Rows Are Sewn

I have all eight rows of mountain majesty blocks sewn together, finally. The reason it’s taken so long is I chose to unpick some seams so I could iron them the opposite way.  If I had remembered to do this while sewing the blocks, it would have been so much faster 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. Now the seams nest and it will make neater, flatter top, IMHO.  

I have finished the 29 light background friendship star blocks…..

……..and five of the 52 dark ones.

Last, here’s my design wall as it will be for the next 3 1/2 weeks while I’m gone to visit my Dad & stay in our cabin in the Posey, CA area by the Sequoia National Forrest. A few more scrap blocks have been completed for the RSC. I picked up a cowboy panel with the artwork of Hugh Cabot to make a fundraiser quilt for the Posey Area Fire Auxiliary. There is a lot of ranching in the Posey area so I think it should do well next fall. The scrap blocks are 6 1/2” so you can see the panel is big. Now to design the quilt….some ideas are percolating.

I will post while I’m gone if I have anything interesting.

Cheers, Cherie 

Sunday Snow

I couldn’t seem to settle yesterday as I kept looking out the windows, checking on the snow. We ended up with 13 inches of snow when it stopped last night.

It was beautiful by the light of my cute tree. The first picture is when I woke up and the second when I went to bed on Sunday. In the background you can see our birdbath with a warmer. It managed to keep a small circle melted and was busy with birds visiting all day.

I sewed a little, pinned scraps during the playoff games and continued to straighten/cull the fabric shelves but nothing picture worthy.

Cherie 

Definitely Not Finished Friday 1-23-26

Today I’m sewing with a friend at Zimmerman’s Bernina Sewing in New Enterprise, PA. I brought the “54” block units, the mountain rows and some of the friendship star blocks to sew.

We shop hopped to four quilt shops along the way and I picked up a few things.

Had to snag that 6 yd piece as it was only $1.00/yd. I’d not seen the Kona Natural Crush fabric before but a new store, The Guilded Bobbin, had some so I got 1/2 yd cuts of three of the colors.  

Sew…..no finishes unless you count finished blocks or rows 😂.

I’m linking up to Alycia’s Finished (or not) Friday and speaking of Alycia, Cheddar & Dill arrived safely at her lovely ranch home on Monday 😅. I stuck a few extras in the box 😁😬😁😬. We’ll see if that was a good or bad thing, lolololol!

Hoping everyone in the winter storm path stays safe and warm.  We are lucky our retreat trip has fallen right between two storms and we’ll be home before any snow flies.

Cherie

National Squirrel Appreciation Day/A New Start

Thanks to Julie, I know what day it is, Squirrel 🐿️ Appreciation Day! Here’s Alexander, my studio squirrel. He’s been on hiatus as DGD found and claimed him to play downstairs but he’s baaaaaaack!

And he may have influenced the start of a new BOM project I’m doing with a long distance friend 🧐🧐

I have on my list to make a Christmas quilt, so I’m doing the BOM in Christmas colors but not using Christmas fabrics. 

Here’s my sewing machine still life showing mountain majesty (currently on row four), Celtic Solstice and a not seen before friendship star project underway. There’s also a glimpse of on the right of leader/ender blue crumb blocks for the RSC.

More on the FS project….it will be king sized and is destined for a couple in England.

Jan, the Colorful Fabriholic, has a friendship star in her charity projects on her blog that inspired this one. It will have light gray background and dark grey background blocks forming the layout below.

Happy Squirrel Appreciation Day! Cherie 

Finished (or not) Friday 1-16-26

Finally finished clipping threads and packaged up the Cheddar & Dill quilt top & backing. Tracking says it should be delivered Monday….always worry about quilts in transit!

Here’s a block finished…..I’m shortening the name to “54” because writing 54-40 or Fight is a pain to type out, lol.  

And here’s how I’m trying to make sure I don’t turn any pieces wrong 😑…..it’s so easy to get those pesky pesky/spike units turned the wrong way round and the 4 patches are always subject to rotation, too. 

In my straightening & evaluating the fabric shelves efforts, I’ve come across pieces that I never washed (past Cherie was kicking that can down the road🙄) so I’m washing them as I find them. Check out the 2008 date on this leftover piece I was given!

And contrast this pile of washed and waiting to be ironed fabric from the shelves…….

With these finds from my LQS sale (18 1/2 yds to the stash, not all pictured 😉).

A Tula and some Kaffe, neither of which are on sale very often. I used to love more muted colors and I still do like them, but I’m definitely loving the brights now. 

Linking up to Finished (or not) Friday

Cherie

Last BG Block

I have sewn the last Birthday Girl block, yahoo!

So now it’s onto the remaining 33 54-40 or Fight blocks…..oops I see a unit that needs to be turned. Glad I noticed now 😆

In the background you can see the scrappy mountain rows are being worked on at the same time….I’m on row two now. 

I’m continuing to sew the crumb blocks in blue and this is the pile waiting to be trimmed 😱

In the foreground is the pattern I’m doing for the sesquicentennial.  I’ve pulled fabrics from my stash and I don’t think I’ll need to purchase fabric for this one, sweet!

Happy Quilting, Cherie

Kansas Troubles Anyone?

Is there anyone who is currently in love with Kansas Trouble Quilters? I have the complete Stitches on the Oregon Trail kit, with backing, and all block “Chapter” directions plus bonus patterns 1, 2 & 3 (here’s a link to an eBay listing showing the patterns). I would be happy to give this to someone if they are willing to pay for shipping which I imagine is less than $50.  

Patterns

Fabric

The cleaning, evaluating and clearing out continues in the quilt studio and I’m feeling all the lighter for it.

Cheers, Cherie

RSC 1-10-26

I participated in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge years ago and thought I’d start again. I’m choosing to take it literally for 2026 and make 6 1/2” crumb blocks each month. Linking up with the RSC here.

After finishing the Cheddar & Dill top, the design wall looks so empty :(

And here is the stack of blocks-to-be with the third to the last Celtic Solstice Birthday Girl block one seam away from finished ;-)

I’m thinking of using these to make chandelier blocks but for now, I’m just sewing them leader/ender style or if I feel the urge to power sew.

Happy Saturday, Cherie 

Finished Friday

I finished the Cheddar & Dill top……but first I had an oops that required use of my fancy seam ripper. 

Took the photo and didn’t notice anything amiss until I was editing it 🤦🏻‍♀️.

I maybe used a word from the bad words list, but it was an easy fix, so here it is, a finished top!

Now to spend an evening trimming threads and I will get it off to be quilted. 

Linking up with Alycia at Finished or not Friday, who, incidentally, is the quilter it’s going too!

Happy quilting, Cherie

2025 Fabric In, Spools & Pattern Giveaway

First off, not all the fabric in is my fault as I was gifted 34 yds but the Tim Holtz below is definitely on me 😁😁.

Fabric In: 151.75 yds - Julie sent me 22 yds and I won two quilt kits with ~12 yds, but okay, still way too much in 🥺

Fabric Out: 57.5 yds - Est 20 yds for Roll Roll Cotton Boll, 12 yds identified for Jan for charity quilts, 5 yds kitted for bags for a friend, est. 20 yds for the gifted Circle of Life project and 1.75 gifted to a local quilter.

Net In: 94 yds - goal for 2026 is to use more fabric than I bring in each quarter which means I have to fully finish things.

I emptied some thread spools 🤓.  These are since the beginning of 2025 and the oldest one is from 2019 (I date them when I first start using them, nerd that I am, lol).

Lastly, if anyone would like the pattern for Starfire, from the quilt kit I won from Kelly of My Quilt Infatuation, let me know and I’ll pop it in the mail to you. It could possibly include fabric as well 😉😉

Happy quilting, Cherie

Last Finish of 2025 on to 2026

I finished the three covers for the kombucha jars on Dec 29. There’s only two pictured as I handed off the night before for a test to be sure the fit was right.

They have been declared perfect. These and the golf club covers have been quite a diversion 😂

In the not finished but have made progress category, is the Cheddar & Dill project.  Twosies & foursies are happening at a good clip and I’m almost finished trimming the remaining HST’s.

It will be ready to mail soon so it’s time to see what I have for backing.

Linking up to Finished (or not) Friday. 

Happy day two of 2026, Cherie

Winter UFO List

Here’s the Winter 2026 UFO list. I have two new quilts I need to finish by June so I’ll squeeze in some UFO sewing in between.  

1) Finish the flannel donation quilt……missed the football window but it can work for hockey as these are Penguins colors as well.

2)  Quilt and bind the fall table runner.  This one isn’t old as I started it in August.

3)  Finish the third quilt from broken dishes blocks made as part of the RSC many (many!) years ago.  These are all from thrifted shirts and the rows are partially together.

4)  Quilt & bind Scrap Confetti 

5)  Quilt & bind Starfire. 

6)  Quilt & Bind Quadrangle. 

8)  Make the last “not quite to size” broken dishes blocks into a small baby quilt.

9)  Make progress on Celtic Solstice, Bonnie Hunter’s 2013 mystery quilt that I started several years later. It was in time out until 2025.  I have all but 9 of the Birthday Girl blocks together.

10)  Make a table topper from these waste triangles that have been kicking around for years 🙄.

11)  Sew the Mountain Majesty blocks into a top.

12) Finish Cheddar & Dill top to be sent for quilting. This I know will happen as I have a January time to get it quilted!

Happy New Year! Cherie

Fall 2025 UFO Report

I finished two projects from the UFO list last quarter. The biggest, both in terms of size and time from starting, is Roll, Roll Cotton Boll. The other is the smallest, the snap bag.

1) Quilt and bind Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll (RRCB)!!! DONE!

2)  Finish the snap bag…..ok, it’s an easy one but it’s been hanging around like this for a year now 🤦🏻‍♀️ Done!

5)  Finish Starfire.  Again, not an old one but I really want to finish this it! Progress, the top is complete.

6)  Finish Quadrangle.  I’d love to have this one up next on Sophie, my longarm, after I finish RRCB. Progress, the top and pieced backing is complete.

9)  Finish Celtic Solstice, another Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt that’s been in the works a loooong time, just not as long as RRCB.  Progress with 14 Birthday Girl blocks sewn.

11)  Make a quilt starting with these rejects from a donation quilt I finished in July. Progress, the blocks are complete.

12)  Cheddar & Dill - Quilt Diva Julie sent me this project when it no longer inspired her. Progress! Cheddar & Dill blocks are complete and sewn together.  All HST’s for the border are sewn and in progress of being trimmed….and the border layout has been chosen!

I am pleased with the results and will continue to make UFO lists in 2026.

Cheers, Cherie