Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Quilt Label Bliss




 There's finally a label on my quilts 
that makes me happy.


I used this saying as something to simply work with
while I was figuring out how to do curvey 
designs with Word. I sat there and smiled 
while I looked at it and worked. 
 I realized that I wanted to smile every time I saw
my quilt tags, and that's when this stuck. 
I like it, and it makes me happy.


These little baby quilts were for family, and I
wanted something with a saying and a date.
I found this on Pinterest, and thought 
it was so sweet! It's not my poem.
,

There are oodles of places to find sayings for quilt 
labels, but my favorite is at Quilter's Diary.

One I want to try is, 
"Blessed are the children, for they
will inherit the quilts."

And another,
 "In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there 
was in me an invincible summer.” 
-Albert Camus

They may not be your cup of tea, but the important
thing is we put some kind of a label on each of
our finished quilts. You choose what you want,
but name, date, receiver's name, and laundering
instructions are a few to consider.

I have several quilts to go back and tag. I 
knew I should do it, but was not happy with
anything I'd tried. A friend has gone on and on
about how easy it was to use her printer,
and I had seen the tutorials on many blogs.

I finally gave it a try, and I won't go back!

Instead of listing them all, check out these
Pinterest boards on 'how to print on fabric'. 

I'm going to give you a 30 second walk through.
You need common freezer paper.


Cut a piece of freezer paper to the same size
as your regular printer paper. Mine is 8.5"x11".
Cut the cotton fabric you are printing on
just slightly smaller than that paper.
Iron shiny side to the fabric until it sticks.
I used a medium heat iron.



I have a Canon inkjet printer, 
and I use generic cartridges.
Feed your paper in with the fabric
side facing down.


Work out your design in any program you're
 comfortable with. I used Microsoft Word.
Space the document so there is room
between each logo for you to cut them
into tags, or however you plan on 
using them. Hit print.


 Seriously! How cool is that?

Here's the next bit that works for me. I use 
iron on interfacing to back the actual tag.
I frame the tag in a fabric used in the quilt.


Sides first, then top and bottom. I used 1.25" 
wide strips whatever length to match.



I use a non-woven pattern tracing material called
Do-Sew, and cut a piece the same size as
my tag. Cut an X in the Do-Sew, and sew
it to the front of the tag.



Clip corners, and turn.



It's puffy at this point.


Use another piece of fabric to protect your
ironing surface, and lay the Do-Sew side on it.



Steam the Do-Sew to 'shrink up'
the backing, and you have a lovely
quilt tag that says exactly what you want.


Hand stitch on the back of your quilt.
Finding a simple, inexpensive way to
label my quilts has been a thorn in
my side since the beginning. I'm so 
thankful to have found this method.

I'll share a sneak peak at 
my design wall.
More on that tomorrow.




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

Linking up today with~


Sew Fresh Quilts 
Freshly Pieced Modern Quilts
Quilty Thankful Thursday
Design Wall Monday
Needle and Thread Thursday
Thursdays at Pretty Bobbins

Thank you for the link up opportunity!






Sunday, March 22, 2015

Tree Bird Blog Hop

Tree Bird Blog Hop

Welcome to the Tree Bird Blog Hop!

Imagine my excitement when I came
across this blog hop months ago!

We live in an area where nature is up close,
and birds are a big part of our lives.

Wild turkeys visit in flocks.

We feed seed and suet throughout the cold weather,
and the birds are our constant entertainment.


We often attract more than just tree birds!





This little nest with birds made from radishes has 
been in our home since the children were little.
It was said to be a sign of good luck, and I have 
been known to buy the same for friends moving 
into a new home of their own.

My daughter's hand raised flock is down to 
four, but we've had their sweet 
chirping for 8 years.


The project of this hop was open-ended, and
we could use any bird fabric we chose.
I had a small stash of Charlie Harper's 
birds, and had already made my
in-law's a dog bed out of it for Christmas.
My mother-in-law loves both the 
artist and birds, and I fell in
love with it, too!





 I racked my brain for a month to come up with
something that would be unique, and
also be a good way to show the fabric.
I tried to do a pixelated scene of an
Ohio winter as I saw it from my window.
The squares were too large, and it
really didn't work well.


 I had recently done a quilt with half-square triangles,
and started to play with that idea. I even took
it along on vacation!


In the end, it all came together.


The ground feeders remind me of 
our own window scene.


I had to add the squirrels in, too.
We are in a constant battle to keep the 
squirrels out of the feeders. We
have a Yankee Spinner these days!




This is Ohio, and we might have rain, snow, and sun
within minutes of each other. In it went.




The free-motion quilting was very experimental
for me, and I used a variety of threads
from Aurifil to King Tut.


So many friends were solicited for advice on
this little project, and I'm so grateful. And
many, many thanks to my dear Bee Mate
who spent her afternoon sewing my 
binding on so beautifully, and 
chatting away with us.

Here's a list of todays blogs to visit to 
see more tree bird quilts. 


Friday, March 13
Monday, March 16
Tuesday, March 17
Wednesday, March 18
Thursday, March 19
Friday, March 20
Monday, March 23






I'm in awe of array and talent in 
this group, and honored to present 
among them.

 Thank you to both Lana and 
Mdm Samm for hosting the 
Tree Bird Hop.



Until tomorrow..
Come on, Doxie Girls.
Let's go sew.

Linking this post with~
Hug-a-Bit Quilts
Cooking Up Quilts
KISMIF
Making Monday
Sew Darn Crafty
Show and Tell Tuesday




Friday, March 20, 2015

Short, Sweet, and Done--Pet Project Show #12


This quilt took me a year to 
complete, and more than once I was tempted to 
not finish it at all. I'm glad I kept at it because 
it forced me to grow my skills. I overcame the fear 
that I would mess up the FMQ beyond repair.
You all told me that the mistakes I knew were
there were not seen by others, so I kept on.
Thank you!



The last post here will give you many details 
of my process.

Now for some show and tell about my
NEW TOOLS.
I went shopping with my husband to
our local mega hardware store. I was 
seriously complaining about my scissors
picking up all my pins. I frequently use a
giant magnet to 'sweep' my floor area, or
skim it over my tables for a quick pin pick up.
Unfortunately, the pins can become the
tiniest bit magnetic.


$1 bought a demagnitizer that fixed my scissors!

Next was a too small, and slippery ruler problem.
I was looking for gripping material to put on my
ruler backs, and came across this 36", heavy-duty
ruler with an anti-slip backing. It has a place to 
keep my fingers up and off the cutting bed, and
it works like a dream!
$20-WOW


Guys have cool toys, and some are way
cheaper than the quilting tool vendors.




Don't forget tomorrow is the Pink Doxies
Pet Project Show. I'll open up the Link Party
just before I go to bed for all you folks living
'Over the Pond.'

Lots to do today, and get ready to show you
next week. I've already been to Miller's Dry Goods 
(my FLQS- favorite local quilt store) early this 
morning, and it was packed with happy 
quilters on the Quilting and Cuisine Shop HopIt
continues through tomorrow.

Time to finish up another quilt top.
Here's a sneak peek at some blocks
so you can see the fun fabrics.
I'm so excited to get it all together!


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

Linking up with~
Richard and Tanya Quilts
A Quilting Reader's Garden
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Quilt Shop Gal
TGIFF
Planet Penny
and 
Sew She Can


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 easier for someone 
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, March 16th 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. 












Wednesday, March 18, 2015

One Day Closer to Another Finish


I started this lovely quilt just about a year ago.
I'd made several for other people, and decided
I wanted one just for me. Something a little
vintage-looking, feminine, sweet maybe.

I started it one day without a pattern, and soon
found myself in a pickle in how it was all
put together. I was pretty new at this yet.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Sewing with Abandon a.k.a. Guilt Quilting



I couldn't resist jumping ahead, and did the middle
block of the Modern Tradition Quilts Charm
Square Quilt Along 2015. It's my favorite!
I kept in the spirit of the tutorials, and 
finished the other 2 blocks provided.

The yellow electrifies the prints, and gives
these blocks a very tropical feeling.
I keep referring to this mentally as
the Casablanca quilt.

Friday, March 13, 2015

Join for FREE! Pet Project Show #11

Compassion
                                                                            
What do you think when you see a sign
with "Free" on it?

I have a tendency to think there's got to be
a catch, or in the case above, 
it's going to cost me a lot. 
'Cuz nothing is free! 

Really?

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Quilts for Guys: Modern and Man-ly & Vintage


 My dad's baby quilt--1930's

I kept my hand in the photo for a size reference. 
Tiny, precise stitches, oh my!