Rule #1: Do What They Say Not to Do

Traditional Wax Batik on Muslin 

with Procion MX Dyes

Here's a peek at my set up. It's in the same building as my studio, but in a corner close to the utility room where I have access to a sink.

Add Batiking to My Love-to-Do List!

True Colors

Honestly, if I had known how fun and easy the process was, I would have been dyeing fabrics years ago. As my wise husband would say, "Sometimes you just have to do it to understand it." Yes, indeed. 

Improv Quilt: Gold Rush

Gold Rush

Stripped together from a box of scraps donated by a friend, these outcasts have taken on a new life. Two people said immediately it reminded them of a Gustav Klimt work. I believe this is the piece to which they referred. Stocletfriez

Image: Gustav Klimt, Wikipedia

Custom Color Dyeing: Round One

A Palette From Your Favorite Beer

Playing with an introductory set of Procion MX Dyes was the equivalent of jumping out of an airplane for me--or so I can imagine. It was thrill seeking with both feet on the ground, but what a rush! Dyeing to Share  and Dyeing to Share Part II. 

Christmas came early as I carefully researched what dyes I needed to make the greatest array of colors. Dharma Trading Co. had a deal on sets until the end of December, and I took advantage. I also cosidered what palettes I normally lean toward, and shopped those.

Does Our Work Define Who & What We Are?

Dear fellow Blogger, Quilter, or poor soul who stumbled onto this funky blog titled Pink Doxies:

2015 year is winding down, and some of us feel the need to finish up loose ends. While wrapping up projects, I'm pleasantly surprised to see my work has come full circle. 

Creativity Killers: How to Fight Back

Secrets to Leading a Creative Life

Most people admit they would like to lead a more creative life, but for one reason or another they get stuck. The one thing they tell me that stops them most often is fear. I believe fear is the #1 killer of creativity. Let's deal with fear here, and learn some strategies on how to live with it.

Concept to Quilt: Implementing Your Ideas

Scene: You're relaxed--just falling asleep, and the images are flashing through your head. Some people might hear music, but my movie is a total run of images and color. One catches you, and you think, "I better not forget that." 

Improv Quilt Finish

Let me start by saying this quilt design isn't every one's cup of tea, but it speaks to me. It started off as an improv project at an Amy Butler Dreaming Big in Color weekend.

Dyeing to Share Part II

Fiber Reactive Procion MX Dyes

Those of you who ahhhhed at the Jet Black, I'm with you! Hands down, this is my favorite, but I really think it pulls a dark inky blue, too. Above are 2 fat eighths of Essex linen, and below is a Kona cotton. Linen's texture above adds something to it, although the Kona isn't necessarily 'less wonderful.' It's just more subtly textured.

Dyeing to Share

I've been hanging out in some colorful spots lately checking out new blogs and artists. One that has really captured my attention is Creations...Quilts, Art....Whatever, by Nina-Marie Sayer. She has great linky party each Friday called Off the Wall, and I've used it to do some serious blog hopping. I think I'm being pulled into another dimension of quilting.

Day 5: Quilt Squad Christmas Outing

Bargain Basement flat folds: Most $6/ yard. I surprised everyone by shopping outside my comfort zone. It started with the second print from the left, and the other two blues. Then the border print below was $5 a yard, and I knew what I was making. Does fabric ever speak to you? I need earplugs.

Day 3: Quilting & Art Journaling

This was a good exercise in art journaling for me. I listed anything that came to mind when I thought about December. All lumped together with no judgment either way. I just wrote everything down equally. When I was done, I tried to use a spray adhesive, but mine clogged. Short on time, I resorted to Elmer's, but that was tough to get where I wanted it. It turned out a wee bit over glittered. What was kind of cool about it, though, was the really over glittered words were ones I might interpret as negative. Very interesting.

Day 2: Soft Finish for Improv Quilt & Journaling

This quilt center was started as an improv project at an Amy Butler retreat. A partner and I had to randomly choose fabrics for each other, and build up quilt blocks from the scraps. It was too small to do much with so I kept building around it after I got home. I have to admit I do this type of medallion built quilt a lot. It's comforting to add a border, watch it grow, and then make a decision from there. 

The Delights of Winter & Improvisational Design

We are nearing the solstice, and the dark days of winter are upon us. Our circadian rhythm changes. As soon as the light fades in late afternoon, some of us are ready for bed. Some say it's depressing. It can be. It's a mindless act to turn to t.v. or the internet for entertainment, but those can be unfulfilling. Add to it a month of holidays across several religions, and it's a pretty good reason to stay in bed.

The Farmer's Wife 1930s: Week 9: Blocks 2, 39, 46, 57, 62, 76, 79, 80, 90,

#90 Sara

Early this month I fell behind in my blocks for the 1930's Farmer's Wife. All it takes is one good cold, and everything goes on the back burner. If you remember, I cut out two blocks with the wrong size template, and had sewn one together without realizing it was a 4" block! 6.5" are small enough, but geez! All that work gone to waste.

Buying Old Quilts and Tops: Part I

Little by little I have come to understand I am not a Modern Quilter--neither by definition nor by taste. I won't list all the discussions in Quilting Blogland on what defines modern quilting, but it's a well explored subject. I am not the first to come to the realization, but these pictures have driven it home for me. 

Copyright Laws for Fabric and Selling Quilts

How fabulous are these prints? 

I kn-ow! 

I bought them at JoAnn's. 

One of my online friends commented she was glad to see I also bought fabric there. When I did more home dec and garment sewing, it was my main source, but quilting fabrics are different. I buy quilting fabrics at my LQS or online, but I do use my local JoAnn's for many other items. They are gracious to offer space for our sewing group, and I am grateful for that. They're also a pretty nice group of folks that work there, and I support the store to keep it open. For the longest time I refused to buy fabric there for two specific reasons. One, the quality fluctuated from quite decent to poor.

Uppsala Stars Pattern & Christmas In My Heart Day# 5

Uppsala Stars

SALE! 8/17/2020-8/21/2020

Contact me directly to purchase.

julie@pinkdoxies.com

Without further ado, allow me to present 'Uppsala Stars'. Just short of a drum roll and some tap dancing, here it is! Months of planning, and weeks of writing--I feel like I've given birth again.

Christmas In My Heart Day #4 and A Trunk Show

Welcome to Day 5 of the 
Christmas in My Heart Blog Hop!

I know everyone has had fun blog hopping, and gotten some inspiring ideas for the holidays. I hope you've all entered for the $25 gift certificate each day sponsored by The Fat Quarter Shop, and many of the featured blogs have had giveaways of their own. It's been fun, and we have 2 more days to go!

Christmas In My Heart #3 & Giveaways

How FUN is this traditional block done up in 
Cotton+Steel prints?

I'm meeting myself coming and going this week! Every spare minute is spent writing or quilting, and sometimes both at the same time. It's all good, and very exciting, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to make my deadlines. My day to post for Christmas In My Heart is Wednesday, and is also the lauch for Uppsala Stars. 

Christmas In My Heart Day #2 & Giveaway

Little Glitter Houses

Welcome to day 2 of the Christmas In My Heart Blog Hop. I hope you enjoyed the ideas from the other bloggers yesterday, and entered the drawing for a $25 gift certificate from The Fat Quarter Shop. There is another one today, and every day of the hop! Seems a little like Christmas in November to me. 

Christmas In My Heart Day #1 & Giveaway

Welcome!

The week long hop for Christmas In My Heart starts now!



Yes, it's only November, but all you stitching folks know that projects have to be started early if we want to have them done in time for the holidays. I hope you'll find lots of good ideas here to inspire you to give gifts of a Maker. There is nothing so treasured as that of a gift stitched with good wishes, and the Fat Quarter Shop is helping you out with a giveaway each day.

*Keep reading to find how to enter the Giveaway!*

The Most Important Post You'll Read This Week

This was the picture I posted to Instagram right before it happened. I had gotten all the patterns to work just right with the piecing. I was so excited, and so happy! 

The Farmer's Wife 1930s: Week 6: Blocks 1,57: & Christmas in My Heart Blog Hop with Giveaways

Addie, #1

This week we got a bonus block to finish. Three instead of two, and a Bingo game to link up to. Angie at Gnome Angel picked 5 of the blocks sewn so far to creat a Bingo game. Snap your photo, link it up, and you're entered. I'm a suck for games and gimmicks. Why does a link up make it more fun?

Costa Maya Longarming & Marker Staining

Costa Maya

One of my friends asked me to quilt her Costa Maya a few weeks ago. I like to turn quilts over within two weeks, but this one had me a little stumped as to how to quilt it. I admit I had a few ideas in mind before I started, and had even doodled some markings in the center with a curvy ruler. More about that in a minute. But sometimes the quilting just comes to you as you go, and this one was exactly that way.

Make A Portable Sewing Station

Upcycled Project Bag

I saved this cute lunch box when my youngest decided she was too old for it. I had nothing in mind for it, but I couldn't bear to part with it. I discovered it again recently, and it's ideal for carrying around my ongoing hexie project. Tres chic!

The Farmer's Wife 1930s: Week 5: Blocks 41, 45

Jenny #45

I've begun to really look forward to my Sunday sewing. I try to take the day a little easier, and enjoy the time I work on my Farmer's Wife blocks. Maybe in part because I love the fabric, but also because they frequently put my skills to the test. This week I printed off the templates, and cut all the pieces of both blocks from paper templates. 

Pop Stars for Halloween Finish

If there is a quilt on the floor, a dog will find it.

One Step Forward, Two Steps ____?

Pop Stars for Halloween

There are 2 more passes to go before I'm finished with the quilting. I've been using a ruler for the spider webs, and free handing the curlicues. Every thing is going smoothly now, but please let me tell you about the disaster what happened.

Pop Top-Pop Stars Mishmash & Friends

"Pop Stars" for Halloween

Tonight is a full moon, or more specifically a Hunter's Moon, Blood Moon, or Sanguine Moon. Hunters made use of the moon's light to build their food supply before winter. Can I blame that for this strange post? 

1930's Farmer's Wife: Week 4: Blocks 49, 78, 94,

#78 Old Maid

I've settled into a routine of making my Farmer's Wife blocks on Sunday. I have my spare sewing machine at the house, and I like being able to spend time with the family when they're all home. The only downside of sewing at the kitchen table is having snacks nearby.

Pop Stars for Halloween

"Pop Stars" 
Pattern from Material Obsession 2 
by Kathy Doughty

This has been one of my lingering projects, and has had a voracious appetite for my sewing time. I've sewn every spare minute for 4 days to complete these last 4 stars, square them up, and sew all together. It's become one of the most delightful quilts I've ever worked on.

10 New Ideas for Sewing Groups

Sewing with friends can make for a great day, but how do we keep them interesting? 

Do you ever dread working on the same old project...yet again?

Would you like some fresh, new ideas?

The Farmer's Wife 1930s: Week 3: Blocks 13, 24

Belle

Week 3 of 1930's Farmer's Wife Sew-along is over, and I barely slid in on (my imposed) schedule by sewing 2 blocks Sunday afternoon. Belle, #13, and Coral, #24 were Week 3 blocks, and we encountered our first Y seam block with Belle. I was super excited, and I know a few of you are cringing, but I like Y seam sewing. No, not all the time or every seam, but it's a little bit of a challenge, and that makes things more interesting. I like to have to work at it a bit. 

Eye Spy #01: Four Patch & Cross/Plus Blocks

Cross Block

There is something organic that draws modern and traditional quilters alike to the simple cross block. Beginners are attracted because they see a block made entirely of straight seams, and advanced sewists because they know it also has great graphic impact. Craftsy has an article HERE on cross block patterns and variations. There are both free downloads, and others for purchase. Pinterest has many excellent boards, but here is one in particular I follow: PLUS/CROSS QUILTS

The Farmer's Wife 1930s: Week 2: Blocks 20, 14, 18

1930's Farmer's Wife Week 2

Both new blocks were fun this week, and still not overly complicated. I was thankful for that as a few were sewn in the wee hours of the morning while I had insomnia. 

Multiple Perspectives

"Sunrise at Sea"

This is the free block pattern I made for the Fabri-Quilt New Block Blog Hop 2015. The pattern and tutorial are available through the link. I wanted to see how it might look in sweet print fabrics, and was surprised at how much it changed the feeling of the block.

The Farmer's Wife 1930s: Week 1: Blocks 8,12,16

"Aunt"--It begged for a fussy cut!

The 1930's Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt Sew-along has begun, and it's exciting! There are over 4,000 members now, and the variety of blocks is wonderful to see. I am sticking to my reproduction fabrics, and throwing in some solids. Three blocks were introduced the first week, but from here on out there will be two a week. 

Supersize It! Ironing and Pressing Boards

Go BIG!

Last spring I started using large sheets of 1" green insulation board from my local home improvement store as an easy solution for a design wall. I hot glued batting to the sheet, and then hot glued the whole thing to my concrete wall! No holes to patch if I changed my mind, and a happy husband. Hot glue comes off of concrete block with little residue.

How to Quilt a Vintage Log Cabin

How do I quilt a vintage log cabin pattern while 
staying true to the era?

How do I give the borders each a unique pattern from the central part of the the quilt, but still be able to quilt them as I work?

********

Are You Ready for the Farmer's Wife 1930s Version?

Penny's Dollhouse (left) & Walk in the Park (right)

Today is the big day many of us have been waiting. The first block for Farmer's Wife 1930's Sample Quilt Sew-along was announced last night. Angie at Gnome Angel is leading over 4,000 of us through the year with help from Marti Michell, and many other bloggers. The only commitment is to purchase your own copy of The Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt which comes with its own cd to print instructions, templates, or paper piecing templates for each block. I would like to compliment how well it's gone so far, and the lack of technical problems. Emails are on time and accurate, the Facebook page is very active, and people are kind! There's no deadline, so join in if you wish. The back posts will be hosted on Gnome Angel's blog page if you need to catch up.

Moda Boo Crew Spiderweb Quilt: Pop Stars

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave.

When we first practise to deceive."

                      ~Sir Walter Scott

An Unmentionable Subject We Should Talk About

Today's post is about making menstrual products. This may not interest you at all, and I respect that. The important part you should know before you pass on this post is 1 out of 10 school girls in Africa either miss classes or drop out completely due to their periods. Education gives all children an enormous advantage. Girls as well as boys should be able to attend school.

Changes to This Quilter Blogger's Blogging Cycle

Do you remember my 'Katie Jump Rope' from last year?

I was just learning to FMQ on my Janome domestic machine. I snuggled under this quilt last night, and slept in a chair. There were so many thoughts going through my mind--big decisions for me to make.