Hi! March 1st is here. The Lion Wind is howling. Do we welcome March 2021, or do we cringe. It is never a good month, is it, but let's hope for the best.
Today is Part Two of February sewing. while I didn't work much on my Silent Night Stars, Blue Pineapples was on my schedule for this winter and I am pleased with how it has gone so far.
Keep in mind this is a throw sized utility quilt, for chilly cocktail time evenings on the deck or beachy picnics. It could be a play mat for small visitors if I ever again have friends come to visit and play. It can be a sofa throw. Whatever.
Here are my first 13 blocks.
I plan to space the blue pineapples quite far apart, give the indigo batiks room to show off.
But I may need to make more, as I did with Baby Pineapples last year. [I'm superstitious, no matter what I decide, I will have to squeeze in one more for 14 not 13.]
Going backwards, the idea was inspired by Baby Pineapples, but with changes.
Here is the pattern drafted and used.
I wanted the corners more casual--a little crooked, so I cut extra large triangles and trimmed.
This is a trimming template.
Frixion pen before cutting one at a time.
The template also is used to trim the stem portion, to be sure it all fits and is square. Left column is untrimmed.
Normally I might cut the templates from matte finish gridded Mylar sheets, but I haven't found the kind I like online and haven't been to JoAnn's to choose in person in more than a year. (JoAnn's is all we have here, so I value the shop despite rude naysayers. My Flags of the American Revolution quilt was entirely sourced at Joann's; came out beautiful, in my opinion.)
The stem and leaves are straight stitch machine applique instead of intricately pieced as BP's were. The edges of the appliqued green should soften and fray over time, adding dimension and a certain Who Cares/ Use It/Wash It! vibe.
Over the next few days I hope to finish trimming the first blocks and doing a partial piecing at least, before clinic day next Monday and the following ten days are wasted. Wish me luck and focus.
This is for Bovey Belle, a blog friend from Wales who is a quilter. She was mentioning a project where she has more or less given up finding a brown solid to complete it. Here were my first try outs ordering online, for brown. Not easy, is it. Blue Pool/ Chocolate Milk quilt rescue [ongoing].
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I've been collecting worn out cashmere sweaters to make a little blanky for Mo. He likes me to tuck him in at night in the winter. I had planned to cut off the upper body and sleeves, but Mo loves the sleeves!? Pugs have a thing for resting their chin on anything that they find--chair rails, your hand, sofa arms---and he really loves it if I tuck the sleeves under his chin at bedtime. Yes he is pampered, he is my little loyal friend, after all.
Have a good week everyone.
Talk to you soon!
love
lizzy
gone to the beach....
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I love those pineapple blocks! Wondering what you had planned for sashing. Call me crazy but I love the color of the floor between the blocks, looks like they are sitting on individual shelves. I don't suppose you have a woodgrain fabric just waiting for you to use?
ReplyDeleteI have been eagerly anticipating your blue pineapples piece--and I am not disappointed--;))) such gorgeous, rich blocks!! This will be really lovely...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing how you drafted your pattern and the setting. I like how they are off set from each other, too, in your set up...how exciting to "do your own thing".
Good luck getting it to the next stage before your Monday clinic...hugs Julierose
Wow! These pineapples are wonderful to look at! Just lovely. And, I don't know if you have them laid out on a table, or the floor, but it makes a nice backdrop for them.
ReplyDeleteAwww, Mo and his sweaters, haha. So sweet.
Stunning photos of the sky.
Have a good week!
Love the blue pineapples so far! Like the others, I'm curious what you'll use to set it together! If you decide you need to have one more pineapple, maybe could make a mini one for the label? Or stash a mini in the sashing so you only spot it if you're looking!
ReplyDeleteMo is so funny! Have you seen the pet beds made from old sweaters - they lightly fill the body of the sweater and sew across the openings. Then stuff the neck and sleeve areas fuller and sew the ends together to make a circle around the body. Looks pretty simple, and you COULD make the stuffing in casings so you can slip it out to wash the sweater. Or if you decide to cut up the sweaters to make a blanket, save the sleeves and stuff them as pillows!
It got up to 63* here today, and sunny! In between watching grandbaby with a cold I watched gardening videos on Youtube, lol. Maybe next year...
Mo is so cute and cozy. Thank you for showing us how you construct and trim your pineapples. I think they are so terrific!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you are busy! March came in like a lamb this year. This week we are having temps in the high 40's. Lots of sun. I sit on the back step and visit with the neighbor cat. Have a great weekend. Kit
ReplyDeleteWow! Look at you go on the pineapple blocks! They are so great! Nice work1
ReplyDeleteYour blue pineapples will be a delightful quilt, Lizzy. I like the way you've done the leaves on this one. Will you have to go 5 columns wide to avoid 13 blocks?
ReplyDeleteI'm not a great fan of JoAnn simply because the quality of the quilting fabric is so variable. The brown I have on the baskets of plenty blocks is from JoAnn and I think I'm going to have to unstitch and use something else. I laid it aside while I worked on the angel and maybe I'll change my mind when I pull it out again. Still, when it's the only place to buy fabric and one chooses carefully, it all works. Your Flags of the Revolution sure does!
Those cashmere sweaters must be so warm and soft for Mo. It's sweet that he likes to be tucked in.