QST Second Chance Quilting Finish

Done Is Good.

First, some quick business to discuss. 

I've been "Out of the Office" or the summer equivalent of busier than you-know-what, and far removed from the Blogging World. We are a big family whose lives are very interwoven, and I've been needed elsewhere. Sorry to have abandoned you all, my bloggy and quilty friends, my email and comments. (Is this a form of ghosting? Trust me when I say I feel the guilt.) Summer duties spread us very thin. (Did I mention house guests for the next month?) But the leaves are starting to show signs of change already, the grass is drying, and talk of school starting came up last night. Summer has been a time warp!

Longarming a few minutes here and there has helped me whittle down my own WIP/UFO and PUPs. I've squeezed in a few customer quilts this summer, and have a line up coming next month. It feels good to help other quilters get caught up with their projects too. So, I may not be done with all of my own by the end of summer or even end of the year, but I'm committed to it. The downside is not having anything new and spectacular to show you as I work through old things. 

QST Progress & Pet Project Show #19

First, Happy Mother's Day to all! 

Second...

 The Tula Pink teal blue won out, but I had

so many other good suggestions. Thank you 

to everyone for your help. Although I 

thought a solid might work, it made things 

look 'flat'. The tiny diamond print was 

subtle, and seemed to work best.

Sarah from Confessions of a Fabric Addict

shared with me a free app available for both 

iPhone and Android called Quilting Calc by 

Robert Kauffman. Also known as 

The Quilter's Little Helper, it allows you 

to enter measurements, and it calculates 

many options for you. It was tremendously 

helpful in figuring my setting triangles 

and corners. I highly recommend it.

While you're app hunting, check out

Block Fab. There are 50+ traditional 

blocks in its library, and you just enter

the size block you'd like to make. 

You'll have all the cutting measurements

at your fingertips.

Today I worked on pressing seams open,

and adapted a table to use as a very large

ironing board. I used my queen sized batting

folded into four layers over my Lifetime table, 

and ironed on that.

The finished top measured 86"x94" so the backing

had to be pieced. I had used many Amy Butler

prints from my stash in the top, and found a 

lovely print called Sari Blooms. Another Butler

print complemented it, and the raspberry

is another Tula Pink diamond print.

The project is starting to take on a new 

feel with the backing, and I'm

getting so excited to start quilting.

A very interesting turn of events has 

happened, and I'm going to get to quilt

this on a long arm. A very kind neighbor

who has her own long arm has offered

to help coach me through the process.

I'm overwhelmed, and very grateful!

Everything is pressed and ready, and tomorrow

we're off to get thread. Pink and yellow aren't

something she uses everyday. (wink)

Creative Space Tag

Sandra at Musings of a Menopausal Melon is

the hostess this week for Creative Space Tag.

She's done a wonderful job showcasing her

work space, and tagged the next hostess.

Pop over to see how she's utilized her 

area to best fit her quilting needs, and 
who's next!

Woohoo, Doxie Girls!
It's Saturday, and time for the weekly 

Pink Doxies 

Pet Project Show. 

Add your link here every Saturday. 

Rules

Do we have to have rules? 

No worries! It's EASY.

1. Use the blue 'Add Your Link' button (below)
to upload a picture of 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. Please 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, or pick up our Pet Project Show
button in the sidebar. 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. Leave a comment so they 
know what you like about their work. 

Don't miss a post! 

Follow me on Bloglovin' or by email. 

The Linky Party starts now, and runs until
Monday, May 11th at midnight. 

Spread the word, and tell all your stitchy friends.

*The first Saturday party of each month will
feature several of the Doxies' and my
favorite link ups. 
By linking up, you are giving permission for me
to post your picture with a link back to your 

blog or Instagram account. 

An InLinkz Link-up

The Great Debate

After great debate, there is progress, and I like it.

I was dreading pulling all the fabric back out to

cut an array of setting triangles. The idea of using

mixed solids occurred to me, and I asked for your

opinions. Thank you all so much. You folks

are the best! 

When Do You Sleep? Organizing Your Life to Sew

Fabric made just for me!

My mother-in-law lives just down the road, and she's 
one of the first people to see a finished project. I'm 
sure I hound her, but she's a captive audience. She's 
never honest, and always says she likes everything. 
Let's admit it--that's pretty sweet. Then she asks 
me, "Do you ever sleep?" It's our routine.

Honestly, I sleep a lot. I need every minute of

8 hours, and sometimes 9. I go hard during the

day, but I get a lot done. I had to cover a lot of 

territory with 5 kids. There was always a little 

one in tow while we were on the move and 

homeschooling. I also sewed, gardened, canned 

when I could, and we always had enough animals 

for a zoo. Most of the time my house was controlled

chaos, but I used a lot of tricks. I am a list maker 

by nature, and remember doing this even by

about age 9 or 10. 

In the recent past, Sunday afternoon 
of every week was my time to make out all the 
assignment sheets for the week for the kids.
Then I did a menu for each meal, and a shopping 
list for everthing I needed to buy. If it wasn't on 
the list, we weren't coming home with it.

My memory was already at capacity.

I was a Fly Baby, and read Fly Lady emails

every morning. It worked like magic here.

 I still had someone come in to help half a

day every other week, but we took care of 

the rest. That meant a big yard, feeding the 

pets, and even mucking the barn. 

Most of the kids are grown now, and I

don't make so many lists anymore. Some

have become second nature, though, like

throwing in a load of wash first thing in 

the morning, and hanging it at night. We 

share shopping, and who knows what 

strange things show up to be cooked, but

my youngest is an aspiring gourmet, and I

encourage that. She takes over a lot of

the cooking these days, and is better than I.

Lentil soup from scratch, and homemade 
bread was dinner last night!

Another thing I try to do every day is 

Eat the Frog.

Whatever it is that I want to do the least,

I try to do it first thing in the morning,

and get it out of the way. Then I'm

free from dread for the rest of the day.
******

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning 

and nothing worse will happen to you 

the rest of the day.”

― Mark Twain

Moving my cubes up to the loft space was a major 
project over the weekend, and I needed 
help and equipment. We mowed in the morning while 
it was freezing cold, and my husband was happier 
about helping me move things up there in the 
afternoon. That evening I put all my fabric away, 
and now I can find things again!

Here are a few of the prints I found
at some of my local quilt shops just
before my move, and had lost
in the boxes and bags. Love those
kitty cats, don't you?

If you think there's never a way to carve out

enough time to sew, try organizing the parts

of your life that you have control over.

Make decisions about lots of little things at 

the same time. Be a list maker, if that works 

for you. It's no different than the

theory of chain piecing. Do all the same 

things at the same time, then move to the 

next activity. You will save time, and 

work more efficiently.

As lists go, here's my list for the week.

Monday--Ikea trip with my daughter. Look

at floating shelves, and fabric for backing.

Monday's are their Eat for Free day here. Save

your receipt from your meal--do get dessert, 

add some chocolate bars there, too, and then 

when you spend $100 or more, and show your

free Family Card, it's deducted from your 

total. You can't beat that deal!

Finish the FMQ pillow to enter in the month's
giveaway at Quilt Shop Gal. Must be blogged
and entered by Thursday.

Tuesday--Finish remaining blocks and setting 
triangles for the QST quilt. Start sewing rows.

Wednesday--Sewing at JoAnn's in the evening.
Start an applique project during the day to
take along, but I have a beginner coming I've
promised to teach basics to.

Thursday--Do the binding on one charity quilt
before starting in on my own projects. 
Hang my shelves, and clear a table to relocate 
my ironing area off my cutting table.
Create a large pressing surface from a piece
of leftover wood, batting, and fabric.

This will be the last day for entries to the Variable
Star Within a Star Giveaway here, so tally
emails up with Pet Project entries. Did you
send me your email yet to enter?

Friday-Put in an order for supplies including
batting for my QST quilt. I like the Fairfield
50/50 blend of cotton and bamboo the best, 
but maybe something lighter that will take less
space in the throat of my Janome. I'm a wee 
bit worried about the bulk of that giant quilt.
Decide on a design for my Anna Marie
Horner Swap for my secret partner.
I'm laying out some combinations.
This is the new Folk Song line.

I hope you heard something that gets you 
thinking about time management, if that's
what you need. It's the only way I can
Do It All, so to speak, and I can tell quickly
when I drop my routine of list making.

Let me know what works for you in the 
comments. I love suggestions for organization.

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

Linking up today with~
Freemotion by the River
Blossom Heart Quilts
Quilt Story
Show and Tell Tuesday
Late Night Quilter
Monday Makers
Show and Tell with Bambi
Patchwork Times
Hug-a-Bit Quilts
Cooking Up Quilts
Molli Sparkles Sunday Stash

Thank you for the link up opportunity!

I've Moved Out & Creative Space Tag

Before I explain my exodus from the 

house, let me show you my QST progress.

This was taken in my new space with only a flash.

No other photo enhancements were made, 

but I finally have natural daylight. 

I feel like I can see the full spectrum.
 What a difference that makes!

This quilt is going to be large. The new design wall 

is 7' 7" x 8'--the dimension of 2 pieces of foam

core insulation. Each was covered with quilt

batting I found on a roll for $1.79 a yard. I 

attached it with hot glue, and then actually

hot glued it to the wall. It will all peel off 

if I need or want to move it. I think I

could use one more beside it, too.

Let's Dream Big!

I have one large window with light 

in front of my machines.

And another here! 

Both are north facing, and so I have no blinding 

glare, just great afternoon light for photos.

I have a great mess, but my husband promised

to help me move my storage cubes soon. The

room was used as a gaming room when all the

kids were young. I was the mom that wouldn't

allow video games in the house. Period. This

was a way to control it. It later became a 

guest room, and now my learning center/studio.

There are always a few drawbacks. 

No Wifi, and there are stairs. 

Imagine all the trips I made to move,

but I think it was worth it.

Why did I move? 

I moved for natural light, most of all. Also, to 

separate my home life from my work life. It's 

becoming more real when I have to close the 

door to the house, and walk 'to work'. There is 

complete quiet, or I can crank up Rock music

without bothering anyone. I won't apologize for 

being in the way. My house will stay much cleaner 

without me dragging things up and down the stairs 

to photograph. Fewer chances of pins winding up 

in my husband's socks. And thankfully, it feels right.

The Doxie Girls and I are totally convinced.

It's time to Dream in Color.

I've shown you my new space roughly

done, but promise to update you

as it comes together. In the mean

time, I'm tagging my friend, Maryse,

 to show us her space. We both thought

it would be fun to see the places

regular people like us create. Would 

you like to be included in our game of 

Creative Space Tag? 

Leave me a reply below, or drop me 

an email, and be sure to include your own.

Stay tuned to future posts, and I'll link

you over to Maryse Makes Things 

when she's ready.

Come on, Doxie Girls.

Let's go sew.

Linking up with~
Val's Quilting Archives
WIP at Freshly Pieced
Sew Fresh Quilts
Quilty Thankful Thursday
My Quilt Infatuation