Happy Zombie

I found my cotton yarn utopia!! No more Frankenstein'ing all over the Internet for a cotton yarn source since I've discovered @weareknitters. Loud, loud, loud heart thumping - I love this yarn!

A photo posted by Monica Solorio-Snow ✂️ (@happy_zombie) on Aug 21, 2016 at 7:18pm PDT

WeAreKintters.com

Hand quilting little 2-1⁄2" heart blocks on a mini quilt. Possibly even more satisfying than binding. Except if this was a king quilt. Then it would be ridiculous. #lovequiltforlove

A photo posted by Monica Solorio-Snow ✂️ (@happy_zombie) on Jul 28, 2016 at 10:46pm PDT

I was joking about this on my Instagram, but wow, these knives (Cuisinart Advantage knife set) are pretty awesome (and so pretty) - once you get Wolverine to break them free from the crazy packaging.

 

 

Cuisinart, you are an asshole.

A photo posted by Monica Solorio-Snow ✂️ (@happy_zombie) on Jul 18, 2016 at 2:06pm PDT

Ohmygosh, how cute is this Kawaii pencil sharpener recycle bin?! If you’re like me and must have this, you can get it here.

I’m so excited to announce on May The Fourth Be With You Day with some brand new t-shirts featuring Sew Yummy’s very own Bob Flossy in a May The Floss Be With You design! T-shirt design comes in pink & orange and in lime & aqua.

Sold exclusively by me on Amazon, and in 100% super yummy cotton.  Shirts come in both men’s and women’s sizes/styles, and I can say the women’s shirt fits quite yummy on me and very femine flattering.

There are two styles, one with Bob Flossy in lime and aqua, and one with Fob Flossy in pink and orange. Both designs come in 5 color shirt options. Click here for lime and aqua, and click here for pink and orange.

Click here to my Instagram for comments/to comment

It’s a sale to celebrate my newest pattern release - Chicken & Stars PDF pattern!

Just enter soupweather20 (before Feb. 13, 2015) in the discount code field when you’re checking out. My entire shop is on sale until 2/13/2015, so shop big!

Since it’s Christmas-tree season, I thought it might be the perfect time to leave a gentle reminder that not all trees like to wear skirts.  I live in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by big, tall majestic trees - so I know this to be true. That’s why I have a tutorial at Sew,Mama,Sew! for “Christmas Tree Pants - because not all trees like to wear skirts“. My tutorial is from 2011 but is of course good year after year.  Tree pants never go out of style.

I made my red & white Christmas Tree Pants, as well as made a scrappy version.

My scrappy version as modeled by Violet Craft.

Blam-O, tree pants!

Sew,Mama,Sew! has made a Christmas Tree Pants Sew-Along flickr group if you’d like to join that, too. Come sew with me.  Friends don’t let friends have trees without pants.

Click here to my Instagram for comments/to comment.

First things first… QuiltDad is my homeboy.  Oh man, I love this guy.  I’m telling everyone he wrote Beyond Neutral: Quilts Inspired by Nature’s Elements just for me.  I love making quilts that focus on fabric and that look complicated but are simple in construction.  In other words, quilts I can make that don’t require a lot of my concentration or, um, reading.  Not that John doesn’t write with lovely words, but I’m a read-by-illustration person. Words are hard. Pictures are easy. So thanks John for writing this book for me, and pretty cool of you to have plenty of copies for others, too.  And it gets better - John’s publisher is giving away an e-book copy to one of my readers (more info at the bottom of this post).

I’m so smitten with the cover quilt - Pacific Crest. Crazy smitten. I even love all the fabrics and colors John chose. John writes in his book that Pacific Crest is, “… an asymmetrical repeat to mimic the movement of a flock of birds…”.  It totally looks like a flock of birds, but when I saw it I immediately saw sunlit sparkles on water atop darting fish, most specifically Pacific Ocean water which is just a few miles from my front door.   And then my mind immediately went to fish tacos.

What I especially love about the quilts in John’s book is that the patterns are what I think are easily adaptable to modify and personalize, which is something I like to do 99.5% of the time when I make someone’s pattern.  I set out to make a giant placemat/mugrug (<— just for you, homeboy) for my living room coffee table.  With John’s cutting instructions and a stack of yummy fabrics consisting of Anna Maria’s Dowry and Pretty Potent, Robert Kaufman Essex olive and Kona solids, and Moda Bella solids - I went at it.

I got a little giddy when one of my smaller blocks (with the Echinacea print) ended up having some seam-magic with it’s bad self.

I had an s-ton of fun making all these little blocks. So pretty and so fun to make. And the olive Essex goes so beautifully with Anna Maria’s prints.   I may be just a tad addicted to Anna Maria’s Dowry and Pretty Potent collections. I’ve bought it 4 times now, and no doubt will be buying more.   I did the same thing with Totem from her LouLouThi collection.   When I fall in love I fall hard.

Tah-dah… my Fish Tacos table mat!  Next I need to quilt it - so I can bind it.   I think 80% of the quilts I make are for the sole purpose of having something to hand bind.  Up top, fellow hand binding lovers.

I’m not sure yet how I’m going to quilt it.  Not that I don’t not have an idea of how - but this pattern screams so many possibilities.  Which is another thing I love about John’s quilts is that they are easy for me to come up with quilting ideas.   Often I find myself not knowing or seeing how I’m going to quilt something, so I could not be more tickled to have quilting possibilites dancing in my head. Thanks, John!

RESOURCES
Linen:
– Robert Kaufman Essex yarn dyed in olive

Solids:
– Moda Bella Solids
– Robert Kaufman Kona Solids

Prints:
– Anna Maria Horner’s Dowry and Pretty Potent collections.

Fabrics purchased at:
– Modern Domestic, Portland
– Fabric Depot, Portland

Fish Tacos eaten at:
– Astoria Coffeehouse Bistro & Bar, Astoria
– Fort George Brewery + Public House, Astoria

John’s publisher is giving away an e-book copy of Beyond Neutrals.  To enter, leave a “QuiltDad is my homeboy” or something like “I’d love to win a copy” comment on my Instagram post here.  I’ll draw a winner Friday, Sep. 26, 10am PST.  You really need this book so give it a go.  Be sure to check the Beyond Neutral Book Tour for more blog posts and more chances to win a copy!

Click here to my Instagram for comments/to comment or to enter giveaway.

The last time I was at Modern Domestic I picked up some Clover embroidery needles to try out. I’ve been using Peacemaker embroidery needles for over a decade now, but I’ve gotten so tried of their lack of availability. So I gave the Clover Gold Eye needles a try on the binding of my #fancyfoxquilt block potholders. Oh boy, am I glad I did!

The Clover needles poke through the fabric like soft butter. So dreamy. I’m using the No. 9 for binding and it’s perfect! Functions like a straw or milliners needle, but has the muscle of an embroidery needle. Who knew a tiny little needle could bring so my joy!

—-> —-> Click here to my Instagram for comments/to comment.

My clever son MacGyver’d a "painting rig" and it’s mad awesome. My crusty old white bike basket is now Sea Glass green (from Krylon). Everyone needs to make a painting rig.