Official Start of Fall Sewing

Two Friends and One Heavenly Afternoon

Yesterday was the first official weekly meet up of the season in my studio. (I cleaned for TWO days! It was a great summer surrounded with my boxes of sewing stuff, but I buckled down for a serious cleaning at last.) Scraps still haven't been sorted, but they are in boxes at last. Out of sight, out of mind for now. Instead, we hit the stash for a quick strip quilt, and some satisfying sewing.

Custom Prostitcher Quilting: Urban Cottage Star

The Adventures with Prostitcher Continue

Let me show you the pretty finish at the start. But like everything, there's a story behind this project. There's always more than meets the eye! Follow with me as I explain the process, and for some more eye candy to follow.

Baby Postcard from Sweden & Dragger

Vibrance!

Many long months ago I promised a baby quilt for a friend--a grandmother-soon-to-be, and immediately after my life was swamped. It was one big thing after the next. Life can be that way, you know. My sewing projects were shut down tight. Six long months later the storm of activity has officially passed, and we're all breathing easier, thank you. I am gratefully, intentionally back to sewing. It's like a dream waking up with permission to say to myself, "Today I am going to sew!" And sew, I have.

Walnut Creek Vintage Fair 2019 & Linky Party

The Rosy Fingers of Dawn: 7:00 Arrival

Living in the heart of quilt country has its advantages if you pay attention. The Walnut Creek Vintage Fair has been around for several years now, but I first heard about it last week when a friend said she was vending vintage fabric there, and I should come. I coerced my daughter and soon-to-be daughter-in-law to wake early on their Friday-day-off, and off we went. My advice to bring extra shoes was helpful because there was water in the parking field despite the gorgeous dawn. Little did we know that the dark skies we had experienced in the late afternoon the day before had brought a torrential storm here. It wreacked havoc on the vendors who had already set up shop. Large puddles persisted as we entered the market. Muck boots were haute couture, and more than just a good look.

Choosing Quilting Patterns & Motifs

Postcard from Sweden: Baby Version

It has been months since I woke up in the middle of the night with clouds of swirling thoughts. When this happens, I feel like I am stuck in sleep mode yet awake. All the unrealistic thoughts that would be dreams--especially those that might be nightmares while asleep are processed while wide awake. It's like having surgery without the anesthetic. The so-called creative, free-associating side of the brain runs without the conscious filter of the other half. A monkey brain. I worry about things in the dark I could talk myself out of in daylight. Yuck. But sleep finally comes, and I swear the next morning to never drink caffeine so late in the day again. 

Cultivating Quilts

Postcard from Sweden for Baby

Early February this past winter, I promised a quilt. A cascade of family events moved life far away from our ordinary pace, and seemed to have taken ages to return. Have you ever uttered to yourself, "I just want to catch up." And so, in spite of spring rains, and all kinds of new things I'm cramming to learn until my brain hurts, I feel closer to caught up than in months. True, we still need groceries, and are hunting for clean laundry throughout baskets parked down a hall, but sorting life on the outside is not the same as our inner life. We first seek peace in our hearts, and watch it follow in our world. 

Studio Reno & Learning ProStitcher Sortware

Charity Quilt Back 
with ProStitcher Premium

Combining a healthy portion of pride, reasonable self-criticism, and buckets full of gratitude to all the help I've been blessed with, I've made good progress. Is it perfect? Heck, no, but it's quilted, and looks darned good! Sure, I was so nervous setting it all up I forgot to stagger the design, but as Beth from Cooking Up Quilts said, "Tell them it was a design choice." Beth, who has been at the other end of the line patiently listening to me fret and wail, and answered with giggles as well as the right answer. I'm so grateful she's several steps ahead of me in learning. Thanks, Beth!

Quilt Studio Renovation

The Great Renovation Begins

There should be a sign on the studio:

New Hours: Severely Limited

or more appropriately labeled,

Warning! Construction Zone
Enter at Your Own Risk!

Gratitude: Piece On for Spring

Watching Spring Creep In

Hasn't this been the longest winter ever? I can't remember a year I wanted spring so badly while the last of its months dragged on with cold, wet days. It was interminable.

Cloth Basket Ideas

Cloth Basket: Quick Sew

How's that for a quick gift in under an hour? My daughter asked me weeks ago for a small gift for a co-worker, and I forgot until the 11th hour. It didn't take long to check this one off, though. Cloth baskets are wonderful for highlighting pretty fabrics, using up remnants, and easy to personalize for individual uses. While I typically use a denser, iron-on batting, it was nowhere to be discovered. I resorted to a quilt batting remnant, and it made for a slouchier construction. A little straight-line quilting adding some body, and more would have even been better in hindsight. 

I would love to make a grouping of smaller baskets using this method, and tack them together in a group. Wouldn't that add a bit of color on a nightstand to hold hair clips, earrings, and those little things that typically get misplaced? 

Come on, Doxie girls.

Let's go sew.

     

Thursday's Tips

Pfaff Creative Performance: New to Me

Over the past winter, I've had my share of problems with my older Pfaff sewing machines. Two shorted out their motherboards (Read, "More expensive to fix than the value of the machine"), and another had tension or mechanical issues. It was a constant rotation to find or borrow one that was in working order. Maybe a newer machine was what I needed. Thanks to a husband with a keen eye to Craigslist he spotted this one. It was only 6 years old, but a buy for me compared to new. I will admit there was an initial learning curve--and I'm far from a whiz on her, but I'm back to piecing finally. She came with all the embroidery attachment bells and whistles, but I'm not even venturing there yet.

Marching Along with Charity Quilts

The Awesome, Official End of the Polyester Batting

Isn't that great texture? I love how this quilt turned out in spite of the waviness. Polyester batting in a comforter thickness is not conducive to detailed quilting. Even with widely spaced stitching, the tension causes it to draw up in spots. Still it will be a wonderful quilt for someone to snuggle under, and the vintage fabrics give it a 60's retro vibe.

It's been a real task to use up the last of the monster roll of poly comforter batting, but this marks the end. Thank you, and Amen! The road ahead is smooth sailing with cotton.

Quilts In the Width of a Week

My $4 Fabric Fun

I love to tell people, "I can make a quilt out of almost any fabric." You don't need the latest and greatest (or highest priced) fabric to make a fantastic quilt. You just need good contrast, and something in common. It's like the great game of SET for those of you who play. Now, I'm not saying this is going to be worthy of entry into Quilt Con--to which I'll be visiting next week, and hope to meet any of you who will be there, too--but wait until you see just how darn cute this new quilt is turning out! And for an honest disclosure, the batik was higher at $5 a yard, not $4. 

Lots of Quilts & Ramblings

Finished Beauties Added to the Stack

Last week's sewing detail for the Gnadenhutten Quilt Project was full of finishes, but I might also say we have quilts in every stage right now. It's wonderful how we are working as a team. Each person in our little group seems to have found their niche for what suits them. My mom is happy working on blocks at home between meetings, and coming in with a stack that can be turned into a quick top. 

Gnadenhutten Quilt Project:January Quilts

Simple Labels: Gnadenhutten

Quilt Project

Allow me to catch you up to speed on why I've been an infrequent blogger these past weeks. I've been buried in quilts, and isn't that the most glorious thing you could imagine? Ah...yes, it is!

The Gluten-Free Quilt Issue

To Quilts & Beyond!

In spite of sounding like that tinny, pull-string recording of Buzz Light Year, I keep repeating the theme of My Life Beyond Quilts. Perhaps I've poured the essence of my mental and emotional energy into learning everything I could about quilts for the past 5 years, and neglected to honor my other needs. As Creatives, we do this. It's all or nothing, baby! We self-consume. We eat that one food everyday until it grows tasteless, and think, "What have I been missing?" Don't get me wrong. I still adore quilts, but I'm adding a few spices now for flavor. 

2019 Quilts and Beyond: Bluprint

Do you like the new header? I keep looking at it like a new haircut in the mirror, but I do. I like the freshness. I spent a lot of time with a talented gal working out all kinds of graphics this fall, and was waiting for just the right time to change it. This is it. 2019 is going to be a year full of tweaks. Tweak meaning fine adjustments along with some sharp pulls. Tweak as in no sweeping changes in view. Just some little ones. And, while we were working on the new logo, I was was trying to define an image that represented what this blog, Pink Doxies, was now. That turned out to be very enlightening.

Happy New Year, 2019!

Delectable Mountains Variation

Welcome 2019! I hope the year came in the way you wanted whether quietly or with a bang. For the first year in decades, I was awake at midnight listening to fireworks off in the distance as I crept upstairs to bed. There was no kissing, though, as the Mister has a bad cold, and I am doing my best to keep it from catching it. 

The last few days have been low-key while he recovers, and I have taken advantage of the time to sew a few blocks. I used some Anna Marie Horner fat quarter scraps, and Sakura yardage from Moda to test out the method from the YouTube video below.

The Gnadenhutten Quilt Project

Olive Branch Quilts

And so it begins. Ready for the cliffhanger ending? Let me only say the ending is really the beginning. Imagine me sitting amidst my pile of scraps only a week and a half ago to a growing stack of quilts and comforters. Quilts that will soon be delivered to a local shelter for women and children. Imagine a project that has formed to offer something handmade to someone local who may need a sign of hope. These are Olive Branch Quilts.

The Introverted Blogger

The Tula Pink Saltwater Quilt Is Quilted

This was the first jelly roll quilt I made before I gained the wisdom of why one should not skimp on seam allowances. Therefore, before I bind it, I have some minor repairs to make. I noticed a few seams that were too small for comfort, and did makeshift fixes while quilting. Some WonderUnder and embroidery stitches now will make certain the fabric holds for several years to come. Some people would be upset by that happening after all the beautiful quilting, but I see it as a sigh of growth. We live and learn. I doubt anyone else will notice.

Are you an introverted blogger?
Say hello to another one here.

My blogging mojo disappeared a few months ago when real life got intense. It happens to all of us, but more often to bloggers who are also introverts, I believe. We are the people that need to recharge our internal batteries with alone time. We need extra time to space out, sort, process, and recover. You might think it's different with just writing about something because there's no face-to-face encounter. Texting or email is easier? Not true. We can get pretty hung up on words of any kind. Writing a blog post takes a lot of social energy. So Instagram, Facebook, blogging, and answering comments all went on hold. I just couldn't. 

I even talked to my besties about taking a year off--a blogging sabbatical of sorts. I spent 2 weeks imagining I didn't blog anymore. I quit checking email. I told all my friends I was on a social media diet. I finally slept, but still those creative juices were hard to squeeze out if at all. 

So I quilted, and in many ways I meditated. 

Simple No Batting Quilts for Pets

8 Simple Quilts in 1 Day

Looking for a quick Christmas gift for a pet lover? 

Gift their fur babies, and they will love you!

We tend to celebrate Christmas with few presents if any, but this year I wanted something for all the kids to open on Christmas Eve when we get together. There are no grandkids in this family, but there are 11 spoiled dogs. We decided to exchange dog presents this year. In between my longarming work last month, I squeezed in a day for my own Christmas sewing. Yes, of course, I would make them all quilts.

Quilt Beautiful

Quilting Up Beautifully

Over 5 years ago I purchased my very first jelly roll. The Tula Pink Saltwater line jumped out at me as a had-to-have. You can find more information about the origin of this quilt in the posts below.

Making 2.5" Unfinished HST from a Jelly Roll

Saltwater Jelly Roll Quilt

Few words can describe the dismay I felt when the seams would not line up as hard as I tried. (My first hard lesson with inaccuracies of pre-cuts!) It is off in many places, but I trudged onward in spite of it. Sometime in the past year I turned the blocks into a quilt top, folded it neatly on my ready to quilt rack, and quilted many other quilts for customers. 

Last week I think the little eyes on the octopus were watching me--winking perhaps, and in spite of having half a dozen other quilts still hanging for friends, I bumped this to the front. I was itching to use some of my new rulers, and just cut loose on something of my own.

The BIG Quilting Catch Up

Resuscitated and Running 
(Whew!)

Are you ready for a montage catch up?
Oh, yeah, baby! Yesterday was a marathon!

Machine Down

I am a Pfaff Lover, and have 2 older machines I switch between. Sticking to one brand provides better accuracy, and they have always been dependable for me. But breakdowns do happen, and they are scary when we depend on our machines daily. This is a front loading bobbin, and the last time I opened it to load a fresh bobbin it would not click in. With closer examination, the bobbin case itself was spinning. I had not encountered this before on any machine, but was not keen on shelling out $80 to fix it. Could I fix something this complicated?

Cabin Under the Stars Mini

New Pattern Work

Goals for 2019 are forefront in my mind already. I have had requests for several patterns this past year, and am working toward publishing them. I have been rather quiet here on the blog front, but a busy gal behind the scenes as I work with an energetic graphics assistant. She is helping me through areas of technical spider webs I cannot get out of, and collaborating is fun with someone who has fresh ideas! Keep your eyes peeled for a fresh look coming soon.

One Patch Cross Baby Quilt

One Patch Cross Quilt

The one patch is my go-to method for creating anything quickly and accurately! I've found nothing to match the design potential with ease and speed of sewing. I spent more time selecting fabrics, cutting, and laying out this design than in quilt top construction. This baby-size top was sewn together in little more than an hour. A quick trip on my longarm with a medium, monster-y meander went quickly, and check out my 3 layer floating method with magnets to secure. (This time I meant to do it!)  Binding was cut from the leftover backing, and machine stitched. 

Three Naked Ladies Blooming Finish

Three Naked Ladies Blooming In the Moonlight Finish

Isn't that a grabby title? I thought so. (wink-wink)

Still dedicated to digging out my languishing UFO/WIP/PUPs, I pulled the Three Naked Ladies Blooming In the Moonlight last week. (This project is 2 1/2 years old.) I'm hoping most of you can't read that. 

Rose-Star Block

Rose-Star Hexagon Pattern 
Attributed to Alice Brooks, 1949

This was my post-retreat recovery project after everyone had packed up, and the studio was strangely silent without the hum of machines. I like to sew in complete quiet or with just a bit of low music playing. Sewing is my meditation.

The Rose-Star pattern was published in 1949 by Alice Brooks, but many designers have published patterns related to it since. Earlier this year I made a quilt for the MCC charity auction based on this one large block. Check out these posts below for more how-to information.

Giant Rose Star Quilt

Giant Rose Star Quilt Finish

QBIR III: Quilter Bloggers' Retreat 2018

QBIR 2018: Quilter Bloggers' Retreat

Left to right: Meta, Irene, Sarah, Tish, Beth

This past week I hosted the third annual Quilter Bloggers' (International) Retreat here in my studio. I hesitate to find the right words now. I don't want to tarnish the memory by defining it. It was like being wrapped up in my most favorite quilt! May I only say I felt warm, accepted, and inspired by this dynamic group of talented women. We rolled together in sync, and that's a rare thing. Each of us brought a unique skill set to the gathering, and shared openly. It was perfect!

Vintage Quilt Top: 9 Patch

I Spy with my little eye....a Nine Patch!

Can you see it?

Do you ever walk by old quilt tops for sale, wrinkled or balled up, and say, "Meh?" There is little interest in only a quilt top I've observed. Casual collectors around here want quilts even if they are what some call cutters. Cutter quilts have so much damage they might only have a small section usable for cutting down into a craft project. Quilt hunter and gatherers will pass these orphaned tops with little more than a second glance. Could that be a big mistake?

En Provence Mystery Quilt Finish

An Adaptation of 'En Provence'
A 2016 Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt Along

I choked a little when I had to type 2016 since 2019 is just around the corner, but the truth is simply the truth. Quilts aren't overnight sensations. Some have to age like fine wine.

The quick story of this quilt is it's one of two. It has a twin. I stopped the mystery quilt along before I had all the blocks made, and asked the question, "What can I make with what I have?" Ta-dah! Two quilts. This is the one with the little rogue triangle--upper left hand corner. I have zero idea how it happened, but it gives this one its own identity like most twins.

Cheddar & Mustard Vintage Quilts

Carpenter's Wheel
74" x 74"
Cheddar or Mustard Quilt

I wanted to show this newly acquired quilt even though I have much left to discover about it. The friend who found it for me asked, "Is it still called a quilt if it's tied?" And I replied without seeing it, in general, I would call that a comforter or comfort. "But it's thin not puffy," he said. "Hmmm. I don't know then," I replied. I thought, where do we draw the line exactly? I needed to see this quilt.

Vintage Double Wedding Ring: 1939

Magic Happens When You Hang a Quilt
and Stand Back

Perspective is everything. We can stick our nose in a quilt to look at the fabrics and stitching, but the wow factor is when we see it from across the room. This wows me.

I bought this quilt from a local dealer this week while cleaning out an old farmhouse. I did the nose thing looking at the surface close up, and also smelling it for signs of mildew or funk, but I didn't get to do an overall look until I got it home.

Sewing for Sanity: Cloth Baskets

Super Easy Sewing: Cloth Baskets

Have you ever thought, "I just need to sew something," while life was falling down around your ears? (Summer has been soooo hectic here!) I know for those of us who think this, it's truly a self-directed therapy. We sense that we need to go to a calm, safe place, and our sewing spaces are often just that. So I sewed five of these little cloth baskets for an upcoming swap at a retreat, and I felt like the weight had lifted. Sewing is my normal.

City Sampler Mini

 City Sampler Mini Finish

While I didn't lose interest, I lost time. This was never going to turn into a full quilt of any size, and no more UFO's for me. I put spare minutes together here and there to finish this up, and in a few days I'll even show you it's been hung. Amazing stuff, huh?

1940's Vintage Log Cabin Quilting Finish

1940's Scrappy Wonderful!

Some of you have watched the slow progression of my hand quilting project over the last year. Some months felt like a ship without wind. It went nowhere. I would like to believe it had something to do with my method of quilting.

Since the 1990's, I have always used a square or rectangular PVC type quilting frame with the snap on grips for hand quilting. My hand quilting projects have mainly been throw size or smaller, and it never occurred to me a twin size would be any different. I was wrong. I was wrestling a monster each time I had to move the frame. I was rolling and pinning huge sections to keep it manageable, and even then it was hard to keep the backing taut within the frame.

UFO Prevention Plan

Tula Pink's City Sampler
100 Modern Quilt Blocks

Gnome Angel is one talented gal at running quilt alongs, and currently hosting 100 Days 100 Blocks. (Dang, I love the hype of them, picking the fabric, etc.!) Adamant not to join yet another, I was on vacation, I had the book, and was sucked in. But quilt alongs for me are like ordering an ice cream cone, size X-large, please, and never finishing. Still I jumped in, and completed 11%, and those 11 blocks hung on my wall for weeks. Sigh. You know the pattern yourself. It happened again.

Cleaning the studio and design walls meant taking the blocks down. This time I decided I would change my habit of packing them away only to become another UFO. Nope, no more! I'm a changed woman after a long year of cleaning up past quilt along indiscretions. I doubted I'd ever finish all 100 blocks so I made a decision on the spot.

UFO Prevention Intervention Time!

Analyzing a String Block

Chevron Block: September 3

Are you following the Kathryn Kerr 365 Challenge? It's absolutely free so follow the link to learn more or sign up. My good friend, Penny, is doing this fabulous sampler so I signed up for email posts each day, too. I rarely make a block, but I can cheer her on as she sews them. Also, there is something fun about seeing a new block each day, and of course, I love to read the construction diagrams. Don't you? Curious quilters want to know this stuff!

Give Me a Season to Sew

Oh, my goodness, it's hot, hot, hot! Well, it's hot here, but I realize not all of you are feeling it. I have friends still freezing their knees off in the southern half of the world, and for you I say, "Send those cool temps our way. We are ready for Quilt Season!" The fall flowers are bursting into bloom so I know nature is ready for it too.

Digitally Printed Fabric/Multiple Madness Quilt

A Multiple Madness Block

A group of my quilty friends loves making Multiple Madness Quilts. When a beautiful line of fabric sporting peacocks came along, they were in in love! (Might I say like peahens?) One finished top turned up at my studio for quilting this summer, and I thought you might want to see how I went about it. Also, I had a major snag hold up the project, and would appreciate some advice from you.

Washing a Vintage Quilt Part II

How I wish there was Smell-o-vision.
You would say, "Oh, yeah!"

It's washed and dried. Let's look at what washing did both good and bad, and then how it was done.

FYI: I snapped these photos under a shady tree today. It's so bright and sunny that it washed out the colors taken in full sun. 

Pros 

• I can put my face up to this quilt, and it smells like fabric not dirt. 
• I've reduced the chance of introducing insects and spiders to my home.
• I'm free to add it to my collection shelving without fear of transferring a mildewy or a dirty odor. 
• It won't trigger an asthma attack. I have a problem with dust mites.
• It's far more pleasant to share at an event.

Note: There was no dye transfer visible anywhere.

Washing a Vintage Quilt Part I

Vintage Tumbling Blocks
About 74" x 90"

When I first set eyes on this beautiful quilt, I longed to take it home with me despite the condition. Today 60 degree pieces cut with an acrylic ruler and rotary cutter require attention to cut exactly.  The pieces in this quilt would have been cut with scissors and paper template. A one patch pattern, Tumbling Blocks is sewn with Y seams. It takes a good eye and practice to match Y seams. I know because I've sweated through it. From what I can see, the majority of this project was done without a sewing machine, but with hand piecing. It was a tremendous investment of time and energy for the maker.

Spiral Lone Star

Spiral Lone Star
at Block Stage

Family has taken priority this summer, but I've still tried to squeeze in some sewing each day. These blocks took a bit over a week to cut and assemble while I slipped in and out of the studio when I had time. While I might not have gotten to blog as much as I'd liked, process pictures were flying back and forth with close friends to get their thoughts. A few said a Lone Star quilt was a bucket list quilt for them, and wondered which method I used. I thought you'd be interested to know as well. All and none.

Vintage Lone Star Baby Quilt

Vintage Lone Star Baby Quilt

A local friend who deals in antiques calls me when she has quilts. I'm so grateful! This time I went through the pile of quilts and tops in her shop, and asked what else was she hiding. "Uh, just this little one," she said. It was a 35" baby quilt in a Lone Star pattern, worn, soft, and sweet as could be. Oh, it was going home with me!

I asked as many questions as I could about where this quilt was from, who she got it from, etc. Dating and placing a quilt where it was made or used are one of the most interesting parts of quilt hunting for me. I always gather as much information as I can before I leave the buyer, and write it down. I only knew it was sourced locally, likely in Coshocton county, Ohio.

Back at home, I went over the quilt in good light to find out what I could about the fabrics, construction, and any other little secrets it had to tell. Everyone wants to know, "How old is this quilt?" These clues can tell us a lot.

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.