Shirley Anne’s Heart

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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LOCKS OF LOVE GOT 22 INCHES OF BLONDE HAIR TODAY

Today was a big day.  Grandangels Leanna (12) and Sarah (8) gave their beautiful long blonde hair to LOCKS OF LOVE.  Some little girl with cancer or some other disease that results in hair loss will get some beautiful locks.  I am proud of the girls - this is their second 11-inch contribution each.

Here is Leanna (Sunday) getting her Second STAR STUDENT AWARD for dance and drama at the Academy for the Performing Arts….followed by a picture of Leanna (Tuesday) after donating her hair.  (Fantastic Sam’s gives FREE CUTS to donators!)

This is Sarah (the short one) getting her 3rd Year STAR STUDENT AWARD at the Academy for Dance (ballet, jazz, and Irish) followed by her picture AFTER donating her hair.

FIELD TRIP TO VA LIVING MUSEUM IN NEWPORT NEWS

Last Friday, my daughter got to go on the Field Trip to the VA LIVING MUSEUM with Sarah’s second grade class!  Here are a couple of great pictures from the trip!  (Sarah is in the front on the dinosaur!)  She is transformed into a TURTLE in the picture below!)

If you are ever in Newport News you can go to the Museum and pet a skunk - or a snake. :)  My daughter had so much fun being a chaperone that she doesn’t want ME TO MISS ALL THE FUN - I get to do this trip when Cooper is in 2nd grade (providing I win the chaperone lottery process.  :) They had lots of fun - so much that Sarah wasn’t sure what was better - the field trip or the dance recital!

COOPER’S 5TH BIRTHDAY

Cooper had a great birthday June 9th.  He got to go to CHUCK E CHEESE - a paradise for kids!

One mommy, one poppa, two sisters, one grandma Shirley (the photographer), one friend, and two sisters - now that is what I call a great party!

SCRAPPY HAPPY ORANGE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILT TOP AND BACK ARE FINISHED

I decided to put only one small 2 inch brown border on the Orange Crush Mystery Quilt.  It will be the perfect size for my grandangel James (age 5 1/2). 

I named it the SCRAPPY HAPPY ORANGE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILT.  It is 68 x 81.

The binding will be orange.

I made a SCRAPPY HAPPY PIECED BACK too (all 15 1/2″ squares)…….and here it is!

This was a very difficult process to make a totally scrappy quilt.  I enjoyed the challenge but the rest of my scrappy quilts will most likely be PLANNED or SEMI-RANDOM SCRAPPY!

You can’t see it but in the checkboard square I wrote information about the quilt and it will be quilted into the quilt - this is my first quilt label! 

Tags: Orange Crush Quilt, SAO's Grandangels by drsao
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I am such a sap - I cried at tech. rehearsal tonight because I was so overwhelmed with JOY at my grandangels’ dances…..go figure.

Here is Sarah standing at the top of the stairs ready to go on stage and the blonde with the pony tail in the middle doing her CHINA TOWN BALLET….

….and Leanna doing her modern dance to VISTA FROM A CAR WINDOW….Leanna has on white shorts and a dance t-shirt with gold lettering on the front.

Tomorrow I guess I will cry even more when they are in make-up and costumes for dress rehearsal…..and then Saturday it is the REAL DEAL!!!  I am watching the 3 o’clock performance and dressing the dancers at the 7 o’clock performance.  TOO MUCH FUN.

ORANGE CRUSH TOP WITHOUT BORDERS

I finished the Orange Crush Top without borders……

Since I am making TWO of these mystery quilts I decided to put the fancy border on the PINEAPPLE CRUSH and put plain borders on the ORANGE CRUSH……I am thinking of a narrow 2″ BROWN BORDER (the same fabric as in the SPINNING STAR blocks throughout) and then a 3 1/2″ GREEN BORDER (the same green as in the SPINNING STAR blocks throughout) - or maybe the blue check that matches the center of the orange album blocks……I will decide shortly!  Any votes?

Tags: Orange Crush Quilt, SAO's Grandangels by drsao
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Sarah (8) was so excited when she saw me making YO YO flowers for my BIRTH OF A SAMPLE QUILT (pictured above)…….that she wanted to make one too…..and so she did (and she wore it in her hair to school today.)  I had a PINK CAT BUTTON that we pinned in the middle of the yo yo flower.  Sarah was so proud! 

I am so proud that I got my vines and leaves on my BIRTH OF A SAMPLER QUILT!

Leanna (12) made a two-story house out of an orange juice container tonight.  She and her friend (and sister too) came in to SHOP for fabric to put on the outside walls of their houses!  Where else does one go on a CRAFTY AFTERNOON to get supplies but to Grandma’s stash!

On the wall of Leanna’s ORANGE JUICE HOUSE is a JONAS BROTHER’S POSTER rendering!  Nanna also sewed a sofa (with a cover that can be changed) and a pillow….and she also sewed a tiny bed and pillow.  She does a great job with my BROTHER DUETTA!  Since I was gone for the dance TECH rehearsal tonight, Leanna’s dad was in charge of standing by in case Leanna sewed her finger to something!  :) This is a fabulous testimony of the FUN that one can have with an square inch of material….or a tiny strip of fabric (note the rugs on the floors of the house!)  The bed, pillows and sofa are STUFFED with bits of leftover quilt batting!

LILIES AND BIRDS

I had to take a picture of our first lily in bloom.  THIS IS AN AMAZING STORY.  A year ago (December) our house burned to the ground.  The house rubble and surrounding ground was BULLDOZED - - and a year later the yard was landscaped. 

These lilies SURVIVED (I bought them at QVC - Roberta’s Farms - and I would say that this is an AMAZING TESTIMONY of the hardiness of these lilies!)  Look at how TALL this one is!!!! (There are 12 more on the side of the yard that will bloom this summer!)

Have I mentioned that QVC is on my LIST OF FAVORITE THINGS!  I love everything that I have ordered from QVC!  What could be better - you can lie in bed and watch tv - shop - and the UPS GUY delivers presents to your door a few days later!!!!  :):)

BIRDS

Now you may be thinking “WHERE ARE THE BIRDS?”  And no wonder because all that is in view is the BIRD HOUSE - our hanging fern.  The birds have built a nest and there are four very cute eggs inside…….and there is another nest under the mailbox!  (You can’t see it - but it is there - and it sure saves us from getting JUNK MAIL FLYERS!)

ORANGE CRUSH AND PINEAPPLE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILTS

I debated

and debated

 and debated

(it was a difficult decision) about whether or not that I should go ahead and put that orange fabric into the ORANGE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILT….but today I finally decided to go ahead and move forward with the orange - it is an ORANGE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILT after all.) 

I figured that even if it turned out to be an UGLY quilt that I could use it as a PRACTICE for my first quilt that I machine quilt!  I also rationalized that an ugly quilt could be used for picnics and every quilter HAS to have a picnic quilt!  Right? 

The orange is so BRIGHT that I might even be HAPPY to have it get a little bit dirty (to tone down that color!)  But after seeing Bonnie’s finished quilt (with orange in it) I think that I might end up liking it.

So here are all of my Step 5 ALBUM BLOCKS and HALF ALBUM BLOCKS for the Orange Crush Mystery Quilt - and also I have included a photo of my PINEAPPLE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILT blocks for Step 5. 

This afternoon Bonnie K. Hunter of Quiltville.com posted the final step - putting it all together.  THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED.  So……it is onward with these two quilts!

Dancing Fun

Tonight we had TECH REHEARSAL for ACT ONE of the Dance Recital Saturday.  Sarah is in two dances in Act One - they did a good job at rehearsal…..here are a couple of photos of Sarah!  The pictures are fuzzy - not perfect lighting in the theatre.  Sarah is the blonde with the braid in her hair.  We had lots of fun!

Tags: Birth of a Sampler Quilt, My Favorite Things, Orange Crush Quilt, Pineapple Crush Mystery Quilt, SAO's Grandangels by drsao
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It is amazing how much fun that can be squeezed into a three-day weekend! 

Here are some highlights…..

Grandangel Vincent had his 8th birthday in California (we sang to him on the telephone.)  He was SUPER-SIZED excited!

My Great Nephew and Great Niece celebrated their birthdays in Kansas….Preston is now 3 and Tara Lynn is 1.   Birthdays are so much fun!  We should all get this excited over balloons!

Sarah and I went to a yard sale early Saturday morning…..and was that ever TOO MUCH FUN!  We actually made it home on foot - without a wheelbarrow!  Sarah was really excited over her butterfly bulletin board - still in its original wrappings!

The FIND of the day (week? year? century?) was a chenille bedspread in A-1 shape that had belonged to the grandmother of the yard sale hostess….and she sold it for $1.00.  ONE DOLLAR.  Now what am I going to do with it?   I could make little rabbits out of it…..or use it as a back to a quilt?  HM…..I have no clue what I will do with it, I just know that I have always wanted one and that I love it!  Here it is on my bed.

Since Sarah and I found a candy making machine at the yard sale - we just HAD TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CANDY.  whoo hooo!  Leanna looks like a “mad scientist” pumping the chocolate into the molds!

Grandangel, Sarah was SO EXCITED.  We finished her first CAT QUILT over the weekend.  I showed her how to tape the backing down and then add the batting and quilt top.  Here is Sarah pinning the layers together! 

Then she chose decorative stitches for her quilting!  She loves my Brother Duetta sewing machine…..she put a different decorative stitch on each line of quilting!  You can tell by the look on her face that she is totally thrilled with this project!  We cut around the edges with pinking shears (I figured traditional binding might be a stretch.) 

Sarah’s WEBKINZ CAT, “Meredith,” seems to like her new quilt!