Thankful Thursday Catch Up & Creative Space Tag

 I'm truly thankful to finish the the blocks for 
the main body of the QST quilt at last. I sewed all afternoon adding another 4 rows. I even ran out 
of room on the design wall by the end, and the 
bottom is barely hanging on. I really like this 
quilt, but I'm getting anxious to get it off the 
wall, and move on to sewing.

Setting triangles and corners are next, and

I had to sit with a pen and paper for some

time to figure out how to make sure my

HST that will finish the edges will be aligned 
on the grain. You do not want bias edges, 
if you can help it!

Okay, Folks. Here's the big question.
Because there is so much going on in 
this quilt, pattern, fabric, etc., what 
do you think if I would use solids for 
my setting triangles? I could use a 
variety of colors varying between softer 
and stonger colors. The top and bottom
should be finished in stronger tones 
than the sides. There is already a 
vertical-horizontal color patterning 
within the design. Leave me a 
comment. What would you do?

The plan is to finish somewhere in the 
vicinity of a King size quilt. I've waffled 
back and forth whether or not to separate 
the blocks into two smaller quilts that would 
be much easier to quilt in my Janome. Even 
with very thin batting, this probably will be a 
bear. I've decided to throw my cares to the 
wind. Perhaps this will push me to reconsider 
that industrial, standing Singer my husband 
keeps in his workshop.

That's on the list for tomorrow, and I'm

not looking forward to pulling out all the 

fabrics I have just put away.

Creative Space Tag

Lara B. at BuzzinBumble is the hostess of 

Creative Space Tag this week. Pop over to see her 

inspiring space, and let her tell you all about it-- 

including some fun news. I loved it!

Newsworthy



I've become a partner in the Craftsy Affiliate
Program. What that means is that I will be 
promoting classes, sales, and purchases at 
Craftsy. If you choose to visit the site through
the button or link at Pink Doxies, and then 
make a purchase, I will receive a small 
percentage payment. It costs you nothing, 
and keeps my sewing machine lights on
among other things. I am looking for ways
to support this blog, and sincerely 
appreciate it when you link through me.

The link is at the top right, and is a clickable
button. Try it out if you'd like. I chose
Craftsy because of the quality content in
their classes. Did you know there are a lot of
FREE classes there? It's FREE to create an 
account. I have enjoyed the FREE pattern
downloads, and the FREE classes for months,
but I'm ready to jump into a few machine
quilting classes to help me through the
QST quilt. I think I need the help!

Did you know Christina Cameli, 'Peas in a Pod'
from yesterday's batik pillow here has a class
on Craftsy? My list is growing.

The Secrets of Free-Motion Quilting

If only I could stitch together all my free
moments of the day for a bigger block of
sewing time. I can only wish.

I'm off to help a new quilter buy supplies,
and she may drag me to Miller's Dry Goods
in Charm for their 50th Anniversay Sale 
this week. 30% off (almost) everything!
If you live nearby, I might see you there.
As my favorite local quilt store, I have
to give them a shout out. They're quick
with a smile and a hello every time.



Until then, Doxie Girls.
Let's go sew.

Linking up today with~
WIDTW
Crazy Mom Quilts
Fort Worth Fabric Frenzy
Lily's Quilts
A Quilting Reader's Garden
Quokka Quilts
Richard and Tanya Quilts
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Quilting Jet Girl
My Quilt Infatuation

'Peas in a Pod' Batik Pillow Finish-April FMQ Challenge

This FMQ pattern, 'Peas in a Pod', is from 
Christina Cameli, and I started it weeks ago here. 
It's very organic, and I played around with it quite
a bit rounding out, squaring off, etc. Christina 
shows it much smoother, and refined, but I had 
more than a little trouble with the batting I used. 
It was terribly dense to start with, and then I 
added intensive quilting with heavy thread. 

*This piece would be ideal as Kevlar-type padding 

 worn under chain mail or jousting armor. No joke.
I now understand why early soldiers used such 
padded underclothing to protect themselves. 

Darlene at Quilt Shop Gal is hosting the 
2015 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge as she's 
done for several years. The April Challenge
features Christina Cameli. Check out her
blog, A Few Scraps, for some sweet inspiration!
I highly recommend her books, one of which
I already own, and the other I'd like to order.

First Steps to Free-Motion Quilting

Step-by-Step Free-Motion Quilting: Turn 9 Simple Shapes into 80+ Distinctive Designs Best-selling author of First Steps to Free-Motion Quilting

I used some fabrics on the inside that are older,
and wouldn't get used in my modern things. No
one will see it, so I use that or muslin. My backing
is the same 3 fabrics, and quilting with a 
walking foot in a straight stitch.

I decided not to use a zipper on this pillow,
but to sew it shut. It's for me, and I can spot
clean it if I must. I stabilized the sides of the 
back by stitching a 1/4" around all sides. Then 
I added my binding, but only sewed it to the 
backing section of the opening.

I left a long tail to sew the binding together 
at a 45 degree angle. Christa Quilts has a great 
tutorial if you're ever stuck.

Notice that I was also sewing the front and back 
together at the same time as I added my binding, 
but you could do it first if it's easier. Then I brought 
the binding to the front, and sewed it by machine
on 3 sides. Leave an opening to insert your pillow!

Pillow went in, and this time I used one on the 
smaller side. I didn't want the whole thing
to feel like a rock. I pinned the section near 
the last opening so it flattened it out, and 
kept the pillow back. That makes sewing on the 
binding SO much easier in the case you have a 
pillow pushing on your last opening.

Miter the corners with a fold, and you're done.

And, since none of you seemed to mind--
Ta-Dah!

Now to frost the Espresso cupcakes I'm 
taking to sewing and quilting tonight.

Come on, Doxie Girls.
We've got lots to get ready

before I can go sew.

Linking up with~
Lizzie Lenard Free Motion Mavericks
Val's Quilting Archives
Freshly Pieced
Sew Fresh Quilts
2015 FMQ April Challenge with Christina Cameli

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!

'My Life Aquiltic' and Pet Project Show #17

I'm resisting the urge to say, "Ta-Dah!" It

happens every time I finish a quilt, and I'm 

not sure why. It's not very mature, but...

"Ta-Dah!"

"My Live Aquiltic" is completed, and I can

knock it off my list for an On the Windy Side

Finish-Q2, too. It finished at about 51"x62",

and I used a loose FMQ motif that reminded

me of wave action. I used my Janome

domestic machine, and Iris thread. 

Other details are in these posts.

Wednesday WIP

Pie Quilts

I added a 'column of water' to the solid backing

made from pieced scraps leftover from the top.

I curved a crest and trough for fun.

I had just enough extra backing left with which 
to bind it. No more than 2 extra inches to spare 
this time. Besides making sure I estimate more 
yardage for my backing next time, here are 
a few things I learned along the way.

How to fix a thread break: Take it back

to the last change of direction to tie it off and 

bury the threads, and then start the FMQ there.

I marked a point I thought would be good,

then I used a ripper to cut the other threads.

Don't spend your time fussing with anything

other than what you need to tie off. In this

case my thread broke again, so I had to go

back even further.

Usually the rubber end of a ripper will do a better 

job of getting the last thread pieces than 

scratching at them with your fingernail.

Burying your thread right then and there gives

you a better chance of the new start blending in.

I learned that by taking your FMQ off the edge of 

quilt helps to anchor the edges. This makes

binding much easier and quicker.

Spring is in full swing with bushes and trees

both coming out in leaf. The other side of 

this wall is where my Clematis paniculata

is rooted. I was late cutting it back, and 

just got to it early this week. I was nearly

done when I saw there was a nest full of

eggs in last year's vines. I was crushed, but I 

took the whole nest and reset it in the 

vines I had left.

When I checked on it this morning, the mama 

bird flew into a nearby bush. 

She was still brooding!

There's just about a week left before the 

drawing for this pillow. If you've linked up 

to the Pet Project Show this month--including

tomorrow, you'll automatically get a chance 

each time. Other ways to enter are at 

this post, Variable Star Within a Star.

Linking up today with~

Q2 Finishes On the Windy Side

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Finish it up Friday

Link a Finish Friday

WIDTW

TGIFF
A Quilting Reader's Garden

Quilt Shop Gal
Planet Penny Happy Friday
Fort Worth Friday Frenzy
Sew Can She

Thank you for the linking opportunity.

Come on, 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 left)
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, April 27th 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