Friday, July 31, 2015

Moda Modern Blocks #6--Red


Back to Moda Modern Building Blocks

The studio was in shambles a few weeks ago. (Really. The other side of the shelved stash was worse.) I could live with it, and work in bare feet or socks so I don't step on anything vital, but toward the end I was patting at piles trying to find things. (Don't lie. I know you've done this.)

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Scrappin' Inspiration, AKA, When Craft Becomes Art



Nothing makes my heart go pitter-patter more than a wonky scrap block. No measuring. No freaking out over straight seams. Pull your scraps, keep on piecing, and square it up under your 12.5" square. Scrapping speaks to me on a gut level, and I have an emotional response. What makes you swoon?

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Patriotic Quilt Flimsy Finish with Tips & Tricks




I've been blessed with a family that forgives. I apologize to them for rushing in with a quilt over my arm, and declaring an emergency while some were dozing. Getting a picture of the quilt top before the light fades does not constitute an emergency (to them), but they were still gracious to run outside, and hold my 5-minute-old finish before the light was gone.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Cheer On the Makers & Bento Box Blue




My quilting friends have gotten phone calls lately asking if they had anything that needed longarming. No charge. Free. Please, I just needed practice. I didn't realize it would be hard  to rustle up quilts in the middle of summer, but it seems to be a slow time. 

Saturday, July 25, 2015

The Pet Project Show #30 & Tula Pink's "Elizabeth" Line


Elizabeth by Tula Pink





One of my birthday presents this year was a 10" charm pack of Elizabeth by Tula Pink. It's hard to go wrong buying a quilter fabric, you know? Tula Pink is one of my all-time favorties, and I didn't have a scrap of this line yet. 

Friday, July 24, 2015

Patriotic Quilt Update


Patriotic Update


I pushed for a Friday flimsy to show you, but life got in the way. I've made significant progress, nevertheless, and added a blue border, and white outer border. Some of the time was spent imagining both where and how this quilt would be used. I think that's an important component in any design process.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Creative Confidence & Creative Pilgrimage Book Review


Anyone who has spent time with children will tell you they are always surprised by their creativity. They don't say, "This one is just SO creative, but that one...Oh, she doesn't have a creative bone in her body!" Yet we describe ourselves as adults in exactly these words. We say, "Sorry. I'm just not very creative." Why? Did something happen between childhood and becoming an adult?

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Week 4 Blog Hop and 'By the Block' Review


2015 New Quilt Bloggers Group


Morale in the ranks is low. Show your support today. That is, the 2015 New Quilt Bloggers final week starts now. Remember your last couple days of summer camp when you knew you were headed home by the weekend? When the melancholy had shifted from starting camp homesick, and swung all the way to hoping it lasted all summer? Well, that's how I'm feeling, and it's not just me. 

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Optimal Positioning






This or that?



Friday, July 17, 2015

2015 MQG Finish for Riley Blake Designs & Pet Project Show #29


"The Aviary"


Ta-da! There was a sigh of relief on Sunday when I unpinned this from my longarm. It was a fabric challenge, and in some ways a personal challenge for not only me, but many of you, too. While I don't believe we should unveil our work to immediately critique it, it's good to evaluate both the positive and negative aspects. That's how we learn. Even if we don't do it publicly, we take mental notes on what we might change the next time.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Happy Birthday & True Colors Explanation


Creativite Expression used to be an academic subject in this house. It's now used for other purposes, but my kids continue to make me smile every day. Don't you love this? I do!

Today is my birthday, and the last of the 40's. 

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Collaborative Design 3,400 Miles Apart



Today was wonderful! I had a nice chat with a friend before my breakfast, but she must have already had her lunch by then. It was just getting light here. Such is my life of late, and the beauty of new friendships. There is such community among quilting bloggers, and few considerations for what time zone you live in let alone which continent. I'm so lucky to have found Ann at Anniemac Originals, a Canadian living and blogging in Italy. 

Sunday, July 12, 2015

The One Year Journey of a Quilting Blogger


Me, Julie, the Pink Doxie Mama

This post has been turning in my mind for a month. I joined the 2015 New Quilt Bloggers in June as a way to hone my blogging skills and meet others. We've covered the gamut of topics in our Facebook group, and I've enjoyed being introduced to both the new blogs, and the real voices behind them.  

Friday, July 10, 2015

As Exciting As Watching Flannel Dry & The Pet Project Show #28


I'm so tempted to try out these new colors!

It's fun when your friends call asking, "What gorgeous thing did you get to sew or quilt today?" And you say, "I drove an hour on the Interstate to shop for thread, and I did an experiment on drying flannel." I lead a pretty fabulous life, don't I?

2015 MQG Flimsy Finish for Riley Blake Designs



Just a One Shot Wonder today. My design for the 2015 Modern Quilt Guild Challenge for Riley Blake Designs is together this morning at last. I hunkered down yesterday, and finished the main body. The final borders were attached this morning after debating those geometric corners. I got by with a little help from my friends giving their opinions. I think they made a good call, don't you?

Thursday, July 9, 2015

"Quilt-opedia" Book Review


Quilt-opedia by Laura Jane Taylor

All of us have seen books that promised how wonderful they were. We've paged through them, and they looked like they would be good, but later turned out to be proper shelf decorations. I hate wasting my money like that! Don't you? Then let me introduce you to a great one today.

One of My Original Mission Statements

One of my intentions in starting Pink Doxies was to inspire people to sew. Why? Sewing time has been shared for centuries all over the world creating common ground for conversation and relationships. We stitch and we chat. Sometimes deep, meaningful conversations, and sometimes just about the weather and mosquitos.

I spend a fair amount of time reading and thinking about social behavior, and the reality is it's become harder for us all to form acquaintances and friendships. I won't get into all the reasons because they are different for each of us, but In-Real-Life personal relationships are important to our well-being. They validate us, and make our lives more meaningful. Online friends are very valuable--like so many of you are to me, but there is nothing like a spontaneous hug from a friend. A hug with intent makes the poppycock in our lives slip away, if only for that one moment. It's amazing therapy!

My Search for an All Around Reference

I encourage and help many brand new sewists. The greatest gift I can give is a good experience their first time out. I'm their personal cheerleader. After they've learned basic skills like how to run their own sewing machine, etc., most want to start a project right away. Can you blame them? It's pure magic when you sew your first seams! Most of the questions from that point on can be answered easily, or better explained, by a book with excellent pictures and tutorials. Up until just recently, I was unable to recommend one.


I am so tickled by this book, and will tell you it's true to its promise. It says on the cover, "The only quilting reference you'll ever need." Yes, it is that good. If you're going to buy one book to get yourself or someone else going, and want to cover 99.9% of your questions, this is it. 

I made a rough list of everything I could think I would cover with a newer sewist. Not one thing was left out, and oodles more were covered. The photography within the book is bright and colorful, and the fabrics are modern. Newer techniques like machine binding are covered right along with hand binding. Spiral, lay-flat binding is icing on the cake in my version of Quilt-opedia, but a paperback version is available here, too.



This was a book I purchased on my own, and my honest impression and review. I received no compensation to review it. The links I've given are to Amazon, and if you choose to buy through clicking them, I will receive a small compensation. With that in mind, it's an amazing book, and I do hope you support this quilting author. She's given us a great reference book, and the first one I will tell my newbies to go buy.


Linking up with~

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Quarter 3 Sign Up for On the Windy Side


#1 Moda Modern Building Blocks


Posting all my UFOs or WIPs for the Quarter 3 Finishes with On the Windy Side makes me feel like I'm pinning my skivvies to the clothesline in my front yard. I'm just the tiniest bit embarassed, but it is definitely motivating. I want these to disappear. Wouldn't it be neat if I had none of these left by October 1st? 

They are all quilts or wall hangings so no explanation is necessary. I'm just going to give each one a number today.


#2 Blue blocks



#3 Red Strip quilt



#4 Modern Traditions quiltalong


#5 Improv piecing from Amy Butler Retreat


#6 Tula Pink X's and O's


#7 Love block quilt



#8 Circus quilt



#9 Mrs. Bannister's Stars



#10--2015 MQG Challenge



#11 Allison Glass 9 patch

Gosh. There were 11, and honestly I hid a few so I wouldn't be tempted to throw them in. I'm motivated! Keep me honest, and working through them, okay? And I'll be sure to give you little reminders, too, to keep you on track.

And now I'm off to sew a bit before the Canal Quilter's Guild meeting tonight. I hope to chat with you on Instagram.

Come on, Doxie girls.
I have to get sewing!

Linking up with
Patchwork Times
Q3 Finishes On the Windy Side


Tuesday, July 7, 2015

2015 MQG Fabric Challenge Progress "Birds in the Garden"


May I venture to say we've all had the experience of planning a project, and then been disappointed by what we made? On the same hand, I've had this one go from an apprehensive start to very exciting for me. Let's call it a roller coaster project. My anxiety is mostly from drawing you into it with me, and the possibility that it flops. This blog runs in 'real time' meaning I don't only show you my triumphs, but also showcase my duds. Honest creative process means not everything works out. It's comforting knowing we all go through it, and grow in our struggle. Sewists don't deliver gorgeous projects without making some dogs! (Sorry Doxies.)


You can find more information about the start of this project in yesterday's post. I showed you the top and bottom pictures here. A close up of the center shows how my curves weren't as even at the points as I would have liked, but the geometric fabric tends to throw the eye off anyway. Unless I'd point that out, not everyone would see it. I'll tell you so you can use that trick, but remember to never point out your own mistakes to people when you show them your work! Most will never see what you see.

I paired the curved piecing light fabric to light fabric. Low contrast means I have some leeway if my seams are the slightest bit off. I expect they will be as I've never sewn a project with curves before. It's hard to perfect a technique the first time out, but this challenge is more about highlighting the fabrics than technique for me.


The next row of the medallion is HSTs. I made sure to make them slightly larger than needed, and trimmed them down. There's high contrast on this fabric change, and it frames in the all light center.



I used a variety of the challenge fabrics at the corners that I was finding hard to fit into another part of the quilt. I echoed the colors here.

The Square-in-a-Square blocks below are a favorite of mine, and when I laid the charcoal with the coral, I had to make them.




The corners were next, and again, I was using new fabrics from the rest of The Quilted Fish line "The Cottage Garden". The charcoal print reminded me of a gilded frame when viewed at a distance.

It was time to add the connecting pieces on the border, and I auditioned several. The white was calming to all the prints, and gave the eye somewhere to land. It also reminded me of clouds. I imagined the hardscaping of a garden in the darker fabrics, and birds surrounding a fountain in the center of a garden. 



I did some collaborative texting with family and friends about the white 'floating' too much, and decided it needed a dark border to lock it all in. Charcoal birds, I think. Don't you?


Click my Instagram button at the top sidebar to follow along through the day as I sew. It's a great help having other quilters to bounce ideas off of in real time. I'd love to see what you're making, too! Just @pinkdoxies to make sure I see your post, and we can sew together. A Virtual Bee Day anyone? I'll Bee there this afternoon.

Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew.

Linking up today with~
Sew Fresh Quilts
Freemotion by the River
Blossom Heart Quilts