What I've Been Doing

 

I've been splitting my TV time between knitting my shawl and sewing binding on the Pineapple Quilt. This shawl is coming together nicely. I consider this a long term project at this point. Brioche knitting is never going to be quick for me. However, that's okay. It's such a pretty pattern that I want to take my time and do it right. I'm about half done with the binding on the Pineapple Quilt. That quilt is 90 X 90 so that will also take awhile!

I bought this pattern a few weeks ago. I love patterns by Jaybird Quilts. I have her rulers which make the pattern so much easier. The sizes for this quilt range from mug rug to large lap which is about 74" square. I love that having all these size options. 

I bought this wide back from Keepsake Quilting. They're having a special if you buy a 3 yard bundle. I just couldn't resist this gorgeous fabric! It looks like a water painting. I have 3 quilts to quilt so I took advantage of the sale. I have another backing on the way!

I've been off for a few days but will be back to work tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to that!

 

Scrap Log Cabin

 

This is my Scrap Log Cabin so far! It measures 36.5 inches square. I'm having so much fun looking through my scraps and cutting strips when I can. I'm not really paying much attention to light or dark. If I see there's too much dark on one side, I'll make a mental note to add a light one next time. It's very low pressure. I'm just sewing what I like. 

I started off with 2 squares that measured 2.5 inches each. I just added to those 2 squares in a counter clockwise manner. Easy! Sometimes I use full strips but other times I'll piece the strips. It's totally whatever I feel like doing. This will turn out to be a giant log cabin square. I won't even have to sew blocks together. This is just a fun project that helps me use those pesky scraps! I'm not sure how large I'm going to make this. I'm hoping for over 70 inches square. We'll see!!

Binding Pineapple Scrap

I was off today and decided to sew the binding to the Scrap Pineapple quilt. It didn't really take that long. I used my walking foot which always gives a nice finish. I decided to make the seam 3/8" instead of 1/4". The binding gets filled with fabric and feels thicker and sturdier. 

I just made sure I knew where to line up the edge of my fabric. It was pretty easy. I was done under an hour. 

This is the whole quilt! I like that pink around the edges. It gives it a nice little punch of color!

Scrap Pineapple Quilt is Done!

 My Scrap Pineapple quilt is all quilted! I was so glad to take this off of the longarm. Pantographs are so fast. I finished this in less than one week. Not bad for a 90 X 90 quilt!

This is the backing which gives you a better look at the actual quilting. It was made of lots of feathers and swirls. Pantographs make the quilting so even all over the quilt. I can see why some people use pantographs exclusively. 

The green fabric on the left is what I used as the center for each of the pineapple blocks. I couldn't find anymore of this fabric to make the binding. I bought this pretty pink and green Tula Pink fabric. The green is actually much more vibrant than this picture shows. I think it'll be a nice pop of color to finish off this quilt!

Color My World BOM Month 4

I'm still working on this month's directions for Color My World BOM. The trees are all in place now. My technique was to hand applique which I did while watching television. It's so nice and relaxing! The last step for this month is to sew all the houses together into a circle. That should be interesting! I'll just take my time. I was thinking of making 2 half circles and then connecting them to form the whole circle. 

I've been quilting my Scrap Pineapple Quilt when I have the time. Thanks to a rather wide pantograph, the end is in sight! I probably have  1 full pass left and then just a portion to finish off what's left. I'm so excited that this quilt will soon be done! I have a few projects I'd like to start but I want to get this quilt done and off the longarm. 

I'm working tomorrow. My quilting will have to wait!

I Like Thursday #97

 

Welcome to I Like Thursday! Each Thursday LeeAnna, over at Not Afraid of Color, hosts a bunch of us bloggers who like to blog about positive and fun posts. Today is currently 64 degrees which is comparatively warm for this time of year in Massachusetts. I have my summer wreath on the door as I look forward to warmer temperatures! Winter is finally over! We had such a dismal winter with Covid that I feel summer is more special for us this year. We can go outside and bask in the warmth. 

After a few false starts, I'm finally quilting my Scrap Pineapple quilt. I'm using a pantograph. I feel this quilt is so busy that you would never notice any custom quilting. This pantograph is so fast! It's about 13 inches wide. I think I'll only need 8 passes and the quilt will be finished. This picture gives you an idea of  the quilting. It's scattered feathers with swirls thrown in for good measure. I love it so far!

I'm also doing a little hand applique. This is the 4th month for the Color My World BOM. Once the tree appliques are done, I'll join the houses together in a circle. I hope they all fit!

I may have found my next scrap project. I love the log cabin square. This quilt is basically just a large log cabin made from scraps. The strips are 2.5 inches. However, if you look closely, each side is made of many shorter strips. I think I could cut down my scraps into strips and sew them together. I kind of like the idea of mindless sewing. Just cut down scraps and sew together. I would love to make a dent into my scrap pile. I'm not sure that's possible!

That's it for me this week! Have a great weekend! Stay safe!

Color My World and Brioche Shawl

 I've been working on Color My World. I have the tree trunks/branches all sewn on the houses. These were so quick and easy. The bias tape has a fusible backing. I ironed it on and then went to the machine and sewed down each edge. Easy peasy! The trees will be next. They sort of look like a green semicircle atop each of the pair of houses. I'll applique them by hand. I find hand applique so fast. Once the tree tops are attached, the houses all have to be sewn together into a circle. I'm not looking forward to that! I just hope they're all the correct size. 

As fast as the trees have been, my knitting is slow but coming along. If you look closely, you can see my lifeline. It's about 1/2 inch below the edge of the knitting needle. As slow as it is, I do like how it's coming out. I should be a Brioche knitting expert by the time this shawl is done!

I Like Thursday #96

 

Welcome to April and I Like Thursday! LeeAnna, over at Not Afraid of Color, has links for more like minded bloggers trying to be positive and uplifting. Being April 1, the new directions for the Color My World BOM were revealed today. As you can see, I started to add my trees. I'm starting with the trunks first. I started with 2 pairs of houses. There are a total of 16. It really didn't take long to do them and I wasn't sure what to do!

I'm used to making my own binding but that's mainly to finish quilts. The Quilt Show recommended to use this product which I bought a while back. It's 1/4 inch fusible binding and it's so easy! You just peel off the paper, position and iron on. Then you go to the machine and sew down both sides. I enjoyed using it. Very quick! Next, I'll have to applique the trees themselves that I'll probably applique by hand. That's the second step for this month. More on that when I get to it!

I was cleaning when I noticed this little guy looking into my house! My cats didn't see him but I did notice his name is Rusty. I've always called him Blackie! He's just the neighborhood cat that visits from time to time. I think he's looking for Molly and Lily.

Speaking of Molly and Lily, we had them outside in their little houses last week. It was one of those warm days. I always think it's nice for them to go out and get some fresh air. I've tried putting them in the same little house but it's doesn't work out too well! A little fighting seems to go on. 

That's been my week. We're short handed at work. I didn't work anymore hours than usual but my days were all squished together. I was pretty tired after that. I'm just starting to feel normal again. Too many mornings of getting up at 5 is tough for me. I've always been more of a night owl. Enjoy the weekend!