Happy Zombie

Previews and peeks of what will be in the Lecien booth at Quilt Market in Minneapolis.  If you’re going to Market, be sure to stop by Lecien booths 3329, 3331 and 3430.

If you want to keep up with all the big Market happenings - you can get your one-stop shopping for market blog posts on Radio PKM at Pam’s blog.  And hey, whaddayaknow… Pam has a side-kick/aspiring weather girl on her station this year!

My “Glow Happy” lantern quilt.  My free pattern is available here.

Little quilts for the Lecien booth - samples to show mixing and matching my Holiday Happy with Lecien Flower Sugar and Lecien Color Basic’s.

The pink and green little quilt is called Cherry Christmas, and my pattern is free for download here.   A basic 9-patch with the appliqué method I use here.

Last minute samples… little Gnoma Claus bags.  One of the things I’ll show more of after market - plus I’ll have a tutorial or pattern around the time Holiday Happy hits the stores (June/July 2010).

Last but not least… this is Flat Nat. My sample does not do her justice.  What started with dreaming out loud wishing that Natalie could make it to the US for market… joking around that I needed to have a “flat Nat” of Natalie so I can take her around Market and the sights… and like magic (aka Natalie’s seriously creative juices)… Natalie created Flat Nat.

There’s much more of her to see - so be watching Natalie’s Cindeberry Stitches blog.    You will want to keep your browser running on Natalie’s blog and keep refreshing.  Be prepared to squeal when you see Natalie’s Flat Nat.
Be.
Prepared.

You can follow mine and Flat Nat’s Minnesota/Market/post-market shenanigans travels on my twitter - and I’ll be blogging later next week when I return home.  Did I say something about a give-away in my title?

I’ve never done so much sewing and un-sewing - then I have in the last few weeks.  That didn’t come out right.  I’ve never done so much sewing and un-sewing WHILE NOT ONLINE - then I have in the last few weeks.  My in-box, my blog pals visiting, my Twitter, my Words With Friends, my Face-what?… all neglected.  To be fair, I neglect Facebook regardless of sewing.  I feel like a such a sucky friend.  A super duper sucky friend.

I feel so out of it, so disconnected.  Like I’m down in one of those holes on Lost - and everyone else is up top… laughing, having fun, eating Dharma peaches out of a can - and I’m down in the hole glued by the magnetic force that emanates from my sewing machine - the evil clock clicks, clicks, clicks… mocking me.  The Smoke Monster is actually the exhaust coming out the back of my sewing machine.  Ooops, sorry.  Spoiler alert.

I’m leaving for Quilt Market in a week.  I’m actually looking forward to the flight - to sitting and doing nothing.  I think I’ll load up my iphone with a couple of Gilmore Girls episodes.  Maybe four episodes should do me between Seattle and Minneapolis?  Maybe I’ll get lucky and catch an episode of Lorelai sewing.  I think I’ll loop the scene and watch over and over and over - watching someone else sewing.  And then I’d be wishing to be sewing too. Because I heart sewing. And these are the inner workings of my absurd universe.

I’m sure anyone who’s ever had pre-Market stuff to get ready, knows it’s not done until the empty spool sings (even though I burned through a spool of Aurifil on Saturday and I still have more sewing to do).   One more thing for my to-do list - buy more thread.   While I was threadless (or rather out of the color I needed), I did some to-do’s on my computer… new [updated] banner that PamKittyMorning lovingly calls,”it’s HZ on supercrack“, got my Holiday Happy Flickr group running, made a Holiday Happy info page, made a HH “Swatchamacallit” swatch card PDF and made some buttons.

What I have been able to accomplish:
- Neglect my blog.
- Neglect my in-box.  I am bad, bad, BAD.
- Neglect visiting everyone’s blogs. I am bad, bad, SUPERBAD.
- Neglect my yard work, laundry and housework.
- Watched episodes 1-20 of Gilmore Girls while doing handwork.
- Wore my pajamas while working for 5 days (not consecutively… I’m not THAT bad).
- Scored an 111 point word (which I’ve forgotten) on a Words With Friends game with Lynette (sorry, I just can’t stop talking about it).
- Gained a bonus 10 lbs from my DH’s thoughtful cooking.

My accomplishment highlights:
- Spending an amazing laugh filled fun wonderful day with sistah-friend and super rockstar Tammy Gilley at her AMAZING house.  We are seeking a contractor to build an underground tunnel between our houses (who will accept pita chips and beer as payment).  Tammy showing me how the Hoosier-daddy cabinet works - she’s milling me some pretend flour.

- Finishing my Market/Lecien project.  Next stop… Lecien booth.

- Working on a special (and Bliss-ful) project unrelated to Market, but needs to be done before I leave for Minneapolis.

My semi-accomplishment highlights:
- I put myself on a 3 day Twitter Exile Island.  I lasted 18 hours.
- Suggesting to the writers/producers of ABC’s sweet deliciousness of a Nancy-Drew-on-crack-goodness new show of Happy Town - to add a quilt shop to the town… Our Daily Thread.  And of course - carry my Holiday Happy fabric line.  (Happy Town Twitter Guy - I’m watching you, too.)
- Hitting “publish” on this post!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your kind and loving comments about my upcoming fabric!  I think I read each comment 5 or 6 times - soaking it all in knowing how lucky I am to be surrounded with such warmth and kindness.  So much is going on at my house, and I wasn’t able to answer the wonderful comments.  Please forgive me.  I’ve been sooo busy - that even most of my bolts are STILL wrapped in plastic.  I KNOW, crazy.   I had some really cool company come last week, so I had a lot to do before hand (because I’m not blessed with he cleaning gene).  Probably the most exciting visitors I ever had… and I can’t talk about it until 2011.  I KNOW, crazy.  

So last week in prep for my company - I decided I needed to go to Ikea and redo my living room.  I KNOW, crazy!  But not to worry, I didn’t.  But… Ikea did give me a thrill.  A red and aqua thrill.  I’ve been loving the red and aqua since before September 2006 (I know this because that’s when I partook in my 1st red & aqua swap), and NOW, almost 4 years later… Ikea is FINALLY on board with the color combo.  I KNOW, crazy.

I don’t need any more drinking glasses… but I had to get these. My cupboard complained. I KNOW, crazy!

Have to have the dinner napkins. And the best part… I get to rub red and aqua all over my face and not be looked down on like a weirdo. I KNOW, crazy.

Picnic trays.

The cherry on the aqua pie:

I did find a really cool red shelfy thingy at Ikea that I HAD TO HAVE. It was intended to go in my studio, but it didn’t work out there. I tried it in the kitchen and then twitpic’d it in it’s temp spot… and then I got tweeted that it’s a good spot. I do what my tweet peeps tell me. And plus my DS walked into the kitchen and said, “wow, perfect spot” (I KNOW, crazy).

My favorite thing to do at Ikea (besides filling up the yellow bag), is to pick out a showroom flat (notice I didn’t say apartment - because I always feel so Euro when I’m at Ikea) and pretend it’s mine. This was my flat pick - my Mo Faux Home - I’m gaga over the navy/pink/red/white combo. Ga. Ga.

Here’s the living room - I love the pink club chair (bottom left, just barely). Perfect to have *Secret Society of Something meetings in.  Jona is bringing cheesecake, and Mary is bringing her specialty.  Anyone else want to bring a snack?

*So secret - it’s not even been established yet. I KNOW, crazy.  No membership dues, no business meetings, no blech… just food, fun, sewing, crafting and friends.  Some day - so be ready!

Mad dash for my camera… he’s here, he’s here! UPS is here… the wait is over!  My Holiday Happy is here!  Oh Topeka… my camera battery was dead.  Luckily my iPad Mini (my iPhone) was charged.  Even luckier for the UPS guy since I couldn’t ask to take his photo while he handed me my box-o-Lecien-happiness.

I was about to do a mad sweep of my dining room table with my arm (ala 1970’s tv sitcom - including mental laugh track).  And then I realized I was too lazy to pick up all those pencils off of the floor.  Dramatic box opening thwarted.

Hyperventilating, peeing my pants, my head exploding and my hands shaking like a quaking Aspen - I manage to fold each piece of half yard cuts. Stacking and re-stacking. Rotating the colors. More stacking. Re-folding into different configurations. Folding back to the way I first folded it.  And then I tossed it all in the bathtub - and took a bubble-bath in it.

We went out to dinner with friends, and I packed it all up to take it with me to show them. My son says to me, “You’re taking it to the restaurant?”… I then mortified him when I said, “… and I’m taking it to Costco, and then the bank, and then on to the post office, and then to the grocery store. I may even go to the water district, the electric company, the newspaper office… an then to my doctor, my dentist and my veterinarian. I may even buy an infant car seat and buckle it in. And when I’m all done showing everyone I know - I’m going to get one of these and walk downtown and approach all the people I don’t know and show them.“  Yes.  This is what I’m going to do.

A brand new swatch card of Color Basic’s.  Tons and tons of color me happy matches.  Part of me can’t wait to start making samples… and a bigger part of me can’t bear to cut into it.  Maybe it’ll be easier when the bolts arrive?

Thank you everyone who cheered me, gave me lovin’s, made me laugh, made me blush and warmed my heart. There are no words I can find to express the joy of being a recipient of such kindness. There is no better community then the quilting, sewing, needleworking and crafting community. From the bottom, top, sides and middle of my heart… THANK YOU - xoxo!

… and he’ll be wearing cute brown shorts and driving a big brown chariot and hell bring me the glass slipper.

I’ve been waiting almost to years for this - but the wait these last two days… AGONIZING.

I catch myself being so dang wordy all the time - so I’m gonna give writing a post twitter style a shot. Plus it makes looking at the pics but not reading the words - a guilt free pleasure.  Like going straight for the wrapped birthday present and bypassing the card.

Saw this quilt at Oh Fransson and had to (sorta) make one RIGHT.   NOW.

Moda “Holly Jolly” jelly roll, Darlene Zimmerman EZ Quilting Easy Dresden (at 5″) and 1½” Kaufman Kona Snow strips.

Breeze.  Sunshine.  Oregon coast.  Thick green grass.

Seams.  Pressing directions.  Piecing.  Sunlight.  Peek-a-boo.

Outside.  Fresh air.  No rain.  No clouds.  No Gray.  Time to mow.

Ice tea.  Comfy garden chair.  Computer.  Off.

More creative fun and creative places visit Kirsty for Creative Spaces Thursday (thanks Jenny!!).

I have a big fat super secret - that I’ve kept under wraps for ALMOST 2 YEARS…  I finally get to officially reveal it… and it’s takes me a week to do so!!  That car you honk at that sits at a green light?   That would be me.   Part life, part nerves.  I’m wresting with the *what if’s*…  what if no one likes my BFSS… what if my BFSS doesn’t sell… what if no one orders my BFSS.  Yeah… it’s got me nervous!!!

I could not be more excited and more happy… it’s like a holiday at my house.  It’s Holiday Happy.  By me.   BY ME!  I’m so excited my head snapped off.  And then it rolled around the world twice - and then I had to duct tape it back on.

So I was pretty good about keeping the big fat super secret.  I say pretty good.  If Lecien asks, I was 100% good (whispering… I had to let out a few leaks - otherwise I was going to pop like a balloon filled with bacon, lettuce and tomatoes - and that would have been too big of a mess for my family to have to clean up).  Nothing could be better than being a part of the Lecien family and being with my good friend (and mentor) Bren and my new not yet met friends Rosalie and Atsuka, AND drawing in my favorite colors, AND having them put it on fabric!  My artwork usually hangs on the fridge.  I am here to say one’s doodling is MUCH BETTER on 100% premium quilting fabric than it is on white powder coated doors.   Way.   Better.

Here it is .  My baby.  My first fabric line.  Starring my little half Santa - half gnome… Gnoma Claus.  And because I can’t go for a third post in a row without talking about the Olympics… my Gnoma Claus’ beard was inspired by the torch during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.   Ok, end Olympic mentions.  Holiday Happy coordinates beautifully with Lecien’s Color Basics and 1000 Colors Collection (solids), and I’m ITCHING to get sewing with them all.  I’m also fantasizing about seeing Sandra Bullock in an Oscar gown made out of my fabric.  Oh so fun to imagine it.

Holiday Happy in red colorway and a peek at the Gnoma Claus panel:

Holiday Happy will debut and be available for order at the 2010 Spring Market in Minneapolis, MN.   I do not know when it’ll be available retail - but I’ll update that info as the time nears.  Oh you BET I WILL!  And what retailers are carrying it, and who’s making something with it… and me goin’ on and on about the Olympics is NOTHIN’!

One last Olympic/Vancouverage mention. TWO actually. First… I can’t thank everyone enough for all the kind and enthusiastic comments on my Vancouver post!  I wanted to email everyone back and thank them, but I messed up my in-box juggling between my laptop and my desktop (a common occurrence in my little corner of chaos).  A special thank you to my Canadian commenters… THANK YOU and I was so deeply touched!

Second.  Did anyone else drink the Curling Kool-aid?   I went nuts over it.   NUTS I tell you… NUTS!  I even found myself shouting “hard hard hard hard…” as I was Swiffering my kitchen the other day.   There’s just something about curling that appeals to me so much.

1. There’s strategy (though I prefer strategery).
2. There’s skill and teamwork involved.
3. You get to play with friends and chit-chat while playing.
4. You get to yell things like “hard, hard, hard, hard…”.
5. Dazzling team uniforms!!!

I got swept up in the Norwegian Men’s Curling team pants… The Pants. Who knew obnoxious golf pants could be cool!

Photo credit: Associated Press/Yahoo Sports

I decided I wanted a piece of the Loudmouth pie - and made a Norwegian Curling Pants Market Bag. I used my Better Homes & Gardens - Quilts and More Fall 2008 “To Market, To Market” bag pattern (page 50 if you have the issue) with a few minor modifications.

The To Market, To Market pattern is available online free at BHG’s All People Quilt. I don’t know if you have to sign up to be a member first… but you’ll want to be a member anyway!

I used Moda’s new Minick & Simpson’s Bar Harbor layer cake “slices” to make my outer bag as well as the liner. I used some yardage from my stash for the casing and strap - which just so happened was some Minick & Simpson Prairie Paisley.  Who knew Laurie and Polly’s Americana could also be so Norwegian-ishy…  Norwegiacana…  Norde-cana.

Grab the pattern/instructions at BH&G’s All People Quilt here.
Modify the 19″ x 15″ x 5″ bag pattern instructions to make a 20″ x 16″x 5″ bag.

+-+-+-+-+-+- Modifications are in bold.-+-+-+-+-+-+
Casings
ORIGINAL:
From blue polka dot, cut:
2) 3½ x 39½” strips

MODIFICATION:
From tan print, cut:
2) 3½ x 41½” strips
—————-
Strap
ORIG:
From brown print, cut:
2) 3 x 26½” strips

MOD:
From tan print, cut:
1) 3½ x 42″ strip
—————-
Outer Bag
ORIG:
From red print, cut:
2) 20½” squares

MOD:
Follow materials needed, cutting and piecing
directions below to make two 21½” quilted bag units.
—————-
Liner
ORIG:
From muslin, cut:
2) 20½” squares

MOD:
Follow materials needed, cutting and piecing
directions below to make two 21½” liner units.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

MATERIALS:
6 RED PRINT layer cakes/10″ squares (for bag)
7 BLUE PRINT layer cakes/10″ squares (for bag)
8 TAN PRINT layer cakes/10″ squares (for bag)
10 ASSORTED PRINT layer cakes/10″ squares (for liner)
⅜ yard WHITE SOLID
½ yard TAN PRINT
25 x 25″ BATTING (I used Warm & White)

CUTTING:
From 6 RED PRINT layer cakes/10″ squares, cut:
24) 3½” squares

From 7 BLUE PRINT layer cakes/10″ squares, cut:
26) 3½” squares

From 8 TAN PRINT layer cakes/10″ squares, cut:
16) 3½” squares
8) 3⅞” squares - cut diagonally once
1) 4¼” square - cut diagonally twice

From ⅜ yard WHITE SOLID, cut:
16) 3½” squares
8) 3⅞” squares - cut diagonally once
1) 4¼” square - cut diagonally twice

ASSEMBLY:
Assemble pieces as per illustration to make outer bag unit.  Make 2.

I quilted in-the-ditch directly on to my batting (with no backing), and then trimmed off excess batting.

LINING
Cut:
8) 10″ squares
8) 10″ x 2½” strips
2) 2½ squares from left over scraps
Make 2 “9-patch” units (as per photo).

A modification from the original pattern, I made the strap shorter so it’s “invisible” and tucked in quietly inside the casing. Just enough room from grabbing as you fill your bag.

Uff da!

I know not everyone is as nuts about the Olympics as I am (or Laurie or Carol), so I warn you…. if 16 days of international love, peace, happiness and sports is not your thing… this is a very long post.  My sons, hubby and I are koo-koo for Olympic Cocoa Puffs.  When we learned 7 years ago that the 2010 Winter Olympics were going to be in Vancouver, BC… we said WE HAVE TO GO, whether we had event tickets or not.  Or not is how it turned out.   Seven years is not long enough for me to plan - I was too late to buy tickets.  So we just went to be there.   The world was going to be in Vancouver,  and by golly we wanted to meet the world.  Hello world.  I love you. 
Peace Arch

It was all very iffy when we were going and for how long. Lodging was one thing I was able to secure. So as it turns out, DH2’s school schedule changed. He was going, then wasn’t going… and then he was going - and that left us with leaving on Friday night and returning Saturday night. In the big picture of things, 5+ hours driving to get there is no biggie. Seriously. Live on a Hawaiian Island for six years - where a road trip means pulling out of your driveway, driving in a big circle… and ending up where you started. Roads trips like driving up to Vancouver are still very welcome - even after having left Oahu 10 years ago.

Check Point Charlie-DudleyDoRight

Entering Canada, we were greeted with beautiful Canadian border buildings and super friendly border agents who seemed genuinely happy to have us visiting. I think I found the Nordstrom of border crossings. Beautiful British Columbia lets us know where to find Hope if we need it.

As we get closer to Vancouver, the landscape is dotted with what’s to come… a beautiful international pot pie. Vancouver has beautiful flavor!

Go Canada Go on the freeway. The first one of THOUSANDS of flagged cars we’ll see.

The freeway suddenly turns into a city street.  Poof.   Just like that.  My Californian brain can’t conceptualize that we can get anywhere without a freeway… but look… there it is, we made it to downtown Vancouver on a city STREET!   No fuss no muss… and everyone was driving so friendly.

Along the way into downtown, I spot this condo complex. I have a thing for roof lines and pitches.  Roof-utopia.

Further down the street, this building reminded me of Germany.  My parents immigrated to the US from Germany via Toronto - and settled in California right before I was born.   I consider myself to be an Almost Canadian.   Go Almost Canada Go!

Go Canada Go at the Vancouver Police Department.

Gonad go!   Oh Canada, you’re awesome.

Oh. All. Right.

Vancouver’s Chinatown. OH THE COLOR!!! I cracked up at the SHARE THE ROAD signs.  I SWEAR it’s Wayne driving the ‘76 AMC Pacer and Garth riding a bike.  Hmm… Mike Meyer’s IS Canadian.  Go Wayne Go Garth Go!

A fire station in Chinatown. I have a thing for doors too. I danno about firehouse… this screams quilt studio to me.

This ramp ended in a road block.  But worth it.   Oh the colors colours!  Go Colour Go!

A happy discovery… Vancouver’s Gastown District.

Charm, pride, history… I love the Gastown District.

I think I’m going to start having a thing for awnings too.

Million dollar (CAD and USD) view from where we parked our car. Yeeze… we could have had a picnic in our car with a view like this.

A steam clock on Water Street.

Crosswalk on Water Street. Go Crosswalk Go!

In a souvenir shop, DS2 does a shout-out for our family. Oi Oi Oi Team JoJoJo and Team OmiItoMarco!

My do-something-nice opportunity. Some thug punk a-wipe turned the flag upside down into the planter. I dusted off the dirt and replaced it properly.

I used to collect Olympic pins.  Before they were readily available like this (or on the internet).   I used to have to buy them through a broker with this thing called an envelope and this sticky thing we used to lick called a stamp.

Go Bus Go!

At Canada Place. More colour, colour, colour!

The International Broadcast Centre on the left.  BOB COSTAS & STEPHEN COLBERT… I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!

Canada Place overlooking Coal Harbour.

The Welcome Centre at Canada Place.   Because I love typing like a Canadian… centre, harbour, colour. Downtown was peppered with volunteers - answering questions, giving directions, saying hello and welcoming visitors. What wonderful ambassadors they were to Vancouver and Canada. Thank you volunteers for making us so welcome in your home.

The Olympic Flame in all it’s glory.  Like Cinderella’s Castle in Disneyland… it looks much bigger on tv. Much controversy about the cauldron - it’s surrounded by fencing. The fencing was moved closer before we got there, but still bah hum bug over it. I think it looks like a captured alien being interrogated. FREE THE CAULDRON!  FREE THE CAULDRON!  Go Cauldron Go!

One of the improvements made was to set a “viewing area” atop this balcony.  Hey, let’s go up there! BTW, that’s me in the pink hoodie.  EVERYWHERE you see EVERYONE with “iPhone arm”.

Ha. I guess we won’t be going up to the viewing balcony. Oh sure, we can wait in the queue with 20,000 of our new best friends. I think the end of the line was at the entrance of Stanley Park. Back to the chain link fence we went. But it was fun. SOOOO many people speaking so many languages and everyone was so happy and festive.   It was an amazing experience I’ll never forget.  It really did feel like the center of the world there.  I say this EVERY Olympics… I wish the world lived in the same peace of the 16 days of glory - but doin’ it 365 days a year.

Go Canadian Doggies Go!

“Mom. Mom… where are you going? Mom!” - I was zombian’ over to the red and aqua container. I don’t know what it was… just that it was red and aqua and it caught my eye.  Wink.

More red. And a wish list for my yard.

On our way back to the Gastown. The sweet smells of Germany taunted us. The line was huge. HUGE.

As we headed back to the garage, we came upon an Old Spaghetti Factory on Water Street in Gastown.  We really wanted to go, but we decided we weren’t going to come all the way up to Canada and eat at an OSF  when we can do that in our Vancouver (Washington).  BOY do I regret it.  They had beautiful outdoor seating and a huge Euro vibe about it.  I almost wept. And the weather was 100% al fresco dining weather to boot (as you can see by my Winter Spring Olympic footwear).   It was packed, the final reason we nixed it. Look at this photo I found on flickr.  Yeah.  We passed that up - but we had a consolation… we found an all you can eat sushi place and WENT.  TO.  TOWN.  We’re going back to Vancouver and we’re having dinner at OSP on Water Street.  No ifs ands or buts.

I don’t know how it happened, but I became a Russian athlete/coach stalker - in hopes of befriending them and they’ll hand over their adorable red and white jackets/hat. Laurie has a great post about the US athletes attire at the opening ceremony.  While I love the Ralph Lauren outfits… I gasped when the Russian team walked into the stadium with the red/white swirliques on their hats and jackets.

I see Redwork.

I see felt.

Team Russia is using a German car with their red swirliques.  I take this to be a sign.  Swirliques and an Audi… this should be my car.

Why, hello Russia.

I go to a mall about once every 2 years.  I had no choice but to visit one in Vancouver - I had to go to The Bay if my life depended on it.  But it was fruitful and worth it.  Oh so worth it.

Coffee and dessert the Canadian way. Go Timbits Go!

The flip side of the Peach Arch as we head back into the US. The border agent asked us the standard crossing questions. He then asked us, “Oh please don’t tell me you drove from Oregon just to spend one day in Vancouver?”   Um.  Well.   Now my brain is thinking that clearly no matter what our answer is - is that we’re gonna look like Cocoa Puffs and the next thing you know our truck is being torn apart and inspected.  I did volunteer my apples for ag surrender.   Maybe that did the trick.  Doing the right thing is always best.  Plus the last time we crossed from Victoria I smuggled a few Cuban cigars into the US and I’ve been carrying the guilt.  In case the border patrol is reading this… I just made that up about the Cuban’s.  BTW… Dear US Government: Safety and security is job one and we’re grateful for the US Border Patrol’s service and dedication.  But have you seen how pretty Canadian’s crossing is?  Our border agents look like they’re working out of 3rd world outpost and it’s not looking too welcoming to our visitors.  I think we can still kick ass and look good at the same time - just saying.

A sure sign we’re back in the USA. Deep fired delicacies on wheels.  We are home.  And I miss Vancouver oh so much.  At least I can watch from afar via Carol’s blog and flickr.  Go Carol Go!

Thank you, Vancouver. We heart you.