Summer Quilt Catch Up

Simple Summer Quilt

Life has been anything but simple for nearly 2 years now. I know I'm in good company across the planet when I crawl out of bed after midnight because I can't sleep--again. My neck and shoulders are sore from canning apples and making applesauce all day. My head is full of swirling thoughts like, How the heck are we going to get through this mess? (Certainly not by depending on the government!) 

My last post was early August when I was still working on the quilting of this summer quilt. I needed an uncomplicated project to stitch on, and I loved having something in the frame to pick up for even a few minutes at a time. But August turned into a difficult month healthwise here, and funneled us right into September and a local outbreak of Covid. We were included as well as many friends and family, but thankfully all came through without serious complications. I was out of the studio more than a month, though, and feel like I'm still catching up on sleep.

7 Year Blogiversary & 700th Post

A Quiet Celebration

If this past year has taught me something, it's that we should celebrate milestones, and keep with traditions in our lives. So you and I will celebrate this together. (Cue the horns!) Seven years is nothing to sneeze at. It's ancient in the world of blogging! I know I'm here, though, because of you all, and because I'm still fully in love with life! And the things that make me most happy are quilting, surely you knew that, my garden, and sharing my enthusiasm for both. Helping people learn is important, too, but encouraging people to just try something is the big one. 

I hope we all continue to be friends. You are important to me, and the many back channeled conversations that go on among us makes my--and I hope your life rich. Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful journey!

Bees & the New Summer Quilt

A Simple Summer Quilt

This has been a good summer. Those of you who know me well will think I'm nuts for saying so, but after last summer, well, it is good. To top that, this has been a doozey of a week, and without explaining the gory details everything panned out well. The involved party is recovering, and it's almost nice to have a slow down for a few days. For one, it's given me time to sit, to stitch, and to write. I really want to tell you about this new quilt for summer--for just me.

Improv Chinese Coins Finish

Ready for a Sleeve...of Some Kind

Almost every picture I use on Pink Doxies is shot with a 5 year old Canon Power Shot Elph 110 HS. It's not a high end camera, and smaller and lighter than my iPhone of the same vintage. It's easy to throw in my purse. But occasionally I like to use iPhone pictures, if only to give an idea of what things look like under less-than-ideal conditions. When we look at our work in real life--in our homes, they are not typically in optimal photo studio lighting. A quilted piece should not be hung in bright daylight especially as textiles are prone to fading. So let's get real and pretend this is going to be something hung in a hallway, which it is. The light will probably be dim most of the time, and look much like above.

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