Thursday, April 30, 2015

Thankful Thursday Catch Up & Creative Space Tag



 I'm truly thankful to finish the the blocks for 
the main body of the QST quilt at last. I sewed all afternoon adding another 4 rows. I even ran out 
of room on the design wall by the end, and the 
bottom is barely hanging on. I really like this 
quilt, but I'm getting anxious to get it off the 
wall, and move on to sewing.

Setting triangles and corners are next, and
I had to sit with a pen and paper for some
time to figure out how to make sure my
HST that will finish the edges will be aligned 
on the grain. You do not want bias edges, 
if you can help it!

Okay, Folks. Here's the big question.
Because there is so much going on in 
this quilt, pattern, fabric, etc., what 
do you think if I would use solids for 
my setting triangles? I could use a 
variety of colors varying between softer 
and stonger colors. The top and bottom
should be finished in stronger tones 
than the sides. There is already a 
vertical-horizontal color patterning 
within the design. Leave me a 
comment. What would you do?

The plan is to finish somewhere in the 
vicinity of a King size quilt. I've waffled 
back and forth whether or not to separate 
the blocks into two smaller quilts that would 
be much easier to quilt in my Janome. Even 
with very thin batting, this probably will be a 
bear. I've decided to throw my cares to the 
wind. Perhaps this will push me to reconsider 
that industrial, standing Singer my husband 
keeps in his workshop.

That's on the list for tomorrow, and I'm
not looking forward to pulling out all the 
fabrics I have just put away.

Creative Space Tag

Lara B. at BuzzinBumble is the hostess of 
Creative Space Tag this week. Pop over to see her 
inspiring space, and let her tell you all about it-- 
including some fun news. I loved it!

Newsworthy


Craftsy Logo


I've become a partner in the Craftsy Affiliate

Program. What that means is that I will be 
promoting classes, sales, and purchases at 
Craftsy. If you choose to visit the site through
the button or link at Pink Doxies, and then 
make a purchase, I will receive a small 
percentage payment. It costs you nothing, 
and keeps my sewing machine lights on
among other things. I am looking for ways
to support this blog, and sincerely 
appreciate it when you link through me.

The link is at the top right, and is a clickable

button. Try it out if you'd like. I chose
Craftsy because of the quality content in
their classes. Did you know there are a lot of
FREE classes there? It's FREE to create an 
account. I have enjoyed the FREE pattern
downloads, and the FREE classes for months,
but I'm ready to jump into a few machine
quilting classes to help me through the
QST quilt. I think I need the help!

Did you know Christina Cameli, 'Peas in a Pod'

from yesterday's batik pillow here has a class
on Craftsy? My list is growing.

The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting

If only I could stitch together all my free
moments of the day for a bigger block of
sewing time. I can only wish.

I'm off to help a new quilter buy supplies,

and she may drag me to Miller's Dry Goods
in Charm for their 50th Anniversay Sale 
this week. 30% off (almost) everything!
If you live nearby, I might see you there.
As my favorite local quilt store, I have
to give them a shout out. They're quick
with a smile and a hello every time.

Anniversary Sale


Until then, Doxie Girls.

Let's go sew.

Linking up today with~
WIDTW
Crazy Mom Quilts
Fort Worth Fabric Frenzy
Lily's Quilts
A Quilting Reader's Garden
Quokka Quilts
Richard and Tanya Quilts
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Quilting Jet Girl
My Quilt Infatuation

17 comments:

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

I think that setting this quilt with solids could really be lovely; it is probably the choice I would make, but I would suggest auditioning a few choices to help you decide what you like. :)

Lara B. said...

Julie, I would not have thought about using multiple colors of solids for the setting triangles, but like your idea very much!
And Yes - do take Christina's Craftsy class - she is a marvelous teacher!

Beth said...

I had been imagining it with something like the warm gray I'm seeing along the side right now--I suspect that is your wall?--which I like and think kind of corrals the energy of your QST's. But I have great faith in your color sense and will look forward to seeing some kind of cascading color along the side. Are you thinking maybe an ombre-ish effect, darker at both ends and lighter toward the center?

Maryse said...

It's going to be a beautiful quilt, it already is!! I kinda lean towards using some of the darker fabrics you have in your quilt, I don't think I would do all solids but maybe a mix of both in a random way. Hope that helps ... :-)

Kitty said...

I agree, setting this in solids might be the perfect touch! Definitely audition some to see what you like best, but I like the idea of cascading color :) The warm grey also looks quite nice--perhaps an Essex Linen Yarn Dyed grey? Each option would have a very different visual outcome, but I think both sound lovely!

Sarah Craig said...

First of all, there's a great smartphone app (free, too!) by Robert Kaufman called QuiltingCalc or The Quilter's Little Helper. It has a calculator on it to figure out your set-in and corner triangle sizes, which is awesome! You could just cut your set-in triangles out of your fabric scraps - that way the over-all Bohemian-ness of it continues all the way to the edge. Each square will yield four set-in triangles, so you would have a variety, just as you do over the rest of the quilt. The corners yield two from each square, so that would give some variety there too. If you don't have scraps, I would find a jewel-toned batik with multiple colors in it that echo the colors in the quilt to do the set-in triangles and corners. PS It's a lovely quilt - does it need a home????? ;-) just joking...

Marly said...

I'd use a solid, maybe "sand" or a medium grey, for the setting triangles. I wouldn't use very light nor very dark, but something that tones in value with blocks in the quilt.

Sharon T said...

If you decide to keep your beautiful quilt whole, rather than dividing it in two, you might try quilting it in two pieces as found here:
http://www.venusdehilo.com Look under tutorials. I have used this method twice on almost king size quilts on my conventional machine with a standard opening. After the two (or more) sections are quilted, they are joined together into one huge quilt. Stephanie's instructions are clear and easy to follow. Good luck!

Paulette said...

Beautiful quilt! I like your idea for the setting triangles. I like quilts with a lot going on! :)

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Stunning quilt! Like others, I suggest auditioning a few things for the setting. I do think your idea with the solids could work, or maybe, is there any one colour that stands out more to you, and you could use it as your starting point? Have fun!

Vera said...

It's always hard to make decision. People might suggest few things but it's really up to you :) Have fun!

Julie said...

Thank you, Sharon T. I have this bookmarked, and will look at it tomorrow. There is also a Craftsy class on working with large quilts in standard machines. I keep thinking that with my Janome's 11" opening, it may work. If not, the challenge to try is there. Thank you so much for taking the time to help here.

Julie

magistra said...

I think the idea of different solids sounds great but I would have to see it to be sure. But what I should have said first is how much I love this quilt!! It is gorgeous and has made me determined to start my triangle scrappy quilt soon! There's a reason I buy all the different fabrics, so they can all look great in one quilt! I love scrappy! I also can honestly say that I do fall in love with some of those two color quilts but i'm afraid I would get so bored with it! Not that you didn't get tired of QSTs, like I'm about to get tired of triangles. I guess there's that kind of thing in any quilt. Well, I don't know how I go off on such tangents. I do very much hope you don't have to divide this bad girl ino two. Or could you quilt two, then sew them together somehow? Whatever you do, you definitely are going to end up with gorgeous! That's already in the bag!
Beth

magistra said...

Ah ha! I just read that Sharon T above has already covered the "divide it into two"idea in a much more intelliigent and helpful way. I am going to look that up!

Kate said...

Love the QST top. It's gorgeous!

Kacey said...

Love this chaos! I think I'd go with all the same solid for the triangles - maybe a nice strong indigo blue?

Angie in SoCal said...

LOL - I would use white. I can already see how it works from your design wall. Thanks for linking to WIPs Be Gone. It sure helps me not miss neat posts. Look forward to seeing what you decide.