Design Wall Monday - August 31, 2026

Good Morning Quilters!

Let’s start off with the wildlife I’ve seen this week.   We usually see some animals each week, but this week was full of animals.  For example,  today we visited DH’s home town in the middle of Michigan and saw 4 guinea hens by the road.  Here is what they look like:

We were not near any houses, but they must belong to someone, as I looked them up, and they are not native to America.  They sure were pretty.  Interesting fact I learned from the internet……the male makes a one syllable sound similar to  “Wheat”…..the female makes a two syllable call that sounds like “Buck wheat”

Then another time this week, while driving, we came upon what we thought was a small accident.  Cars were stopped ahead of us, but when we got nearer, we saw the problem:  a little white dog had somehow escaped from a car, and was running down the highway.  Several other cars stopped, and some other people got out and also tried to catch the little dog.  We don’t know how it turned out, but I loved that everyone was helping out.  I like to believe that the little white dog was reunited with his family.

(Note that these pictures are from the internet, for illustration only.)  

We watched a doe cross the road in front of us,  followed by two fawns and it was a marvel to watch them jump and bound away to safety.  The two fawns made the same leaps as their mom, and it was a serendipity to see them all leaping in succession.

Quilting went very smoothly this week.  The sashing on the “middle three row section” of the Jane Austen quilt is moving along.  A picture shows part of it on the floor……..I’m getting ready to add the long strips between rows. ( the are just placed between the rows right now - not sewn.)

The other half is still on the design wall, ready for the long sashing strips between rows.  But the little sashing strips between each block have been added.

The upper left section is on the design wall, waiting for all sashing to be added, between blocks in each row, and between rows:

The Old Mill Pond color scheme has now been settled in my head, as to what greens and what blues I am going to use.  I have 3 blocks of the 18 made, and I worked hard at getting the 1/4 inch seams sewn consistently.  It matters a lot when there are lots of pieces in a block.  These measure 9.5 inches unfinished, and that makes me happy.

I also made more of the flying geese that are used in an outside border around these blocks.  Someone asked last week if I am using the “make 4 at a time” flying geese method, and yes I am!  I find it very efficient when I need a lot of them.

What are you working on?  Or what are you playing with this week?  It is a joy to read your blogs and look at your pictures each week.  Thank you for joining our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below.  I appreciate you.

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Design Wall Monday - August 24, 2026

Good Morning Quilters!

We had a busy week with a family funeral and daughter flying in to be with us.  Our brother-in-law was 88, almost 89, and our family is grieving and remembering what a great man he was.

While our daughter is visiting, we are sewing together.  She shopped my stash and found a pretty fabric for a lining to a purse she crocheted. 

Here are pictures of the project, two pictures of the purse, and one of the lining fabric:

I will not be able to show a picture of the finished project because she is flying home tomorrow.  But she is very talented and it sure is fun to have her here.

I’ve been working on parts and pieces of the outside border for the Old Mill Pond quilt.  I need lots of little blocks for the border and decided to start on the border while still working on the blocks.  Joan Brink, who is making her version of this pattern also, taught me to start on the border before the center of a quilt is finished.  That way the border is not so intimidating.

Here is this past week’s work.  I made 22 of the 88 flying geese I need for the border:

 

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Design Wall Monday - August 17, 2026

Good Morning Quilters!

This week I worked on piecing blocks for the new project that I’m working on.  It’s a Pam Buda pattern called Old Mill Pond.  I found out that even though I had the right sized pieces in all the right places, the colors in my block weren’t like the instructions.  I haven’t made a green and blue quilt before, and am experimenting with which greens and which blues in my stash are going to be used together.  But this block is ready for assembly, with the greens in the correct places, and the blues in the correct places.

Picture:

And here is a picture of the same block that I made before last Monday, that has blues and greens reversed in parts of it:

What I enjoy about quilting is that each quilt teaches me things.  If every quilt went together like clockwork, I think I would be bored.  However, with each project I love learning things.  With this quilt, I am learning more about blues and greens.  And also to double check the instructions before assembling blocks.  

The Jane Austen quilt is still on the design wall, and I haven’t worked on it this past week.  Maybe this week there will be some progress.  

Also, the AQS Quiltweek Show is at the convention center in Grand Rapids on August 19-22, 2026.  I don’t know if I will attend it or not.  Life has been very busy lately,  

Amy (our lovely house guest for the summer), moved back to the dorms yesterday, for her senior year in nursing at Calvin University.  We will miss her a lot.  She is an extra Granddaughter to us, and I enjoy that because her parents are so far away, in Bangladesh.  

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Design Wall Monday - August 10, 2026

Good Morning Quilters!

This week I am starting a new project.  My friend Joan Brink and I are each starting a pattern called Old Mill Pond, a Vintage Stitches pattern by Heartspun Quilts.  Joan had bought a kit of the fabrics and the pattern and when she showed me the project, I bought the pattern to make it also.  I am using my stash fabrics, and there are 18 blocks to make.  Here is the pattern and my first two blocks:

I decided to use indigos and greens for this one, and am liking it so far.  Here is the third block in pieces ready to sew together:

It is a nice break from sewing polka-dot sashing to the Jane Austen project pieces.  I am trying to work on the sashing a little bit each day.  The slower work on the sashing is very pleasant, now that the quilt room is neat and tidy once again. 

Here is another picture of the design wall with the Jane Austen quilt in progress:

What are you working on?  Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us what you are starting or finishing.  We love to see your pictures and read your blogs.  Thank you so much for joining in.

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Design Wall Monday - August 3, 2026

 🛏️ 🤒   Good Morning Quilters!  The last days of July were not so good for me.  I’ve had the flu, but am declaring victory over it today.  I refuse to be sick in August.  

The project of replacing the lost Jane Stickle doll quilt is over.  I completed the last block yesterday and it won’t take me but a day to quilt it and bind it.  This time a label will go on the back right away.  And I will take good care of it if it leaves my house!

Here is a picture of the front before quilting and binding.  

I am concentrating next on the Jane Austen quilt that is on the design wall.  What are you creating this week?

Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party and show us what you are creating this week.  We would love to see!  And it will help me feel better.

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