Friday, February 8, 2019

Lots of Quilts & Ramblings


Finished Beauties Added to the Stack

Last week's sewing detail for the Gnadenhutten Quilt Project was full of finishes, but I might also say we have quilts in every stage right now. It's wonderful how we are working as a team. Each person in our little group seems to have found their niche for what suits them. My mom is happy working on blocks at home between meetings, and coming in with a stack that can be turned into a quick top. 




Some are comfortable with original design, and share their creative work, and still others want a pattern. Let's take a look together at this week's line up.



A strip of little panels was cut and blended with stash fabric to come up with this sweet child's quilt.





Donated batik jelly roll strips add movement to this 58" square.





Batting

 All the tops I've quilted up to this point have been made with thicker, polyester batting. It was the giant, 10 foot long burrito hanging out in the studio for the past couple years, and hogging valuable space. The benefits of poly are price, easy care, warmth, and loft, and that loft is a huge help to even out a slightly wonky top during quilting. So it has it's uses, but--

We are near the end. For those of you who love poly, close your ears. I despise it. I groan and moan when I have to throw it around, and am one of those people who really gets sparky from the static it creates. No one took my complaints seriously until they saw this, or had to tackle these quilts during binding. I have anti-poly converts now. We are waiting for the time we can say it's all gone. The cotton batting is waiting like light at the end of the tunnel.



Color

Producing a quilt with a pleasing palette is important, and we work hard to make happy quilts. A few people have commented to me that they would never have thought of combining some of the colors they see here. That creativity comes from digging through a limited fabric stash to find something that works. Not having perfectly coordinated fabrics or endless choices helps us push the envelope, and I think, makes for beautiful as well as one-of-a-kind compositions. We are risk taking quilters!



Your Wonderful Donations


Karen from KaHolly Quilts sent us a stack of tops several weeks ago. We added a border to this one to bring it up to size, and now it's getting a jazzy binding. 



And this one, too, freshly off the frame. Thank you, Karen, for your kind generosity. 



This top was donated locally by Donna B. this week, and joins the stack of 15 or so waiting to be quilted. Know that your thoughtfulness is appreciated, Donna.





Beyond Quilts



Our week of frigid weather broke. Warming and cooling temperatures brought on freezing fog. The views while passing lakes in the area were ice turning into water vapor seemingly bypassing the ice to water to vapor stage. You don't see that very often, and it was like special effects from a movie. Amazing.



Blueberry Scones

I'm still learning the ins-and-outs of gluten-free cooking and baking.



My sourdough English muffins were a bit of a flop, but the batter made wonderful crepes.



My gluten-free sour dough starter has proven itself a success! 



There is a steady supply of fresh bread in the house now. I never want to eat commercially produced bread again.



My succulents have been divided, and are ready for Valentine's Day gifting. Once again, thank you, Bluprint.





These weekly posts are a bit of mish-mash, but I do hope you enjoy them. I feel like I've had a bit of a breather in spite of all the activity, and finally been able to get back to blog visiting myself. So many things have changed. Some of you are working your way right through winter/summer very self-directed and happy. I'm so happy to see all you've done. Others of you are enjoying a sabbatical of sorts as I have, and I applaud you for listening, and taking time for yourselves. Every body needs rest.


Pet Project Show

What's Your Thought On a Linky Party?

I feel like it's time to jump back into things, and stir the pot a bit by bringing back The Pet Project Show each week. I am looking for a way to better connect with old and new friends alike, but it does require a commitment. Before I do it, I'd honestly like to know your thoughts. 

Do you use linky parties to link up with, find new blogs or both?

Which day of the week works best for you?

Do you prefer linky parties run a few days or all week?

Does it need a theme or to be open-ended? 

Are links without pictures easier for you? (They are for me. 😉) 

Other thoughts? Leave a comment or email me directly julie@pinkdoxies.com


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

Linking up with~
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?
NTT
Finished or Not Friday
Let's Make Baby Quilts
TGIFF at Kathy Kwilts and More




11 comments:

Tu-Na Quilts said...

Hi, Julie! I enjoy your ramblings. Your every day stuff that you might find mundane is exciting to me. I wished I lived closer so I could join in on your quilting group. Linky parties...I love them. I use them to stay connected with other blogs and find new ones. I like parties that remain open for several days so I can link in the early days and come back to read after it's closed. I've been busy too. And now that I have a moment to breathe, I realized that I failed to take pictures of things I made this winter that are now gone. And I even got a smart phone so there's no excuse for not having a good camera close.

Tu-Na Quilts said...

Definitely pictures...Those are the carrots that grab me to click on the link.

Linda Swanekamp said...

Wonderful quilts, just ready to cuddle with. Pretty cold here, just did not get a chance to post photos. Great to have a workable team. Thanks for taking the time to share it all.

Angie in SoCal said...

So much goodness coming out of your project. That's wonderful. Soon your stash will be depleted. Polyester gives me trouble, too. We use to buy it for St. Anne's because it's easier to tie, but now my ladies are getting to be quite the quilters and like warm and natural and bind them by machine. As to linky party here's how I deal with them: text - I consider them mysteries and look at far more because I'm wondering what they've been up to. Photos - I tend to pic and choose from them, especially when I have little time to be online.
I, too, wish I lived closer so I could join you in your charity endeavor. But then, it would only be in the summer as I hate cold. Blessings,

audrey said...

Your succulents make me want spring to come quickly! Poly batting is a nightmare. Once I switched over, I will never go back no matter how lovely the texture.:) I'm pretty spotty with link-ups unless they are challenge based but I don't think I'm the norm! Definitely pics or I might not take the time to venture into the rabbit hole. lol

KaHolly said...

I guess I’m one of those taking a sabbatical from blogging. Don’t know why...it just happened. You are very welcome for the little quilt tops. I’m so glad they are going to be finally finished and will bring joy, warmth, and comfort to someone in need. Dividing your succulents for gift giving is such a great idea! And that sourdough bread! It looks so delicious. I applaud your efforts to learn how to bake gluten free! Keep up the good work! XO

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

It's like you have a quilt assembly line going ☺ You guys are doing great work. The blueberry scones look delicious. I like linky parties -- bit of motivation to get stuff done and helps me have regular blog posts.

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

Sounds like you have a great production line happening! Ah linky parties... I do enjoy them, mainly because it's such a good way to stay connected, and see what you & others are up too so far away from NZ.

Rebecca Grace said...

All those quilts are awesome! So much love getting sent out into the world where it’s needed! Also I wish this was a scratch-and-sniff blog post because your scones look delicious...

Yes, I like the linky parties for the way they connect us to fellow quilters online. No one wants to be blogging away into the void... It’s a great way to find, learn from, inspire, and encourage one another.

Yes I like pictures. Themes and rules, not so much. I never seem to be writing about the right thing on the day of the linky party. And I can only participate in the “share a finish” parties once a year or so since it takes me so long to finish anything! The one thing I’m noticing, though, is a lot of overlap of party “guests” with the linky parties I’ve been doing. It’s like we’re all linking up to the same parties instead of casting wider nets and finding more blogs that are new. Not sure what the solution is there.

SandraC said...

I am a batting snob....I still have poly but my clients rarely choose it anymore. As a handquilter I absolutely adore wool and I use it in all of my own quilts. It is pricey, but I'm lucky to have a wholesale account. The clients that have tried it get hooked, as well. As for a linky party....I enjoy them. It's nice to get new readers through them and for me to visit with bloggers, like you, through them :) Personally, I like Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, but if another day is better I'll surely try to accommodate!

Kate said...

It's always fun to see what your group pulls together from the donations. It's probably more true to the origins of quilting where most quilts were made from what was on hand. I try to read at least one blog post from the linky parties I participate in, no matter if it's photos or text linkies. I've cut way back on my participation in linky parties, I just don't have the time to photograph and write more than a couple blog posts a week, and then keep up with the blog buddies I've already made.