Pineapple Table Topper Borders

I am just so excited to show you how I finished off that pineapple table topper from a week or so ago. I have dug and dug to find every last little bit of the fabrics to make a piano key border, and I am totally loving it!

Don't you agree that the border just makes it?? I don't know if you can tell or not, but I have not used true white in either the inner border or the blocks. In the stash, I had a very pale yellow-green and that is what is used in the blocks. It took the entire fat quarter. So I found another fat quarter of very pale light blue. Heck, why not? So chop-chop. I cut my strips and finish this little gem.

I have it on the porch table because that is where I've envisioned its being used. I plan to put the backing on it yet this evening and call it a total finish.

In other news, we had a turtle visit our back yard Thursday morning. It was pretty cool to see him lumbering across the grass. He had some sort of growth on the top rear of his shell. Ideas, anyone?

And, finally, I will leave you with a picture of our beautiful irises. DH is so proud of them. He works so hard on our yard and flower beds. This is definitely pay-off for him.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Making Adjustments

A few weeks ago, I joined several other gals at Mary's Barn in Grove City to make a Pineapple Block. It was a foundation-pieced block and was fun to make. It'd been awhile since I last did any foundation piecing, so it was nice to revisit the technique.

Well, that one block became 3, and I stitched them together with the thought of making a small, skinny table topper for our screened porch. The more I looked at that skinny thing, though, the more I thought it needed more substance. If I added 3 more blocks, it would be twice as wide and would make more of a statement.

So that is what I did.

This is the skinny table topper. With a border, it might have looked okay, but I thought I'd be happier with it if it were doubled.

I made 3 more blocks. Once you get into a rhythm with these things, they go pretty fast. I thought I'd never finish the first one that day at the barn. I kept forgetting to press back the piece I'd just sewn before sewing the new piece. (Those of you who foundation piece will follow that, I'm sure...)

The only thing I really needed to concentrate on was getting the colors placed the way I wanted them. That, and remembering to open the piece last stitched before adding a new piece. I've got that down, now.

I am so glad I added more blocks. This has so much more interest and the "pineapples" really pop. Now, I need to consider what I will do about a border. I have some of the four colors left. I could make a skinny white border, and then do something with the four colors. Piano keys? Four-patches? Maybe nothing? I will audition some things.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! My kiddos came through with the gift certificates to Old Town Fabrics, so I'm a happy gal.

Happy Quilting, Friends!