Shirley Anne’s Heart

I like it when a new month starts - it is almost as good as New Year’s Day - I get to turn the page on the calendar and start my new monthly TO DO LIST - carefully including all of the things on the list that I have already accomplished TODAY so that I can start by crossing things off….ah, the thrill of accomplishment….:):)

I mailed my JULY Log Cabin Blocks - check -

I washed my car - check -

I went to the bank - check

and then it was time for some real fun - quilting!

Fred’s Boxy Stars

I have now made NINE blocks of Bonnie Hunter’s BOXY STARS Quilt - and a number of other Bonnie fans started making this quilt today too.  This is our “IN BETWEEN MYSTERY QUILTS” online project! 

My brother specifically requested brown, gray and blue for his quilt -

so I am doing my best to make it in the colors that he wants - and hopefully it will look good in the end!

Cuddles Helps Me Search Through Stash

I had fun searching for fabric- and of course, Cuddles had to help!

COLONIAL PIECEMAKERS QUILT GUILD - BONNIE HUNTER (STAR STRUCK)

I am SO EXCITED…..I am enrolled in a class AUGUST 2 in Williamsburg, VA taught by BONNIE K. HUNTER herself!  We are going to make the STAR STRUCK quilt - so I had to search for some scrappy fabric.  Bonnie wants us to come to class with our strips cut - so I had lots of fun looking for possibilities. 

I joined the COLONIAL PIECEMAKERS QUILT GUILD (Williamsburg, VA.)  

They are sponsoring this class to be taught by Bonnie and Patsy put in a good word for me - and they let me in - WHOO HOOO!  July is starting out great!

COUNTRY PIECEMAKERS QUILT GUILD - POWHATAN, VA

AND THAT’S NOT ALL……I also joined the COUNTRY PIECEMAKERS QUILT GUILD in Powhatan, VA.  Goodness, in June I did not belong to any quilt guild and in July I have joined two!  I will be making CIRCLES AND MELONS (a class taught by Patsy) at the guild meeting and workshop on July 12.  This will be so much fun.  I hope sewing curves won’t be too hard…..and speaking of curves…..I think I need help!

Dear Jane - B-11 Melissa’s Cross

I think I need lots of help…….I made Melissa’s Cross (the red and white fabric is my PRACTICE BLOCK.)  Yikes - this was my first difficult block.  How could a 4 1/2″ block take so long to make!??  This Dear Jane Quilt is going to be a symbol of blood, sweat, and tears - and I don’t mean that figuratively.  I enjoy a challenge though!

I made the REAL BLOCK out of my Civil War Repro fabric……and together these two blocks took FIVE HOURS……and the SAD thing is that they really  don’t look that great!

Now I understand what people mean when they say

“AT LEAST IT IS FINISHED!”

I had a lot of trouble with the 2nd block - I have no idea why because I had already practiced - but for some reason I had to RESEW one of the seams 6 times and I finally just gave up and left it AS IS!

Well, this is it - with all of its imperfections!

To cheer myself up I ate an ENTIRE PAPAYA - and that did the trick!  I am happy again.

July has been a good month - so far! 

Tags: Cats and Dogs Furry People, Dear Jane Quilt, Fred's BOXY STARS, Furry People, Star Struck Quilt by drsao
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I got lots done today in my quilty world (even despite the fact that my cats were extremely helpful!)  Don’t cats just LOVE to be in the middle of quilting projects!!!

LOG CABIN - COURTHOUSE STEPS ONLINE SWAP BLOCKS

I am in an online block exchange - a monthly decentalized log cabin swap - and for July our block is COURTHOUSE STEPS with a red center…..so I finished my 12 blocks today!  It always feels good to get something accomplished ahead of time……

….and this was no small feat given that I had to share my cutting mat with my feline friend, Cuddles TINKERBELLE….she not only lounged on my cutting mat but she also decided to chew up a pen (that is better than eating pins, which she has also tried to do!)

FRED’S QUILT - WINDMILLS AT NIGHT - FIRST IDEA

My younger brother, Fred, finally told me what colors that he wanted for his quilt.  He chose browns, greys and blues - so I got together some fabric and after looking through MILLIONS of pattern books and online patterns, I found a pattern that I decided would be perfect -  from the QUILTS OF THIMBLECREEK series - Windmills at Night by Donna Heppler.

I have learned to make a sample block (rather than to cut material for an entire quilt) and so I carefully cut and labeled enough PARTS for one block….again with the help of my kitties who decided to nap on my cutting mat! (When I MOVED my cutting mat to the floor - the cats MOVED WITH ME - making this ONE BLOCK took a long time! :))

Another reason that it took so long was that there were several ERRORS in the pattern…..there was an insert in the front of the book with corrections - but I didn’t think to look for an error notice….  So I had to figure out the correct cutting instructions on my own (thankfully I did it right - a real miracle!  :):))  And TA DA….here is the first (and last WINDMILL BLOCK.)  I actuallly LOVE THIS BLOCK but it was challenging to get all of the points going in the right direction (and for someone who is spatially challenged this would have ended up on my LIST OF NOT SO FAVORITE THINGS.  Thankfully my brother doesn’t read my blog, because if he saw this block he would probably like it…..:)

FRED’S QUILT - BOXY STARS - SECOND IDEA

 I wanted to make Bonnie K. Hunter’s BOXY STARS QUILT with the online group starting July 1st - and so I said, ‘SELF, why not make it with Fred’s colors!”  And so I made a BOXY STAR BLOCK - and I really like it…..SO FRED’S BOXY STARS  is a GO!  I love making these blocks.

I made the next block using some blue material from my nephew, Joey’s undershorts.  He is 16 and he would probably be less than thrilled to know this tidbit of INFO was being made public - TEE HEE.  Joey is Fred’s son - so I thought that it would be great fun to include this block in his quilt.

I enjoyed making these stars so much - that I made three today!

EGG MONEY QUILT

I am taking a six-month class (taught by Susan) at THE QUILTERS CORNER starting July 20 - we are making one of Eleanor Burns’ Egg Money Quilts.  It is going to be a great class - lots of fun.  I am going to use 30’s repro fabric……and I had lots of fun selecting the fabrics today…….here they are! 

BINDING

My intention was to cut binding for another quilt tonight too - the quilt is back from Val (my long arm quilter) at A NEEDLE RUNS THROUGH IT - and since I was on such a roll, I decided to do that too….but alas, Cuddles decided to sit on the material…….maybe when I finish writing on my blog, she will have moved on!

OR NOT…. 

Tags: Cats and Dogs Furry People, EGG MONEY QUILT, Fred's BOXY STARS, Quilt Block Exchange by drsao
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