Happy Zombie

Martingale is giving a hardcopy book of Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe to one lucky winner!

My quilt/project in the book is my Juicy quilt.  Juicy because it’s your basic HST/hourglass & flying geese blocks, making it easy to sew up while sewing with friends and being able to keep up with juicy conversations.

I love this book and diversity of the quilts featured. Some super modern, and some edging on traditional (like mine) - all super fun and beautiful. I have my eye on at least 3 quilts that I HAVE to make, and even if my quilt wasn’t in this book I’d want it for my library. Curious what’s inside the book - you can peek inside here.

Leave a comment below by noon-ish PST on Monday, April 8th, and I’ll draw one lucky winner for the MQBU book.

Edited in: The giveaway has now ended, and using random.org for comments 1-185, the winner is #55 by Ursula. Yay, Ursula!!

This year the Portland Modern Quilt Guild has introduced a new Block of the Month program for our guild, and this month the PMQG has given me my own very month!

So it turns out the very first issue of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks has been reprinted and is available in stores right now.  In that issue is my Buddy block (”Around the Rosie” is what the magazine calls it), and right alongside with Buddy is the block by Pam Vieira-McGinnis of PamKittyMorning!  I say “buddy block” because Pam and I are buddies and we secret squirrel’d our blocks so that they’d go together as companion blocks.  I suspect Quiltmaker caught on to our not-so elaborate scheme since they placed our blocks together (which of course thrilled us!).  I’m sharing my Buddy block for the PMQG’s BOM, but all are welcome to enjoy my instructions.

So back when Pam and I were making our blocks, I was farting around with Pam’s block and my block, using fabrics I didn’t care too much about for playing/experimentation purposes.  Playing with a scrappy look.  Then to discover I liked my results, but not so much for the fabric (which is really pretty, just not something that’s not my taste).  Lesson learned… always fart around with fabrics you love. #lovefarts

For the PMQG BOM I wanted to remake my Buddy block with something new, so I chose Lizzy House’s Pearl Bracelet fabric along with Kona solids.

What a perfect pairing! I couldn’t decide on the background fabric, so I took it to Instagram and asked, “Kona white or Essex Yarn Dyed Flax?” Not only did I get an equal response - I got plenty of Essex Yarn Dyed Black suggestions, too.  So I did all three! (thank you IG friends!)

Buddy block instructions
12″ finished block
Seams are ¼”
Press seams open or press seams to the dark

CUTTING:
Pink
1 - 4½” square (D)

Red
4 - 2⅞” square, cut once diagonally (A1)

Blue
2 - 4⅞” square, cut diagonally once (B1)

White
1 - 5¼” square, cut diagonally twice (A2)
2 - 4⅞” square, cut diagonally once (B2)
4 - 2½” x 4½” rectangles (C)

ASSEMBLY:
Join piece B1 to piece B2 to make a unit. Make 4 units.
Join A1 pieces to A2 to make a flying geese unit. Make 4 units.

Join units into rows. Join rows.

Your buddy block is now done and waiting for a companion block to buddy up with to make a fun 2-block quilt!

Resources:
- Robert Kaufman Fabrics (Kona Solids, Essex Yarn Dyed)
- Andover Fabrics (Pearl Bracelets)
- Lizzy House
- Pam Vieira-McGinnis (PamKittyMorning)
- Portland Modern Quilt Guild
- Quiltmaker 100 Blocks
- Instagram (me!)

Dear Japan,
I’m convinced I will eat anything if it’s in cute packaging. Even bland rice crackers for babies that look like tiny mini-pads. Thank you for making life magical and cute.
Love,
me

Bloglovin

Recently a “5 Things About Me” meme happily blazed through on Instagram, and now the Modern Quilt Guild is promoting the meme so those going to QuiltCon in Austin can pre-meet before the big event. So fun to read everyone’s, and in most cases some really awesome surprises about people!

1. This is me. Every day is a bad day hair, so when I get that occasional 8 minute window of straight hair from a freshie blow-dry, I jump at the chance to take a pic of the rare hair event. Even if it means I’m bra-less and in my jammies. I will not look like this at QuiltCon - I will look like Hugo Hurley in girl clothes. And wearing a bra.

2. I hate the sun. I was born and raised in California, then moved to Hawaii. Nothing but sun, sun and more sun. Moving to Astoria, Oregon (the greyest, wettest place in the United States) is my Utopia because I have reverse SAD. Not that I don’t love a pretty sunny day… I just love them in moderation.

3a. I have an iPhone case problem. I didn’t call it an addiction until I rounded up a few of them to take this photo. There are more. Lots more.

3b. I got an iPad for Christmas. A new addiction is brewing.

4. I once had a really vivid dream about Jon Stewart, so I count him as an ex-boyfriend.

5. I was an extra in the movie The Right Stuff for college credit (I didn’t get paid, but worth it because it raised my GPA). I’m in the big BBQ scene and the fan dancer scene - and I have never seen myself (I don’t even know if I made it on to the film) because I detest seeing myself on video/TV/film.

RESOURCES:
– The Modern Quilt Guild
– QuiltCon
– QuiltCon Link Party
– Instagram
– my Instagram
– Jon Stewart/The Daily Show

Blerg - I have to put this in a post in order to claim my blog on Bloglovin:
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

My new favorite book is Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe - a compilation book published by Martingale. I love this book not just because I have a quilt and pattern in it… but because it’s such a great book! Martingale really outdid themselves and put out an aaaaaamazing book. Visually stunning layout, beautiful quilts, great illustrations, amazing bloggers (!!!) and jam & jelly packed with projects.

What I love about MQBU is that Martingale chose to just put the projects in the book. Just projects - LOVE that. All the other stuff like binding, sammiching, quilting, etc - has all been left out (and delegated to a URL to their website) to make room for more projects. Genius. Seriously. Genius. That I’m lucky enough to have been included in it, and having gotten to use my Happy Mochi Yum Yum collection… that’s gravy. Crazy, crazy, gravy!

My quilt/project in the book is my Juicy quilt. Juicy because it’s your basic HST/hourglass & flying geese blocks, making it easy to sew up while sewing with friends and being able to keep up with juicy conversations.

Plus I think my quilt blocks look like juicy little nuggets of Starburst candy.

Flashback photos: A mini-Juicy I made with 2½” Kate Spain’s Terrain and Central Park charms (and the charms are extra special since Kate gave them to me!). The mini-Juicy led to the Juicy that’s in the MQBU.

And if quilts could talk, there would be some juicy stories to tell!

GIVEAWAY:
Martingale is generously giving an eBook of Modern Quilts from the Blogging Universe to 19 lucky winners! Holy eSmokes! You have 19 chances to win an eBook - leave a comment here for one chance, and then visit the post at Martingale to enter plus get access to the 17 other bloggers.  Curious what’s inside the book - you can peek inside here plus see all the quilts and the bloggers on Martingale’s giveaway ground zero. Leave a comment below by noon-ish PST on Tuesday, January 29th, and I’ll draw one of 19 lucky winners for the MQBU eBook.

Edited in: The giveaway has now ended, and using random.org for comments 1-484, the winner is #122 by Jane of Two Wednesdays. Yay, Jane!!

RESOURCES:
MQBU: Bloggers, projects and contest
MQBU: Book info
Fabrics: Kate Spain (Terrain and Central Park)
Fabrics: Me (Happy Mochi Yum Yum)
Fabrics: Robert Kaufman (Kona solids)
Monster: flashback post

This coming Thursday (Jan 24, 2013) is Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day. Which means that every day is Visit Your LQS Day, but on Thursday we get to have cake (right?) (right!).  I am a huge supporter of LQS’s (as I am of independent online shops, too), and sometimes I get a little carried away when I step into my LQS.  But in my defense, the fabrics I’m in love with might be gone tomorrow.  When the FabShopNet asked me if I’d be interested in being on the VYLQSDAY blog tour I jumped at the chance.  Not only do I love to talk about my favorite LQS - I knew I had to go there so I can take some freshie pics.  Yes.  Fact finding.  Gathering up-to-date, current info.  Research.

Just a quick 35 minute drive south of my home in Astoria, and just off the scenic 101… lies my fabric nirvana (also known as Center Diamond) in Cannon Beach, Oregon.


Because one pic is not enough

Julie, the proprietress of Center Diamond, stocks her store just for me. And maybe a few other things for other people with other tastes.  It never fails that when I walk in I want pretty much everything I see. Center Diamond is almost two decades old, but is always fresh like it just opened last month. Much of that is due to Julie being so knowledgeable about the textile industry and what’s new, hot and fresh - and stocking her store with all that’s new, hot and fresh.

It was in Center Diamond that I first discovered Echino, and Julie’s shop was the only one I knew of that had it. This was back in 2005 maybe? I remember discovering “Encino” (you can take the girl out of California, but you can’t take the California out of the girl) and thinking, “what is this magical Japanese, Swedish-ish looking fabric and can I please buy it all?!”. Center Diamond is always way ahead of the fabric crushes and trends.

Everyone is always warmly greeted by friendly staff, and then greeted with a hearty stock and assortment of sewing awesomeness.  Center Diamond’s warm and cozy space is filled will all thing must-have, like:
Samples and patterns.

More samples and more patterns.

Books, books, and more books. Lots of yummie publications from Japan, too!

Notions (especially my favorite things like Aurifil thread and Creative Grids rulers)

Aneela sighting!

And of course fabric. Glorious, glorious fabric.



Aisles of colors

A yard please. Yes, I already have some of this Echino at home. But it might be gone tomorrow. It’s for the greater good.

Until next time, Center Diamond. I love you. (blowing kisses)

Taking the long way home. Because The Goonies is my favorite movie in the whole, wide world.

Be sure to check out the VYLQSDAY blog tour and see all the tours.

I’m not sure who started it, but I know for me it was because Katy, Megan and Brenda lit a fire under my butt with their #scappytripalong on Instagram (I’m pretty sure they’re behind all the madness/scrappy crack). I was just minding my business, getting my daily fix o’ pix on my Instagram feed - and the next thing I know I’m up to my eyeballs in 2½” squares.

It’s so funny to go back in time only a few weeks to read Megan’s blog post, where she mentions about 8 other people making the scrappytripalong.  HAHA… It’s more like 800 people now making (or have made) one!  The Flickr group has almost 800 members, and the #scrappytripalong hashtag on Instagram has almost 3000 photos. Talk about a quilt project going viral. Clearly the internet was invented for cats and for quilts.

The magic of the #scrappytripalong is that it’s easy, it’s fun and uses scraps. The instructions can be found via the flickr group or directly here.  The second one inhales the potent hashtag… one is ready to go and start quilting.  A stack of Dear Stella solids I bought last summer at West Seattle Fabric Co. was begging to be scrap’d up.

I jumped in, peppered my solids with a few prints, and was instantly hooked… and next thing I know I haven’t showered for days.

I wasn’t using the traditional tube method often used in a Trip Around the World quilt, so I got myself organized with a paper plate trick I learned from Darlene Zimmerman to keep my block pieces tidy and organized.

I made two blocks. Then four. And then I wanted to eat, sleep and breathe making these blocks.

Oh look, a squirrel. Ok, so everyone on Instagram was mentioning how fast and fun the tube sewing thing was, so of course I had to try it. I grabbed a Moda honey bun (1½” strips) of American Jane’s Snippets and went on a fact finding mission (<— which sounds way better than having ADD). I joined the rows and lobbed off the first 1½” strip (why join that in a tube if I’m only going to have to un-sew it?!).

Well that was fun, but I’m curious how long that took me. So I set out to do another block, this time I was going to time it. Seriously, what is wrong with me?

Maybe I’m watching too much Mythbusters, because I really needed to do some more time tests.

Crap. Then I had to make a forth one so I could see how they all look together.

Back to my first attempt. Blocks just waiting to be made. Momma, is that you? Pretty sure I heard them talking. Or maybe it was that I hadn’t slept and showered in days.

I was two blocks shy of 24 blocks to do a 4×6 setting, and I figured it would be way faster to do some cascading blocks on the top, bottom and sides (like my Farmer’s Wife quilt) vs just making two regular blocks. And it probably took me 10 times as long to do that. Because I’m so smart like that. Time management is not my friend. (in fact she’s a bitch and out to get me)

Setting my blocks in Kaufman’s Essex Yarn Dyed in Flax (I want to marry that fabric). OMG I’m almost done!

Last piece to join… OMG I’m so excited I’m done.  And then… OMG I’m so sad that I’m done. SERIOUSLY, what is wrong with me?!

Top and side

Bottom and side

And finito.

So happy I’m done, but so sad I’m at the #scrappytripalong finish line. But I can’t be too sad for too long - Megan is at it again, this time tempting me with the #xplusalong.

RESOURCES:
Scrappy Trip Along flickr group: flickr.com/groups/scrappytripalong
Instructions/tutorial: quiltville.com/scrappytrips.shtml
Shop: West Seattle Fabric Co.
Essex Yarn Dyed (in flax): Robert Kaufman
Solids: Dear Stella
Honey bun: Moda

How I love me a good Sharpie!