Listening to Mary Ellen Hopkins' talk about quilting is like sitting around a table with friends shooting the breeze. She's very likeable, very knowledgeable about her subject, and confident of viewer's abilities to make a quilt. One can imagine her responding to doubts with a simple, but emphatic, "Pshaw." After a brief introduction, Mary Ellen gets down to business: the making of a pineapple quilt, from suggestions for material selection through finished product. In addition to the thorough coverage of each step, there are plenty of tips on inexpensive tools, timesaving shortcuts, and aesthetic concerns in quiltmaking. We especially enjoyed the aesthetic remarks. Referring to one quilt she had made, Mary Ellen points to the recurring words "Roses are for remembrance", smiles, and says: "So tacky and so great." Although novices might be able to stumble through this, the program is really aimed towards experienced quilters. Recommended. (Available from: Concept Video, 4012 Ingraham St., Los Angeles, CA 90005.)
Mary Ellen Hopkins' The Pineapple Made Simple
(1988) 60 m. $29.95. Concept Video. Public performance rights included Vol. 4, Issue 4
Mary Ellen Hopkins' The Pineapple Made Simple
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