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.

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 #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!*

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? 

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

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.

Many Quiltworks In Progress

Moda's Moxi by Studio M

A few months ago I picked up a mini charm pack of these pretty-little-things at my LQS. I wanted to see if a smaller pre-cut would be more accurately cut than the charms, jelly rolls or layer cakes, and now I can tell you, "Yes!" This Moxi line was used straight out of the package, and I laid out something I thought would make sweet quilt center. A few seams needed tweaking just a bit, but overall they were quite accurate. I paid $4 for this package of 42 pieces. So, figure roughly 10 cents for a 2.5" square.

Baby Quilt Finish with Minny Muu from Lecien Fabrics

Such a big story behind this little quilt! I'm not sure it would all fit here. Shall I give you the condensed version? 

A Soft Finish: E's Hexie Quilted

How I wish you could feel this quilt! 

If a finished pieced top is called a 'Flimsy Finish', I think a finished quilted top should aptly be named a 'Soft Finish'. Binding is all that's needed yet here.

Pet Project Show #36 and Highlights

Nero's Post and Patch

The Doxie girls and I had a terribly hard time this month picking our favorite link ups. We never cease to be amazed at the talent pool out there in QBL. ('Quilting Blogland'. An acronym coined by Sandra at Musings of a Menopausal Melon and Helen of Midget Gem Quilts.)

Pet Project Show #35

Classroom Quilt

Amy Stauffer-McNutt is a passionate teacher with a special interest in butterflies, and self-dedicated to saving the Monarchs. She started this butterly quilt project last year in her classroom, and I promised to quilt it for her. She'll use it as a visual aid, and I'm sure it will hang in her regular classroom when it's not travelling.

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

Improv Work On the Design Wall

Not So Serious Sewing

Sunday was peaceful, and I'd finished up several projects the week before. I was after something relaxing, low-key, and just fun. I pulled out this WIP that I started early last spring while attending an Amy Butler & Hilde Dunn retreat. It was an exercise in improvisational piecing, and on my list of 2015 Q3 Finishes on the Windy Side. The initial slab was built by a partner blindly picking out pieces of fabric from a pile, and handing them to me. I had little control over the color scheme to start.

The center was done yet needed a frame, and I pulled this muddy pink out of my solids stash. It's an odd color, but it played well with the mishmash in the middle. Then I pulled strips from my scrap bins to make into the next pieced border. I pieced my scraps without squaring up, and it got interesting and more exciting. 

TIPS & TRICKS-Mitered Corners

I mitred my corners by creating 4 strip-pieced squares for each corner. The borders were 5 1/2" so I made each square 6". I went 1/2" larger than needed, and cut two diagonally with my stripes vertical, and two with my strips horizontal to create 8 HST's. I sewed these into 4 squares, and THEN I sewed these with to my top and bottom borders. Now I was dealing with 4 typical borders that looked like I spent a ridiculous amount of time making them. Easy peasy!

The narrow dark blue border anchored the multicolored piecing, and I looked around for some serious bling fabric to set it all off.

It's shiny, stripey, and I have lots of yardage. It sets off the center like neon lights, and fits the improv them to a T. Although I don't know the content, it presses well, is a higher grade than acetate, and you'll never believe where I found it!

Would you believe this was an old dress in that wonderful vintage stash I showed you? I asked several people when they would estimate the pattern of the dress, and they guessed late 50's-60's. Tightly fitted bodice and 3/4 sleeves, and close to 5.5 yards of fabric in the fully gathered skirt. The integrity of the fabric is solid with no funky smell--things you need to check for using vintage material, so it's going in today. 

I can't help but feel connected to the quilter/sewist that saved this garment for decades knowing it might have another life. I challenge you to add something repurposed, upcycled, reused, or vintage to a project. Hunt your Goodwill, resale stores, and garage sales for treasures. You may be deeply rewarded by the feeling of creating a unique piece while preserving a saver's vision. 

Also, I must admit there is something deeply satisfying to really understanding how the first quilters used the resources they had, and weren't able to run off to their LQS for the 'perfect' fabric. I can't wait to see how this turns out today, but what are your thoughts of working like this?

Linking up with~
The Quilting Room with Mel at Fiber Tuesday 
and last week I was the most clicked 
link with this post: 

Zipper Bags Simplified Tutorial

Podunk Pickin's--A brand new linky!


Freemotion By the River
Quilt Story
Blossom Heart Quilts
Late Night Quilter