Pet Project Show #35

Classroom Quilt

Amy Stauffer-McNutt is a passionate teacher with a special interest in butterflies, and self-dedicated to saving the Monarchs. She started this butterly quilt project last year in her classroom, and I promised to quilt it for her. She'll use it as a visual aid, and I'm sure it will hang in her regular classroom when it's not travelling.

Kaffe Fassett Finish and Creative Space Tag

  

"Anything I've ever done

that ultimately was worthwhile...

initiallly scared me to death."

--Betty Bender

I have to come clean with you. Longarming is hysterically fun, sometimes makes me cry happy tears, but still scares the life out of me everytime I start.

Sneak-a-Peek-a Thursday with Kaffe Fassett

Kaffe Fassett 

Perhaps no other fabric designer has ever struck me so gloriously than Kaffe Fassett. The depth, color pathways, and texture the fabrics evoke make me feel extraordinarily happy. Now imagine your sister-in-law saying, "Take this, and quilt it however you want."

Seriously? Uh, I ran with it! 

It was an amazing experience to play on this with my long arm. I parsed it out for 3 days like good chocolate. It was over too soon, and Axel already has another loaded. I'll bind it this afternoon, and show you my Fassett Friday Finish tomorrow. 

 That has to be my shortest post ever, right?

Linking up today with~
My Quilt Infatuation
WIP with Freshly Pieced
Let's Bee Social

Improv Work On the Design Wall

Not So Serious Sewing

Sunday was peaceful, and I'd finished up several projects the week before. I was after something relaxing, low-key, and just fun. I pulled out this WIP that I started early last spring while attending an Amy Butler & Hilde Dunn retreat. It was an exercise in improvisational piecing, and on my list of 2015 Q3 Finishes on the Windy Side. The initial slab was built by a partner blindly picking out pieces of fabric from a pile, and handing them to me. I had little control over the color scheme to start.

The center was done yet needed a frame, and I pulled this muddy pink out of my solids stash. It's an odd color, but it played well with the mishmash in the middle. Then I pulled strips from my scrap bins to make into the next pieced border. I pieced my scraps without squaring up, and it got interesting and more exciting. 

TIPS & TRICKS-Mitered Corners

I mitred my corners by creating 4 strip-pieced squares for each corner. The borders were 5 1/2" so I made each square 6". I went 1/2" larger than needed, and cut two diagonally with my stripes vertical, and two with my strips horizontal to create 8 HST's. I sewed these into 4 squares, and THEN I sewed these with to my top and bottom borders. Now I was dealing with 4 typical borders that looked like I spent a ridiculous amount of time making them. Easy peasy!

The narrow dark blue border anchored the multicolored piecing, and I looked around for some serious bling fabric to set it all off.

It's shiny, stripey, and I have lots of yardage. It sets off the center like neon lights, and fits the improv them to a T. Although I don't know the content, it presses well, is a higher grade than acetate, and you'll never believe where I found it!

Would you believe this was an old dress in that wonderful vintage stash I showed you? I asked several people when they would estimate the pattern of the dress, and they guessed late 50's-60's. Tightly fitted bodice and 3/4 sleeves, and close to 5.5 yards of fabric in the fully gathered skirt. The integrity of the fabric is solid with no funky smell--things you need to check for using vintage material, so it's going in today. 

I can't help but feel connected to the quilter/sewist that saved this garment for decades knowing it might have another life. I challenge you to add something repurposed, upcycled, reused, or vintage to a project. Hunt your Goodwill, resale stores, and garage sales for treasures. You may be deeply rewarded by the feeling of creating a unique piece while preserving a saver's vision. 

Also, I must admit there is something deeply satisfying to really understanding how the first quilters used the resources they had, and weren't able to run off to their LQS for the 'perfect' fabric. I can't wait to see how this turns out today, but what are your thoughts of working like this?

Linking up with~
The Quilting Room with Mel at Fiber Tuesday 
and last week I was the most clicked 
link with this post: 

Zipper Bags Simplified Tutorial

Podunk Pickin's--A brand new linky!


Freemotion By the River
Quilt Story
Blossom Heart Quilts
Late Night Quilter

Vintage Stash: What's It Worth to You?

Vintage 1930's Depression Era Fabric Baby Quilt

A friend of mine--the same one in the wooden quilt post-- was offered 5 boxes of fabric for sale, and had no way of digging through it before she decided. By only looking at the fabric on the top, she called me to say it was 'old', and looked like 'stuff I would like'. She lives hours away, so I took a chance and said, "Buy it." 

Wooden Quilt Piecing & Pet Project Show #34

A quilter friend of mine and her talented husband decided to build their own kitchen island from recycled and repurposed wood. The only new piece in this project is the foundation plywood piece you see. Richard cut pieces of flooring into pieces, and pieced together a log cabin pattern. We talked about the possibility of creating secondary patterns by changing his pattern slightly, and set out to see what would happen.

We liked the idea of courthouse steps, but our pieces were cut for log cabins. We moved the blocks so they mirrored each other, and we came up with the effect of courthouse steps between each block.

We worked at this for probably half an hour or more. It was puzzling, but a lot of fun actually. The center sashing was part of the original spacing, and added to the complication. In the end, we came up with this. The design is there, but minor alterations are needed with some of the pieces.

The diagonals may be stained with a lighter and darker half. The centers will be made with osage orange or a poplar with a natural green coloring scattered through it. The small center where you can see the sashing intersect will also be replace with a colored wood. Richard will top it off with a piece of glass to protect the pieced wooden quilt underneath, and this will be the envy of every quilter I know.

Does this qualify as Quilt Bombing? 

I think so.

What a great project to be a part of!

Thank you, Wenda and Richard.
*******

A CRAFTSY SALE!
Head's Up!

Craftsy is having an excellent sale this weekend on their crafting supplies. I've had the best luck finding precuts and yardage, and Aurifil thread is deeply discounted! This is the time to buy your 'go-to-colors'. Click the link above to check these values out, and stock up before the quilting push begins this fall.

*Pink Doxies is an affiliate for Craftsy, and will receive a small monetary compensation if you make a purchase. Thank you.


Now it's your turn to show off your own Pet Project. What's your current obsession, love, or new toy? Link it up with The Pet Project Show and strut your stuff!

Add your links here every Saturday-Monday. 

Rules

No worries! It's EASIER than EVER. You may link up any or all posts you've created in the past week.

1. Use the blue 'Add Your Link' button (below left) to upload something you've created in the past week. Any kind of handiwork--share it now! It can be a work in progress, finally finished, or even your fab new fabric. Whatever it is that inspired you to create this week, we'd like to see it here. 

2. Link to a specific post, and not just your blog address. It makes it easy for anyone following your link to find the project.

3. Provide a backlink to Pink Doxies with a link in your post, and pick up our Pet Project Show button in the sidebar, if you'd like. Copy the code, then create a Pet Show widget with 'Add by HTML' on your Layout page.

-OR-

1. You can link up to your Instagram. Click on the Instagram icon at the bottom of the link up screen. The URL of your Instagram feed will be your link. Please hashtag  #pinkdoxiespetproject

Either way you link up, remember it's a party here, so schmooze with the crowd! Visit others who've linked up, and leave a comment so they know what you like about their work. 

The Linky Party starts now, and runs until Monday, August 24th at midnight. Spread the word, and tell all your stitchy friends.

*The first Saturday party of each month will feature several of the Doxie's and my favorite link ups. By linking up, you are giving permission for me to post your picture with a backlink to your blog or Instagram account. 

An InLinkz Link-up

How Real Are Online Relationships? Pink Doxies Meets Musings of a Menopausal Melon

"Pink Doxies" Meets "Musings of a Menopausal Melon"

What happens when two quilting bloggers strike up a long running conversation online, and it blossoms into a warm friendship? They decide they must meet in person, of course.

Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 4 of 4

Continued from 
Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 1 
Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 2
Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 3

My edges lined up much nicer this time. Pin both layers together staying toward the center of the bag to prevent waviness in the edges.

Start by stitching at the top right hand corner. Sew about 1/2", backstitch the same amount, then continue stiching around the bag. Stop with your needle down in each corner and pivot the bag. Finish by back stitching the seam back and forward 1/2", reinforcing the as in the beginning. I use a regular machine foot and 2.5 cm stitch length in a straight stitch.

Continue to open the zipper the whole way, and turn the bag right side out. It's absolutely a Ta-Dah! moment for you.

Go to Part 1 of 4
Go to part 2 of 4
Go to Part 3 of 4

If you're looking for a sweet deal on nylon zippers, I found one today on Amazon.
*By clicking through this link on Pink Doxies, this site will receive a small compensation. Thank you.

54pcmix Nylon Coil Zippers Tailor Sewer Craft 9 Inch Crafter's Special

$9.05 + Free Shipping=$0.17 a piece !

Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew some zipper bags.


Linking up with~
Freshly Pieced
Sew Fresh Quilts
Freemotion by the River

Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 3 of 4

Continued from 

Zipper Bags Simplified: Part 1 and 

Part 2

Replace the sewn pieces on your workspace in the same position. Flip the backing section on top of the zipper section, and sew to the out facing only just as you did with the first piece.