I have been working on the pineapple applique quilt blocks.  The pattern I am basing the quilt on has 12 blocks. I had planned to make mine with 16 blocks (22″ each) for an 88″ square quilt.  As I laid out the blocks I decided it would benefit from a border.  So the new plan is 9 blocks and a border. So I drew up a pattern using elements from the blocks and here is the progress so far.

I am making the border in pieces.  The quilt blocks are 22″ square so the border pieces are 11″ x 22″ with an 11″ square in each corner

So that makes 9 blocks for the quilt and 4 blocks for the corners and 12 for the borders for a total of  25.

This makes for a lot more hand applique work but I think it will be worth it. Here is a picture of the original pattern

I think the addition of the border will make for a more interesting quilt.

I am relatively new to hand applique but I am enjoying it and getting better.  my stitches are getting more even and smaller.  Here is a picture of the back of one of the blocks

Not perfect but getting better.  PBS used to have a painting show years ago called “Welcome To My Studio”  With Hellen Van Wyk.  She was a very accomplished portrait and still life painter with years of experience.  She often sad that people would look at one of her painting and ask “how long did it take you to paint that?”  She would respond 37 years! (the # of years she had been painting).  I think quilting is like that….over the next 37 years I expect to keep improving…for now I claim progress rather than perfection.

There are a few new things blooming in the garden (despite the heat and lack of rain)

This double day lily is always pretty ( It came from a friend in New Jersey)  I don’t know the variety name but it is not a fancy new hybrid, it is a very old one.  It tends to want to spread and take over the entire garden so 2 years ago I decided it needed to be controlled.  I dug it up saved one division and planted it in a very large plastic pot then buried the pot in the flower bed…now the plant can’t spread beyond the pot.

Another ornamental millet is beginning to bloom.  I love the dark flowering spike against the bright foliage.  I plan to try saving seeds of this one for next year.

Despite being transplanted a month later than they should have been, and living through hot dry weather, the plants in the new flower bed are doing fine.

Happy Gardening and Happy Quilting

Tim