Happy Zombie

A few weekends ago I went with my girlfriends for a weekend of sewing (YamCamp Winter ‘11) in Manzanita, Oregon - and some how, some way… I was productive.  I keep checking my body for probe marks, for I’m certain I had been abducted and replaced with an decoy.  Only problem was that my decoy was efficient, focused and productive - a dead giveaway that it wasn’t me.

One of my projects was my Manzanita Star quilt top.  I scored some delicious Echo fat eighth fatties, and I went to town.  No real plan, I just winged it.  Fresh off my Tree Pants project, I was in the mood for some more stars.  With every star I made - I professed my love more and more for Lotta Jansdotter’s Echo line. I LOVE this fabric SO MUCH.

Echo fills my Swedish cup of love as well as my Japanese cup.  Swedinese bliss.  Come to read about Lotta - turns out she lived in Japan for a time.

Luckily I brought some yardage of Kona Coal, Pepper, Med. Gray and White - and I was able to make my top.  I love my model, Violet - she’s always so eager and helpful.   And even though Violet can’t be seen… she’s so damn cute, too.

I used what I had with me, I took no notes, no tutorial to share.  I just had the pure pleasure of sewing a quilt top for nothing other than for fun and a one-day finished quilt.  I’ve been getting request for my measurements, so I’m happy to share my measurements for my block.  Block assembly is the same as the block here.  I used a fat eighth of each Echo print - and I’m thinking I could make a companion quilt… a bigger one - double my blocks and double my quilt’s size buy using fat quarters or 1/4 yard cuts. From a small 4×5 block quilt to a 5×8 block quilt.

Echo is now available at Sew, Mama, Sew! - and there’s a 99.9% chance if you order Echo from SMS… your order will be filled from one of my girlfriends who was at YamCamp.  Meaning… one of those people could have been the one who abducted me and programed me to be productive and efficient.  And maybe it can happen to you too.   SewMamaOsmosis.  Just saying.

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I was so enthusiastic and excited when I started the Farmer’s Wife Quilt-a-long. I had bought the book a few years back - and it was collecting dust… until I saw that Amanda and Angela started the FWQAL.  I jumped in, and jumped from what felt like the high-dive.  I made these and these.  And then got cookin’ on these:

And then I decided I had had enough of the templates, and applied my Only Do Things That Make Me Happy rule to my block-making.  I then picked blocks that made me happy and I paid no attention to their numbers.

And then I started to slow down a little.

And then I began to make the blocks how I wanted to make them - and used the book as guide rather than an assignment. (Block 39 I made with half square triangles and flip-n-stitch corners vs using the templates).  I’ll make some more in a future post.  Easy as store-bought pie.

And then I decided I was done and wanted to make something with only the blocks that I had already made (and hopefully not write a blog post to go with it that would end up sounding like the drive-thru lady on Dude Where’s My Car).

And then a bee flew up my butt.  I grabbed some Kona White and Kona Pepper, (and put some Kona Coal aside)…

And soon realized I needed more blocks to make my quilt just right.

And then…  I Rosie Ruiz’d finished my Make Me Happy quilt!

And then I made out with my quilt.  BAM - surprise ending.

Thank you Amanda and Angela for hosting such a great quilt-a-long. And most of all, I’m thankful for all the new friends I made from participating in it! XXOO!

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Sometimes it’s ok to play with drugs.

This post has nothing to do with Miss Daisy, or even driving - it just sounded like a good title. And I like saying it. I also like saying Jalalabad (Afghanistan) - but that’s really hard to work into a title. My other title option was Friends with Benefits - but that would give an impression of… hey, not so bad of an impression of me if anyone wants to think that. Truth is, I’m surrounded by kind, fun, amazing and talented friends. Seriously talented.  <name dropping alert>So when Elizabeth asked a bunch of us in our circle-o-friends (aka Sweet Hot Yams) to pattern-test a new pattern of hers (Perfect Zip Bags) - we jumped on it! </name dropping alert>

Elizabeth made us all little kits with fabrics, and zippers, and hardware - all with us in mind.  Elizabeth made my kit with mostly Echino because she knows I love it so.  <name dropping again>I even had some of Mo’s fabric from her Party Dress line (pink and green “pearls”) to add to it!  </name dropping again>

I’m not a pattern reader, so this was a new challenge for me. Because I was a Tester - I now HAD to read the instructions.  I was committed. So a funny thing happened on the way to the bar… a priest, a rabbi and a cowboy… all told me to read and I shall learn new things.  And my imagination was right… I learned new things.  An S-load of new things!  Elizabeth’s pattern is so thoughtfully written and her ways of describing techniques are so clear and easy to understand.  I feel so empowered with all that I’ve learned.  And cute bags afterwards - that’s gravy. Now all I can think about doing is adding zippers to everything.

Elizabeth has posted photos of all of our bags on her blog.  Not only that - Elizabeth is having a give-away of <more name dropping>Violet’s </more name dropping> Peacock Lane and my Happy Mochi Yum Yum!  Hip, hip, Jalalabad!

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I love when the Bloggers’ Quilt Festival rolls around - a great time to see and to share! Sometimes when I’m making something I really like, I’ll think, hmm - I think this is gonna be my next BQF quilt… like it’s sponge worthy, or something. So here is my spongie little quilt that I entered into the PMQG mug rug swap - my “Sipping the Mug Rug Kool-aid” quilt:

My favorite thing about making a mug rug is the making of the mug rug.

My other favorite thing about making a mug rug is finishing it. Instant gratification crack.

I just decided I’m long over due to treat myself to some mug rug making crack, so I’m off to get high. Happy Festival hopping!

————————————

- Amy’s Bloggers’ Quilt Festival - Fall 2011
- My time machine
- The Portland Modern Quilt Guild
- Assorted orange 30’s repo fabrics married with aqua fabrics from Rosalie Quinlan’s Sweet Broderie

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Please join me today on my third and final day of the Sew,Mama,Sew! Christmas Tree Pants Sew-Along.  If you’re just getting started and need to back-track to the beginning - you can start here, and continue here - and then finish here.

Sew along with me and post your photos each week to the Christmas Tree Pants Sew-Along Flickr group for a chance to win sleigh-load of great goodies from the  Sew,Mama,Sew! Holiday Sew-Along.  Every photo you post in the Tree Pants flickr group is an entry!  All the SMS prize info is at the bottom of my tutorial on SMS.

Day 3 of the sew-along is joining all of our units and finishing our project. My supermodel is the lovely Violet Craft, and we’re in the beautiful backyard of Chez Bedell’s “Sofa n Lunch”.

Zing… pants!

I have the final little bundlette of 5″ strips of a Holiday Happy & Happy Mochi Yum Yum combo - waiting to go to good home.

Because this is my final day - I’m adding goodies to the pot.  The nice folks at Wiley Publishing sent me a copy of Better Homes and Gardens Scrappy Quilts to give away to one of my blog readers.  I have two quilt patterns in this book, one of which is from the 2007 Summer issue of Quilts and More (the one on the cover).  Scrappy Quilts is a collection of some of THE MOST AMAZING quilts that have graced the pages of Quilts & More and American Patchwork & Quilting.  This book is a GOLD MINE of goodness, and perfect for any quilter - from the modern quilter to the traditional quilter.  Along with my bundle and the Scrappy Quilts book, I’m including a copy of the 2007 Q&M issue.

Leave me a comment here to enter for this week’s superbundle of bundlette/book/magazine.  If you feel like telling me/everyone what your dream location is to go with friends on a quilt/sewing/crafting retreat to is - please share, it’s so fun and interesting reading everyone’s responses. I’ll announce the superbundle winner next Friday on this post.

Recap:
My teaser and give-away posts here at HZ:  Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
Sew-along tutorial posts at Sew,Mama,Sew!:  Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
Christmas Tree Pants Sew-along: Flickr

October 28, 2011 Edited in:
Winner, winner! Give-away of the Day 3 Holiday Happy/Happy Mochi Yum Yum bundlette/Book/Mag Super Bundle has now ended. Thank you all for joining in on the give-away! Using random.org for comments 1-234, the winner is: Comment #209 - Toni!

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I did it.  I not only climbed the Mt. Everest of sewing… I also swam the English Channel of sewing.  Everyone said the instructions were hard - so I didn’t read them (better living through ignorance).   Even though I had Flat Tim watching over me (and boy, he had doubts)…

… and even though my Weekender looks different than all the others… and even though I gave up on the piping… and even though I skipped all the fusing and intersomething stuff by quilting my pieces… I’m still very happy. Oh so happy.

And I’m ready to make another.  In 2024.

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Please join me today for Day 2, and next Friday (October  21) for finishing up with Day 3.  If you’re just getting started and need to back-track to my Day 1 - you can start here.

Sew along with me and post your photos each week to the Christmas Tree Pants Sew-Along Flickr group for a chance to win sleigh-load of great goodies from the  Sew,Mama,Sew! Holiday Sew-Along.  Every photo you post in the Tree Pants flickr group is an entry!  All the SMS prize info is at the bottom of my tutorial on SMS.

Day 2 of the sew-along is kind of an easy week - which is kind of relaxing, or a good time to jump in to the sew-along. Though any time is good time to jump in. This week is making 12 sashing strip units.

Eight of the strips will have star points on one end.

Four of the strips with have star points on both ends.

For people makin’ the scrappy version - you get a little extra fun this week… and get to make two 9-patches. Piece of cake, right?!

I have another little bundlette of 5″ strips of a Holiday Happy & Happy Mochi Yum Yum combo - waiting to go to good home.  Each Friday of my sew-along I’ll give one away.

Leave me a comment here to enter for this week’s bundlette.  If you feel like telling me what your current favorite element or elements (object, shape, etc.) are that you like to see in a fabric is - I’d love to know. I’ll announce the bundlette winner here next Friday - just before I post the teaser post for Day 3 of the Tree Pants sew-along.

Friends don’t let friends have trees without pants - I hope you’ll join me in the sew-along!

My teaser and give-away posts here at HZ:  Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
Sew-along tutorial posts at Sew,Mama,Sew!:  Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
Christmas Tree Pants Sew-along: Flickr

October 21, 2011 Edited in:
Winner, winner! Give-away of the Day 2 Holiday Happy/Happy Mochi Yum Yum bundlette has now ended. Thank you all for joining in on the give-away! Using random.org for comments 1-104, the winner is: Comment #84 - Tammy!

Why did I not think of this before?





Staring at my mammoth pile of empty floss bobbins… stretching and warming up my winding arm - and queuing up a season 1 of Breaking Bad marathon.  Floss-a-thon.

References:
- Cosmo floss
- DMC plastic floss bobbins

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Today kicks off Day 1 of my Christmas Tree Pants Holiday Sew-Along (because not all trees like to wear skirts) at Sew,Mama,Sew!

Please join me today for Day 1, and the next and following Friday (October 14 & 21) for Day 2 and Day 3 of the sew-along.

Sew along with me and post your photos each week to the Christmas Tree Pants Sew-Along Flickr group for a chance to win sleigh-load of great goodies from the  Sew,Mama,Sew! Holiday Sew-Along.  Every photo you post in the Tree Pants flickr group is an entry!  All the SMS prize info is at the bottom of my tutorial on SMS.  Good times.

Day 1 is making 9-patch stars. Since I’m like my own Hair Club For Men, I’m participating in my sew-along too! The scrappy version.

For Day 1 we’ll make seven 9-patch stars. Totally do-able, right? So to make it easy on myself, I got a little mathie so I could get all my ducks scraps in a row. This is my formula:
12) 5″ STRIPS OF FABRIC

From 10 strips, cut:
6) 4½” squares
1) 2½” x 12½” rectangle

From 1 strip, cut:
6) 4½” squares
2) 2½” x 12½” rectangle

From 1 strip, cut:
8) 4½” squares

Oh look, I just happen to have 3 little bundlettes of 5″ strips of a Holiday Happy & Happy Mochi Yum Yum combo.  Just lying around, waiting to go to good home.  Each Friday of my sew-along I’ll give one away.

Leave me a comment here to enter for this week’s bundlette.  Maybe I can schmooze you into telling me what your current fave 3-color combo is?  I’ll announce the winner here on this post next Friday just before I post the teaser post for Day 2 of the Tree Pants sew-along.

Friends don’t let friends have trees without pants - come sew with me!

October 14, 2011 Edited in:
Winner, winner! Give-away of the Day 1 Holiday Happy/Happy Mochi Yum Yum bundlette has now ended. Thank you all for joining in on the give-away! Using random.org for comments 1-186, the winner is: Comment #68 - Karen!

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