Happy Blogiversary to Pink Doxies! Six years of color-filled posts shared with friends and family, laughter, tears, and lots and lots of love! Thank you all for being part of my world, and letting me into yours. I am truly blessed! I have to say it. Time is flying by! It's been 6 years since my first post, and though I'm still a quilter, I'm a changed quilter now. (Maybe a butterfly quilt was more than apropos.) Most of my time is spent longarm quilting for others, and I've been especially swamped during the recent Covid-19 period. I've been so tickled just seeing the range of gorgeous quilts come into my studio, and love that I get to add my ideas to them. Like magic, I transform the top, back, and batting into the actual quilt! Well, not quite that fast, but it's still a pretty cool job, I admit. This beautiful applique quilt is a pattern called Butterflies by Edyta Sitar made by local quilter Rita Darr. The colors are sublime, but I barely noticed them until I was done with the quilting. To me, it was one butterfly at a time, working my way through, and focusing on each shape. Pebbles and swirls, pebbles and swirls, and watch for those antennae! When I was finished, I stood back to take it all in. Only then could I say, "Wow!" It's often that I need to sort out the details before I can enjoy the big picture. Work before play? Perhaps. The Catch Up I've been a busy bee behind the scenes through July, and beg forgiveness for not sharing with you. Our new solitary lifestyles have forced each of us to evaluate how we live, and I've mulled over many areas. Realizing that Covid was here to stay meant not having a stream of in-person sewing days for a while or really knowing when they might resume at all. The studio has slowly been converted from a gathering space to a recording space. I'm moving toward connecting and teaching digitally vs. in person, and oh, what a challenge that actually is! Maybe you'll pop in here one day soon, and see a video link to the day's blog content. There have been hours of practice involved, and one day I'll have to actually publish something. Terrifying! Don't you feel like we've all had to grow so much in the past months? Not unlike a caterpillar safely wrapped in a self-made cocoon, each of us has changed. Breaking out, and spreading our wings is in our reach. How each of us does this depends on our own needs, but we still need to think of ways to connect with other people, and find things that feed our souls. I hope you you are actively thinking of ways to support yourself emotionally as well as physically. Tune in to your senses, and follow your instincts. Find your flower. Come on, Doxie girls. Let's go sew.
This Crazy Quilt pattern makes fast and easy quilted placemats using 6 fat quarters to make 6 placemats at once.
Hello dear quilty friends, Thank you for all your lovely comments on my previous posts on the series of wishbone variations! It is truly heartwarming to see so many people being enthusiastic about …
For the quilting, I freemotion quilted the names of the initial scraps to treasure participants across the quilt diagonally, repeatedly. In between each name is a freemotion flower. I also alternated another free motion loopy line sandwiched between each line of everyone's names.
Quilted Crazy Quilt placemats in Christmas or Holiday fabrics make a great quilted gift using this easy quilt pattern.
YAY! It is finally time to tackle the Ribbon Candy pattern variations! For those of you who are a bit unsure of what the differences are between a Wishbone and a Ribbon Candy pattern, please bear w…
INVENTORY REDUCTION - Crazy Hearts PAPER longarm quilting pantograph design by Jessica Schick More Details A single row is 6.5 inches wide - printed with one row - 144 inches long This is a paper pantograph Click here to go to our main Panto Directory Page. Click here to see more items of interest to machine quilters. Don't know what a "panto" is? Click here to find out what the heck a "panto" is.
I've had the chance to review the book Free Motion Quilting for Beginners (and those who think they can't), by Molly Hanson. I love that title! I'm a big proponent of quilting your own quilts, as you know, and I've read a lot of books about free motion quilting. I like how everyone presents the information in their own personal way....there is always more to learn! This book presents all the practical information you need to get started. More importantly, it gives you the confidence to jump in and give free motion quilting a try. There are 15 projects in the book that encourage you to start small and increase your comfort level with free motion quilting before you tackle something larger, like a quilt. What I love most about this book is Molly's tone of encouragement throughout the text and the projects. She is great at guiding you though the entire process! I've done a lot of free motion quilting and I love how relaxing it can be. I also know how easy it can be to get in a rut. I challenged myself to get out of my box, so to speak and try some new-to-me, designs. I gave this squared off stippling pattern a try and it went pretty well! I had to slow down and think about where I was going from time to time, but it was fun! I could see doing this all over a whole quilt. I also quilted a few swatches of different designs and I turned them into a set of coasters. Binding them was a little fiddly, but totally worth it! (I can say that now that they are done. Ha!) These are great because I not only used scraps of fabric, but scraps of batting as well. Hurray! I'm happy to count these as scrap project #94/101. If you would like the chance to win an e-book copy of Free Motion Quilting for Beginners, please leave me a comment in this post. In your comment, I'd love to hear what your favorite go-to FMQ pattern is. Or, if you are new to FMQ, I'd like to hear what pattern you would like to master. I will pick winner in a few days!
Learn how to make the easy Morning Glory quilt block using quilt scraps or charm squares. You can also use 10-inch layer cakes.
Today I'm happy to be a stop on Christina's blog tour for her new book First Steps To Free Motion Quilting. When I teach FMQ classes, I r...
Learn how to make the easy Morning Glory quilt block using quilt scraps or charm squares. You can also use 10-inch layer cakes.
Colorful psychedelic placemats are fun to make using fat quarters of quilt fabric and batiks. Great gift idea too!
20 free Heart and Valentine Quilt tutorials roundup, tutorials for table runners, wall hangings, quilts and more!
A freemotion quilting design representing fireworks, dandelion seeds, or a whimsical flower by Christina Fairley Erickson.
Remember Poinsettia and Flame Flower? I really enjoyed both of those center filled designs and definitely plan to design more....
We're nearing the end of the Walking Foot Quilt Along and have only a handful of designs left to quilt together. I've been adding a little extra quilting goodness to these quilting tutorials to teach
Learn how to make the easy Morning Glory quilt block using quilt scraps or charm squares. You can also use 10-inch layer cakes.
Free Motion Monday Quilting Adventure: Scroll Flower #1
Easy to make Heart Baby quilt using one simple quilt block. Batiks work great and this would also be a good wall hanging for Valentine's day.
Wonky Christmas Tree Quilt Project Tutorials shows how to easily make mug rugs, placemats and a pillow with a cute Whimsical and Wonky Christmas Tree.
We have a unique museum in our little town of La Porte City, IA that was started by a local FFA teacher, Ron Borton. Over the years he had many of his students work on projects and displays. And what started in an old firehouse/jail has grown into another building, which most recently housed the Spahn and Rose Lumber Co. Over time there have been many local volunteers who have worked to make this place a gem! It houses many pieces of local and rural life history and you would not be disappointed if you took the time to stop by. They recently opened for the 2016 season and are displaying a nice collection of quilts, some belong to a local collector and the rest are part of the museum's collection. I stopped in today and took a few pictures of some of my favorite pieces. There are several baby quilts displayed and most are appliqued and embroidered. Also included in this display are many fine sewing machines and cabinets. Notice the hand cranks! This is probably my favorite piece. It is one of the older ones and the quilting is wonderful! Chips and Whetstones This is a lovely strippy scrap quilt.....1930's All in solids! Looks very modern, doesn't it? Another one of the older pieces and the quilting is excellent! An Ocean Waves.... Love this one! This Singer and cabinet is just awesome! Early sewing machine This is a Davis cabinet......wonderful inlaid wood. The coffin top for the Davis machine. Look at this "sweetheart" of a thread and needle box! Here it is with the lid shut.....wonderful! There are several crimpers on display. Another really early machine and it still sews! Then there is this killer chatelaine.......be still my beating heart! The FFA & Ag Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10-4 or by appointment. They are located at 408 Main Street, La Porte City, IA Contact Jan for more information: 319-342-3619 This display will be up until mid-November.
Easy directions for making a Batik Split Rail Fence Quilt with the 2 1/2-inch fabrics in your stash. Make a simple 8 inch quilt block.
Block patterns have 12 block patterns / roll. Instructions are printed on the pattern. These patterns require a darning foot or free-motion foot. Finished stitched size 7.5in x 7.5in. Recommended for 8in + finished block.* Color: White* Made of: Paper* Use: Quilting Blocks* Size: 7.5in x 7.5in* Included: 12 Blocks
Today I'm happy to be a stop on Christina's blog tour for her new book First Steps To Free Motion Quilting. When I teach FMQ classes, I refer to Christina's blog as a resource. Now I'm thrilled to be able to recommend a full book written by her on the subject! This isn't just a book for beginners, though. No matter how long you have been free motion quilting, there is always more to learn. I personally love the reassurance that she gives that it doesn't have to be perfect! I can always, always use that reminder. In this book Christina covers the necessities, the basics, tips and techniques, LOTS of quilting designs (about 23 pages, with multiple designs per page) and 24 fun projects to quilt up. There is also a comprehensive section on troubleshooting. It's nice to have a list to run through when you are ready to throw in the towel or pull out your hair. :) The strip quilt pictured above is one of the projects in the book and I have added it to my to-do list. Each strip is quilted in a different design. SO many fun possibilities and such a great way to try/practice new designs. There are several smaller projects in the book, too, and I was immediately drawn to the loopy bucket. Linen plus scraps? Sign me up! It was a fun and quick sew....easy to start and finish in one afternoon. LOVE that! (I am also pleased to be able to count this as scrappy project 15/101.) I re-discovered how FUN it is to quilt on linen! I've used this loopy design on a few quilts in the past and it's a favorite. I also wanted to challenge myself a little bit, so I picked out this design from the book and gave it a shot. Here's my trial piece on muslin. Not too bad for a first try! Not exactly the same, but it doesn't have to be. I'm excited to try more. It's good to branch out! So, there's just a peek at the book. Christina did a great job on it! Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour to see what they have to say about the book, too. 9/25: Allison Rosen at Stash Books Blog 9/26: Jessica Alexandrakis at Life Under Quilts 9/27: Monica Solorio-Snow at Happy Zombie 9/28: Susan Beal at West Coast Crafty 9/29: Kathy Mack at Pink Chalk Studio 9/30: Angela Walters at Quilting is my Therapy 10/1: Amanda Jean Nyberg at Crazy Mom Quilts 10/2: Megan Dye at Megs Monkey Beans 10/3: Victoria Findlay Wolfe at Victoria Findlay Wolfe Quilts 10/4: Katie Pedersen at Sew Katie Did 10/5: Christina Cameli at A Few Scraps If you would like to win a copy of the book, compliments of Stash Books, please leave a comment on this post. In your comment I'd love to hear your thoughts on FMQ. Do you love it? Hate it? Have you made great strides in this area? Please, only one comment per person. A US winner will have the choice of either an e-book or a hard copy. An international winner will receive an e-book. I will pick a name randomly on Friday, October 4th.
Hidden Wells table runner is a fast and easy table runner to make with this fun quilt block that uses 4 fat quarters of fabric.
Batik Bulls Eye quilt block tutorial - create this fast and easy quilt block perfect for a baby quilt using fat quarters.
Quilted Twisting Heart Valentine Wall Hanging Tutorial is fast and easy to make, download the free template and pdf tutorial.
Learn how to make the easy Morning Glory quilt block using quilt scraps or charm squares. You can also use 10-inch layer cakes.
Create a Crazy Quilt heart mug rug for Valentines Day with the easy quilt tutorial. Heart appllique template included.
Ah! Back home again after a super fun vacation. While we all had a great time, we really prefer to...
Urban Sunsets Workshop with Christine Barnes In May the Bainbridge Modern Quilt Guild had a workshop featuring Christine Barnes and her Urban Sunsets technique. In the workshop we discussed color, …
Learn how to stitch free-motion quilting bunny and basket motifs in this step-by-step tutorial from expert quilter Lori Kennedy.
Not long ago, I fell in love with Welsh quilting. While America is undoubtedly the home of an incredible variety of patchwork blocks, the quilting, as in the stage when you go through all three layers with thread (let's call the overall process Quilting to distinguish them), has always left me…
Batik Bulls Eye quilt block tutorial - create this fast and easy quilt block perfect for a baby quilt using fat quarters.
