Pineapple Quilt under the Needle and Other UFO updates

My 2024 goal is to finish some UFOs.

Beginning January, my UFO list looked like this! Not very uplifting, right?!

There has been other funnier things to work on and that famous squirrel has popped in off and on too! 

No more pink RSC for me (here and here)! Except a small update to be posted Saturday. That means I can concentrate on other pending things. 

Yesterday I pulled out the scrappy pineapple quilt. It was already thread basted (last year), and set aside because I wasn't sure how to quilt it. I didn't feel for doing the easy meandering or loopy swirls quilting, it needed to be something else. 

Then I came across Mary Huey's blogpost where she shows how she has quilted a pineapple quilt. Her quilt is beautiful, isn't it?!

I tried to follow her diagram, first the 'green line'. Poop! Mathematics and such have never been my thing, I could not figure out how it was done! Worst brain fart ever!!! 

Well, I did start eventually, the light areas, where I've quilted 'diamonds'. I've done the short side and two rows on the long side. So far I like it. At least I was able to do it (short side) from one side to the other in one go. It's here I messed up, so for the long side I have to quilt one 'diamond' at a time (more threads to bury! Sigh!). 

I have to figure out how I want to do the dark areas. On my domestic 'dear Nina', I'm not going to attempt the 'twist and turn' red lines as you can see in Huey's diagram! That would be too much wrestling! 

Here's an update of finished UFOs: 

#23 - Norwegian Flag Table Runner - finished January 9, 2024

#10 - Blue & White Irish Chain Quilt - finished January 2024

#24 - Small Gnome Quilt - finished May 2024

#20 - Bases Loaded Purple Quilt - finished May 13, 2024

I was going to take photos today, but the weather does not cooperate; rain showers and gusts up to 31 mph. 

...and this is 'Miss Sophie', checking out my sewing extension table and ruler! She's a rescue, feral Cat-Mama left her in our garden. I believe she's born middle January, still a crazy loving kitty! 

 

RSC Week 19 - more PINK

 It's PINK - again! 

Pink is May's chosen color for the RSC - Rainbow Scrap Challenge 

I ran out of background fabric for the BOM from Sherri McConnel; 'A Quilting Life'. 

For the previous blocks I have used Moda Marbles 'cream' (not available anymore). 

Instead, I purchased 'Baby White', which is slightly more yellowish, but that's OK. It's scrappy, after all! 

BOM: May 

When I joined RSC last year (2023), I sorted most of my fabrics on color. 

After I made Arreli's quilt, I don't have much pink left. I had to dig deep into my stash and found only one I had missed earlier and one I knew about (purchased for a custom order), just enough to make the outer border on this block. 

Love this block, but it was a pain to make with all its HSTs! 

...and I think this is the last pink for me, this month!

Linking up with Angela and RSC - Rainbow Scrap Challenge

RSC Week 18 - PINK for May

 Welcome May! 

May already! How did that happen?! 

Angela at Super Scrappy has chosen PINK for May's RSC - Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

This year, I'm making different blocks in the RSC colors. 

As I have mentioned earlier, I like to do all the blocks at the beginning of each month so that I can concentrate on other things when the blocks are done.

Since the last Saturday in April was on 27th, we got a head start on Pink! 

All the blocks for 'Keep the Home Fires Burning' are done 

6 four-patches

3 Friendship blocks

Different 9-patches

2 Pinwheel blocks

5 Bowties blocks
(note that I did get the bowties right this time! lol)

8 Split 9s

4 Scrap Jars

Zipper blocks

Since I used up most pink yardage for Arreli's quilt (last year), I had only three pink fabrics to cut the long strips and squares for these blocks. 

May's BOM block - Sherri McConnel, 'A Quilting Life', will be published Monday, May 6th.

Linking up with Angela and the RSC - Rainbow Scrap Challenge

HAPPY SCRAPPY WEEKEND! 

Pin in the Quilt - YIKES!

Finally! A UFO is under the needle!

This quilt was a result of the RSC - Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2023.

I had all those purples I wanted to use and ended up making two purple quilts. 

After the tops were done, both were put away. The main reason I wasn't sure how to quilt them. 

2-3 weeks ago I pulled the tops out from their 'hiding places' and got both sandwiched. The biggest one, the one I'm currently quilting, has a partly pieced backing (to use up more purple). It wasn't enough for the backing (no other fabric in my stash suitable), I did purchase a 108" wide backing, just enough for both quilts. 

To get a pieced backing straight can be a real PITA! 

Fortunate I have a big dinner table turned into my sewing table. I tape part of the backing to the table, mark the center and the four sides. I mark the backing center with a long pin, then add the batting and top. Since I always thread baste quilts before quilting, I have figured out long pins are much better (for me) compared to safety pins to hold the three layers together before thread basting. 

I don't have any photos from the preparation for this quilt. However, I did a blog post some years ago, for another quilt. To get an idea how it works for me. 

I'm very careful to remove all the pins after the quilt is thread basted.

I thought I had removed all pins on this one, but to my surprise and horror (!), the pin in the center of the backing was overseen! Yikes! It was between the batting and backing!

I noticed the pin when I started quilting (I start quilting from the center). Thank goodness I discovered it before the quilting was done at that specific area! 

I had to open up some of the thread basting from one end to the center, put my hand between the backing and batting to get that darn pin out! 

(the photo shows the pin after it was removed from inside the layers).

This quilt seems taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R to quilt! 

I decided on straight seams, which I think suits the quilt. It is made of HST (Half-Square-Triangles) in scrappy white / cream and a variety of purples. All the white /cream is quilted.

 I decided to quilt inside each purple HST! My goodness me! Why did I decide on that?! Because I know it'll look good when it's done! 

Variety of purple Masterpiece and King Tut being used for the HST.

(Sneak peek of the backing).

Threads to be buried by hand, because I don't like the look done on the sewing machine. 

My goal was getting it done by April. That didn't happen! New goal date; middle May!