Friday, December 3, 2021

Pining for some sparkle

 Hi everyone! Holy cow, it's December. I feel like I lost all of November somehow, and I'm hoping not to lose December, which is far more festive than any other month. For Thanksgiving, we went off to see our older grandchildren, and we had more fun than you can imagine, including putting up the Christmas tree and having cake for the twins' birthday. We also got to draw pictures, play 'fetch,' and hear all about school and all the other kid things you miss when you're not around every day. It was super awesome. Also, there was turkey.

So now we're back to the same old same old, and it's time to get our own place looking festive. I need some sparkly lights, darn it! In that spirit, I have finished up another quilt with some happy undertones: 
 
 
I don't know if this is really Christmassy, but I like it a lot and it adds a lot of brightness to a kind of gray part of the year. All those leaves will be picked up soon and then it will be pretty bare for a while.
 
Look at all that fun variety!
 
This is my version of Pine Tree Point, which is a Bonnie Hunter pattern that you can get HERE. I repurposed a failed Rainbow Scrap Challenge project into this happy top earlier this year, and just quilted it up recently. I have no regrets about cutting up that planned project and turning it into this one. How could I when it looks so great?


I quilted this myself on rented longarm time in a pattern called Popcorn, which is kind of swirly and twirly and looks a little bit like snow blowing if that's what you want to see. Mostly it just gave the quilt a great texture and made all those strings look great. Also, it was pretty easy to follow with the longarm and hid a lot of bobbles and bumps. It's really hard to make that panto look bad, thank goodness.


When your longarmer tells you to stay-stitch around the edges of your string quilts, you should definitely do it. They stretch! I managed, though, because I had stay-stitched the edges and because I still go really slow. I love all the strings in the border, though, and would definitely do this as a border again. I threw everything in there-- even pink and yellow along with the white, beige and a few grays-- and it still turned out looking great.


I used a piece of a wide backing that I had, though the quilt is only about 48 by 60. I cut up my piece of backing for several smaller quilts that wouldn't fit on one piece of standard yardage. I think I'm getting spoiled by these wider backings, or maybe I've just gotten too lazy to join backing pieces now. The binding doesn't exactly match the blue frames in the quilt, but it is really close. It's also the smallest binding I've ever done. I usually cut the binding at 2-1/2 inches for a double fold binding but made a mistake and somehow cut this one at only 2 inches. I couldn't stretch the fabric, so I went ahead and used the 2 inch cuts. It was a struggle, but it worked somehow.

 
I'm not sure this is a Christmas quilt, really, but it fits right in with a lot of our other decor, and I'm glad that it's finished in time for the season. The unquilted top list is getting pretty short, too, and I'm really jazzed about that. What if I finish all of them? Yikes!


I hope all of you had a great holiday and are having fun getting ready for the next one. Bring on the sparkly lights! Maybe I better grade these exams first, though, because Christmas is not the only thing that's coming soon. Finals are on the horizon. Double yikes!

Have a good weekend, all! Do something festive!


Sharing at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Finished or not Friday, Brag About Your Beauties, Patchwork and Applique, Oh, Scrap, and soscrappy for RSC 21.

24 comments:

Vicki in MN said...

What a beauty!! I like that you repurposed a project and got a fun quilt out of it.

Julie in GA said...

Your pine tree quilt is fantastic! I love the way you framed all the blocks with that bright blue; it sets them off beautifully! Congrats on a great finish!

sue s said...

I really like your Pine Trees and they do fit the spirit of the season. Have you posted a pic of this on any of Bonnie's social media? I think many would love to see it. She has the pattern for sale now on her website.

piecefulwendy said...

What a pretty quilt, with rainbow trees! Yes, it's a Christmas quilt, but you can bring it out any time of the year when you just need a little happiness :-) Getting to the end of your quilts that need to be quilted?!? I could send you a few . . .

JanineMarie said...

Oh, my! Christmas, New Year’s, Combatant of the Doldrums of Winter—it’s all those things. What fun! Just look how it brightens up the landscape in that last photo! I’m glad you had time with your grands over Thanksgiving. We have tentatively started family visits again now that 3 of our 4 grands could be vaccinated, and in-person is so much more fun than FaceTime. (Although I like that, too.) I hope your term ends quickly and easily, so you can just relax and enjoy the holidays, Mari!

Melisa- pinkernpunkinquilting said...

I just love your Pine Trees. They are so festive and happy.

Sara said...

The Pine Trees quilt is awesome. Maybe not Christmas-y, but looks fabulous for all year.

grammajudyb said...

I see Christmas! I love it!

QuiltGranma said...

A year around beauty! Great job, love the variety of neutrals in the outer border.

Preeti said...

Pining? Is that a pun, professor? In my opinion, your quilt is all spruced up :-D
See you soon. Big Hugs.

The Joyful Quilter said...

Love, love, LOVE it, Mari!!!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Your rainbow of trees is just adorable, Mari! Such a fun finish! I can't believe it's December, either - that happens to me every year. 🎄

Bernie Kringel said...

Super cute - this is an all year round quilt Mari. Wonderful way to use your blocks. I love all of the borders - I think you took a cute quilt and really elevated it with the fun borders. Nice job!!

Cathy said...

That is definitely a eye-popping keeper quilt! It’s gorgeous! Congrats on the whole process from reworking the original plan to the darling quilting to squeezing out a border! I have this pattern and it’s on my distant radar to make in the next year or two.

Quiltdivajulie said...

A most excellent way to use the BH pattern - I really like what you chose to do!

Jenny said...

Oh those trees, of course they are Christmassy. That's a great idea for a border, why do I never think of doing something like that?

Lisa in Port Hope said...

It is really bright and cheerful!

Sylvia@Treadlestitches said...

Love this quilt! Rainbow Christmas!

Sherrie said...

Hi,
Your Christmas Tree quilt is awesome.
Love all those pretty scraps. Have
a great day!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

its perfect for Christmas!
and! it will keep your house Merry and Bright for a long time!

Bonnie said...

The trees look festive to me! Great job.

TerryKnott.blogspot.com said...

What festive trees! I love all the colors that you used.

Sandy Panagos said...

I love that you repurposed a project that didn't work and ended up with something so fun! And who says it's not Christmassy? Right?!?

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Your new quilt is wonderful! I love all the strings, and the corners in the border too! Sorry I'm so behind visiting your blog, I too feel like I lost all of the month! Thank you for linking up ;)