Hearts....

Ok, I had to try one out! I did a yellow one and then cut out the background white and did a smaller white heart onto a yellow background. It turned out a wee bit smaller than I planned.... something about cutting out on the drawn line instead of a little away from it. Oops! You can't tell and would never know if I had not said anything. I think I will like this project. The yellow fits the RSC Challenge this month too. Will link up Saturday.

The bigger one is on a 7 inch background and will get trimmed down  to 6.5 inches and finish at 6 inches. I think one of the Sunday's later this month will be a prep day and I'll be all set for the May 31 day challenge. These needle turned very easily in under 20 minutes in car line.
The smaller is a 5 inch square that will finish at 4.5 inches. Maybe a little doll quilt?

I think the girls had fun finishing their pillowcases last night. One did not show (so I will finish hers) and one was brought home to finish with her Mom... cause I tagged her to help in a step to trim and show the girls how to prep for the last step. This is Emily's... which she had to sleep with last night.

Emily's new Smores bear tested it out too. She is styling in an Elsa dress. It seems my Dottie dog is dressed in Anna's dress =).

Phew.... got all my 3rd graders out early last night  (except my kid) for a good nights sleep before the FSA testing today and tomorrow. Mother nature had other plans and a terrible thunderstorm in the middle of the night for hours I'm sure effected some sleep. I had the other kid up with me (he hates thunder storms) and had to reset the breakers in the bedrooms when the power blipped. Had to hit the reset on the switches in the kitchen this morning. It has rained and stormed all day.... I think we have enough rain for a bit now. I am ready to see the ball of sun. Until then, I'll keep looking at my nice yellow blocks.

Saturday April 7....

Today is a big day. Someone turns 9 ! Happy Birthday Emily! This photo was before the father daughter dance in February.

We will be spending the afternoon up in Gainesville with the girl scout troop at build a bear. The girls chose to make a smores bear with their cookie money and are getting 2 girl scout articles of clothing to go with the bears. I survived Monday night's meeting where 13 of my 14 girls attended to start making a pillowcase. They did a great job and are about half way through. Thank goodness I have wonderful parents who helped me through the hour meeting. Hopefully we have some finishes this Monday night.

For the Yellow RSC - I got my yellow Dresden block close to completed. Just 3 sides of the frames need an X hand quilted into it.  These are going quicker now that I only have 4 left to go. I think I'll pull the pink one next (brown, maroon and dark blue to go).

I also came up with an idea to appliqué a heart a month in May.....and have settled on my choices. I will hand appliqué a heart onto a 6.5 inch unfinished square for 31 days.... and then have 32 scrappy nine patches as the alternate block to make a nice scrappy irish chain heart quilt. I found a couple of charm packs (5 inch squares) of various colors and dots that I ordered from connecting threads a while ago as an add on to get over the free shipping rate. I found a couple of yards of a white print for my background in the stash. Then silly me..... found that a smaller heart fits into what I will clip away from the white background.... and I may just put those white hearts onto colorful scraps of a background 4.5 inch square! I know, I'm nuts but feel free to join along.

Last night was spring fling at school. I ended up staying an extra hour chatting in the parking lot with another Mom  - a friend of Aidan's. I see future play dates happening soon =).

Linking up with the RSC Challenge. Head on over and see what yellow is popping up all over the sewing rooms.

Edited - also linking up with Slow Stitching Sunday. I got a couple of X's into the yellow squares this rmorning... before wiping out the fridge a bit (how do the shelves get so yucky?), then going to Aldi to fill them up again - especially the fruits and veggies. I took Aidan with me and we hit Lowes which is right next door to get the lovely stuff to make things grow in the garden .... 8 bags. The rest of the afternoon was spent spreading, tilling and then planting a few things (melons, watermelons, summer squash yellow, beans, lettuce, radish and carrots. I ran out of time and need to grab a shower and clear out the 'dirt' before heading to Yamato's for a hibachi grill dinner for Emily's birthday. Hopefully the peas, corn and more carrots and lettuce can get planted tomorrow.

OMG for April....

My One Monthly Goal for April is to get my requested graduation quilt - Spinning Pinwheels - to a top stage. This one is due in mid June... and I would love to have it completed this month too, but will be happy with a top! I am making the twin size to go off to college with my niece Sarah. I had a little break for a couple of years after six years in a row needing a high school graduation quilt from Aunt Deb. The first 5 are here. The 6th one is here.  I have already asked the next graduate (another niece is a junior this year and will need a graduation quilt next June) to start thinking of her quilt colors and/or pattern and to let me know by this fall.

Linking up with Elm Street Quilts : One Monthly Goal.

Thursday.....

Today was the last week of bowling. My team was in first by 1.5 games to start and we were bowling the #2 team in a position round. It was a close first game - we lost by 4 pins. We needed to win 2 of the 4 games (3 games plus total pins for the last point). Somehow we managed to win games 2+3 and took total pins to secure first place again this year. Next week is our end of year outing at the Red Lobster where we get our winnings. I am happy to be done this year.... but will be ready to start up again in August.

My secret - I bowl much better when I have something to occupy my hands. During the 3 games I got all the cross hatching done on this yellow Dresden block.

I think this one will get and  X into each of the frame blocks to finish it off. I believe I will pull the pink one next..... and should get a start on that one on Sunday. I know there won't be any more hand work on this one tonight - I am tilling the garden (love my electric little tiller) and will require a long bubble bath with a good book tonight! First pass is done... then time to make taco seasoned meat for dinner. I'll run it again for a second pass after dinner and rake it up a bit. My first planting a couple of months ago of beans and peas got frosted and didn't make it. Will try again now that it is warmer and we should not get any more frost in April in Florida...although we have had some strange and cold weather through March. The roses like the weather though.

I have been thinking more about my heart challenge from yesterday's post. I went searching and found these two charm packs that asked to get used in this project. It is going to be tight on the heart shape for my 6 inch squares but I'm going to make it work! That is the advantage of needle turn appliqué! Mine will be scrappy colors and a white/cream background once I search and find something with enough in my stash. I believe I need 1.5 yards of background for my 31 - 6 inch hearts and 32 nine patch blocks. (I was seriously considering a black and red quilt with red hearts but might visit that one at a later time.) I am using the download #5 heart from the link in yesterday's post. #3 would make a great 4.5 inch block.

Applique hearts?

Should I or should I not? Hmmmm. A while ago there was a challenge to appliqué a circle a day for a year...... I decided not to do that one at the time as I had so many other things on my list of projects. It got me to thinking....what if I did a month of hearts? I'm thinking the month of May might be a good time to do it. I believe I did a month of blue baskets last year in June  or July and that was pretty fun.... why not try it again this year with a different shape!

No plans other than pulling from my scrap bins (yes, there are multiple bins and baskets all over the sewing area filled with colorful scraps) and tracing a heart onto the fabric and then needle turning it under. I guess that means I have a few weeks to figure out if I will do a single background fabric or keep it scrappy. Hmmm maybe have the background a color and the heart be a cream or white? A mix of both? Lots of options and a few weeks to ponder what I will do with it. And what size to make? And on point or square setting? I was thinking a scrappy 9 patch to go with them might be fun to create a single irish chain with a heart in the middle?

I did a quick search of free heart coloring pages to find shapes and this is a link that popped up.  I will probably print down one or two and then make a plastic template to use for the month. I'm thinking the 3rd page might be a good size but need to print and see what size it is.

Would anyone else be interested in doing a heart along in May? No rules, just thinking one a day in the appliqué method of your choice - machine, hand, raw edge finished, etc.

Monday....

This morning was awards ceremonies at school for the 3rd quarter! Wow - they are in the 4th and last quarter of the year already.

Emily and Aidan both got AB honor roll this time - all A's for both with a B each in Social Studies. It was Aidan's first B. His Dad and I both told him - as we tell them both - as long as you try your best and are learning and behaving in class - we are happy.

Emily AB honor roll for 3rd quarter. 3rd grade

Aidan AB honor roll for 3rd quarter 4th grade

I got progress on the yellow Dresden yesterday - all the petals are done and the outline in yellow is done. Time to mark the cross hatch for car line stitching this afternoon.

Getting ready for a kitten attack on the other one.

Dresden ready for the cross hatch marking.

I had to run to the Villages this morning after awards to get more cookie fabric for pillowcases tonight. Will finish prepping and checking machines after I pick up the kids but... I have enough for all 14 girls since I have a feeling they will all be there tonight!

Happy Easter!

I hope the Easter Bunny hopped to your house and didn't pull an April Fool's joke on you! He left an egg hunt for the kids and a basket of goodies.... and shame on the bunny for leaving Flarp noise putty  in each of their baskets!

I finished the hand quilting on the orange dresden yesterday while supervising the sugar cookie baking. Dad was in charge of egg dying (I had already boiled a dozen plus the other day) and cookie decorating while I got a couple more hours in at work yesterday.

Completed on the last day of March!

Hand quilted so far.

Yellow is next!

Angela posted that yellow is the color for April.... so my yellow dresden block will be the next one worked on. Number 8 of 12. I hope to prep it today and start some slow stitching later this evening. First - must pick up the house a bit (I decided to read a book yesterday instead!) and prep for the meal - taco salad and Knorr bread bowl for appetizers and the standard ham, dilly baby carrots, green beans and potato with rolls for the Easter meal. I got an extra ham... and need to seal a meal that into my usable portion sizes for the freezer. Those are my quick meals or quiche fixings for the year.

I will need to do some other prepping - 10 pillowcases for the girls to sew tomorrow night at scouts. Please think good thoughts that the girls get their pillowcase done... and that I have enough for everyone. I think I need to run to the villages and get a few more yards of the cookie fabric for 4 more pillowcases - cause I bought out the Ocala store - just in case everyone comes to the meeting on Monday!  It seems when we do fun things all my girls attend. Later this month we'll do crochet and/or finger knitting. The main part of the pillowcase will be the cookie print, then the cuff is green with the little brown strip in between.

Linking up with Kathy and the other slow stitchers on this Easter Sunday.