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

Cell Phone and Camera Sling Bag

Necessity is the Mother of Invention.

~unknown

I'm so excited to show you my new Make! 

I will tell you that I have lost my beloved cell

phone very few times. Once I came home 

from the barn without it, and on back-tracking 

found it laying in the middle of the road 

across town. It survived. The second was a 

bounce out of my pocket while mowing. My

daughter had the experience of bush hogging 

her own phone into tiny pieces years ago, so

I knew I needed a solution.

I have been working on my Anna Marie Horner

Swap this past week, and the mini-quilt is

nearly done. I don't want to show you the 

whole thing as to not ruin the surprise for

my partner out there, but here's a sneak peek.

I needed some hand sewing to do one day while

all the dogs were here for a play date. My studio

is not yet dog-proofed for 6 energetic dogs!

This is an original design, and I was excited to

try out some applique and embroidery with 

this new project. I love the Folk Song line, and it 

seemed to speak to the 70's child in me. When I 

saw the leftovers, I knew what I wanted to do.

I pieced improvisationally until I came up

with a slab of both the tumblers, and the 

strips. The darker chunk of fabric in the

back is also AMH, but from an earlier line.

I liked the little bit of contrast it provided, 

and it's the backing used in my swap.

The strips made up the back.

The tumblers made up the front, and 

the Innocent Crush became the lining.

I added large 3M One velcro strips for

security, but none of the problems you

have with typical hook and loop tape.

I love this stuff!

I used FMQ in a swirly, floral pattern, and 

my favorite pink Aurifil thread to give

it a touch of pizazz.

I put a strip of scrap binding over the inside lip,

then bound it as I would a regular quilt.

Now for the strap. I can't stand anything digging

into my shoulder, so no wimpy strap for me. I 

used leftover batting and fabric with the selvage,

and made a wonderfully padded strap to cross

over my body. There are 3 layers of batting 

inside, and one seam sewn down the middle 

to hold it all together. 

I've been wearing it since I made it, and it's passed

the test. I love it. I can stick my iPhone with its 

Mophie battery pack, and my little Canon Power

Shot inside, and have room left over for

money or emergency items. 

I can actually say it was a total scrap project

because I used all the leftovers from my 

swap project. Woohoo! I'm over the

moon with my little Make, and thankful to 
keep my valuables safe now.

Working away at my QST quilt, and hope to

show you the flimsy finish this weekend.

I'm close.

Come on, Doxie Girls.

We've got sewing at Joann's tonight.

Daylight's burning!

Let's go sew.

Sandra is the hostess of 
Creative Space Tag today at~
Musings of a Menopausal Melon


Linking up today with~
Quilt Shop Gal
Crazy Mom Quilts
TGIFF @ Quilt Matters
Richard and Tanya Quilts
Free Motion Mavericks

A Quilting Reader's Garden
My Quilt Infatuation
Freshly Pieced
Quilting Jet Girl
Sew Fresh Quilts

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! 

Giveaway Winner and Pet Project Show #18

Congratulations to Sandra from 
Musings of a Menopausal Melon! 

Sandra was the 5th link up for month, and the 
winner of the Variable Star Within a Star pillow.
I'll be shipping this package due north.

Here are a few of the Doxie Girls and my favorite 
link-ups for the month of April. I'm a nut for color
so I'm always drawn to brights.

Tanya linked her zebra quilt from 
Tanya Quilts in CO. It's vibrant!

Debra at Quiltingartist linked this cat quilt. It's
simple, bright, and effectively fun.

Maartje Quilt in Amsterdam linked this 
multi-colored FMQ bag. I'm transported
back to high school, and doodling on notebooks.

Beth at Cooking Up Quilts linked her Bee quilt.
What a lovely composition, and perfect for spring!
I think I need to join a Bee after seeing it.



Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict worked
together this beauty, and it surely suits its name,
Stained Glass.

Cassandra at The Not So Dramatic Life linked
her Marsala Mini, and wowed me. It's
just gorgeous.

Thank you all for sharing, and keep them

coming. I love seeing your link-ups, and getting
to know so many talented sewists.

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

   

Pink Doxies Is Changing Its Address--Don't Panic!

Some of you have noticed some problems

receiving posts the past few weeks. If you follow 
through Bloglovin' there has been an issue, 
and I suspect other modes also. I apologize.

We used to be pinkdoxies.blogspot.com,

but I have moved to my own domain of

pinkdoxies.com

It's much easier to remember and access, but 

I'm dealing with some unforeseen technical

hiccups. The Bloglovin' feed should be fixed

shortly, and please be kind and let me know

if there are any other problems you encounter.

My apologies to you.

Julie @ Pink Doxies

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