Piecing Pineapples at the Movies

During my recovery from surgery I watched the entire season 9 of The Quilt Show one weekend.    Gyleen Fitzgerald was featured on one episode showcasing her ruler for making Pineapple blocks.  Viola…the dreaded Pineapple block is not so dreaded anymore.  Years ago I made a blue/white quilt for my sister in this block.  It was king size…I swore…never again.  I am retracting that statement.
I quickly ordered it here. (plus her book)
When I was given the green light by the doc I would venture downstairs and began to cull down my scrap bins to 1.5” strips…and also a few strips were taken off yardage when I felt more of a color was needed.  Seems I don’t have too many green scraps.
Two weeks ago I began to sew and deemed Sunday’s as Pineapple nights.  I love my Sunday nights…Paul shifts to his night hours and now I can spend the entire time in the studio pretty much uninterrupted. 
I pieced nine blocks that first Sunday and went to bed dreaming of settings for these blocks.  And just as I was about to fall off to sleep it hit me.  I quickly jotted down my idea and went back to bed.

Yesterday (Sunday) I started sewing and unfortunately my head cold kept me to just 4 blocks. 
But I did begin making the “sew line” sashing that I envisioned.




Some feedback on facebook is that is reminds people of filmstrip…and yes I can see that…thus the name of this blog entry….and considering that as the name of the quilt too….hmmm…what do you think?
Note on the sashing I originally put 1.5” strips of black fabric on side of the pieced center…I knew it was too much black but wanted to see it up against a few block before I decided.  I did eventually trim it down .5” on each side. 

The four blocks I did make yesterday were “lights” or opposite positioning of my previous blocks.  These will be used as just “2 packs” as I am calling them…or a relief of the darker “4 pack” traditional coloring pineapple blocks.  This will create some depth and give the overall quilt a look of plaid.  Shown above is 3 units across.  The full quilt will have 5.
Look for Pineapple Updates on Mondays.
oh yeah…and I have also started working on this….

Fruit Water Anyone?

I am slowly working blogging back into my lifestyle.  It will find it’s way.  I am busy at work in the studio..but a few projects must remain “in the dark” for now so I am worried about content.  After all two of my subjects are now living 600 miles away.  But I will find things to share…I promise.

And so another week has slipped on by.  But I do have this to let you know about.

 

The cooking gadgets section of Bed Bath and Beyond has become one of my new playgrounds. So many toys for the kitchen…who knew…I do now!

 

A find that recently came home with us is a Fruit Infusion Pitcher. Easy concept…sliced fruit in loaded in to a center column that is full of vents opening into the pitcher.  Yes this can be done without the fancy pitcher…but I am all about the product in this Kitchen Gadget Discovery phase.  

Since we rarely have soda in the house anymore (for about three years now) tea and flavored tea have become staples. 

I think one of these pitchers will find it’s way to Arkansas for two people to enjoy.

After a few hours in the frig we were treated to raspberry orange water…it was good.

 

I also found this cute little teapot which is just perfect for us.  We have been drinking a lot of tea lately and discovered this wonderful online loose tea shop, SensibiliTeas.    We highly recommend the Caribbean Cooler…and the Blackberry Roobios.

And yes I have been still hexing.   And while doing so I have discovered that Netflix has all 122 episodes of The Rockford Files on instant watch.  And so James Garner has been keeping me company.  The Hexie Quilt top will be done by February 7th…that is the goal.

But today is Pineapple Block day…yes another project.  There will be a full blog tomorrow in which I will show my progress (started last Sunday) and the unique setting I have come up with.

What can I say….we survived.

Ok…it’s January…and already halfway in.  It was the best Christmas Break EVER!

Paul and Emily have come and gone…along with Hayley (Em’s dorm roommate) and Anna (Paul’s girlfriend) and in between we squeezed in oral surgery for Pauli (wisdom teeth are now history) and lots of late nights filled with love and laughter.

I promised a blog yesterday to my facebook friends and then panicked with what the heck am I gonna write about.

I don’t want to write another Hexie blog…at least not right away.   I have updated the website with new workshops for the year…but don’t want this to become a “commercial blog”.

And then while chopping veggies for the stew I was putting together I was gifted with the perfect “Mickey Blog” material.  Let’s back up a bit.

Something dramatic happened to me during surgery…something was most definitely slipped into my IV because…and now brace yourself….I have been cooking up at storm since two weeks after.  And by cooking I do not mean popping a Lean Cuisine into the microwave and hitting go.  I am real honest-to-goodness-I-now-have-recipe-files-on-my-hard-drive type cooking.  At first Paul thought it was residual from the pain meds.  But six weeks in I am still captivated with turning raw food into something edible. 

So back to the veggies.  Our local Mom & Pop grocer puts together veggie packs for making soups/stews and these are wonderful for our now household of just two.  Afterall we do not need but 2-3 stalks of celery, and just one big carrot vs. a bag, etc.   And yes these are veggies that need to be used pretty darn quick and the mix is always what is available so it’s a bit of a surprise as to what veggies may be lurking under the cilantro and parsley.  Pretty much it is root veggies…but you never know.

In yesterday’s pack was a strange veggie I have never seen before.  And since Paul was napping I decided to leave it to the side and not use it in the “Great Stew Experiment”.   Of course the longer I chopped and diced and it just sat there…well my mind began to wander and I dashed downstairs for a few key pins….and viola!  He is now smiling back at me.

Except I still do not know what exactly he is…..does anyone?

p.s. The stew turned out great…I have yet to poison Paul. 

After the pain meds have cleared…

My post on November 15th was not to be my last prior to surgery…but as things happen someone had other plans.  Two trips to the emergency room and approximately 48 hours later I was being wheeled in for emergency surgery about midnight on Friday.  So how did you spend your Friday night? LOL

Now just one day shy of two weeks recovery under my belt and I feel awesome.   Just need to give the incision some time to heal and I will be “all good”.

The week of Thanksgiving is a blur, obviously, I was so doped up I think I saw the kids.  No just kidding YES the kids came home for five days.  It was the best medicine this Mom could receive.  And now I am just counting the days to Christmas break.

I am on strict “best rest” orders so I have been hexing…..ALOT.  And didn’t wish to post yet another “hexing” post.  So I looked around a few days ago when the pain pill fog began to lift for a simple project to share.  

A fellow blogger, Passing Down Crazy, shared her verisions of the Aneome Hat on her blog and I showed it to Paul (this is prior surgery).  He wanted this hat and asked for it in Blackhawk colors.  So a quick trip to the yarn shop and I chose Cascade Handpaints 220 in the red/black colorway.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a very quick knit. Took me three days…but remember I was a bit unfocused…so in real life I would say an experienced knitter could whip this out in two evenings….there is still time for Christmas!

I know there will be a few more of these in my life…so expect other versions to pop up.

 

 

As you may imagine…Paul and I own a lot of artwork.  We are always buying new pictures, photography, paintings, mixed media.  And displaying this work and being able to switch it out easily say every month has been a bit of a problem. 

But…..

During Emily’s time home a friend posted to her Facebook wall a great idea she found on Pinterest for displaying artwork without putting any holes in walls (rental housing) or tape/adhesive on artwork.  I love the idea and yesterday when I went on a “field trip” with Paul we stopped at Bed, Bath & Beyond to buy the necessary pant hangers.  

The original idea was to use this type of hanger ($6.99 for 4)  to clasp artwork.  

 

 

 

I found these hangers in the clearance area for 1.99 for 7 (WOWsers!) and thought the additional hardware would look cool…plus the hanger itself was bigger. Note the clips do have a rubber grip in them so no artwork is harmed.

 

 

I think I may buy some mat board and place the artwork on the mats and then hang to display to give even more impact.  But that will have to wait most likely to after the holidays as I was accidentally bumped in the store and I don’t want to risk that again.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So for now I sit on the loveseat, hexing, reading, knitting away.  When I stumble upon something I think you may be interested in I will blog.  And I promise to longtime readers to get a picture of Paul and Emily at Christmas….I myself can’t believe how grown up they have become.

Enjoy your day,

Mickey

What did you do today? I hexed.

As promised a blog with an update on the “Hexie Quilt”.  

It has been named…and it is

Whist Jubilance

Kind of a haughty name for such a scrappy quilt.  But there is meaning.   Basically if you break it down it’s a fancy-smancy way of saying “Quiet Joy”.  

And that is most definitely what this quilt has been.  First the quilt then the back story.

 

 

 

As I type ONE SECTION (SECTION #2) has been done!  Woot!  Well except for the appliquéing of the 1 3/8 circle in the center of each inner flower (10 have been done and you might see them randomly).  I am saving this job for later (this will make sense in a few paragraphs)

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is basically next to my seat in the living room where I have been spending countless hours since October 20th. I am quite organized. 

 

Side bar: my friend Brenda’s hubby makes these fantastic seam rippers…if interested you can contact Ken at the following email addy.   kenessl@cox.net

 

 

I am almost thru a second section being put together.  You might note that I am figuring out the layout of each section on the design board in my studio but sewing them together upstairs in the living room.  What gives?  The comfy cozy chair in my studio left in early October to join it’s partner and the couch in the living room of Paul & Emily’s apartment in Arkansas.  I have found a chair I like but as of right now I haven’t purchased it yet.

During the putting together of the first section I would whip stitch a few flowers together and then run downstairs for more “parts” of the section to add on.   This arrangement was not gonna happen for the remaining sections this I was sure.  Too much running.

 

So I came up with lightly taping a section of the section (how’s that for confusing) to some butcher paper and viola I have a couple hours worth of work right at my fingertips…no more stair running.

So this has been my life of late…lots of hexing.

Ironically between lots of doctors appointments and tests. I will be having some surgery later this month that will most likely put me out of commission for awhile. So if you see a few week gap in blogging well just know that I am resting well.   You can always friend me on Facebook for daily updates.

 

 

 

But in the meantime the leaf in the dining room table (the only table in this small abode) has been put back in….meaning Paul and Emily will be home soon.  

My heart is filled with more joy.

 

 

 

p.s. I am counting on doing all the center circle appliqués during my recovery. 

      How’s that for ambition!

Sometimes the “Type A Personality” slips out

 

I like things organized.   At least when the creative part of a project is over and the “get ‘er dun” part is taking place.

When I am working on a new quilt I screw around with bits and pieces testing what I see in my imagination and once I am satisfied I flip over the the “Type A” part of me and break it all down to the fast and most efficient way to progress.  

So I decided on Saturday night I was far enough into the “Hexie Quilt Project” to fall in love with it completely and thus it was time to devise a plan to bring it to completion.  I have a time table in the head…as always.  I work best with self imposed deadlines. 

This is what the final tally is in regards to pieces needed for the quilt:

Border Flowers : 42

Green Fillers : 80

Inner Pieced Flowers: 95

Odd Ball Flowers shapes : approximately 12-14 flowers total

I counted up what I had done randomly and I was just about halfway there.

I went into full pieced Hexie production on Sunday Morning.  And by Sunday late afternoon I had all the pieces cut, stripe sewn in, and ready for English Paper Piecing.  The same with the Border Flowers.  And the filler Hexies were done.  I would leave the “odd balls” to the very last to be able to play with color placement when it came to them.

I took my sketch of the finished quilt and divided it into 8 sections.  And not all sections are created equal.  Some are much bigger than others.  Trust me there is a method to my madness…when I feel a lull encroaching on this project I will put together a small section and viola the motivation to keep moving on.

Now I need to divide all the Hexie Flowers I have done and the cut flowers (but not done) so I can guarantee that fabrics and colors flow nicely across the quilt.

With masking tape, I divided the counter in the back of my studio into 8 sections. 

Then I put a note in each section with it’s assigned number and the numbers of each items (Border Flowers, Green Fillers, Inner Flowers) that is needed for completion. 

The shuffling of flowers around took less than 10 minutes.  

 

 

And lo and behold one of the smaller sections (#6) already has all the pieces needed completed…it can be put together immediately if I wished.

I elected to save it for one of the “lull periods” and am tackling section #5.   I hope to have a few sections done for you by next week….that is the plan.

p.s. Please note that the last pic is actually only about half the “items” laid out…just realized I forgot to take a final pic…but I think you get the idea.

And then there was a pattern

On Tuesday Morning I logged into Facebook to change my profile pic from “Lucy in her witch costume” (think Charlie Brown fame) to well…hmmm.

I wanted to do something to set the tone for November and the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving.

I looked around.

Then I spotted the table runner that I created back in 2002 for a basic quilting class for exchange students that I taught at the local college.   Seems a requirement for graduation was a American Craft for these students and thus I had to develop a simple project.  Most students did not have access to a sewing machine so this pattern worked well as we spent weeks completing the appliqué and then I put together a bank of about 6 machines for one class and we sewed the entire table runner together in class and then moved on to hand quilting.  Having students for and entire semester was a new and wonderful experience.  But we are getting off the subject….so….

I snapped a picture of the center of this table runner and posted it to my fb page.  And within an hour I had two private messages asking for the pattern.  And by day’s end there were more.

So I went looking for my original pattern file.  This pattern was self published as that is pretty much required by the college system. 

 

I have self published a few patterns over the years and had be thinking about revisiting this idea with the acceptance of PDF patterns growing.

I found the disc…I was a genius on March 8, 2006 because I actually stored the pattern info in PDF form!   All I did was reshoot the pictures because technology has come a long way in digital cameras since 2001.   And viola!

“Autumn Pumpkin Harvest” table runner pattern is available to purchase on etsy at this time. You can link here or at the side of this blog.

In searching for the pattern so many other pattern ideas were unearthed.   Let’s just say I am going to be very busy.  Most of these ideas have never see life beyond these walls.  

I am a firm believer in things happen for a reason.

Stay tuned for an update on the “Hexie Quilt”…but first I need to clear off the design wall.