Lots of pineapple tidbits
Sep 18, 2005 Quilting
I really like it.
I finished the quilting a week ago. Megan sewed the binding in record itme. A larger picture can be viewed in my quilting gallery. The baby is born. Now its time to give the quilt away. Sometime this week we’ll visit the new mom.
A poncho
Sep 17, 2005 Knitting
Oh about a year ago, I decided to make a poncho when I found this pattern. It looked easy enough. I quickly dived in. (Now would be a good time to mention that this was my first knitting project beyond dish clothes.) When I finished it, I set it aside. I needed a finishing plan. Fringe really isn’t my style.
Several months pass. I started a couple of new knitting projects. I finished them. A couple more months passed. The weather started to cool down. I began to think about my poncho.
Upon inspection, I realized that my knitting skills improved over the course of the year. I couldn’t call my poncho finished. I decided that it needed to be fixed. So I ripped it without any regrets. It took me a couple of weeks to reassemble it. I believe there are fewer mistakes. I added fringe, because I didn’t know that else to do. It needed somthing.
Am I happy with the results? Kind of. The poncho isn’t a loose fitting poncho. I could wear it if I was sitting still, like at church. I was looking forward to something that could be worn running errands or to work. None the less, I’m happy to have. It will be worn this fall.
A simple project
Sep 15, 2005 Sewing
Tonight I completed a simple project, an ironing board cover.
A new ironing board cover was long over due. I read an article somewhere that mentioned using canvas to make an ironing board cover. Then I remembered this twill that I saw on sale for $4/yard. I bought 2 yards. I have enough to make two covers. If I still like the fabric when I need a new cover, it will be easy to make another cover.
I like the fabric because it is thick than the fabric found on ironing board covers from the store. Also I have a fabric that I selected which is always better than not choosing myself.
The Perfect Thread
Sep 10, 2005 Quilting
Today I found the perfect thread to quilt the pineapple bottoms.
I went to JoAnns looking for yellow thread. I want to buy the Star line. They were out of yellow. So I started to look around for an alternative. I wasn’t in the mood to visit several stores in my seach for yellow thread. The varigated thread is perfect. I don’t have to choose between orange or yellow. I get both. I’ve never used this thread to quilt with. I hope it doesn’t break a lot. To top things off, the thread was 30% off.
Since I didn’t use my 40% off coupon on thread, I bought a reducing glass.
A reducing glass helps in the visualization process. Now I can see how my quilt will look from a distance. If it looks good from afar, then I’ve done a good job in using a range of color values.
More quilting
Sep 9, 2005 Quilting
I’ve been quilting two more quilts. First I started on Autumn Stars.
I quilted in the ditch around the squares. Then I stopped to work on Pineapple Tidbits. PT is a gift for a friend. I made half the blocks for this quilt. Megan, a quilting friend, made the other half. Then she assembled the top. I’m quilting it
I started by quilting in the ditch around the blocks. This makes the rest of the quilting easier for me. I don’t have to worry about keeping all the layers wrinkle free. For the pineapple tops, I quilted a top shape. I did this by eye. I’m fairly impressed with the results.
The bottom of the pineapple was a little harder. I wanted a design that was a continuous line. It wouldn’t hurt if the design resembled a pineapple. After talking to Ross and starring at a pineapple I came up with this idea:
I will sew each scalloped row across the whole quilt. Hopefully it will work. It is my Saturday activity. I’ll report soon with an update on my scallop rows and the next steop on Autumn Stars.
