Happy Zombie

Ok, I’m in.

Breaking Bad x-stitch pattern by You Make Me So Happy on Etsy. (Thanks, Amber!)

Since I’m high on the x-stitch crack, thought I’d do a practice run and make my Ron Swanson quilt pattern into an x-stitch.   C’mon, you know you want to x-stitch Ron, too. Right? RIGHT.

I really have no idea what I’m doing.

Posted in Make Something | 10 Comments

Welcome to the Zakka Along 2 to celebrate Ayumi’s Patchwork Please! book! My turn on the Zakka Along is making the Happy Hexagon Trivet. My heart feels likes it’s squeezing as I look at all the beautiful photos of the projects in Ayumi’s book. Patchwork Please! is a smorgasbord of yummy projects for every taste, every occasion and every skill level. I love Ayumi and I love her all projects.  And of course I love Ayumi’s lunch bag pattern - it’s only a matter of weeks and I’ll be on my one dozen’th one.

For my Happy Hexagon trivet I chose some fabrics from a cute Kawaii roll I got from Bunny’s Designs and paired it with some Robert Kaufman’s Essex Yarn Dyed (in Flax). Like mac n cheese, the two play so beautifully together. But then E V E R Y T H I N G plays beautifully with Essex!  For the center piece I made my own pieced unit so I could use the little scrap of monkey I had.   I chose to use the freezer paper method (which I learned how to do when I made my Treat Yo Self quilt from the Refrigerator Magnets Quilt Blocks pattern by Elizabeth) to make the trivet.  By using the freezer paper, I was able to get my fussy cuts just perfect.  Iron over what I wanted visible, and then trim it ¼” past the paper’s edge.  Brilliant.

When I got to the Essex round, I stitched on large scraps, pressed…

…and then pressed on the freezer paper and lobbed off the fabric at  ¼” past the paper’s edge.

Next round I did the same thing - pressed my freezer paper on to my fabric to fussy cut, and then cut ¼” past the paper’s edge, and then joined it to the hexagon.

After the yellow round, I did the same method as the previous round with Essex - stitched on, press freezer paper on, and then trim.

Rinse. Lather. Repeat. Bind.

I finished the trivet with some hand quilting.

GIVEAWAY #1
I have some fabulous goodies for my giveaway furnished to me by Robert Kaufman, Form & Fabric, Pellon and Aurifil
Robert Kaufman: Four half-yards of Essex Yarn Dyed
Form & Fabric: Bundle of sunshiny fabrics plus some their signature kick-ass stickers
Pellon: Sampler “color cards” of their batting and interfacing products
Aurifil: Thread, thread, glorious thread

Just leave a comment below and I’ll have random.org draw a winner on Thursday, August 22, 2013 around noon ish PST.

GIVEAWAY #2
Want to join in on the Zakka Along 2? Want to win some cool stuff? Be sure to visit A Quilter’s Table for the Zakka Along 2 for the link-up info and to enter for a Kawaii roll from Bunny’s Designs and other great prizes.

Want to zakka along, too?  You can join in the fun at the Zakka Along 2 flickr group here.  Check out the Zakka Along 2 tour’s past, present and future:

.June 3: Penny of Sew Take a Hike –> Bell Pepper Coasters
.June 10:  Maureen of MC Handmade–> Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Towels
.June 17:  Anna of Noodlehead –> Lettered Tea Cozy & Teabag Pouch
.June 24:  Angela of Cut to Pieces –> Polka Dot Café Apron
.July 1:  Lynne of Lily’s Quilts –> Diamond Patchwork Placemat
.July 8:  Lindsey of LRstitched –> Yum Yum Apple Bib
.July 15:  Sukie of Sukie Don’t Ya Know –> Dino-Mite Hat
.July 22:  Jennifer of Ellison Lane –> Books for Baby Quilt
.July 29:  Krista of Poppyprint –> My Scrappy Box
.Aug 5:  Kerry of Very Kerry Berry –> Swedish Bloom Time Lap Quilt
.Aug 12:  Tamiko of Patchwork Notes –> You’ve Got Mail Wall Pocket
.Aug 19:  Monica of Happy Zombie –> Happy Hexagon Trivet
.Aug 26:  Krista of Spotted Stone Studio –> Piece of Cake Shopping Bag
.Sep 2:  Lori of Bee in My Bonnet –> Triangle Patchwork Box Pouch
.Sep 9:  Amy of During Quiet Time –> Vintage Pencil Case
.Sep 16:  Svetlana of SOTAK Handmade –> I Love My iPad Quilted Cover
.Sep 23:  Amber of One Shabby Chick –> Handy Market Tote
.Sep 30:  Debbie of A Quilter’s Table –> Sweet Trips Embroidery Pouch
.Oct 7:  Leila of Where the Orchids Grow –> Prettified Pincushion

RESOURCES:.
Patchwork Please! book
- Author: Ayumi Takahashi
Giveaways:.
- Giveaway #1 at Happy Zombie
- Giveaway #2 at A Quilter’s Table
Zakka Along 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please!.
- Flickr Group
- Hosts Lindsey and Debbie
Promotions.
- Robert Kaufman
- Bunny’s Designs
- Form & Fabric
- Pellon
- Aurifil

Edited in: The giveaway has now ended, and using random.org for comments 1-498, the winner is #212 by montse (of Spain!!) from Montse Cose Cose. Congratulations, Montseta!! This giveaway could not be more international (Japan, Italy, USA and Spain!) - I love that!!

Posted in Stuff | 502 Comments

Robin Thicke sings Blurred Lines with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots (with kiddie instruments!). Waiting for this version to appear on iTunes. Want it, and want it hard.

Posted in Stuff | 27 Comments

The NYC Mod Quilters have teamed up with EZ Quilting/Simplicity, Juki and Interweave for the Double Wedding Ring Challenge using the Darlene Zimmerman EZ Quilting/Simplicity Double Wedding Ring rulers.

Remember the Dresden Challenge the SLMQD did with Darlene’s Dresden ruler?  This is the same type of challenge and it is open to everyone who wants to participate.  If a challenge isn’t fun enough, there’s a cavalcade of prizes and multiple categories to enter in.

You can read all about the challenge here.

The nice people at Simplicity have given me one set of Darlene’s ruler for a give-away for one lucky winner. More at the end of this post.

The rulers can be purchased from participating retailers or you can purchase them directly from Simplicity here (and the optional solid arc here) or from Darlene here (and the optional solid arc here.).  There’s a complete Dresden set plus the single arc ruler if you don’t want to make a pieced arc (like I did).

This is the first time I made a double wedding ring quilt (well, mutant coaster quilt), and I found this tutorial on the Simplicity website helpful.  I was putzing around trying to learn how to use these tools, and hopefully trigger an idea to make something unconventional and new with them.  While I was playing with the rulers, I discovered a 10″ Moda layer cake is perfect for two single arcs and two connector squares.  PERFECT!   I dove into my Moda’s Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille stash and set out to make a mutant drink coaster.  Four 10″ fabrics + background fabric = one ring.

I made some paper templates to insure I’d cut in just the right spot.

I used Robert Kaufman’s Kona Snow for my background. The tools are marked so I knew exactly what size pieces of Kona I needed to make before cutting out the shapes. Nif. Ty.

I got a little cocky and went pin-commando.  I wanted to use my seam ripper, anyway.

A steam iron, pins (learned that the hard way) and a good spritz of starch is helpful.

Lots and lots of pinning (the perfect job for a Duck Dynasty marathon) and patience and steam and more pinning.

DWR Challenge Kick-off Blog Hop:
July 8: NYC Mod Quilters & Interweave
July 9: Emily Bailey & Shelly Pagliai
July 10: Amy Ellis & Faith Jones
July 11: Amy Smart
July 12: Dan Rouse & Elisa Albury
July 13: Jenny Cameron
July 14: Jane Davidson
July 15: Joanna Wilczynska & Jackie Kunkel
July 16: Kathy Doughty & Juki
July 17: Lisa Mason & Flaun Cline
July 18: Pat Sloan & Jessica Alexandrakis
July 19: Jacquie Gering, Lee Heinrich & Monica Solorio-Snow

GIVE-AWAY!
For a chance to win a set a tools, leave a comment and I’ll have random.org draw a number on Tuesday, July 23rd around noon-ish PST.  If you want, you can comment what sounds more fun: a pieced arc or a single unit arc.

Edited in: The giveaway has now ended, and using random.org for comments 1-156, the winner is #94 by BrendaLou. Congrats, BrendaLou!!

Posted in Quilty n Crafty, Stuff | 156 Comments

Let me preface this post by saying that I am sorry for anyone reading this that does not have an iPhone or an iPad. (or isn’t on Instagram!)

I LOVE this new (to me) iPhone and iPad app by Rhonna Farrer of Rhonna Designs (also the app name).   I discovered it recently on Instagram, and one IG post was all I needed to see to steer me over to the app store. Sold. When I bought and opened it up I felt like I had gone to app and Instagram & ish photo editing heaven.  The Rhonna Designs App is a deal and a half at only $1.99 (really, it could be $19.99 and I’d still think it was a deal). I’m really, really sorry for the iPhone and iPad-less.

On my “sprouting yam” photo I was able to add a frame, some design elements, typed my own “treat yo self and sprout joy” wording, added some pre-made word/designs (”everyday”). I can chose from the pre-installed color palette or use the color sliders and pick my own (RGB fields would be amazing here, but slides are awesome!). Pretty much the app has 256 million colors to choose from.

Could Ragnar be any more amazing? Why yes he can. Who knew I could make a Sons of Anarchy By The Sea screen-cap into such a cute pic! In this pic I used design elements, per-written goodies, along with transparency, strokes and drop shadows. WOW, this app does SO MUCH!

Much like Photoshop and Ai, the app works in layers, scaling, rotations, transparencies and strokes. I was all super simple once I got the hang of it (and learned that tapping a layer brings it to the front). Not only can photos be edited, but stand-alone images can be made - which is nice for the occasion instagram post that has no photo for the message.

I’m not selling this app or have anything to do with it, just blogging about it as a PSA because eff yeah it’s amazing!

RESOURCES:
- Rhonna Designs App
- Rhonna Designs App FAQ
- Instagram
- History Channel’s Vikings

—-> Click here for comments.

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Fact ish: if you draw happy faces on produce they will sprout hair.

—-> Click here for comments.

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Making yo-yo’s the old school way (via allpeoplequilt.com) while marathon’ing through True Blood.  When two addictions collide.

I’m only in season 2 of True Blood… who knows how many yo-yo’s I’ll have by the end of season 6!

—-> Click here for comments.

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Google Reader doomsday (Goopocalypse) is only a few days away, and the time to do something is now while you can still grab your subscriptions and import them into another reader. Like Bloglovin’.

At first I was despondent. What the fork - how could Google axe the beloved reader? And crap, I was finally over Bloglines and was feeling quite at home with my Google Reader boyfriend. And then I was mad. UGH, I was going to have to learn something new. I read all best articles on Gizmodo, Lifehacker, and weirdly even turning to Google for answers. UGH. Another ugh. What a pain in the ass.

I started playing around with different readers. Feeling a bit like Goldilocks, I sampled a handful of different readers. If anything, at least I got my subscriptions uploaded somewhere safe and snug. But ugh (again), not feeling the love for any of them. I hate you for breaking up with me, Google!

So today I set out with making one of these new readers my new boyfriend. No more speed-dating readers, it’s time to get serious.  The more I started playing with Bloglovin’, the more I fell in love with it. Wow, Bloglovin’, who knew you were so cute!

I discovered I like reading my feeds via the Manage page. I just like the neat and tidy way it looks. Once I got all my account squared away and my subscriptions re-categorized, I start to feel quite good about Bloglovin’. I’ve already been loving the daily email with blog post suggestions from my subscriptions, especially because I subscribe to so many blogs - it’s nice to get a sampling of posts from blogs I may not have visited in a while.

And then I discovered the Popular Posts tab. I don’t know what the criteria is for what makes something popular - but what I saw I liked. Kinda Pinterest-ishy cascade of blog posts from different categories - from blogs everywhere and not just the ones I follow. In DIY & Crafts category (oh hai, Heidi!)

Checking out the Home Decor category. Oh ooh. I fear my subscription list may grow from out-of-control to slow-down-cowgirl-or-you’ll-break-the-internet.

I love that I can see what’s blog-hot in other countries, too. Checkin’ out DIY & Crafts in Germany was especially fun because I spotted a blog post with a quilt made from Mo’s fabric!

Even though at first Bloglovin’s felt like a blind date, I have completely fallen head-over-heels in love. Bloglovin’ is my seriously cute new boyfriend.  Google Reader who?

Edited in:
I’ve gotten great feedback about The Old Reader (which is new to me) and Feedly (which I’ve already given a go and doesn’t float my kayak). Playing around with Old Reader today, I too find it be most like Google Reader. While the Old Reader is great if you need to wean off Google Reader or want to stick to what you love… I really love the Pinterest style of Bloglovin’, the fast speed of Bloglovin’, the crisp and happy look of Bloglovin’ and being introduced to new-to-me blogs and giving some freshie lovin’ to blogs I haven’t visited in a while.

Yeah, I was ticked when Google Reader broke up with me - but now I wish it had done it sooner!

RESOURCES:
– Bloglovin’
– my feed on Bloglovin’
– Bloglovin’ Help
– Gizmodo
– Lifehacker
– The Old Reader
– Feedly

Posted in Tips & Trix | 15 Comments

Round 7 of the Traveling Quilts Bee was just at my house with Ashley’s beautiful QIP (quilt in progress). If anyone isn’t familiar with the Traveling Quilts Bee, be sure to check out our Traveling Quilts flickr group and be a-freaking-mazed.

When I received Ashley’s QIP, I decided I wanted to do a similar ish improve log cabin like I did on Alissa’s QIP. What make’s what I did for Ashley so different is that I used prints scraps that long ago came from Ashley. This may be close to 2 years ago - Ashely had passed some scraps on to Elizabeth, and then the scraps from the scraps were passed on to me by Elizabeth. And now they’re going back to Ashely inside her Traveling Quilt. The circle of life in a cotton and linen blend.

I think so far with every QIP I’ve done, my addition is in an L shape. On Ashley’s I added the left side and then around on to the top. I guess that’s more of a backwards 7. Or an E without an arm and foot. Or an F all smart-assy, “look at me, no hands”.

Ashley’s QIP has gotten so big I had to enlist both my husband and son to hold it up. The guy in the socks and crocs… sorry ladies, he’s taken.

RESOURCES:
- My TQ blog posts: tagged Bee Serious
- The Traveling Quilts flickr group
- Ashley: Film in the Fridge

PS,
I’m trying something new. One of my favorite things about blogging is the social aspect of it, and I’ve made many friends via commenting on blogs (both receiving and giving). Because I receive a crazy amount of S P A M, have an unruly inbox, and because I find Instagram to be a way more effective way to socialize - I’m turning off my blog comments and am encouraging anyone who wants to leave me a comment to do so on my Instagram. I love that Instagram is so social and encourages conversions with multiple people, and isn’t one sided and private like blog comments are. Click here for this post’s corresponding Instagram.

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Everything looks so much better and happier when it’s smiling back at me. I found this new-to-me app for my iphone called Tiny Faces. And now the world looks even better when I know it’s got cute, kawaii, happy face potential.

Jet Puff Marshmallow harvest in Astoria, Oregon.

There we go, that’s better.

The Cloud near Hillsboro, Oregon.

The Cloud on happy.

I have no affiliation with this app - just trying to spread some happy.

Posted in So Stinkin' Cute | Comments Off