Shirley Anne’s Heart

SINGER  221 FEATHERWEIGHT

I GOT MY SINGER 221 FEATHERWEIGHT TODAY….YEAH…..it is just TOO CUTE. I will give her a name - but I haven’t decided what it will be yet.  I do know that I am retiring my “COOPER” - my first WAL-MART Brother sewing machine that I have totally worn out - it makes an extremely loud tired groaning sound when I sew!  :) 

I have to say that the HELLO KITTY sewing machine is pretty cute as well.  Here is Patsy with hers today at our Egg Money Quilt class.  My friend Sheddy has one too…….Oh dear, this could be the start of a sewing machine collection.  (I used to wonder why people needed more than one sewing machine - I now understand this completely!) 

But collection or not my Brother Duetta has my heart and I can never imagine sewing on anyhing else when I am at home!  I love love love it.  It purrs…..seriously, it is absolutely amazing.  It is on my LIST OF FAVORITE THINGS - right up there with chocolate.

EGG MONEY QUILT CLASS

Susan (Quilter’s Corner) taught our Egg Money class today.  SEE SUSAN’S BLOG FOR A PICTURE OF THE ENTIRE CLASS THAT SHE TOOK TODAY.  WWW.QUILTERSCORNERVA.COM

Here is Susan with her Eleanor Burns HALLOWEEN COSTUME - isn’t this just TOO FUNNY!

We made the first two blocks of the Eleanor Burns EGG MONEY QUILT.  The first block is the Grandmother’s Flower Garden block and the second is the Road to California block.

Since I will miss class in August  I went ahead and made blocks #3 and #4 (Turkey Tracks and Rosebud.)  I would rather be ahead of things rather than to be behind…….HM…..does that make me an overachiever?  :):)   Here are all four of my blocks so far.  

This class is going to be a lot of fun!

TTFN and MY PINEAPPLE CRUSH QUILT

I will be in the Midwest (starting tomorrow) visiting my family and celebrating my mother’s birthday (July 30) so my BLOG will be “dark” for awhile.  I will be back in time for the COlONIAL PIECEMAKER’S GUILD MEETING AUG 2 - and for BONNIE K. HUNTER’S STAR STRUCK CLASS in Williamsburg, VA…..fun times ahead…..

and speaking of Bonnie K. Hunter (Quiltville.com) I have my PINEAPPLE CRUSH TOP sewn together…

…and it looks like a cat dashed into the picture at the last minute (top of the quilt!)

TTFN…..until I return!

Tags: Antiques, EGG MONEY QUILT, My Favorite Things, Pineapple Crush Mystery Quilt, Singer 221 Featherweight by drsao
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MAKING PLAY DOUGH

I don’t think I have ever handled warm play dough - until recently that is.  My grandangels and I made an orange and a purple batch (it turned out gray!) this weekend and it was lots of fun.

I think we needed more PURPLE Food Coloring in our Purple BATCH.

They made me a PARTY - donuts, cookies and grape (GRAY) juice!

Or you can just make critters!

Here is the recipe - it is really fun to do and therapeutic too

…who can feel anything but happy holding a big blob of warm PLAY DOUGH!

2 cups flour

2 cups water (add the food coloring to the water)

1 cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/4 cup oil

Put everything in a pan and cook until it clings together like PLAY DOUGH!  :)  It actually gets thick quite fast so stir constantly….and have a good time!

MOVIE RECOMMENDATIONS

The parents were away so we went to TWO MOVIES - Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Movie (now Sarah and I both want American Girl dolls!)  and Space Chimps.  We give both movies two oppposing thumbs up.  :)  Since MAMA MIA is not an age appropriate choice - we made sure that we took this picture to FOOL THEIR PARENTS……:) 

BUNCO

Now that I reflect a bit, this was a pretty exciting weekend!  My daughter and I went to a BUNCO party - you had to wear the coconuts if you got BUNCO……below you will see Michelle and Christi (my DD) who tied for wining the MOST BUNCOS…..I didn’t get even one Bunco!

And this is Susan who is only pretending to be happy because she has a toothache!

And the other BUNCO WINNERS……we had lots of fun.  Thanks, Christian, for the wonderful party…..Christi was THRILLED to get to bring the coconuts home. 

Tags: Life Comments, SAO's Family, SAO's Grandangels by drsao
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Dear Jane Quilt (Progress Report)

I am really having fun making these Dear Jane blocks and I love the names that have been given to them.  Here is my A8  Florence Nightingale

- one more done and 50,000 more to go.  :)  Not really, it just seems like it!

First - my red and white A8 practice block -

and then the real block….LOL

This isn’t a great picture - but it is of my FIRST BORDER TRIANGLE BLOCK - BR1 Rosemary’s Window  (the red and white is the practice block.)  I think paper piecing is a lot of fun!

I have learned to scan my blocks and put them into the EQ Dear Jane Project Chart - too much fun!  I now have 8 blocks finished (times 2 so that makes a total of 16 Dear Jane blocks!)

EGG MONEY QUILT

The first EGG MONEY QUILT (Eleanor Burns) class is the 20th (taught by Susan at QUILTER’S CORNER.)  I am really looking forward to it: however, I just realized that I am going to miss the SECOND CLASS because I will be in CALIFORNIA.  So today I went ahead and made block # 3 - TURKEY TRACKS that will be part of the 2nd class.  I love these 30’s fabrics…….and this was a new experience to make Y seams!  I am so happy that I got this made….it wasn’t that difficult…..and my little points all seemed to come together as planned in the middle! 

ORANGE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILT QUILTED

I picked up my Bonnie Hunter Orange Crush Mystery Quilt from my long arm quilter, Sara Parrish, today!  I love it.  She did a fabulous job and I took her picture - but her eyes were closed - so I am not going to put her picture up here.   Here is my OC on the rack just waiting for me to pick it up!

HERE IS THE BACK OF THE OC - it is ready for the orange binding!  I really am starting to like this scrappy back!

GPS TECHNOLOGY

For years I have been getting lost and for years I have been calling my daughter to FIND ME while I am lost.  NOT ANYMORE.  I got a GPS - a GARMIN NUVI and oh is this ever fun.  I can watch myself driving along the road on the little screen - just like a video game.  When I stop - the little car on the screen stops.  It is just amazing.  When I make a mistake it recalculates and tells me how to get myself out of my “STATE OF LOSTNESS.”  I LOVE IT.  I really do.  It is pretty amazing that his little screen can TALK TO YOU and tell you you have .2 more miles to your next turn, etc.   I will never be lost again…..hopefully!  :):) 

THE GPS IS NOW ON MY LIST OF FAVORITE THINGS!

Tags: Dear Jane Quilt, EGG MONEY QUILT, My Favorite Things, Orange Crush Quilt, Quilts in Progress, TECHNOLOGY by drsao
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SARAH’S SWIM MEET

Grandangel Sarah (age eight) and her team (MAKOS of Brandermill) were in an exciting swim meet last night at the Shenandoah Pool. 

This must be some kind of a GO GET THEM PEP TALK in sign language..

..Mother-Daughter bull look!

The family cheering squad is ready!

Sarah is here with her coach waiting for the buzzer to signal the start!

Sarah beat her own record by 20 seconds…..what a shock….guess that bull look pep talk had magical powers!

Sarah beat her personal best on the back stroke by 11 seconds….it was a very good night!

WALK IN SUNDAY PARK

Early today the weather was a PERFECT 10 and so DH, Pepper (our dog) and I went for a walk around the Lake at Sunday Park…..I just happened to have my camera with me this morning.

Some people think that people and their dogs look alike - notice any resemblance here between Max (DH) and Pepper (dog)?

There are so many nice places around the lake to have a picnic….too bad there isn’t electricity - it would be a great place for a quilting party..  Hey, it would be a great place for quilty handwork!

A chair or a blanket PLUS a good book - HM - why am I thinking about this on a WALK!!!

Pepper likes to look at the ducks!

HOUSE BIRTHDAY - one year old

July 14 we moved into our house - so that is the BIRTH DATE that I gave it.  Actually it was finished either a couple of days earlier or a week or so later (last minute touch ups, etc.) 

What better birthday present than flowers (with a QVC watering bulb of course!)

Tags: House Birthday, Life Comments, SAO's Family, SAO's Grandangels, SWIM MEET by drsao
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Today I attended my first Country Piecemakers Quilt Guild Meeting - in fact it was my first GUILD MEETING EVER….a milestone event.  I had a wonderful time and everyone was so nice.

I made it to Powhatan without getting lost - so right away I knew it was going to be a great day.  And indeed, the day just kept getting better and better!  I had NO IDEA I would be treated to a mid morning feast - as well as lunch (hosted by the HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE.)   It was absolutely WONDERFUL.

Lo and behold - one of the SCRAPPY SISTERS was the President.  I already knew Sara (who is FAMOUS for her long arm quilting cottage) but this is the first time that I had met her sister Nancy!

Everyone in the guild has made a SUNBONNET SUE quilt block to represent who they are……here are a couple of close ups.  Now the new kids, (Linda and me) need to make one!  (We also get to make a fancy fabric name tag - I need to get my brain in gear!)

I wish that I could have taken pictures of all of the SHOW AND TELL PROJECTS (that was really a lot of fun)…..I did get a couple of pics of the NIC (NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE) Quilts - some little babies are going to be very cozy.