Happy Zombie

Shortly after the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, Daniela and Susan sprung into action and established Quilts for Quake Survivors. Not only was QFQ to be providing love, warmth and comfort - it in turn gave many an opportunity to do something.  I know this to be the norm amongst all quilters - in times of tragedy our immediate instinct is to MAKE A QUILT.  Now.  Pronto.  To comfort someone else - and the by-product of that is it comforts ourselves.  Thank you to Daniela and Susan for the do-something-good double whammy.

The third by-product of QFQ is the community esprit de corps it fostered.  The feeling of an old fashioned quilting bee - or a barn raising. On one QFQ occasion, Cherri opened her doors to her beautiful Sew On Studio for a night of QFQ sewing. Most of us there that night were from the Portland Modern Quilt Guild along with some new friends we got to meet and sew with!

Clockwise:  Finished quilts and works in progress.  Jen holds up a quilt made by Alicia (no one could stop ooohing and ahhing).  Alicia has two posts about her quilt here and here.  Marsha points to a Kaufman solid we’re all in love with on Paula’s quilt top.  Awesome spiral quilt!  Paula showing her gorgeous quilt - her FIRST QUILT SHE EVER MADE, and not only that… but PAULA DONATED HER FIRST QUILT SHE EVER MADE!

Cherri’s design wall saw a lot of action that night.

Sweet, sweet, sweet Susan gave me two of her books that had just been released.  TWO.  Yes, TWO.  Susan has TWO books out at the same time.  The same time!  Sorry, am I shouting?  Just that Susan gets me all excited and happy.  I just L-O-V-E Lhhhhhhove Modern Log Cabin Quilting and World of Geekcraft (and BTW… best book title ever).  Susan’s such a crafty goddess, I think this makes 5 books for her?  But these two are my fave and kick serious book ass.

Daniela, Suzanne and Michelle admiring a beautiful quilt (and Patty’s beautiful fabric used).

At a prior QFQ/Susan’s Modern Log Cabin book signing event at Modern Domestic, I started  some log cabin-ishy blocks out of Bari’s County Lane fabrics - I then finished the blocks this night at Sew On.  Jen plays with setting them on the design wall.  The blocks then went in the pile and on to some other loving hands to finish the next stage.

The wonderful thing about QFQ, it wasn’t about making a quilt, it was about participating in the making of a quilt. To do what we could. Some of us pieced blocks. Some of us pieced quilt tops. Some of us quilted. Some of us bound. Some of us made an entire quilt start to finish. We all did something different, and we all contributed with our hands together in a common goal. I had made the blocks above and off they went to another person.  As well, I had donated a top - and Kimberly beautifuly sandwiched, quilted and bound it (her photos here and here).  At our July guild night-park picnic, Susan had a huge IKEA bag full of QFQ quilts and tops that needed finishing.  There was this one super pretty quilt that was calling me - not only made in Lecien’s Flower Sugar line… but it kind looked like my blog.  Hello Monica, this is Destiny calling - please pick up line two.

The Flower-Sugar-looked-like-my-blog quilt was pretty much done, only a little bit of quilting I had to do plus I bound it.  I didn’t know who made the quilt… that is until I posted it on flickr and Amy kindly left me the answer.  I had a triple OMG moment when I discovered it was my friend Kristyne who had made it!  I had the best It-Takes-a-Village-moment ever!  And so global too, as Kristyne is in Canada.  Remembering Hands Across America - this was kind of a Hands Across North America to Japan.  I feel so blessed to have had this quilt+love+barn+raising+goodness moment with Kristyne even though we didn’t know it.  Is there a saying when you give one thing, you get a hundred things back?  Yeah, I feel like that.  Awesomeness bathing in a pool of awesomesauce while sipping an awesomegarita.

THANK YOU Daniela and Susan for giving us all the opportunity to participate in the awesomeness that is Quilt for Quake Survivors, my husband for indulging me in a The Walking Quilted with Kristyne’s quilt, and to Kaci for nourishing us with rosemary fries from Burgerville!

… because of this:

American Patchwork & Quilting October 2011 issue, and it features me. Yes, me! OHH. MMM. GEE… me! Profiled!! I still think they came to my house accidentally, and there’s another Monica out there still waiting for the Better Homes & Gardens crew to show up. PLEASE, rush out a buy this issue before it’s discoved they have the wrong Monica and the issue is recalled!!

Oh, and I have a project in it too - Bubble Runner! I’ll let sweet Sarah show it to you - because I’m off to hunt for some towels and a mop.

So this last weekend was the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. The Portland Modern Quilt Guild had an exhibit. And the Sweet Hot Yams set up camp… Yam Camp. This should be a 10-part post, but I’m too lazy so I’m doing a two-parter. This post is more for me than anyone else (I had such a blast I want to remember every second), but should anyone reading enjoy my ride with me… pull up a chair and buckle up. Pour yourself a G & T.

Sunny and gloriously arid Sisters made me forget all about putting sunscreen on my “sisters”, but luckily I was so proud of my SOQS name tag and ribbons that I snapped a self-photo of them. Showing my ta-tas on a post about a quilt show? Gravy.

And so it began. Violet, Heather, Traci, Irene, Joan and myself head up to Sisters. Elizabeth, Kristin and Gibby will meet us up there later. Sadly missing at Yam Camp was Mo, Jen, Shelly and Sally.

Violet makes a final shove at the fabric, sewing machines, clothes and *special quilting gear*.

We pass Detroit Lake on the way to Sisters, one of my favorite places on earth. Maybe even the universe.

Yam Camp! We unpack our priorities and our *special quilting gear*.

Then some of us go for a run, some of us pretend to go for a run and some of us photograph runners. Then we rest… photographing runners while sitting on the porch with a Sangria is E X A U S T I N G.

Dinner at Three Creeks Brewing, right next to the beautiful Sisters Movie House. (I’m so enamored with this movie house!)

A little beer tasting - and color inspiration. I see solids and I’m suddenly hungry for Autumn.

After dinner, our new Friend of The Yammies and dinner guest, Rob Appell invites us to see what’s in the back of his truck… QUILTING TOOLS - and he had prezzies for all of us. Confession: I’m totally name dropping and bragging that Rob had dinner with us AND he had treats for us. Double the treat factor.

Things Violet says, “I want a donkey and ride on it to my mailbox”. I did imaginary cart-wheels when I spotted this hood ornament. After dinner we head to the grocery store, with Traci as our official cart driver - we spend more time admiring the quilts than shopping. Quilts are hung EV. ER. Y. WHERE in Sisters. Before and after the show, there’s no shortage of quilts. Sisters is a well hung town.

The next day Elizabeth arrives, and that night Kristin arrives. Gibby will arrive on show day.

The floor is slowly disappearing and the fabric piles quickly growing.  I make my Pick a Pocket purse for Violet with her gorgeous new Peacock Lane fabric; Irene succumbs to sewing fraught…

… and I crank out two FWQAL blocks. Block 7 I loved, Block 8 had me dropping a lot of F-bombs (especially after the block finished smaller than my other blocks). My extreme ultimate super dislike for templates is substantiated.

And then Bari and Tula arrive at Yam Camp for a few hours of yammy good times.

We hit Three Creeks for a second time, this time Bari and Tula joining us. Bari waves hi to Pam and we WYWH’d her, Elizabeth and I split a beer sampler and Traci orders some ranch dressing on the sly to sneak some of Irene’s fries.

After dinner we hit the Stitchin’ Post - one of my favorite quilt shops on the planet. Elizabeth spots the Bari display; Violet spots her petal purse pattern (and just so happens to be using the purse!); Elizabeth, Traci and Violet spot Lizzy’s new book.

“OMG, Elizabeth… is this your book?!”. Ok, I was a little loud, but to pipe me down Elizabeth modeled with her book for me. And suddenly more hootin’ and hollerin’… Valori pops in the store. And as busy as she was, she stopped to take some time with us. LOVE. HER.

Next post quilt show pics…

Fish don’t fry in the kitchen; Beans don’t burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin’, Just to get up that hill.
And down the hill. And back up the hill. Up another hill.
Around 3 mountains (South Sister, Middle Sister, North Sister)…
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show here we come!

The Portland Modern Quilt Guild is converging on the 36th Annual
Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show™ on Saturday, July 9th - and we even have an exhibit there! I hope everyone who’s going, will stop by and visit us. We’ll be in the courtyard between Paulina Springs Books and Jennifer Lake Gallery (Violet and I have the first shift).

At the Stitchin’ Post from 1-3, PMQG’s  Susan Beal will be there to do a book signing for her crazy awesome Modern Log Cabin Quilting book during the show.  Susan’s signing is not to be missed!

A bunch of us from PMQG that are attending the SOQS are armed with a phone and twitter account. No doubt we’ll be tweet’n and a twitpic’n - so keep an eye on us!

Cherri of Sew On: @Cherri_sew_on
Christina of A Few Scraps: @afewscraps
Elizabeth of Oh Fransson!: @elizabethagh
Gabrien of Dahlia Handmade: @dahliahandmade
Heather of House of A La Mode: @HouseofALaMode
Heather of oregonsurfers: @oregonsurfers
Irene of Mushroom Villagers: @mushroomvillage
Jen of BettyCrockerAss: @bettycrockerass
Jill of Made on Main Street: @mom_street
Joan of wishes, true and kind: @joanhcallaway
Kristin of Sew,Mama,Sew!: @sewmamasew
Me:  @Happy_Zombie
My “Sisters” twitter list: twitter.com/happy_zombie/sisters
Meg of Megs Monkey Beans: @megsmonkeybeans
Rachael of 2nd Ave Studio: @2ndavestudio
Traci of HipFabric:  @hipfabric
Violet of Violet Craft: @violetcraft

(If you’re a PMQG member going to the SOQS and have a twitter acct., please let me know and I’ll add you to the list)

Some of us will be at Sisters for four days in a vacation rental (Yammer Time!). Sweet Hot Yams + sewing machines + Sangria: things may or may not get out of hand… and I will deny everything.

Today’s the big day… the 1001 Peeps Summer Camp! kicks off at Sew,Mama,Sew!

Last year I was a camp counselor and did the Dragon Slayer Satchel project for Castle Peeps Summer Camp 2010 - I must have done something right (or didn’t get caught doing something wrong) - Camp Director Lizzy has asked me back for a second year of camp counseling!

This year I’ll be following in the same theme as last year: abode protection apparel. Not to spill too much, but it’ll be something made with 1001 Peeps fabric the little peeps can wear to protect the fortress.

Camp kick-off!
     June 17: Sew,Mama,Sew! Name That Peep + give-away + wish Lizzy a Happy Birthday!
Camp Counselors!
     June 24: Alexia Abegg
     July 1: Lemon Cadet
     July 8: Fat Quarterly
     July 15: Quilt Asylum
     July 22: MrsMcPorkchop
     July 29: Flax and Twine
     August 5: House of A la Mode
     August 12: Make Something
     August 19: Whipstitch
     August 26: Happy Zombie

Last year was so much - and I know this year will be even more fun!

I’m up to six blocks on the Farmer’s Wife Quilt-a-Long! I feel like I’m on a roll. Actually, all I want to do is make blocks. We had Chinese food the other night, and I was so hoping my fortune cookie’s fortune was going to read, “You will soon travel to an all expenses paid FWQAL 2 week retreat in the French Alps with all your friends. No need to worry about cooking, working, yardwork, laundry… just have fun and sew, sew, sew“.   (apparently my fantasy fortune cookie fortunes are colossal)

There are things I learn with each block:
1. Use the templates and don’t rely on my math.  The Bat Wing block almost drove me Bat-S crazy - until I used the template and not my (air quotes) math (/air quotes).

2.  Learn to STILL not rely on my math - and print out the templates.  For real this time.  I don’t know what I was thinking with Block 6’s math, and some how I goofed. But in keeping with the spirit of the Farmer’s Wives stories in the book (I heart them so), I decided the Farm Wife of the 1920’s would never, ever toss a goof block and used what she had.  Or improvised.  I’ve seen vintage quilts where the quiltmaker has pieced tiny, tiny, tiny pieces just to make one piece for a block - and all the more beautiful the quilt is.

For anyone doing the FWQAL who like me hates to waste all the paper printing the templates, I have a somewhat solution by merging as many templates as possible onto one sheet of paper using Photoshop (CS5).  I can not help with Photoshop/give tech help - but… if you have Photoshop and know how to use it, here’s what I did:  I opened a pdf file in photoshop, and then opened a second file.  I dragged template 2 on to file 1… and so on and so forth.  The templates are active and respond like layers.  I saved that file as a PSD, and then printed it.  I’m sure there are other ways and solutions too, but that’s what worked best for me.

I am so excited and so honored to be kicking off the Cotton Floss book tour! Cotton Floss is a brand new stitchery, quilting and sewing book by my dear friend Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches.  It is freaking amazing!  So cute you’ll be weeping on all your pages.

I’m so thrilled about Cotton Floss - it’s as if Natalie set out to create everything in the book just for me. Natalie has some other great news, but I’ll let my new sister share that.

This is Natalie.  ISNT SHE CUTE!  And look at her adorable space where she gives birth to all that cuteness (like Flat Nat - who traveled to me all the way from Australia and now makes her home in my studio!).

Shroomy love - I’m soooo going to make those!

There’s sooo much stuff in Cotton Floss that I want to make, and so many more of Natalie’s beautiful photos I want to show… but I have to not be greedy and let the others on the blog tour be able to use them, too. And the others tour members are like a stitch-n-laugh sleep-over dream team! Seriously, I want to have a slumber party with all of them!!

Cotton Floss International Dream Team tour dates:
Sunday 6/12    Me!
Monday 6/13    Amanda
Tuesday 6/14    Pam
Wednesday 6/15    Sarah
Thursday 6/16   Krista
Friday 6/17    Bari (Bari and I are in cahoots!)
Saturday 6/18    Shari
Sunday 6/19    Paige

Here are some of my pics… I just did a little 4″ finished block with one of Natalie’s drawings from the book, and surrounded it with 2″ finished squares. I think Flat Nat is eying it as a quilt for her - and it’s just her size.  A little bit of Happy Mochi Yum Yum…

Some Lecien COSMO floss (which is like cotton butter) and Flat Nat’s needlebook…

and finally some stitching in the truck while Hub’s was driving - and not finishing it because it got dark. (Dear Oregon, more street lights, please).

And finally the giveaway! Natalie so kindly gave me a copy of Cotton Floss to give to one lucky winner. I thought I’d throw in a little charm pack of Happy Mochi Yum Yum in case the winner wants to make a Flat Nat quilt too (maybe there’s someone small and flat in their life, too).

To enter, please leave a comment by noon Thursday (PST) on 6/16, and I’ll have random.org draw a number/winner!

References:
♥ About Flat Nat
♥ Buy Natalie’s patterns & goodies
♥ Buy/Order Cotton Floss

June 16, 2011 Edited in:
Winner, winner, Cotton Floss dinner!  Give-away has now ended.  Thank you all for joining in on the give-away! Using random.org for comments 1-473, the winner is:

Comment #347 - Nichole!

Twitter is so harmless… if you don’t go on it! A few days ago I saw John tweeting about a quilt-a-long he was in… interesting, interesting… my curiosity piqued. Then I notice the QAL is based on a book I already had.  And then I saw Katy was tweeting about it.  And then I saw Amanda’s tweets.  Before I knew it,  it was as if John, Katy and Amanda each poured the Kool-aid right through my USB cables.  Bathing in the Farmer’s Wife QAL Kool-aid. So now I’ve made a fresh pitcher and am ready to pour it back… to pass it on. I get a toaster-oven when I get someone to join in the FWQAL fun. That may or may not be true.

The FWQAL is hosted by Amanda and Angela, and there you will find all the nuts, bolts and Kool-aid of the QAL. Oh, and they have a FWQAL flickr group, too.  If that doesn’t get me a new toaster-oven - I don’t know what will.  My first four:

C’mon. You know you want to.  Jana said/tweeted it best, “Do it! All of the cool people are… you’ll be popular… one time won’t hurt!”  (sounds like I have some toaster-oven competition - game on, Jana.)

I may have used the same fantasy and title before (recycling my obsession crushing on Andy Cohen), but Pat Sloan is interviewing me again on her radio show. I KNOW… ME.  Me… AGAIN!   A brave woman she is after the last interview!  I love Pat.  I adore her.  Who doesn’t?!  She’s Pattlestar Galactica - everyone’s portal into the quilting universe (which is super fun to say in robot voice).  And new since the last time I was on Pat’s show, Pat and American Patchwork & Quilting have joined forces!   It’s like American Patchwork & Quilting and Quilts & More has come to life in our ears.   Audible nirvana.

I’ll be on via live stream Monday, June 6th at 1pm PST - LISTEN LIVE HERE, or listen via podcast anytime by downloading the show at iTunes here.

As witnessed by anyone who heard me the first time on Pat’s show, I sorta kinda talked a lot and we ran out of time. So just in case that happens again, here are two of my current projects that are featured in the Summer 2011 issue of Quilts & More.

My “A Toast to Coasters” project I actually teased about in November of 2008. In the issue it was redone in new fabric, but my heart belongs to all things made in 30’s fabrics. I wish I had taken more photos, but this is all that I took.

My second project in the issue is an “iPurse” goodie bag. The project kind of evolved from a badge holder/tiny purse I made back in October 2009 - to a iphone purse/badge holder.  I did find this photo of my orginals - I see them hanging just under my 3 aqua buckets.  Here’s a supersizeme pic for the flickerless.

Fingers crossed I don’t make a doof of myself tomorrow and hope I can curb my robot talking! Thank. You. For. Listen. Ing. Wish. Me. Luck.

Last winter I was stalking Russian athletes on my whirlwind Mo’lympic trip to Vancouver, BC during the Winter Olympics. I fell crazy madly in love with their swirly-que Russian team attire.   Crazy.  Mad.  Love!  The Norwegian’s got me excited in a quilty way too, but nothing like Team Russia’s attire from BOSCO Sports.

I suspected with Russia being the host country for the next Winter Olympics in 2014 - that the red and white swirly-que motif was just Sochi’s flirtatious design fore-play.  Oh Sochi, you tease!  I really should put a parental warning rating on this blog post for what the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee recently released…
Prepare yourself.
Towel up.

IMAGE SOURCE: Roustem Adagamov (where you can see more of his beautiful photos)

If you’re a quilter, probably right around now you’re OMG’ing.

IMAGE SOURCE: Roustem Adagamov

I wonder if Sochi rhymes with Mochi?

IMAGE SOURCE: Roustem Adagamov

Happy Mochi Sochi Yum Yum!

IMAGE SOURCE: Roustem Adagamov

Dear Today Show/Bob Costas - just in case you need a woman-on-the-street for quilt reporting… my passport is current, I travel light, I do a kick ass Jan Brady impersonation and I love cabbage & beets.