Sample Pineapple Finished

My sample for the pineapple class is finished. The method I used is by Karin Hellaby. I found a demo of it HERE on You Tube. 

Pineapple Quilt Layout

Coming up later in January I will be teaching a class for my 7-Sisters Quilt Guild. We are going to be doing a pineapple block. I am now making a baby size for a sample. I got the blocks finished today. Now I need to decide how I want to set them.

 This first picture is the block just set as is.

 How about this one with brown sashing and blue cornerstones.

 Maybe set on point with alternating blocks. This one I actually like the least.

 I like this blue sashing.

This one with blue sashing and brown with blue cornerstones is my daughter's favorite. I think might agree with her. Or do I like the brown sashing with blue cornerstones. I think I will sleep on it.

Pineapple Block

I am going shopping with my kids today to use the gifts cards they got for Christmas. While two of them are here sleeping and one is at work I am sewing.

Late January I am doing a class with my 7-Sisters Quilt Guild. We decided on this pineapple block. I need to get a sample done. I got this one block done yesterday and cut out the fabric for the rest of the blocks.

Time to get back to sewing.

Decorating with Christmas Quilts

 Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I thought I had this post scheduled for December 24 but I just saw that it never posted. So, here are some more Christmas quilts.

 I love decorating with quits. 

I think the ball fringe really adds something to this quilt.

 This log cabin was one of my very first quilts It was made in 1998.

I made it so long ago that I hand quilted it.

 This quilt that is under the family room Christmas tree I pieced in 1980 when I was 19 years old. I didn't take a class or anything. Of course back then I used cardboard templates and scissors to cut the squares and triangles. I never quilted it and did not attempt another quilt until the 90s This quilt was one of the first to be quilted on my longarm in 2004.

 This little quilt is a stack-n-whack. I think it was made about 2002.

 I think I made this quilt in 2008. I did a lot of quilting on this one. The mistake I made here was that the red on the front should have been a solid. The quilting shows up better on the back.

 I just love this tree quilt I made last year. The lime green quilting looks great in the red.

 With all of the pictures I have posted of my Christmas decorating I almost forgot this cute little tree. It is in the upstairs bathroom. I do not go upstairs very often except to wake my daughter for school.

Here is wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Quilts Finished

 Counting down the hours until Christmas and I am still getting things done. This Christmas quilt is not exactly done. It still needs some more buttons for holly berries.

 This is my husband's Christmas present. I never made a quilt just for him before. I know it is a very simple quilt but I really wanted the quilting to be the focus. The problem is I should have used a solid blue instead of a batik so the quilting would really stand out.

 The animals are quilted with brown thread and the filler is blue. Originally I was not going to put in filler but I felt it needed more quilting.

 At least you can see the quilting up close.

The quilting shows up really well on the back.

I hope he likes it and will use it to snuggle in.

UFO Quilt Challenge 2011

This coming year I am once again going to participate in a UFO Quilt Challenge. Maybe I will do better in 2011 than I did in 2010. In 2010 I started the year out great but sort of fizzled as I went along. But, because of participating last year I do not have as many UFOs this year. Of course with having a longarm business I have a lot of tops that need quilted because I do the customer quilts before my own.  Once again my goal this year will be to quilt one of my own per month plus finish some tops.

This year I will be participating with Judy at Patchwork Times. Judy wants us to show the UFOs we will be completing this year. We are to number them 1 - 12. Each month Judy will choose what number we will be working on. Since I have more than 12, some months I will try to finish 2 of them. Here is what I came up with:

This baby girl quilt is on my UFO list but I realized as I typed this that it should not be because I need it asap. Amelia was born is November. I plan to quit this right after the new year.

1. I finished this top in early 2010. It was a block of the month from "The Quilt Show". Not sure if it was 2008 or 2009.

2a.This is a small one. The applique is hand done. I do not do much hand work any more. I started it in 2009 and finished the top at retreat March 2010. 

2b.These 2 twin size quilts are for the beds in one of the quest rooms. They just need a border. I wanted to put applique borders on them. They have been sitting around for a while (I think since 2006). I might end up not doing the applique just so I can get them done.

3.This log cabin quilt is king-sized. I probably started it in 2000. The center has been done since that year. I am not really into those fabrics any more so I wanted to get it done. Last year at retreat in March I put borders on it. Maybe I will get it quilted this year.

4a.I got this quilt top a long time ago at an auction that my quilt guild had. The center was finished and there was fabric included for the border. I think I put the borders on at retreat in 2007. I am not sure how old it is but it is vintage fabrics.

4b.This is from a class I did with Lois Smith in November. I am not sure what else I am going to do with it yet.

5a.This star quilt was started in 2004 when I went to visit my sister in Washington state. While we were there we went to the Sisters Oregon Quilt Show. It was a 6 hour drive and I appliqued when I was not driving. My sister gave me the extra stars and circles from a quilt she was working on. I put the top together at retreat in 2007. 

5b.This Joseph's Coat was started earlier this year. I was following along with a quilt-along but I fell behind. In the quilt-along they were hand appliqueing but I am appliqueing mine on the machine.

6a.This Kaleidoscope String Quilt was started in March 2008.

6b.This dimensional hand applique was started in my Baltimore Album Bee last year.

7a.This scrappy top was made from a block exchange with my mom and sisters in 2004-2005.

7b.The fabrics and pattern for this quilt came from my friend Lou. They were left over from a class she took. I added the brown.

8a.This quilt top was also from a block exchange with my mom and sisters. I think it is from about 1999 or 2000.

8b.This jacket was started in a class earlier this year. The sleeves are short so I am going to add cuffs. Then it just needs bound and maybe I will add some buttons.

9.This is machine appliqued. It is probably from about 2006.

10.The inspiration for this top is the Jane Sassaman fabrics. It was pieced in 2005.

11.This top is baby sized. I made a throw earlier this year and this was made with the left-overs.

12.This quilt was started in a class a long time ago; maybe 8 to 10 years. The month that is chosen to finish this quilt I doubt that I will get it done, but it would be great to work on it again.

I am looking forward to getting a lot of quilting done in 2011.

Almost Ready

 This is my favorite nativity. Could it have something to do with the quilts they are wearing?

Getting ready to wrap.

 Since there are no little ones in the house anymore, the gifts go right under the tree in the living room

.

 I have a few more things to wrap and I might like to pick up something else yet, but basically I am ready. Son #2 got home from school last night.

 A few of the friendly characters sitting around the house.

 I love nativity sets. Of course it as all bout Jesus!