties. Please take some time to visit the blogs listed on them. 

Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meanderings 9 - 29 - 2025

September is about over.  I'm not sure why it went by so fast.  Does it seem like the days are going faster the closer we get to the end of the year? I imagine Christmas will be here any minute! Despite time flying by I did pretty well on my goals list. 

9/22/25

✅Prepare and ✅sew binding on Ombre Log Cabin — about half way done hand stitching the binding.

✅Continue cutting out Magnificent Mystery Quilt — actually I started cutting out and sewing first clue. 

✅Make two more potato chip blocks  for RSC — finished a light green and a light blue. 

✅Try making one section of paper pieced tall tree — finished section 1.

Attend a grand’s soccer game — didn’t attend. We were rained out but the game was played in the rain! Something we didn’t want to sit through!  

I'm doing the Magnificent Mystery designed by Cheryl Brickey. The first sewing clue was to make quarter square triangles. I've got more than half done but it's taking me a long time. Hopefully I'll get all of them done by the end of this week. 

The colors for September's Rainbow Scrap Challenge are light blue and light green.  So far I've made the first two blocks using mostly the colors. I still need to make the reverse blocks where there is just one round of color and the rest lights. 

I was happy how easy the first section of the Tall Tree paper pieced pattern was. I'm hoping to make one or two sections a week so that I can have it finished before Christmas. We'll see if I can do that. Sorry, these colors are a bit off.  There were only 5 pieces to sew together this time.  One of the later sections has a bunch of little triangles to sew. No doubt that will take me much longer to do. 

We bailed on the soccer game on Saturday. The DC area had a huge storm forecasted on Saturday.  So we decided an hour and a half sitting in the rain would not be good for us, or comfortable. Then we'd have another 90 minutes (or longer) to get home through the pouring rain.  I don't think it rained as hard as was forecasted but our area got quite a bit. I spent most of the day sewing so I was quite happy. Although we missed some great plays Sophie made as the goalie. We were sent a video of one play. 

Here's my plan for this week. 

9/29/25

Finish clue 1 of marvelous Mystery

Finish sewing down ombré Log Cabin binding

Quilt and bind another top

Make section 2 of Tall Tree 

Sing at Movies and Music a Cabaret with the Spotsylvanians

I've done really well on my 15 minutes of sewing this week.  I find it pretty easy to keep up.  If I haven't sewn any during the day I can easily grab my hat knitting project and set a timer for 15 while I knit away.  Generally I do spend way more time sewing or cutting every day. 

W/ending 9/28/25. 271 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/September 28/28
• 15 minute days/2024 = 271/271 days
• Success rate = 100%

Later this week (10/1) I should be able to post the October Mysteries and Sew Alongs. Check back if you are looking for a new sewing project. 

Here are the Linky Parties for this week. 

Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap 

Design Wall Monday

Monday Musings

We walk Sunny every evening after dinner.  The sun is setting earlier every day now. Recently we've had some gorgeous sunsets and rainbows.  The sunset below is looking westerly on our street.  

We've had Sunny for more than a year now so we've walked her in snow, rain, wind, sun and dark of night.  I'm not looking forward to walking when it's dark nor to upcoming really cold weather but she doesn't seem to mind it. 

Happy Quilting All, Bonnie