Allison Glass Quilt & the Inner Brat

Friend to me: "How's the quilt going?"

Me to friend: "It's going."

That's how I'm feeling about this one. 

I'm very thankful to have it well underway, but the

tiniest displeased with the FMQ. I really wanted a 

large looping design on it, but it isn't physically

possibly with my sit-down Janome. All I can manage 

are smaller loops, and you should see how I'm 

hunched down in my chair to see under the machine 

arm. I'm spoiled by my one episode using a long arm. 

It's awful. I should be working on it. It would

only take a few hours to get the whole quilt done.

But have you ever had your Inner Child, the bratty one, 

throw a hissy fit while your logical self says to suck it

up, and get it done? My daughter say this is definitely a 

First World Problem, and she's right. Time to discipline 

that unruly voice, and to say with gratitude I'm 

sincerely thankful for all the blessings in my life. 

I am thankful.

My backing is creatively pieced, and looks a bit

like it fell out of the 80's, but most of it is excess.

There should be just the smallest border around

the edges of the backing. The center is a pale

grey in the same tightly woven fabric as the front.

You can see I've left plenty of room. I learned my 
lesson on the "Chicago, 2007" QST quilt when I 
shorted the length by an inch, and had to add fabric 
after the quilting was finished.

I quilted this with an Iris thread in a citrus green. I love

working with colored threads, and my supply is starting to 

move across the palette. Defy rules that state your thread should always be one shade darker than your background. These days, all but the most traditional quilters are comfortable saying the lines are blurred on 'what works' for them. The only area I stay away from purchasing is varigated. It's not that I haven't been happy with my quilts done in varigated thread, but once you've purchased them, they are definitely harder to match with another 

quilt top.

I'm about 1/3 or more done with this, and it would
make sense to get it finished today. The problem is
that awful Moda company sold a pattern called
Modern Building Blocks, and it's not my fault it
sucked me in. 

We will have to have a talk about 
that sometime soon--after I quiet my Inner Child.

Until then...
Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew.

Linking up with~
My Quilt Infatuation
Quilting Jet Girl

Kate Spain Soft Tote Finish a.k.a. A Lesson in Laminate Sewing

A quick finish to report for my Q2 Finishes 
On the Windy Side.



Here's my pile of fabric. This was a learning project, 
too, because the Kate Spain fabric on the bottom is 
a laminated cotton. I had never sewn with it, and 
when I got a little less than a yard of it on clearance, 
it was a chance to try without a big investment.



Bag construction is pretty basic to most, but a 
few people have recently asked how to box out 
the bottom. I'll show you how to to get an even 
box, which doesn't always happen when 
I just eyeball it.

Once the sides are sewn, mark the same
distance to the top and side of a lower corner. 
Here I've used 3" each way.

Turn the bag so the side and bottom seam are
on top of each other. If you haven't sewn a bottom
seam, which I prefer, use your ruler to square it up 
like shown. You align the side seam with a vertical 
mark on your ruler, and match the dots on each 
side of the bottom. Pin, and draw your line.

It should look like this. If I was doing a small bag,
I would cut this excess off because it would just
add bulk. I tend to keep it on a large bag, and 
just fold it under to the bottom. It adds stability
to the corner, and an additional layer should 
the bag start to wear through.

Next I made the liner for the bag with the same 
construction process. I used the same
measurements for width exactly, but added about 
4" for a fold over band. The width got me into a 
pickle, and I'll show you why in a bit. I've found if 
I cut my liner width about 1/2" smaller, it fits better 
at the end. Think of nesting bowls.

Here is where I started to learn my lesson about 
laminated fabrics. They are not smooth like 
regular cotton. It wasn't as much of a problem 
catching on the machine surface or presser foot 
I could see, but was very apparent in the stitching 
in the handle below.

I saw no other way around my handle problem, 
so I used a little more contrast fabric to cover 
my laminated fabric. The laminate added weight 
inside instead of strapping, and I could sew it all together.

This handle had to be ripped out, and notice the 
fabric didn't 'recover'. The stitching holes were 
still visible even after I misted the fabric, and 
lightly pressed from the WRONG side. Do
not iron laminated fabric from the right side!
It will ruin your fabric and your iron.

The next dilemma was how to sew the handles

onto the bag with the laminate on the bottom. I grabbed

a scrap, and positioned it under the laminate so things 

would slide on the bottom as I sewed at the top.

Here's the view from the top side. At this point, the 
lining was still free of the bag. I wanted the handle 
seams hidden on the inside so it looked polished. 
First stitching, sew with the handles facing down 
toward the inside of the bag. (The white is the liner.)

Fold the handles up covering the raw seam,
and stitch all around for security.

 
This is what I had so far. The lining was pinned 
at the side, and sewn down at the patches only.

I was excited to be so nearly finished. My daughter 
stopped in for a look, and asked if this bag was
staying with us. Please? I knew it was a hit then.

I brought the excess liner over the top to cover 
my orange patches, and did a quick pin around. 
It puckered. A lot! I repinned. It still puckered. 

 So, I did a quick fix by taking in my liner seams by 
about 1/4" on each side, and not too far down.

That was all it needed. I pinned the liner in place where 
I knew the pin holes would notshow on the finished 
piece, and sewed. Then I went back and sewed the 
handlesall the way to the top edge, and finished
with an edge stitch around the top.

This is a bit of a less structured bag without interfacing, 
but the laminate would not have withstood the heat to 
bond, and I'm not a lover of sewn-in interfacing. It's 
proven to be a workhorse so far while loaded.

One thing I've been toting around is a new book called 
Little Quilts. Lisa in Port Hope posted her sweet mini 
from it on the Pet Project Show a few weeks ago, and I 
had to hunt it down. So many neat ideas here!

Trying new things is fun for me. I'm not afraid of 
change, but sometimes it takes getting used to. There's
a new look to the blog, as I'm sure you've noticed. I'll 
give a little tutorial on some of the features the next
time we talk. For today, notice these fancy-shmancy 
buttons below. This is where you can find all the ways 
to follow Pink Doxies in one hexie-spot. If you don't 
know what they all are, just click. They don't bite 
like Doxies.

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

Linking up with~
Q2 Finishes on the Windy Side
Sew Fresh Quilts
Freshly Pieced

Bertie's Quilt & Creative Space Tag

This little quilt is 47"x47", and has hung on my 

design wall for a few weeks. A friend of mine

pieced it last winter at a class while on vacation

somewhere sunny. She asked me to quilt it 

for her, and gave me free rein as to how.

The colors may be a little truer here.

The sashing and borders are the palest

pink, and it's really a pretty quilt top.

It was a bit of a dilemma for me to decide the 

quilting, as this is a quilt she is looking forward 

to leaving for a great-grandchild someday. 

I wanted it to be nicely done for her.

I decided it needed a little motif inside the 

blocks, and came up with this feathered 

wreath. A heart in the middle seemed to 

fit the style of the baby quilt, too.

I spray basted this one. I am finding that there 

are different situations where the spray basting 

works better for me than pinning. If I have any 

doubt about straightness of top or backing, I 

can see where to anticipate a wrinkle before 

I actually start to quilt.

Wreaths and hearts all out of the way,

I started the sashing. Simple leaves and 

vines with curling. I did use a water 

soluble marker to sketch an idea out,

and followed it loosley.  The mottling

you see in the pink is because I've

misted the top to get rid of the marking.

I do like her choice of backing. Very sweet

and appropriate. The quilting shows nicely.

I used a basic cream Aurifil in 50#.

Afterward my husband and I nabbed the Kubota

and went back on the hills for some peace and

quiet. There's nothing like being deep in the 

woods. We popped out on our way to a meadow,

and the hill was covered in blackberry blooms.

It's going to be a good year for the pie maker.

This little beauty caught my eye. I snapped

a picture so I could look it up later.

Any ideas?

Creative Space Tag is at Sew Preeti Quilts.

Preeti's post on "How Many Shades of Gray?" 

is up, and even her writing is full of energy!

I'm so happy to have her adding to our

bloggers sharing their creative spaces, and

she's already tagged Jasmine of Quilt Kisses.

For those of you who are curious, Maryse

at Maryse Makes Things came up with the 

idea after I posted about my new space,

and told me to run with the idea. We both

thought it would be fun to see where 

quilters create, and inspire each other 

with ideas about space usage. I've seen so

many great ideas, and made mental notes

for changes I should make. If you would 

like to share your space, let me know in

an email, and I'll add your name.

Until we meet again...

Come on, Doxie girls.

Let's go sew.

Linking up with~
Freemotion by the River
Quilt Story
Patchwork Times

                                                    

Stash, Cash, and Quilter Blogger

I want to show you a few different stash
additions I scored this week. Lucky me, I paid
almost 1/2 of list price for my finds. I shop
often, early in the morning when I might find
new sale things just put out, and when the store
is emptiest. It saves standing in lines, and adds
to my time sewing in the studio.

Of course, every Secret Garden 
needs a hidden key. I already
have ideas for making just a simple
quilt with large blocks as a 
summer throw.

I shy away from individual fat quarters most
of the time. They are usually priced $2.50 and 
up around here, and unless it's special, I don't
want to pay $10 a yard for fabric. The same
goes for most pre-cuts like jelly rolls, charms,
etc. You can read my post where I break 
down the actually cost of those enticing bits.

Stripping the Charm from Pre-Cuts

Upsides and Downfalls of Pre-Cuts

Winter Sunshine HST Top Finish 
and Pre-Cut Wrap Up

Like all 'rules', this isn't hard and fast. There
are times when convenience wins out, and 
I need a specific pre-cut. I just want to buy
it aware of the price per yard.

There is a bin where my LQS wraps one yard
pieces for $6 a yard. I have found some
prizes like Art Gallery fabrics in there, and
ocassionally something odd I was looking for.
Pay attention to where in the store things
are displayed. It's no different than grocery
shopping. Usually the less expensive items
are in least accessible areas, like downstairs
or in the back corner.

I have been talking with other quilting 
bloggers about the price of fabric. Here in
the US we seem to have it easiest on our
billfold, and maybe a better selection of
quilt stores, depending on where you live.
I can think of about 10 within an hour--
many I've never even been to yet.
Prices where I have shopped are in the 
$7-$8 for solids, and $10-$11 for brand name
quilting prints. Sale prices for close-out 
fabrics run $5-8 here.

Can We Talk? 
Please Leave Me a Comment

I'd love to know what you're paying where
you live, and how you buy your different
fabrics, whether at you local quilt store
or online. Do you have tricks to manage your
shipping or import tax add-on's if you buy 
out of country? Cost management is 
essential whether we quilt as a hobby or 
profession. Many people have found
the recent US economy to be a tough place
to sell product, and this all impacts
our bottom lines.

Even when we can buy our fabric cheaply,
how do we know what to charge for our quilts?

Craftsy--Tips for Pricing Your Handmade Goods
Hunter's Design Studio--What's It Worth?
The Quilting Edge--Pricing One's Work...
SewMamaSew--Placing a Value on Your Quilts
by Molli Sparkles
And please read yesterday's post on 
Molli Sparkles, too!

I've had cost analysis on the brain lately while
I try to figure out if I can afford a long arm.
Yes, I've been bitten badly. Summers are 
generally slower for quilters while we spend
more of our time outdoors, and it's a great 
time to think about how you're spending your
resources. Of course, it's also a weekend
where many online stores are having sales,
and my Inbox is flooded with flyers.

*************

Have you seen my new button to the right?

I came across a resource on another blogger's

page a few weeks back, and followed up on it.

I discovered the QuilterBlogs.com network,

and was pleased they accepted Pink Doxies

into their listings. It's not only a great, FREE 

place to list your blog, but I've found it's a

remarkable place to FIND blogs I was

missing out on. Today they have listed just 

under 1700 quilter's blogs! If you are a 

quilting blogger, this is an easy decision.

Get over there, and get it listed.

The Doxie girls and I are looking forward
to hearing from you today. In the meantime...

Come on, Doxie girls.
The garden is planted, so...
let's go sew.

Linking up with~
Molli Sparkles