Giveaway--Variable Star Within a Star Pillow

I needed something to practice quilting on,

and have been spending lots of time looking
at block tutorials. Caroline at Sew Can She 
has a treasure trove of projects, but I 
especially love the block tutorials and tips. 
This block is the Variable Star, part of her 
Classic Quilt Block series, and I sewed 
it as she did with a block within a 
block, within a block. I'm so thankful for
her wonderful resources she shares.

I experimented with my own color palette,
and, of course, it has some pink. *Should I
repeat this again, I would be more aware
that the second star would stand out better 
with more contrast in the fabric patterns. The 
colors are very similar. Perhaps that subtley does
work as the middle star, but it appears 
a little muddied to me when the others
are so much better defined.

I rarely do this, but that color issue was 
bugging me. I went down all ready to tear out 
the middle colors, but hadn't remembered 
I'd already sewn it together. 
I must have been in the zone!

I made the decision to keep it as it was, and
just see if there would be a way to help
define the floral star points from the chevron
background by highlighting it with a
FMQ pattern somehow. I pushed on.

I outlined the daisies to keep it simple,
and added directional lines to the 
chevron fabric to pull your eye in.
It's more defined than it was before 
quilting--not entirely 'fixed', but I 
do like it! I pebbled the dark grey 
with my Aurifil bright pink, and it 
added texture AND color!

Another thing I tried was adding piping
in the same Riley Blake floral. It helps
the eye focus on the repeated daisy centers.
The back is a simple gingham.
and a long, covered zipper to remove
the insert for laundering.

If you're curious, the prominent 
fabrics are here in the selvages 
I saved, and it will have a tag 
this afternoon, I promise.

This is the Giveaway prize for the 
month, and also a finish for Adrianne's 
Q2 On the Windy Side.
The details are all in the post HERE. I
will mail the pillow without the insert
to the winner anywhere in the world.

Follow the directions in the link 
above, and let me know
the details in an email~
juliebehappy1@gmail.com with any
questions.

You have through April 30th at midnight,
and the winner will be announced on
Saturday, May 2, 2015 with the Pink Doxie
Pet Project Show.

*Please, please be sure to list your email
address if you are a No Reply Sender.
If you are unsure, just list your email
in your message. I try very hard to respond 
to all my comments, but there are times
I cannot as you may have no listed email
on your profile. An email from me is not 
crucial, but I wouldn't want you to 
miss out if you're the winner, though!

Linking up today with~
On the Windy Side
Blossom Heart Quilts
Late Night Quilter Tips and Tutorials
 Freemotion by the River
Show and Tell Tuesday
Quilt Story Fabric Tuesday
Sew Fresh Quilts
Quilting Jet Girl
My Quilt Infatuation
Thank you all for hosting your
link parties!


Time to work.
Come on, Doxie Girls.
Let's go sew.

Friday Progress

 

Sorry, no finishes today, just

practice, practice, practice.

I've watched Leah Day's videos everyday.

I had a goal to practice daily this week, and

I stuck with it. I attempted feathers today. 

Okay, I've never actually seen feathers that look 

like mine here, but I claim artistic interpretation.

This is a fat quarter sectioned off, and I used

the least expensive poly batting I could 

purchase. It was thicker than I was used to, 

but it was no problem. It did create extrodinary loft.

Two full days of stash busting to yield this palette.

 The squares were already matched up, and I took them 

along to Wednesday night sewing. While I 

sewed, both my mom and daughter helped me 

out by clipping, pressing, and starching HSTs.

By this afternoon, I had sewn half of them

into quartered squares, and could put some on 

the design wall. I LOVE this project! If you

missed the beginning, it's here.

Today I had a surprise in my mailbox. 

Darlene, a.k.a.Quilt Shop Gal, sent me a 'surprise' gift 

for linking up to her linky party a few weeks ago. 

Just a surprise thank you, and I wanted to share. 

I'm not usually a pattern follower, but there are 

several in here I'll be making. They ARE adorable!

What a kind gesture, and what a lovely gift. I

am sincerley grateful, Darlene. Thank you so much!

Quilt Shop Gal also has a 2015 Free Motion 

Quilting Challenge for any of you folks like me

who are working on your FMQ skills. I'll be linking

up something this month so see you there.

Head's Up also to those of you finishing projects

for 2015 Q-1 Finishes with Adrianne

On the Windy Side. Don't forget to link up

your finishes. Link ups for the second

quarter will begin soon. 

Another fun finish up party runs monthly at 

Fiber of All Sorts. 

I'm linking up today with~

Free Motion Mavericks
#CreativeGoodness Linky Party
Crazy Mom Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?
Planet Penny Happy Friday
I Quilt Thursdays

Fabric Frenzy Friday
Lily's Quilts
Sew She Can

Don't forget to check back late Friday night for 

the start of the Pet Project Show, and link up. 

I'll show some of the Doxie Girls and my favorite 

link ups from the month of March.

Until then--

Come on, Doxie Girls.

Let's go sew.

Holiday Hip Hot Pad

From here until the first of January, it's a social season. There are invitations to gatherings, parties, and the occasional unexpected company shows up at our doors. There are frequently times when we should be showing up with 'something', and my head goes blank when I'm pushed for a last minute idea. I've been racking my brain for homemade hostess gifts I can make and take, and I always think about what I would want to receive myself. There are the typical things like wine or a small plant, etc., but it seems at the holidays that people bring holiday-themed gifts. I would bet that each one of us here has a little different decorating style for our holidays, and I'm trying to find something that all of us can use, and hopefully appreciate.

I Survived the Zombie (Quilt)

This is Friday, and I'm doing the Happy Dance.

The Zombie quilt is done, done, done. 

Woohoo!

Quilts and Barns

WIP: Zombies back and front

"This is Halloween, this is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween..."

The Zombie quilt is coming along just dandy. I finally decided this odd design 'feels' like it belongs here. I snuck in a few good hours this morning, and plunged into the project. It'll be done by evening for my Zombie lover.

It's a Couch Day and Finish Up

                                                        Today feels like a couch day. 

There are days when I find motivating myself a tough thing, too. Not today, though. The Doxie Girls may be snoozing away the morning, but I've been finishing up a UFO from last winter. I started yesterday late in the afternoon, and kept at it through dinnertime. Back at the sewing machine by 6 a.m., and I'm down to 2 more rows. I'll have something fun to show you in the morning.

First Adventures in Free Motion Quilting-Splitting Hares

Yesterday was a hoot! I nearly completed my first quilt by machine quilting. What a time savings over hand quilting!

I started by marking the quilt top with the design I thought I would use. I used a quilting pencil, and it was a good thing because it changed half a dozen times. To remove, you just blot with a damp, cool cloth, but then you need to wait until it dries to re-mark it. I thought about a hair dryer, but heat will set some marking pencils and pens. I tried to pick easy designs, but not everything looked right. Finally, I was sure of the center block, and decided to just start quilting.

Making Do

Another day with rain. The yard is squishy, and the humidity high. Not ideal for anything outside. I'm crying my heart out--right down the stairs to my sewing room, I am!
What a great excuse to quilt!

I have a lot to do today. Yesterday's quilt is still in the machine, and I have to put a baby quilt top together to take along to a quilt meet-up in nearby Coshocton. I've been invited to join in tonight, and I'm excited to meet some other quilters.

A brief picture of my set up: I have a 20+ year old Pfaff Creative 1475 CD  that has stood the test of time, and many, many hours of sewing. It holds up like a work horse. It's what I use for everything, and seems to do a fairly decent job of free motion quilting.

Now don't laugh, but I'm showing you this to let you know not all of us have every gadget we want. My machine is not in a cabinet. For me, that was inconvenient if I wanted to pick it up and move to different light. I have modified my current table area to support the plastic piece I used to use to bridge between my machine and the cabinet. It extends my sewing area, and is fairly stable when I support it with books. A spool holds the front right. I think I will eventually purchase a proper extension table, but it's not in the budget yet. This is good enough for now. I'd rather add to my stash.

Gloves are a must!  I like the white ones best. They have little rubberized fingertips on them to help you move the quilt around. I haven't seen them around here, but Amazon carries them, of course.

A good book I found for beginners is:



Other than that, it's a game trying to support the weight of the quilt so it doesn't drag, and pull against the sewing stage. My sister-in-law said she throws part of it over her shoulder, adds tables around her, etc. I laughed when I first heard this, but it's all spot on. It's quite a performance. Thankfully, the basement is cooler than the rest of the house since I wind up wearing the quilt.

I think I got 10 or so medallions done today, but one needs ripped part way out. I'll take that to the Stichy Group tonight, and maybe someone will give me ideas for the blank areas.

Baby quilt is sprayed together, thank you 505, and I'm off to find some people. I'll show you some pictures tomorrow.

Go to bed, Doxie girls. The Doxie Mama is going somewhere else to sew tonight.