Patriotic Pineapple Quilt

After 10 years, this red, white and blue Patriotic Pineapple quilt is done. I think. Maybe...

Border or No Border? What say you, Internet people? I got lots of suggestions from Facebook and Instagram--you will see below what I decided...

The particulars:

8" blocks
1" finished "logs"
2" finished red centers
set 8 x 10 blocks: 64" x 80" as is

I intend it to be a large throw size, not a queen-size bed quilt. As a throw, it is fine as is. For a Double bed, I could add a border, 4" all around. That would make it 72" x 88". But, who has a double bed?

Double bed batting I have on hand and plan to use is 72" x 93"--that wouldn't really work, it would be a bit too narrow for the quilt with 4" borders.  A 3" border would be 70" x 86"--that would be tight but I can make it work, I think.

I will quilt it on my Bernina Q20 sit down longarm. If I baste it carefully, the 3" border would work. But does it NEED a border?

The book that started this whole project was published in 2010, Trash to Treasure  by Gyleen Fitzgerald. I bought her Trash2Treasure ruler too, and made about half the blocks with it:

When I finally got back to this, about 6 month ago, I began using the Creative Grids Pineapple Trim Tool Ruler, since most of the students I would be teaching would have this one:

Both rulers work fine. I found the Creative Grids ruler to be my favorite because of the grip-stuff on the back of CG rulers. Once you figure out the instructions, of course. One of the best things about Creative Grid rulers is the instructions for each ruler is on their website--helpful if you lose the pamphlet that came with the ruler. And they often have videos there to show exactly how to use some of the specialty rulers.

In January I wrote about Quilts I Should Finish This Year. This was #1. So, I am either finished or close to it--you decide.

Next up, $795, begun many years ago, 2006, I believe:

Geese 1.375" x .6875"--Paper Pieced.

There are little projects that will be fit in between this one but it will also be finished this year.

Are there long-term projects you are working on and plan to finish?

As for the Patriotic Pineapple? My husband suggested blue so blue borders it is, from four different blues, cut 3". Finished size is 70" x 85":

Let's quilt.

Barbara

Design Wall Monday January 7, 2013

A big Happy New Year to all!  Life is almost back to normal, which means tax season starts for me this week.  Here's a look at what I've been doing:

I enjoy the Grandmother's Choice block of the week published by Barbara Brackman--she tells the story of the suffragist movement less than 100 years ago. Here is the current row:

A new block and history lesson appears each Saturday.   She is also starting a new Civil War block of the month project I am trying to convince myself NOT to do, but I still might: .Civil War Dixie Diary--after all, it's only 12 blocks and you decide if you'll make them 12" or 8", and there's only 12 of them--see, I'm talking myself into it.

A class I'll be teaching soon is the Trash 2 Treasure Pineapple quilt using Gyleen Fitzgerald's book and ruler.  I've got these 30 blocks sewn together--just from my stash strips.  With a project like this, I cut strips to the sizes needed from any fabric I'm working on so I keep feeding the project box.  Then when time permits, I make more blocks:

Lastly, here's my latest "new" project, a hand pieced block called Victorian Antique Star:

I got turned on to this when I happened on the blog of Barbara Chainey, a terrific English quilter I met a few years ago when she taught at the International Quilt Festival in Houston.  It uses a terrific template from Matlida's Own, an Australian company.  I plan to teach this in May or June--the perfect traveling project, once your pieces are cut and marked. 

My biggest challenge since Christmas is learning Windows 8 and trying to figure out my new desktop computer--we're still trying to determine if it has "issues" or it's just "operator error".  Time will tell...

Take a look at Judy L's design wall Monday blog to see what others are doing. 

Are you a Downton Abbey fan?  I saw the DA Revisited special in early December and told my husband I was sorry I'd missed the first 2 seasons.  Bingo!  Santa provided them on DVD and I got to watch both seasons, almost back to back.  Last night was the start of the n3rd season and there was a great special before it on the actual Highclere Castle, where it is filmed--very interesting!

Have a great week and let's quilt!

 Barbara

Design Wall Monday October 22, 2012

This is the mad dash to get ready to leave home for two weeks--I'm headed to Houston this Wednesday for Quilt Market and Quilt Festival.  As usual, I keep thinking "I need one more (day) (week) (etc) before I leave".  Of course, it wouldn't matter--the more time I had, the more things I'd fill that time with. 

This is what I've gotten done.  The samples for the classes I'll be teaching January-April, 2013 had to get done.  This one I really pushed to get done the last few days and it still needs the left and right borders--a quick trip to the quilt shop this morning will make that possible.  I love this quilt--the traditional tumbling blocks sewn in straight rows only, no Y seams!  Of course, I made it very difficult by using different fabrics for the light diamonds--NO, use ONE fabric only and the layout will be much faster!  The pattern is in the book:  Antique to Heirloom Jelly Roll Quilts, by Pam and Nicky Lintott:

 

Next, I needed a photo of the Trash 2 Treasure sample--these blocks are just on the design wall--they'll get sewn together after Houston.  My plan is to make this a Quilt of Valor:

The class is based on Trash 2 Treasure by Gyleen Fitzgerald--not paper pieced, it's a great stash buster.  I changed the last round by adding a larger triangle to replace 2 small rows--much easier and I like the secondary red square where the 4 corners come together.

Then I got busy finishing the Just Takes 2 red and white blocks and sewing the 3rd quarter unit together.  The blocks in the upper right corner are just "place holders" for this photo--they may or may not be what goes in there when the last quarter is unveiled.  I changed out the placement of some of the blocks based on the fabrics I had used. 

So, there you have it.  Besides the usual therapy appointments, (I graduated!), haircut, cleaning up the potted plants and moving the tropicals back inside, cleaning out all the leaves I could get out of the pond so husband and son could put the net in place, and the usual running around, I also did 26 hours of continuing education classes online for my return to H&R Block and had my interview.  This will be my 33rd year.  Working sure cuts into my free time.

Saturday I spent with my beloved husband at a luncheon reunion of his high school class.  As they've gotten older, they thought meeting once every 5 years wasn't enough so in October the class of 1965, Fairview, AL high school has a potluck lunch.  There were 125 students in the class and most still live close to home, about an hour from us.  My Philadelphia high school, class of 1971, had a class of 1210, and I have no idea where most live--not in touch except through a Facebook group.

Check out Judy L's blog to see what others are doing.

Look for updates from Houston--can't wait to get there!

Let's quilt!
Barbara