Happy Zombie

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 there’s Black Friday.

Next comes Cyber Monday.

Now comes (in great big Oprah voice)… SEW, MAMA, SEW GIVEAWAY DAY!!!

Sew, Mama, Sew’s Giveaway Day is a huge online gift party… a 3-part master list of over 300 giveaways!

I’m participating in the Sew, Mama Sew Giveaway Day by giving away a Fat 8th bundle (25 fabrics total) of my Holiday Happy fabric to one lucky commenter.  Easy squeezey… leave a comment by 8pm PST on 12/17/2010 to enter, and I’ll have Random.org draw a name.  I will ship internationally.  Be sure to visit the other blogs participating in the Sew, Mama, Sew’s Giveaway Day!

Edited in: Giveaway is now over and winner will be announced soon.

Welcome to Day 4 of my 5 or so Days of Holiday Happy - 5 or so days of celebrating Gnoma Claus from my Holiday Happy fabric.

My last project is a no sew project - a Gnoma Claus “window appliqué”. Easy on, easy off - appliqué your windows with fabric and liquid starch. I learned this nifty little starch trick 20+ years ago on the Home Show from the 80’s craft queen Carol Duvall. Carol had on a guest who not only fabric starched her walls… but she covered stuff like her telephone - and her VW Bug!  I’ve been hooked on liquid starch ever since.

You can use any cotton fabric - it doesn’t have to be Gnoma Claus fabric. I know Gnoma’s getting hard to find - but you can always tell Lecien (in your best Oliver Twist typing accent), “More Gnoma, please“.  A list of shops (that I know of) that carry my Holiday Happy line are listed on my blog here  and via Lecien’s website here. (I’m sorry, but I don’t know their inventories). If anyone is aware of a shop that has any Gnoma panels - please don’t hesitate to mention the shop(s) name in a comment.

Trim Gnoma or make into shapes (snowflakes, snowmen, my gears spin).  The Gnoma “backs” I used to make trees and their stumps.

I used concentrated Sta-Flo brand liquid starch that contains no dyes, a foam brush and an old cutting board (that won’t have food on it again).  With some gentle strokes (to not stretch the fabric and to avoid fraying at the edges) - paint on some liquid starch.  You only need to paint one side, and either side is ok.  Fabric piece should be soaked, but not dripping.

Adhere fabric piece to the window using your fingers.   Press from the center outward.  Try not to press beyond the cut edge.

Wipe off any drips (and you will have some) with a damp cloth.

Gnoma can stay on as long as you like (just dab on some liquid starch if he needs a touch-up or some curious fingers pulled on him).  When it’s time to remove him, just peel off (and use him again next year!).  Clean the window as you normally do.  Starch residue should come off with your cleaning product of choice (even plain water and a soft rag - AKA spit and a finger at my house).

The gears are spinning with fabric window appliqués that are dancing in my head right now. My dishwasher could use some Holiday Happy’n up, too. If you make something with Holiday Happy/Gnoma, or you spot something with HH/Gnoma, or you’ve made something from 5 or so Days, or you want to see what others are making/have made (like Pam) - be sure to check out (and Join!) the Holiday Happy flickr group.

As a grand finally goodie - I’ll give a Gnoma Claus panel and a little charm pack of Holiday Happy to one lucky commenter who answers the question of the day (or just leave a comment).

Q: If you could have anyone famous person(s) (dead or alive) join you for your holiday dinner… who would it be?   Mine would be Princess Diana, Queen Liliuokalani and Oprah.

I’ll let the comments marinate until Monday, December 13, 2010 10:00am PST and I’ll have random.org pick a winner’s name. (I’ll edit in the winner’s name here on this post).

EDITED IN 12/13/10:
Winner picked for this day has now been picked (by random.org), and is… comment #25 Sarah of Byneedleandthread! Congratulations, Sarah!!!

[Day 1] ❄ [Day 2] ❄ [Day 3] ❄ [Day 4] ❄ [Day 5] ❄ [Day 6]

[See what others have made @ HH flickr group]
[Shop] ❆ [Lecien]

I’m celebrating a day of Christmas over at Where Women Create! I’m actually on Day Four of WWC’s The Twelve days of Christmas! Do go and read all 4 days (and the days still to come) - not only are there holiday traditions and goodness being shared - but there’s also give-aways!

I’m giving away a Fat 8th’lette bundle of my Holiday Happy fabric!  To enter the giveaway, hop on over to the 4th day at WWC’s Twelve days of Christmas and leave a comment there.  Happy Fourth of WWC12DaysOfChristmas-uly!

Welcome to Day 5 of my 5 or so Days of Holiday Happy - 5 or so days of celebrating Gnoma Claus from my Holiday Happy fabric.

Today is kind of a mish-mash of holiday fun stuff. My Gnoma Claus goodie today is a Firefox persona featuring Gnoma.  If you don’t have Firefox, you can download it here.

If you’re running your Firefox browser and you want to dress it up with my Gnoma Claus persona - all you have to do is mouse-over the Gnoma graphic on my persona page and click “Wear It”.  How easy is that!  Here is Firefox’s FAQ if you have any questions/need help.

Some holiday sewy-quilty goodness… the 2010 Fat Quarterly Special Holiday Edition. I was honored to be asked to do a little review in it, and FQ so kindly sent me the issue. I was BLOWN AWAY by the content and the style. Mad crushing love for all things Fat Quarterly and the people behind it. The issues are PACKED full of goodness and the style is so crisp, clean, modern and fun.   I’m going to subscribe to all of their issues. Genius.

I’m being featured right now on the Fat Quarterly Blog, and aside from being so giddy about that - in the post I mention my “Project Runway” inspiration quilt that’s in the 2010 Winter issue of Quilts & More…

My inspiration - Project Runway’s Season 7’s wall in their apartment.  As soon as I saw the wooden wall adornment… I knew I had to make it into a quilt.  (Yay Seth Aaron!)

Quilts & More Winter 2010 named my quilt/project “Rectangle Reverie”, but I call it Project Rectangle.  Kits for Rectangle Reverie with my Holiday Happy fabric are available at The Material Girls Quilts, (one of my favorite quilt shops!).  I just have to add… I still can’t believe Mondo didn’t win Season 8.

My dear friend Sarah of Anyone Can Quilt machine quilted it… AND she did so on her home sewing machine! Amazing. Sarah also took this beautiful photo. The girl can quilt AND take photos.  And she can cook.  If I didn’t love her so much I’d hate her (and I’d gnarl at her).

SuperDad aka QuiltDad John has ALREADY made my pattern and used Melissa’s gorgeous new Swoon to make it in.  Sooo yummy!  John’s beautiful photo of his beautiful quilt:

I love seeing what inspires people, and loved seeing (and was so wow’d by) Heather’s and John’s recent inspriation quilts… and of course I always love seeing what the Grande Dame of Inspiration makes!

I’ll give a little charm pack of Holiday Happy to one lucky commenter who answers the question of the day (or just leave a comment).

Q: What inspires you/has inspired you?  Fabric?  An object? A person?  A place?  An event?

EDITED IN 12/8/10:
Winner picked for this day has now been picked (by random.org), and is… comment #80 AnnieO of Annie’s Quilt Orts! Congratulations, Annie!

[Day 1] ❄ [Day 2] ❄ [Day 3] ❄ [Day 4] ❄ [Day 5] ❄ [Day 6]

[See what others have made @ HH flickr group]
[Shop] ❆ [Contact Lecien]

PS…
For more holiday fun, check out Where Women Create 12 Days of Christmas, Quiltmaker’s Countdown to Christmas and the Awkward Family Photo “awkward yourself“, (that’s me in my “The New Jan Brady” phase - I’m imagining what my imaginary boyfriend George… George Glass… is going to surprise me with for Christmas).

Welcome to Day 4 of my 5 or so Days of Holiday Happy - 5 or so days of celebrating Gnoma Claus from my Holiday Happy fabric.

Ever since Spring Market - where I had my little Gnoma Bags on display (in the Lecien booth)… I’ve been asked if I’d sell the pattern.  Since I suck at selling stuff… I always  figured I’d just give it away (does that make me a craft slut?).  But in all honesty, I want support all the wonderful shops who are selling my fabric. (Ok, so I’m a tiny bit craft slutty - but a grateful one!)

Making the little bags is very similar to my Poochie Bags - so if you’ve made that pattern - this one is a piece of cake.

One Gnoma Claus panel, some bits and pieces of Holiday Happy, and 1⅓ yard of solid snow/white (for the liner and backs of Gnoma) - you will yield 5 Gnoma Bags in nested sizes.

Here’s the cutting chart for all the different sizes. Cut your Gnoma’s out of the panel with ample room around Gnoma’s edges.   It doesn’t have to be pretty - it’ll get trimmed off later.  All measurements are in inches.

For the tutorial, I’ll be making the extra small bag. Use the XS cutting & measurement chart above.

1.  Fold and press each 3×10″ handle strap in half lengthwise - with wrong side inside. Open and press long edges to center. Refold in half and press. Repeat for both handle straps. Edge-stitch on outer edges to finish handle straps.  Stitch as close to the edge as possible… this will give your straps a polished look and feel.

2. Find the center along the width of your printed bag piece.  On 2¼” from each side of the center is where you will pin your strap (to the right side of fabric).

3.  Layer edge of solid to unit.  Pin and sew a ¼” seam along the top. Press one unit to the solid, and press the other unit to the print. This will make for a nice seam nesting when you assemble the bag.

4.  Make your Gnoma pockets by layering (right sides together) your Gnoma front fabric to the solid fabric, and your Gnoma back fabric to a piece of solid fabric.  Pin and sew along Gnoma’s edges.  Leave an opening at the bottom for turning (a least 3″).

5.  Turn units inside out, press and pin to printed piece of bag unit.  Note:  You don’t have to stitch Gnoma’s opening closed.  Position the flattest part of Gnoma’s bottom to the bottom of the unit, and on center.

6.  Edge-stitch all the way up to where Gnoma’s hat line and beard meet.  Pivot and sew your way back to the bottom.  Repeat on other side of Gnoma to form a pocket.

7.  Layer bag units, right sides together.

8.  Pin, and stitch a ¼” seam around entire unit, leaving a 3″ opening on center on the bags liner unit for turning.

9.  Trim off Gnoma’s excess junk in the trunk.

10.  Make your Poochie (gusset) by pinching a corner so that the front and back seams are aligned vertically - creating a triangle. Stitch horizontally across triangle (at ⅞” from the triangle tip), and back-stitch ends of stitching to “lock”. Trim off triangle tip ¼” from the seam to reduce bulk. Repeat on all corners.

11.Turn bag inside out. Close turning opening by top-stitching it closed. Tuck liner inside bag. Done!

12.  Optional - add a button, snap or Velcro® at Gnoma’s hat tips to keep pockets closed.

I’ll give a little charm pack of Holiday Happy to one lucky commenter who answers the question of the day (or just leave a comment).

EDITED IN 12/3/10:
Winner picked for this day has now been picked (by random.org), and is… comment #109 Stephanie of Queen of the Unfinished Projects…! Congratulations, Stephanie!

[Day 1] ❄ [Day 2] ❄ [Day 3] ❄ [Day 4] ❄ [Day 5] ❄ [Day 6]

[See what others have made @ HH flickr group]
[Shop] ❆ [Contact Lecien]

Welcome to Day 3 of my 5 or so Days of Holiday Happy - 5 or so days of celebrating Gnoma Claus from my Holiday Happy fabric.

I gained 4 pounds just reading Day 2’s comments! I promise, today’s 5osDofHH is 100% fat free. At least for me. I can’t help it if someone eats half a dozen devil’d eggs while writing reading this post.  Today I’ve got a printable download - happy little Gnoma Lights.

The lights for me symbolize love, family and traditions - and being far from home and away from my family. We’ve been a military family for the last 21 years, and in 1993 when we moved to Honolulu and had our first holiday away from my family and all our traditions… we started a new tradition - we spent every Christmas Eve going to downtown to Honolulu Hale to see all the city and county departments’ decorated trees and all the light displays at Honolulu City Lights. It was fun and different and it was exciting to start a new tradition.

I refused to let a giant ocean get in the way of my family’s fun and joy - and I was adamant about starting a new tradition. I look back at our seven Christmas’ on the island with love and smiles - and proud of myself being ya-hoo smug instead of being bah hum-bug. There’s always light. We just have to twist our own bulbs to “on” sometimes.

Download, print, cut and enjoy.

Maybe you’ll want to string them or hang them on the tree…

Maybe you’ll want to use them as gift tags….

I’ll give a little charm pack of Holiday Happy to one lucky commenter who answers the question of the day (or just leave a comment).

Q: What’s your favorite holiday and it’s tradition(s) and/or what holiday tradition(s) did you start? Did you twist your own bulb to “on”?

EDITED IN 11/29/10:
Winner picked for this day has now been picked (by random.org), and is… comment #141 Jessie of Quilting Mommy! Congratulations, Jessie!

[Day 1] ❄ [Day 2] ❄ [Day 3] ❄ [Day 4] ❄ [Day 5] ❄ [Day 6]

[See what others have made @ HH flickr group]
[Shop] ❆ [Contact Lecien]

PS…

May your day be filled with a [gravy]boat-load full of family, gratitude, love, warmth, kindness, peace, friendship & stretchable pants. xoxo

Welcome to Day 2 of my 5 or so Days of Holiday Happy - 5 or so days of celebrating Gnoma Claus from my Holiday Happy fabric.

Reading the comments from Day 1 was soooo much fun! WOW, talk about bringing back some happy memories, and not just for me - I think everyone enjoyed reading all the comments. Funny how many Easy Bake Ovens were listed as the favorite toy or gift. And funny how many of those people like to bake and/or cook as adults. And even funnier… the people [moi] who didn’t get an Easy Bake Oven… who don’t like to bake/cook as adults! Coincidence??? I’ll always be happy with the Easy Make Menu Printer and my Easy Stroll Costco Cart that I got.

Today’s Holiday Happy goodie is a potholder/hot pad project. Perfect for taking cookies out of the oven or having your hot dish rest upon on your table. Maybe part of a cookie making kit gift pack?

You’ll need one Gnoma Claus panel (list of shops where you can buy one here) and about a yard of your favorite batting, (I used Warm & White).  Use 2 pieces of batting plus a front and back Gnoma Claus.  NOTE: You can use one layer of premium batting… but it’s too thin for a hot pad for my personal taste.

Layer right side together atop 2 pieces of batting. Give yourself at least a ¼” to a ½” of fabric beyond the outside line of Gnoma.

Use a window or a lamp to help you align your Gnoma front and back. Pin together front and back, and then pin to batting.

Optional - add a hanger tab to the top of Gnoma’s cap.  A great use for ribbon scraps.

Pin folded ribbon between the tops of Gnoma’s front and back cap.

Stitch around Gnoma’s body, leaving an opening at the bottom for turning.

Make your opening a size you’re comfortable with (at least 2½ - 3″).

Trim edges. I like somewhere between ⅛” and ¼”. Leave a little extra at the turning opening (about a ½”).

Turn inside out.  I love my plastic chop-stick as my turning tool. Turn the opening’s edges inside and pin.

Top-stitch as close as you can to the edge of Gnoma. Start near the pinned edge so you can get that sealed up right away. (thus avoiding any rogue Gnoma poops).

When you get to the to hat, turn and stitch across Gnoma’s hat.

Next top stitch across Gnoma’s beard - and then continue top-stitching the remainder of Gnoma’s edges. Done. Now make the other 4 the same exact way.

Maybe your Gnoma-pads will be a giant coaster - in case you have a visitor in the middle of the night who could use a cup of coffee and some cookies.

I’ll give a little charm pack of Holiday Happy to one lucky commenter who answers the question of the day (or just leave a comment).

Q: What food or what dish says to you “home” or “family gathering”? Mine is my mom’s potato pancakes and also my mom’s butter cookies - even the old metal deciliter she uses to make them makes my heart swell with happiness.

EDITED IN 11/24/10:
Winner picked for this day has now been picked (by random.org), and is… comment #67 Ramona of the Burkeshires! Congratulations, Ramona!

[Day 1] ❄ [Day 2] ❄ [Day 3] ❄ [Day 4] ❄ [Day 5] ❄ [Day 6]

[See what others have made @ HH flickr group]
[Shop] ❆ [Contact Lecien]

Welcome to my 5 or so Days of Holiday Happy - 5 or so days of celebrating Gnoma Claus from my Holiday Happy fabric. Five days, maybe more… all things Gnoma. And not all 5 or so days in succession, either. It wouldn’t be very gnome-like or Santa-like to not be secretive (and mischievous), but projects and goodies await in the days to come.

Every day of 5osDoHH - I’ll give a little charm pack of Holiday Happy to one lucky commenter who answers the question of the day.

If you’d like to shop for some Holiday Happy, you can find a list of online and brick & mortar stores here.

I’m kicking off Day 1 of 5osDoHH with a downloadable printable - a sheet of Gnoma Notes. Little notepaper for all kinds or reasons.  Print.  Cut.  Write stuff.

Download a copy of the Gnoma Notes PDF file here.  Leave a comment if you want to play for the charm pack.

Q:  When you were a kid - what was that best/most memorable toy you wanted/got.  Mine was a red Panasonic “Ball & Chain” Panapet radio.

EDITED IN 11/22/10:
Winner picked for this day has now been picked (by random.org), and is… comment #208 Melanie! After reading her comment… I’ve been twirling my arms backwards ever since reading it! Congrats, Melanie!

[Day 1] ❄ [Day 2] ❄ [Day 3] ❄ [Day 4] ❄ [Day 5] ❄ [Day 6]

[See what others have made @ HH flickr group]
[Shop] ❆ [Contact Lecien]