Gone To The Beach: 07.30.2021

Friday, July 30, 2021

Pineapple Auditions

Hi everyone! Another Friday, the final July Friday of Summer '21. What a glorious summer day it is, a "Ten Best", though Mo was a bit too hot on the deck and we came in to cool off just now. It's very windy! That 30 mph wind that cuts so viciously in January is an airy blessing in July.

Speaking of July, my etsy summer sale will continue through August 15. Come check it all out, stock up. I bet Christmas is only what 180 days away. GoneToTheBeach

This is a progress post for Big Pineapple. The project is interesting but rather fiddly, nothing is quite right.

Here is the first set of stems and spikey leaves. Oddly it looks okay in pics but in person it was ghastly.

Luckily I had used the good Clover fusible and the garish spikes peeled right off. I tried a bunch of yellow greens:

Ended up with a faded repurposed shirt.

I also made the spikes slimmer and asymmetric, as they appear in the design sketch. [edit: looking at this post, I decided the asymmetric spikes looked very wrong. I am shortening the the spike on our right, to create a more balanced design. The longer leaf was terribly distracting.]

I was a bit fed up by then so did raw edge machine applique. I like when the edges fray and become textural.

Now I will prep the four corners with the coxcomb flowers. Again I tried a variety of fabrics. Two plaids:

I just cannot get into the plaid primitive thing for this project.

A print I love. It was my choice for a day or so.

Brown linen. So ugly I deleted its picture. The pewter linen I ordered originally to use in place of the gold dots.

I must have my heart set on using a rough linen, my idea of primitive. It is what I chose. Laying out the wools for the flowers I see they need to be a smidge brighter. Because it is, you know, a Lizzy quilt. The reverse applique flower centers will be cheddar.

I hope I have some lightweight fusible to back the entire corners because linen is too floppy and stretchy for hand applique without tears, [boohoo tears of frustration, not holes and rips!].

The weekend is expected to be glorious so no messing with this project for awhile.

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We, Mo and I , also worked on the Pine Trees for Silent Night. Sewed two, very hard to see, dark on dark with dark thread, my eyes hurt so bad. I must be the Queen of Tenacity because this mess is teetering on the brink of the bin/ trash can. But I plan to carry on.