Shirley Anne’s Heart

Quilt Shops in Missouri and Quilty Stuff in VA

Posted By drsao on August 5, 2008

Quilt Shops in Missouri

The last day that I was in Missouri, my dear brother Fred agreed to take me to visit some quilt shops. The night before our outing I googled several shops in the area and carefully printed both the written directions (for the left hemisphere) and the map view (for the right hemisphere.) I wanted to make it as EASY as possible because I KNEW that Fred wasn’t especially THRILLED about my fabric odyssey.

Off we went to find the CORBIN MILL QUILT SHOP in historic Liberty, MO……followed by the WINDING RIVER QUILT SHOP – both of these sound wonderful!!!!

Despite my EXCELLENT MAPS – here is Fred asking for help from a FIREMAN!

Fred and the Fireman

And…..despite our best efforts, here is where we stopped AGAIN to ask for MORE directions!

: Asking for directions AGAIN

What are the odds of this – BOTH QUILT SHOPS had gone out of business!

Two Quilt Shops Bit The Dust

The next quilt shop closed early…..so onto ADVENTURE #4.

The Wooden Spool in Excelsior Springs, MO.

Next time I think that I should travel with my GPS – this is where we STOPPED AGAIN to ask for directions. The good news is that the gas prices were excellent!!

The GOOD NEWS is that Gas Prices are Low

TA DA….We made it to the Wooden Spool! Isn’t their sign cute!?

The WOODEN SPOOL

Inside the WOODEN SPOOL

Cute Arrangement of fabrics at the Wooden Spool

Fred and the Fat Quarters in the Washtub

I really like how the inside was decorated – lots of antiques to display the quilts!

And the Thimbleberries quilt partitioned the shop from the work area behind it!

Thimbleberries at the Wooden Spool

The quilt shop trip was a success, even if we only made it to ONE SHOP – it was a great one!

AND THE BONUS….right next door was a charming 1932 diner….

..unfortunately it was closed for the day – but we got to look inside the windows! 🙂

Maybe next time we will sample the food (that is if I can talk my brother into a NEXT TIME!!! 🙂

QUILTY STUFF IN VIRGINIA

Since I have been back in Virginia (August 1) I attended Bonnie’s Workshop in Williamsburg and started my Star Struck Quilt from Vintage Holiday fabric (left over from my Birth of a Sampler Quilt.)

And I made my Thimbleberries blocks – cute little flower blocks!

THIMBLEBERRIES PROJECT FOR JULY

Twelve Log Cabin Blocks for September Exchange

I really like these red and white log cabin blocks.

My ORANGE CRUSH MYSTERY QUILT IS DONE DONE….QUILTED AND BOUND AS OF TODAY!

Top of Orange Crush - Quilted and Bound!

BACK OF ORANGE CRUSH QUILTED AND BOUND

And ALL THE RAGE even has a label!

ALL THE RAGE WITH LABEL

In the morning I am flying to CALIFORNIA – so until August 21 I will be collecting more tales and pictures to go with them! :):) Since I was packing and sewing at the same time, I am hoping that I packed what I needed. 🙂

TTFN

Category: All The Rage Quilt, Future Quilt Inspiration, Life Comments, Orange Crush Mystery, Quilt Shops, Quilts, SAO's Family, Thimbleberries 08 | No Comments »
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The MUSIC MAN at the Starlight Theatre and the DISH TOWEL

Posted By drsao on August 4, 2008

Ever since I was in high school (I used to live in Kansas City, MO) I have gone to the Starlight Theatre on dates and even with my church group. I believe that it is the largest outdoor theatre in the world. I continued to go to the Starlight thoughout my adulthood – and I even went to every production with my friend when the Vietnam War was raging and our husbands were away. The Starlight and I have a lot of shared history.

I LOVE IT….it is on my list of FAVORITE THINGS – right up there with rain. 🙂

Now that I no longer live in Kansas City, I continue to return to the Starlight Theatre once each summer to see a production with my neice and my sister-in-laws (present and ex.)

This year we saw MUSIC MAN and I think it was the best production I have ever seen at the Starlight! The music, the costumes, the set design – all awesome.

MUSIC MAN - Starlight Theatre

This year was even MORE SPECIAL because it rained – and not just any rain – but a full fledged storm that delayed part of the production for over an hour! (I think this was the remnants of Hurricane Dolly.) This picture is a bit dark – but aren’t the pretty umbrellas in the crowd decorative? Most of my friends know that I LOVE RAIN.

STARLIGHT IN THE RAIN

Here we are – Elaine, sao (me), Chris and Cheryl – all of us enjoying the rainy production! We found some chairs and sat on the side out of the pelting rain. As a matter of fact we watched from here and NEVER made it to our seats (it was raining when we arrived!)

The Sisters at the Starlight

As it turned out we didn’t get to see the second half of the performance – the rain finally won – but the first half was so fantastic that it didn’t matter! The rain delay just gave us more time to talk!

AND BECAUSE OF THE RAIN I had an unexpected special experience. Cheryl had grabbed an old dishtowel as she left home so that she could wipe the rain off her seat (the weather report had fully alerted us to the fact that we would be enjoying the performance IN THE RAIN!)

: Rob’s Towel 1972

WOW – I had to take a picture! The picture is a bit green because we had to run to the restroom to get enough light to take the picture – but green or not, this is one special dishtowel! My son, Rob had made this for Uncle Jim and Aunt Cheryl when he was FOUR YEARS OLD (he is now 40)…..don’t you just LOVE those chicken’s feet!?

Out of all of the many performances that I have enjoyed at the Starlight – this is one that I will NEVER FORGET. I had TOO MUCH FUN!!! Thanks Chris, for being the social director and getting our tickets for our Starlight outings over the years! And thanks to Elaine for driving me across town in the rain!!!! Elaine had to walk all of the way to the car barefoot because her sandals were too slippery with all of the rain. What a trooper.

I am so blessed – I have a GREAT FAMILY! 🙂

Category: Life Comments, My Favorite Things, SAO's Family | 1 Comment »
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My Family Reunion in Kansas City, MO July, 2008

Posted By drsao on August 4, 2008

Family Reunion – Birthday Party in Disguise

My mother celebrated her 87th birthday in Kansas City, MO on July 30……and many family members made it – and as always with my family we had lots of laughs. Here is a picture of me with my three brothers and parents…..at one of the many birthday parties (my mother called this a family reunion – see, if you don’t call it a birthday you don’t get older!) 🙂

SAO - Three Brothers - Mother and Daddy July 08

And here is the WHOLE bunch of us at the Hometown Buffet……four generations of us!

The Third and Fourth Generation

Tara Lynn – only 1 years old – had a wonderful time – and she really enjoyed her food!

Baby Bird AKA Tara Lynn - Age 1

Preston - Age 3 - is always happy!

Both members of the 4th generation (Tara Lynn and Preston) behaved with impeccable manners…..and the members of the third generation did too! Here we have Joey, my daddy and Tyler with Tara on the back row. On the front row is Amanda, Preston and the birthday girl! (Don’t you think my dad’s blue plaid shirt would look good in a quilt!!!!!)

The Grandchildren and the Great-Grandchildren

Second Generation

While the youngsters behaved as people should in public, it was the second generation that got the “CLOWN GENES.” It is a family tradition for my brothers to do something silly for a picture each time I visit – yep – they did a pretty good job of being silly! The SILLY BROTHER PICTURES are on my list of FAVORITE THINGS! (And just for the record, my brother Dan – the one with sunglasses – HAS to wear sunglasses so we can’t see his eyes closed in pictures!!!!!)

Brothers Clowning Around

But the standing on the head trick – that was unique!

My brother, Jim, is looking the other way – is he trying to pretend NOT to know us. I don’t think so – for it is Jim who is attempting to bite my brother Fred’s head in the picture above. HMMMM….speaking of genes, Tara Lynn (the 1 year old with the baby bird mouth open) is Jim’s grandangel. Now we know where she got that ability to OPEN WIDE! 🙂

Fred standing on his head in the restaurant!

We go to this Hometown Buffet every year – I guess they are used to us by now….maybe that is why they put us in the backroom and isolated us from their guests who demonstrate traditional behaviors! No one can say that our family has boring birthday parties!

We were kept isolated in the restaurant!

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The Demolition Derby – Platte County Fair – July 08

Posted By drsao on August 3, 2008

PLATTE COUNTY FAIR July 08

I did something on my trip to Kansas City, MO that I never dreamed that I would ever do – much less enjoy. I went to the 145 year old Platte County Fair with my brother Fred and sister-in-law Elaine and we saw the DEMOLITION DERBY! Doing NEW THINGS is on my LIST OF FAVORITE THINGS – and this was definitely a NEW THING!!!! 🙂

Look at all of this corn growing! WOW…… I thought this was pretty cool!

Corn growing - Platte County Fair July 08

145 Year Old Platte County Fair KC, MO

THE DEMOLITION

I had to take pictures – and they came out pretty good considering the fact that we were in the TOP ROW of the bleachers!!!

Demolition Derby - Tire Problems

Call me NAIVE – but this is amazing that people would crash their cars – on purpose! 🙂

Demolition in Process - Look how smashed up these cars are!

Last car that survives is the winner

Who knew that I would enjoy this! I can’t figure it out either – but I was actually pulling for particular cars that I thought were cute – and I always cheered for the women drivers! Goodness, quilting is a pretty TAME hobby in comparison!

LOCAL COLOR

I think I enjoyed watching the PEOPLE as much as I did the cars…..

Brother Fred and sister-in-law Elaine

My brother, Fred, is keeping cool with a political fan!

NO SMOKING SIGN AT THE DEMOLITION DERBY

I had to include this sign (only the cars were allowed to smoke) and of course there were a few people who were too mesmerized by the cars to notice the signs….

Man watching the derby but not reading the signs 🙂

I actually felt a bit guilty taking this picture – my brother’s idea! But of course, no one had a gun to my head when I pressed the TAKE BUTTON on the camera….:)

Ok – here comes my guilt attack number two – but my brother couldn’t resist this picture of the french fries (HE took this one.) I had never seen a brick of french fries before!

Brick of French Fries - Platte County Fair

One more local color picture…..I have no idea who this is – but he sure looks happy to be at the demolition derby!

Local Color at the Platte County Fair

4-H QUILTS AT THE PLATTE COUNTY FAIR

It was a very small fair – and probably pretty dusty given the demolition derby went on NEXT DOOR….hence the plastic wrap on some of the quilts!

CAT QUILT - UNDER PLASTIC

Very Tiny Hexagons - Grandmother's Flower Garden

This one puzzled me – the hexagons were very tiny – and the quilt was narrow and VERY LONG. I now appreciate the hard work that goes into a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt! I wonder what it was for? Maybe a table runner for a large farm table?

My brother liked this one the best….

Pink, White, and Black 4-H Quilt

And the judges liked this one the best – a unique wall hanging – with spaces between the stars! It got a BLUE RIBBON!

Star Wall Hanging Quilt - Platte County Fair - July 08

I liked the fair – we had fun – and my DH cannot believe that we didn’t eat anything at the fair – he always goes specifically for the food! We went for the destruction and excitement…..and of course, the quilts!

Category: Life Comments, Quilts, SAO's Family | 1 Comment »
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My Day with Bonnie K. Hunter and the Colonial Piecemakers

Posted By drsao on August 2, 2008

COLONIAL PIECEMAKERS QUILT GUILD August 2, 2008

I joined the Colonial Piecemakers Quilt Guild in Williamsburg, VA and today I attended my first meeting! Actually, I had one of those “PERFECT DAYS.” I didn’t get lost (thanks to my GPS – LOVE LOVE LOVE IT) – the quilters were SO NICE – and surprisingly I saw lots of former friends there! The icing on the cake was the program featuring BONNIE K. HUNTER herself! After Bonnie’s WONDERFUL SHOW AND TELL, that was amazing, she taught a workshop on how to make her STAR STRUCK quilt – pictured behind Bonnie.

: Bonnie at Colonial Piecemakers 8 2 08

Before I get to more about Bonnie, here are some highlights of my day with the Colonial Piecemakers – and I just HAD to take a few pictures of the SHOW AND TELL part of the meeting – what inspiration!

Colonial Piecemaker’s SHOW AND TELL – August 2, 2008

: Colonial PiecemakersWOW – twin quilts with lighthouses!

Unfortunately I can’t identify who made each of these wonderful quilts – and these are only a FEW of the many SHOW AND TELLS! And just a couple more……

: Underground RailroadShow and Tell

Show and Tell

A Few of my Friends – OLD AND NEW

I was happy to see some of my “already friends” (this sounds better than OLD FRIENDS!) and some of my new friends! First, my FAMOUS “Birth of a Sampler” teacher……

: Sherry – LUNCH TIME

Linda, Bonnie, SAO and Patsy

I thought Carmen was in this picture with Bonnie, Patsy, and me (SAO) – here she is happily sewing away on her Singer Featherweight!

Carmen - Colonial Piecemakers 8 2 08

Oh yes and my NEW BFF- Kaye – who fed me chocolate!

Kaye with her CHOCOLATE that she SHARED!!!!!!

BONNIE K HUNTER – The Program and the Star Struck Workshop

Bonnie was so much fun to listen to and her quilts are amazing! Bonnie carries her quilts in HUMONGOUS DUFFLE BAGS!

Look at ALL OF THESE QUILTS!

Bonnie's Quilts

Bonnie is so creative and has so much energy – and she is never still a minute – no wonder she is so trim and slim! She has to keep moving to use up all of her stash – she says sometimes fabric just appears on her doorstep. She modeled a recent gift – a 4X recycled shirt – lots of fabric – we will have to watch for it in her future quilts!

Bonnie modeling her 4X recycled fabric (in its shirt form!)

I think Bonnie inspired a lot of us to organize and use every bit of our scraps to produce unexpected masterpieces! I love how she uses thrift store cotton shirts and some of her own clothing to recycle into her quilts. And she even makes beautiful and interesting quilt backs by using 10 1/2″ squares….I love this idea! Bonnie is doing her part to make sure that NO BIT OF FABRIC ends up in the landfill! 🙂

Bonnie's Scrappy Quilt Back

And Bonnie always keeps her eyes open for NEW/OLD fabric – here she is picking out some recycled STASH for her ugly fabric quilt challenge! Bonnie says there are NO RULES in quilting and you can mix fabric styles – 30’s with batiks, civil war with COW PRINTS. And if your fabric is ugly – cut it into small scrappy pieces or strips – and viola – it becomes beautiful.

Bonnie and some UGLY FABRIC for her stash

Bonnie Colonial Piecemakers

Look at what Bonnie made from the little BONUS triangles cut from the corners when making Flying Geese blocks…and to think that these could have been trimmed and discarded!

Left Overs made into a beautiful quilt!

Here are a few of Bonnie’s SHOW AND TELL – but check out her quiltville website (www.quiltville.com) for more!

Y-Seam beauty!

Food Chain Quilt

Carolina Crossroads MYSTERY QUILT

Star Struck II

Isn’t it amazing how orphan blocks can turn into a fabulous sampler? I just have to learn to make these letters and words in the borders……that is one of my NEW GOALS!

Bonnie's Sampler

LOVE QUILT

We all had fun, were inspired, learned a lot – and Bonnie may have even been a bit inspired to get her own HELLO KITTY sewing machine – she sure liked Linda’s with all of the Hello Kitty stickers on it!