Pineapple Finish

String Theory: 48" Square

 Crazy back fabric combination.  Ghastlies and Fish

As you may remember, I quilted almost every seam with my walking foot in a spiral.  It was a bit of a challenge.

It was well worth it in the end because I love the texture.

I used Wonderfil Invisafil 100# weight thread.  It blends with all the different fabrics really well and it is fine like silk thread.  I like the brown grey.

There are 99 strings and 1 center in each of the 12" blocks, which makes a total of 1,600 pieces for the top.

I used my "go to" when I want a blackish binding which is a molted black.  I just feel solid black is a bit too harsh.

I really wish I had taken a 'before' blocking photo of the quilt.  Due to the quilting on a angle, it was very warped at the edges.  I was worried that it wouldn't lie flat.

After rinsing and washing in the tub, spinning and rinsing in the washer and 10 mins in the dryer, I spread it out in a carpeted room.

I don't personally like to pin it into the carpet, I just spread with my hands from the center out and and make sure it is square and let it finish air drying.  Worked like a charm.

Here is my new obsession - Steampunk blocks!  Have any of you make these?

 I'm using the Jen Kingwell templates and machine curve piecing them.

This quilt is going to have an unusual theme which I'll share soon.

I took a cold walk on the beach yesterday with coco and found this horseshoe crab skeleton?  Shell?  

I've never seen a complete one in the 6 years we've lived here so I brought it home.  It was also a good day for sea glass.

One thing I've learned about the Long Island Sound is that different temperatures, weather conditions and tides bring in different things so it's always interesting to see what has washed up.

Thank you to the nice ladies of Pieced Together Quilts in Bridgewater, NJ for the warm welcome this week!  I really enjoyed sharing my Scrap Quilt program with you.

Happy Sunday

xo

Change is Good!

At least that is what I'm telling myself.  I marked my scrap pineapple with my narrow fan stencil (which took forever!) and now I'm not using it. 

After finishing the first fan and anchoring the quilt in all areas I decided it was distorting my string piecing.

Just too distracting don't you think?

The new plan is to stitch all seams in the ditch.  If you are wondering if that is hard.  YES.  Okay, not hard but time consuming with lots of turning, turning and turning the quilt.

Nutmeg likes the texture and so do I.

I finished this sweet little medallion quilt and decided  the center just looked too bright to me.

So I decided to tea dye it.  I used a small saucepan with 4 tea bags.

I let it soak for about 20 mins.  It will take up only so much dye.  (This is a still photo of a video)

Rinse in cold water to set it.

 I dried it flat in my dryer.  Now that I know how to put this shelf thing in, I have been using more.

I wish it was even darker, but it definitely took the edge off.

This became a little gift for a friend and long-time reader.  I hope she likes it.

It was swap week last week here at my house.  Woo Hoo

 Nutmeg inspected the modern blocks.  She approved an so did I!

 It took 4 different trips to the post office - whew! 

I've already heard the words "next swap....." well there won't be a next swap.  I've decided to retire the swap.  It is a lot of fun, but it is an incredible amount of work and takes a lot of time.

If you would like to take it over, I will help you in any way I can.

Have a great week!

xo

Play Day!

Hooray!  I'm off today for a play day.  I'm taking a Round Robin in a Day workshop.  Here is my center starting point.

I pulled out bright and happy prints.  I have no idea what to expect, so I have no expectation except that it will be fun!

Coco has been a real sew room buddy lately.  Maybe because I have been eating breakfast and lunch in here....

in order to finish this!  It is not sewn into a top yet. I am so glad I made 16 blocks.  I for half a second thought, maybe 25 would be even better, but then I moved on.

I can put my bins and tubs of strips away.  I've tucked in a few eye spy moments.  Not easy with a 1/2" string.

A Baltimore Oriole couple have been visiting.  I got a photo through the kitchen window.  Isn't he gorgeous?

Yikes - now I know for sure who has been drinking and knocking off my hummingbird feeder at night!  Little Thief!

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day.  Andrew brought me a Portillos' Chocolate Cake all the way from Illinois - 940 miles.  He knows what an awesome surprise it was.

Hanna sent me a sweet quilt related Mother's Day card.

On Saturday I got to pretend for the day that Summer is on its way.

 Trust me, it didn't last.  It's been cold and rainy.

Yesterday I popped into Michaels.  My heart still sings when I see this display.  As a young girl I ADORED a craft kit of any kind.

I thumbed through a couple of coloring books.  I love how they smell and have fond memories of coloring and doing the dot to dots.  Maybe I should start a little secret collection for "someday" grandchildren.

Thank you so much for leaving me messages here on my blog.  I really enjoy the connection to quilters.  I respond to them if possible.  If I don't respond just know it means a lot to hear from you.

xo

Spring Fling

Happy Monday -

It's so beautiful here in Northern New Jersey. The tulips and other spring flowers are blooming, as well as all the gorgeous flowering trees. A little chilly lately, but the sunshine is most welcome!

Here is a little folky doll quilt that I designed and made in 2002. I like to hang it during the month of April and May. I love the funny pink and yellow color combination. It's one that I have hand quilted.

Here is a close up

I used one of my grandmother's hankies in the top of the pitcher. It is tiny cross stitch on very fine cotton - why would blow there nose in this? Or is it just for dabbing?


Here is a few sneak previews of my Lincoln Challenge. I'm doing this with Jill and Susan to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth, I think. Anyway, we're all running late on this challenge. I showed the center to Jill and Susan, so now you can see it.

This is how I got the silhouette- I purchased this silk screen, but decided not to use it because of the way it felt, and I was concerned about ironing and washing it. So, I pressed freezer paper to it, traced it, cut it out, then pressed it on the marbled black, traced it, cut it out, and finally appliqued it to this background of the generals of the Potomoic. whew......many steps, but I'm very happy with the result.

I've been worked on another challenge for several weeks (months) and it will be revealed soon. I've also made a few gifts, which I can't show either. So instead, here is an update on the hand quilting. You can see the whole quilt here.


This is how I do feathers; first I do the spine, then the outer curves, then I go back and forth to fill them in. I feel there is less traveling this way and I can do more continuous quilting. It's probably not true, but that's how it feels to me.


And lastly, several more pineapples done - hoping to make some more today.


Enjoy the colorful bounty of spring today!