Monday Meanderings 1 - 27 - 2025

Did you know we are 6.85% through with 2025? That doesn't sound like a lot of time but we are almost done with January. February is creeping up on us.  I'm hoping to get a quilt bound before the month is over. 

I had a terrific week finishing my goals this week.  Look at all those check marks!

1/20/25

✅Bind grape quilt — Done!

✅Finish 3.5 rail blocks to top — Main section done, need to buy more border fabric. 

✅Make a couple of potato chip blocks — Done!

✅Quilt another top — Done! 

✅Keep cutting up scraps and putting fabric away — Some done but more to do. 

✅Start new mystery quilt with Sharon, choose and prep fabric for it — Fabric picked and first block finished. 

Here's the top I got quilted this past week.  I was happy to move it from top to quilt. I only need to bind by Friday to have a second finish this month. 

I used So Fine white (401) on this quilt.  And, yes, sadly the greens don't really match.  They are both bright and happy colors though. The design is Quick and Easy Edge to Edge Swirls by My Creative Stitches. The backing fabric will be used for the binding too. 

You know sometimes you win the bobbin challenge and sometimes you lose. I really loss when finishing this quilt. This is the computer read out. Yep, I ran out of bobbin with only 2% left to finish.  The good news is I had another bobbin with a small amount on it that I could quickly load up and finish the top. And, no, I didn't finish the bobbin. But I did finish my first spool of thread (actually a big cone) for 2025.

Sharon and I try to do a mystery quilt or quilt along together every year. We FaceTime and talk while we follow the directions for the month. We decided to do Cali-Co by Coriander Quilts. (It's not too late to start this year-long block of the month.) Read through all the info to find Block 1, Fabric Requirements, Calendar, and the You Tube information.  

I decided I was going to use my stash. I had a nice hunk of turquoise fabric with dabs of pink, yellow, and green. I also had a very bright green, pink, yellow and blue fabric.  I started pulling small bits of fabrics that went with the bright green, pink, yellow and blue.  Then it became apparent to me that the bright fabric was way too bright and there wasn't enough to use as the border. So it served the purpose of finding fabric to use but got sent back to the shelf.  Here's my original fabric pull:

When I started cutting up fabric for block 1 I decided I probably had enough precut half square triangles to make the blocks I needed. Ditto for the 2.5" blocks I needed. And ditto again for most of the white. I did grab a 1.75 yard piece of white on white that I'll continue to use for the borders and some of the HSTs.  Here's my block 1 all finished. 

I am tickled with the finished block.  I chose colors that wouldn't be so dark as to look black. (Um, except that one bottom left square.) My only issue is my seams must have been slightly bigger than 1/4". The block turned out to be 12.25 rather that 12.5".  Hopefully it won't make a difference and the rest of the blocks will come out the right size. 

Since, I didn't take photos of my other projects let's move on to this week's goals. 

1/27/25

Make more potato chip blocks

Bind black, green, and white quilt

Make a placemat from orphan block

Make backing for flannel quilt 

Spend 15 minutes/day cleaning up studio

Start a knit headband 

I wrote another list of things I wanted to do on Friday because I pretty much finished with my list. Several of the items went on my goal list for this week. One of the off list items I did was alter the bottom of a fairly old sweatshirt. I chose my Zermat sweatshirt to remove the bottom ribbing and put on a woven cotton binding. 

This looks weird because it is a dark grey shirt with a lighter grey binding. (And the photo was taken early evening in only artificial light.) See below for a close up of the binding. I did make bias binding so it does have a little stretch. 

Many years ago I made a sweatshirt with a machine appliquéd pig flying and words that said When Pigs Fly or something like that. (You can see it here.) I wear it a lot and the bound bottom edge is so much easier to take on and off and more comfortable to wear. Thus my new attack on my old sweatshirt. I'll let you know how it works.  If I like it I have another one I want to do. It's been so cold this winter that I like having either a sweater or sweatshirt on -- but I hate dragging things over my head for some reason. 

I've maintained my 100% of stitching this week. Here are the details. 

W/ending 1/26/25. 26 days of 2025

• 15 minute days/Jan = 7/7 days
• 15 minute days/2024 = 26/26 days
• Success rate = 100%

I'm linking up with my regular parties. Come take a look. I'll try to link up the other two when they are available. 

Stitching Stuff

Oh Scrap

Design Wall Monday 

Monday Musings

That's it for me now.  I'm hoping to get some reading done before I head to sleep. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Goals and a Few Finishes

We had a great Christmas but not the celebration we thought we were having.  Christmas Eve day our son called to tell us his wife had come down with Covid. He wasn't feeling all that great and also worried about the kids.  But the gist of the conversation was they couldn't host Christmas for us or his in-laws.  We all enjoy the opportunity to catch up with everyone while having room for the 17 of us to fit in the house or play in the yard.  Bummer.  Our daughter and her husband came up with a meal at their house really fast.  (Hum, what does it say about me when I'm concerned about the meal?) We were trying to figure out if a 6 lb. turkey breast would feed 7. They came up with a meal before we could figure that out! 

I thought I'd share some of the presents I made and ones I received after I do the normal goals post.  As you can see below I did pretty well on the goals. 

12/18/23

✅Sing at Mall and a private gig — done until mid January

Quilt a small quilt — the back is loaded ... but no sewing done

✅Wrap presents — finished with a day to spare!

✅Attend guild dinner  — Had a wonderful time — so much fun

✅Make more placemats — turned in 6! 

✅Wash, dry and fold some more fabric — 3 of 4 boxes done and returned, 1 to go

The gals who plan our quilt guild holiday party go all out. It was a beautiful scene and we had a lot of fun. 

So far this week I have been taking things easy. I did think about skipping goals but decided to go ahead and make a list.  I may not get them done but that's ok.

12/26/23

Quilt a small quilt or two 

Clean up several horizontal surfaces in studio 

Pick something fun and easy and make a quilt top

Finish Dec. Clue for Malted Mystery

Relax, read, and have fun 

Since some of the Christmas presents I made have been given away I'm including photos of two of my grands in their presents.  Remember the goals to embroider two sweatshirts?  Several months ago Urban Threads had a sale on some designs just right for sweatshirts.  I sent emails to both grands and asked them to pick the design they would like.  Sophie, the oldest, picked out several and asked me to surprise them.  Argh! How to make that decision as they were very different. I finally chose the first one listed. And, luckily they really liked it -- thought it was cool.  (I liked it because it had only 4 thread colors and only 4 thread changes. Yipee!) 

Natalie chose one after some prodding from her mom.  And, evidently totally forgot about it. (She mentioned that to me Christmas Day which was nice that it was a surprise.) Unfortunately I bought the wrong size sweatshirt and didn't realize it until after I'd embroidered it.  That went to my good friend's granddaughter who was tickled to get it.  This design used 8 colors and 11 color changes.  What was neat about both of them is I didn't have to buy any threads -- I used what I have. 

It's been quite a while since I last did any embroidery.  There was a learning curve to remember (or look up) how to do things but I think there might be some more embroidering in my future. 

Hubby got me two great Christmas presents.  One was a new sweatshirt. I relate to this pile of books.  Needless to say it hit the wash and I started wearing it right away.  

My other present hubby made for me after I sent him the idea.  Have you been using wooden blocks to help make your blocks/seams lie flatter?  I had the opportunity to use some at two of the retreats this year and decided I liked the bigger size rather than smaller ones.  I heard a lot of cutting, sanding and such from his workshop but didn't know what he was working on although I was hoping. I was really happy to see this 10" block. If you don't know about using wood blocks they started out in tailoring as clampers.  Someone decided it might work well to make quilt seams lie flat and they were right.  I always use steam with my iron as it doesn't seem to do well without it. Now I steam my units and/or my finished block and pop this wood block on it. It seems to pull out the heat and moisture leaving a very flat seam. 

I used this while working on some Happy Blocks and some of the blocks for Malted Mystery.  I was very happy with the results.  I chose a 10" block because I have the 9" (fin) Accuquilt Cube so I tend to make a lot of 9.5" unfinished blocks. 

Part of what's left of this week I need to decide on which UFOs I'll put on the APQ 2024 challenge. I might also list the quilts and other items I've finished this year.  I have decided I'm going back to keeping fabric usage and purchases again.  I've done it for many years and for some reason decided I didn't want to this year.  I wish I had so I'm going back to keeping that info. I'm not sure what new projects I'll start but might I admit to having a dresser drawer full of fabric and some patterns I pulled to use together.  I need to stop pulling and start using that fabric.  I keep planning quilts but haven't work on new ones since before October.  I also plan to participate in the 15 minutes of sewing every day at Life in Pieces. Although I do tend to sew every day, I am going to include time spent cutting fabrics, or cleaning up the cutting table and the like.  It all goes into the mix and counts toward sewing time. 

That's enough for today.  Here's some different blogs that I'll be linking with.  

Midweek Makers

Wednesday Wait Loss

Im hoping to spend some time surfing the Internet.  I really don't need more ideas, but it is fun to see what is going on with quilters around the world. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Sweatshirt Done!

Here's the picture of the When Pigs Fly sweatshirt I finished the other day.  This will be very cozy during these cold winter months.  And most of my decorated sweatshirts have been worn so many times they look thread bare!  But, it is hard to retire those old ones... but may be I will as I make a few new ones.  

Saturday I got quite a bit of quilting done.  I am working on one of Mysteries for Relay mystery quilts.  It has a million 1 x 1.5" blocks in it.  The blocks are strip pieced so it is taking less time then I thought it would.  I am still making blocks for the Carousel Horse quilt.  I've decided I need only 5 more blocks and then it is getting sewn together, bordered and basted.  I'm hoping to have it done some time this month.  This is a Project Linus quilt and I need to have it done before the next blanket day. 

This little bird visited the feeder on New Year's Eve day.  It was cold and really windy outside. He came and sat in the feeder for quite a while.  He looks wedged in there.  We will be traveling quite a bit over the next few weeks and I know the birds are going to be upset with us.  We fill the feeder every day so they will be hungry when we're gone for three day weekends and our one week vacation that is coming up in two weeks.  And, below the feeder the squirrels gather to eat what the birds drop.  This is one of the few places we've put our feeders that the squirrels haven't been able to get to it. 

Tomorrow laundry will be calling my name and some vacuuming (ugh.) But I hope to get all the carousel blocks finished.  And, perhaps some of the mystery quilt blocks too.  

Happy quilting all! Bonnie