GUESS WHOSE CASSETTE TAPES ARE ON THE COVER OF MOLLIE MAKES!(tee hee mine!)

You guys, it has been crazy surreal! And having to keep this under wraps for so long has almost made me want to burst! But it's true, I've found myself on the cover of Mollie Makes, issue #94!

Dream. Come. True!

I was given my very first Mollie Makes as a birthday present, six years ago. It was love at first sight. The dreamy projects, the snazzy make and takes, the styled photography, the colour palette. I honestly could never get enough... and I have the back issues to prove it! I never dreamed one day my work would be on the cover!

Out of the blue I was approached by Lindsey, of Mollie Makes... and then the secret sewing, photo taking and pattern writing began... and now it's here. In fact I just received my copy in the mail today! 

I picked up issue #92 when I was in LA last week. North American copies seem to take a while to hit stands here. I'm guessing #94 will be in another month or two, depending on your store. If you're subscriber you may have gotten your copy already. Or, if you live in Europe, they hit the stands yesterday, June 21st!

I hadn't realize this but if you subscribe for the paper version of the magazine, you'll received a Liberty "The Cottage Gardens" fabric bundle plus a BONUS Mollie Makes project book! BUT they also have digital versions that can be found on APPLE, itunes and Google Play. Even their newsletter is dreamy!

In the meantime, here's a teaser on ISSUU... and recommended for your listening pleasure, as you stroll through pages: The GO GO's, WE GOT THE BEAT! Happy summer everyone! And remember, "We're not old. We're Retro!"

 

PART 2: ANDREA TSANG JACKSON : : 3RD STORY WORKSHOP

I hope everyone has had a chance to recuperate from heavy sugar consumption this past Easter weekend... because I have something pretty sweet for you! The second part of Andrea Tsang Jackson's (3rd Story Workshop's) interview series! Sit back, relax: we're going to start at the beginning...

1. What is the very first thing you remember making as a kid that you were really proud of?

In Grade 3, my friend and I made this picture of a butterfly and a flower out of tissue paper. It was outlined in pencil a big sheet of stiff paper (she probably drew it; I wasn't that great at drawing). We then "coloured it in" with little squares of tissue paper that we moulded on the end of pencil and glue onto the paper. The tissue paper stood up and the final look could be likened to a high-pile hand-hooked rug. It was in the end probably a couple hundred pieces of tissue paper. We got to stay in during a few recesses to finish it, because our teacher knew it was going to be an impressive piece!

2. You came to quilting when you were expecting your first child in 2011. What did you make? (Do you have a photo of it you'd like to share?)

I made a fairly traditional looking quilt with a gridded layout, sashing and borders. It was a block that I designed that depicted a crane, but one of the 12 cranes flew the opposite way to all the others. I had no idea what I was doing and I only visited one quilt shop and a chain store to gather my supplies. I hadn't a clue about the modern quilting movement. The back was sort of improvised with the leftover fabric and more "modern."

3. Are you self taught? For starting quilting in 2011 your work is very impressive, what has your quilting journey been like?

I am a self-taught quilter, but I have had extensive training and experience in the design fields. I think that this background has given me a relatively fearless approach to quilting. Anything can be made, it's a matter of whether it's worth making and how it should be made.

It's been two years since I started quilting seriously and I have learned so much in that time. There is a glut of information online to learn from, which is wonderful. I've learned so much from my guild mates, as well. The trickier part is determining what should be taken into my practice and what information or techniques are not for me.

Surrounding myself with community has been integral in pushing me forward; an encouraging word goes a long way and it's very motivating. I certainly would not have pursued quilting with such gusto had there not been people to back me. My journey has been entwined with people, both quilters and non, and that makes it worthwhile and enriching.

4. When did you start making patterns? Do you do wholesale?

I started designing patterns in early 2017, a year after I joined the MMQG. There were some people that had asked for patterns for the Gemology Collection I had launched and I thought this would be a way to add a different revenue stream to my work. The first patterns I designed were a set of four gemstones. Funny enough, the day after I release the last of the series, Princess Cut, Kat Jones' Bling won Best in Show at Quilt Con. I have since released three more paper-pieced patterns, which were spurred from commissioned works and wonderful clients. Later this month, I will release my first traditionally pieced pattern, Banner Year.

I am doing wholesale right now, mostly to shops in Canada.

5. What's next for you? Any exciting projects you can tell us about?

Currently, I am working on an exciting collaboration with award-winning singer-songwriter Meaghan Smith. I have gotten so much out of the local, Canadian and international community of quilters that I wanted to honour these people in a special way. Quilters are special people with such generous spirits, both with their work and their encouragement of each other. Meaghan, whose mother is an avid quilter, is writing a song about the quilting community and I am designing a quilt pattern to accompany the song. It will being crowdfunded through an IndieGoGo campaign. The project will be launched in late spring and to keep tabs on it, you can sign up for my newsletter HERE. 

6. What would you recommend for our playlists. Songs or podcasts. 

1) My favourite podcast is 99% Invisible. I think everyone should listen to it so they can understand how design influences every aspect of their lives. I have often said that design is only noticeable when it is extremely good or extremely bad. The vision for my professional life is that people will understand design and how it makes the world better, not prettier.

2) Wow in the World is an entertaining science podcast for kids with loveable characters Mindy and Guy Raz.

3) Since I am working with Meaghan Smith, I listen to a lot of her music. Well, to be honest, I listened to a lot of her music before I started working with her! Her current songs are all commissioned works through her "Our Song" project. They are very meaningful songs that honour, commemorate, and celebrate real people and relationships. Get your Kleenex out.

 

YOU GUYS ARE KILLING IT!

This past weekend was KER-jammed packed with all kinds of GOODNESS. First off my Instagram blew up with all kinds of Lysa Flower Pattern finishes! Kim from @iadorepattern posted her finished embroidered and bias tape LOVE cassette block. You may remember me posting about her block this past summer. LOOK at all that pinning?! Now that's a good friend. Recently Kim gifted this block to Darci @darcialexis who moved away and had a baby. Darci quilted it all up and the results are stunning! I get all, "awe", when I see babies on quilts. 

Next up Stephanie from @simplesewendipity belted out a whole BOOMBOX and a whack of CASSETTE TAPES during her #bostonmqgretreat2018. Seriously my mind was blown... I know how long those take. I can't wait to see it finished. 

Then Ashely of @amueller recently gifted a Control Freak project she made and posted about it. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE what she did with the cord! I always hoped my patterns would be a jumping off point and I'd one day see people putting their own twists on it. AND it's happening AND it's even better than I imagined! High fives all around!

This past weekend was the Creativ Festival show. It was LOVELY to see everyone who stopped by at our the FVMQG booth. Sherri Chalke and I were the featured Makers and we loved meeting and visiting with everyone!

The FVMQG also had a group show. I swear the show gets better and better every year. Here's a few highlights: 

Barbara Macleod's (quilt pattern Tula Pink and long-arm quilted by Kathryn Davies) "Ghost Blossoms".

Cathy Erickson's (pattern by Nydia Kehnle) "Dimensions". The FVMQG had clips on the quilts so you could look at the back. It's always so fun to look at them. I feel like it's learning someone's middle name. 

Sonja Oblak's (a block study from the MQG) "Vintage Modern". I LOVE that Sonja used a vintage table cloth and look at that hand sewing!

Kathryn Davies's (pattern Celery Sticks by Jeff Gully & Marny Buck, in Quilts du Jour) Crossroads. Look at that quilting! I love the puffy squares

I didn't post all of the quilts because we'd be here FORever... but be sure I LOVED them all.

And of course there was A LOT of shopping at the show. I stocked up on all my goodies from The Steam Trunk Craftworks! Rainbow jars of rick rack! Be still my beating heart!

RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR PLAYLIST: I might be bending the rules here (but isn't that what rules are for?! wink-wink)... check out the Foo Fighters mash up of Imagine/Jump!

 

 

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!

Ten days until Quiltcon! That's nine sleeps! It seems like it's coming up fast. Maybe that's because I decided in December to go. I don't have any workshops or lectures booked. I don't even have tickets to get in. I'm just going to wing it! I'll figure it out when I get there. At least I have a place to stay... phew! And because I'm off to Quiltcon I also decided that I needed a new bag (perhaps for some fabric purchases? Maybe, just maybe).  It was also the perfect excuse to go for an idea I've been sitting on for a while, a Boombox bag! I bought a Metallic Fat Quarter Bundle from the Fat Quarter shop. It has ALL the sparkly fabric I could ever need. The bottom half of the Boombox is done, now I'm on to the top... and making the bag part. That too.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS: For just winging it, one thing I have locked and loaded are cards for Quiltcon. I picked them up this week and I'm pretty tickled with them! I'm teaching some workshops this year so I thought I should have some to hand out. That and MOO Cards had a 25% off sale, wink! I also decided to get some greeting cards printed up. I missed sending out Christmas cards by a country mile so my new plan is to send out a few cards every month throughout the year instead of trying to do it all in the month of December. I was very pleased with Social Print Studio's speed and quality. I had never tried them before but I will be ordering from them again. They've got some really unique services and a killer sense of humour! 

RECOMMENDED PATTERNS: One of my favourite designers is Berene Campbell @happysewlucky. Have you been following her tattoo quilt? It's amazing! It's full of love, wisdom and hope. Literately! She's mostly active on Instagram but she also blogs HERE. And if you love her work as much as I do you'll want to check out her Etsy shop HERE. I highly recommend her patterns! I've got big plans for mine but I'm still in the hoarding fabric phase. Keep an eye on this lady, she's amaze-balls.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR PLAYLIST: Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here. My youngest son has introduced me to Kendrick Lamar and I'm absolutely in love with this SONG, "i".  Turn it up loud and have a wonderful Valentines Day this week, much love to you! xo

OH WAIT! I almost forgot! This past week I discovered my Roller-skate surface pattern designed was posted on Print & Pattern's website, for Make it in Design's graduation round up. The discovery was well worth an all out happy dance! 

IMPROV (NOPE NOT THEATER) WITH BARB MORTELL

I met Barb Mortell in the early 2000's through a mutual friend. In fact she was working at the fabric shop where I saw Amy Butler's first line of fabric! (You know the day everything changed!) Last Sunday I took my third workshop with Barb through the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild @vancouvermqg. You might know Barb or you might know her and not even know it. She was in Sherri Lynn Wood's book The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters: A Guild to Creating, Quilting & Living Courageously. Barb's quilt is on page 38. 

The workshop was appropriately titled Door Jam, based off a quilt of Barb's with the same name. Her inspiration for the quilt came when she was walking her dog around her neighborhood and noticed some beautiful yellow doors on grey houses. Volia, a quilt and a workshop was born. I brought ALL my fabric (when it comes to bringing fabric somewhere, dare I say, I'm never under prepared)... to only use three colours: black, white and pink. I was blown away by people's projects! @kristenandrews tiny green lines on a navy background made me swoon. @sherrichalke also made sun shiny doors and @dinkydoo, aka Alicia, got the most done. I just loved her doors! I, however, sewed, changed my mind, ripped apart my block, sewed it together again, ripped it apart, cut it and I'm still playing with the layout. I did end up with one block I liked but it's only 3"x 5"! And people say paper piecing is hard!!! Improv is the ultimate puzzle! While I haven't finished my block, Barb has a way of saying the right thing at the right time. She's very wise and I'll continue to take as many classes as I can from her. 

And guess what?! You can too. Barb has started on a new adventure called ARTLEAP! She has classes that go even beyond quilting! But if quilting is your jam and I'm guessing it is if you're here please have a peek at what she's up to by clicking HERE.

RECOMMEND PATTERN: Valentine's DAY!!! I'm completely jazzed about Kam's @needleplusthread new cross-stitch pattern. Oh my gosh, she's crazy talented. AND if you head over pronto you still have time to enter and win it! Click HERE to enter. 

RECOMMENDED NEWSLETTER: Abby Hersey! Check out her candy heart FREE pattern and her Galentine's Day FREE Downloadable cards. Find them HERE. I subscribe to her newsletter and I love it. She's my kind of gal!

Okay and it's that time... RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR PLAYLIST: I love you by SAID THE WHALE... sing it with me!... "you know, you know, you know, love you!"

A CASSETTE TAPE BOOK COVER TUTORIAL!

My husband and I recently went to Mexico for a wedding. There were excursions, ruins, snorkeling, salsa, laughter and sand... lots of sand. But I have to admit my happy place (and not just when in Mexico) is when I'm tucked in somewhere with a book. It can be a journal, a magazine, even a great kids picture book. You name it, I'm pretty much in love with anything that has two covers with pages in between. So it's probably no shock that I created a Cassette Tape Book Cover PDF Tutorial just for you! It can be downloaded from HERE. I've also archived it under my "SEWING DESIGNS", for whenever you need it.

The first book cover I ever made (the yellow one) was for a swap at the Pacific Northwest Modern Quilt Guild Meetup back in 2015 that the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild had put on. It was so much fun and I got the chance to meet my partner in crime Jonna (my pattern tester extraordinaire)! Check out her floral version of the book covers. The centers of the cassettes are brilliant! 

In writing the tutorial Jonna (@bespokeoutlaw) and I discovered if you enlarge the medium Cassette Tapes pattern by 15% on your printer it makes a perfect cover for a 5" x 7" notebook. If you increase the small pattern by 39% on your printer it perfectly covers a small moleskin! Just remember to increase or decrease the same percentage for the spines (cassette bottoms). 

P.S. I don't know about you but I'm still basking in Jenny Haynes (@pappersaxsten) work. Have you seen what she's been working on lately? O M G!

P.S.S. One of the benefits of being away on a trip is MAIL! Happy mail! I received my copy of Modern Quilts! Yay! And my packet from THRIVE MASTERMIND, a new group I joined. I'm super duper looking forward to it!

RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR PLAYLIST: Elvis Costello & The Attractions- Everyday I write the Book (the Lady Di and Charles look a likes are not too shabby!) ALTHOUGH my very favourite Elvis Costello moment was on Saturday Night Live, when he changed mid song and broke into Radio Radio (getting himself banned from the show for over a decade). AND then in 1989 he jumped into the Beastie Boys set on SNL and started playing... you guessed it... Radio Radio! Genius!

THANK YOU FOR ALL THE LOVE!

It took me by complete surprise! A week ago I threw up a picture of this quilt on Instagram. Honestly I rushed it a bit because I wanted to get to Natalie's pattern give away. Um... it kind of exploded. Melody Miller (the designer of fabric I used) posted it on her Instagram feed, as did Latifah Saafir (the designer of the Glam Clam pattern I used). I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who liked and commented on it. These two ladies, Melody Miller and Latifah Saafir, I totally have designer crushes on. For them to repost the photo was very generous. Again, thank you for all the love. I really appreciated it. xo

Now on to announce the winner of the Hungryhippie Sew's pattern giveaway! Congratulations... We have TWO winners picked randomly by Natalie's daughters, @nikistorr and @ohsobrooke!!!! Yay!!!! ...ALSO! Natalie is doing a HUGENORMOUS giveaway this week on her blog: a bundle of brand new sewing and quilting patterns, sewing notions, fabric fat quarters, and possibly a vintage Magnum PI poster! But she's not promising the poster, because she loves him. To enter just leave a comment. There might also be an interview *blush* with moi. 

Guess what else we have to celebrate! Snap to Grid is in stores!!! Yay!!! It was in Hawthorne Threads newsletter last week! And check out The Cloth Pocket store's mood-board! So RAD right ?!

And as tradition would have it, RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR PLAYLIST: selected by Natalie's daughters Awolnations - Sail (Unlimted Gravity Dubstep Remix)

 

FINALLY!

Happy Halloween!!! Did you spend your weekend sewing your guts out over costumes this weekend like me? Or did you binge watching Stranger Things Season 2? How about watching Quilt Market unfold on Instagram? These are busy times!

I'm relieved Halloween is here and the costumes ALL have been sewn. AND finally I can show you my secret sewing! I've been sitting on these projects since August and I'm so relieved I can finally show them to you. PHEW! 

Mid August Camelot Fabrics approached me commissioning a quilt for this Fall's Quilt Market. They had a video game collection called GAME ON by Elizabeth Silver and thought we might be a good fit ( I especially love her panels that I used for the backing!). I sent off of some drafts and was able to sneak in a new design I was working on. The GAME ON quilt. I'm thinking I'll developing this as an entire alphabet. Oh and did I mention it was English paper pieced? Yep! Every letter. Oh big, BIG thanks to Bev Funk who quilted these for me!

RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR PLAYLIST: From the Stranger Things 2 soundtrack DEVO! WHIP IT... grab that whip! 

Have the BEST time making HAPPY, safe and SPOOK-tack-U-lar HALLOWEEN memories today! 

 

BOOMBOX SEW-A-LONG WEEK 8 - the cassette tape zippy pouch instructions AND!

Lots of exciting things this week! First: the final week of the BOOMBOX sewing machine cover sew-a-long! This last week was my favorite: the cassette tape zippy pouch (that fits inside the sewing machine cover). You can get the instructions HERE. You'll also need this PDF page for the cassette tape bottom.

If you didn't get a chance to do the sew-a-long, fear not! This fall, I'll be compiling all the instructions into a permanent tutorial that will live on my site. It will be here for you whenever you need it! Don't worry, I got your back. 

Second: You know what else is exciting? Cotton + Steel came out with their 2017 Spring Collections Look Book. I've always loved their Look Books AND now I'm IN one of them. SEE!

Third: My CASSINGLE pattern has been released on ETSY and Craftsy! YAY! To celebrate all this excitement, we're going to have ourselves a give away! To enter, leave a comment here telling me your favourite 80's song. I'll add it to my 80's playlist and I'll post the winners name (and favourite song) on the newsletter next week. BUT wait! You have three chances to win. Leave a comment here, on the Lysa Flower Facebook Page or on Instagram (contest and rules will be posted on Facebook and Instagram by noon tomorrow PST). Good luck!

BOOMBOX-SEW-A-LONG WEEK 6: FEAR NOT THE SUMMER SLUMP

Early June: Woo Hoo! Summer is almost here! As soon as the kids are out of school, I'm going to have SO much extra time. I'm going to finish this and this and...

<insert outrageous, unattainable list here> 

Reality. Present day: Oofft! It's HOT, I feel melt-y. Hey look at this new shiny thing over here! Where do you need to be driven? Sure so and so can come over. Crap, I better clean up! Unfinished projects score: 52 and 3/4. Finished projects score: 1/4. Ah, the summer slump. Oh yeah! I remember now, didn't this happen last year? 

I was chatting with @bespokeoutlaw and @sewhungryhippie on Instagram who've been feeling the summer slump too, which I was INCREDIBLY relieved to hear. Until then I was convinced I was the only one. Phew! This led me to thinking about and digging for solutions to a summer slump.

RECOMMENDED TO BEAT THE SUMMER SLUMP: Marie Forleo and her 3 Steps to Retrain Your Brain So You Can Be More Productive Than Ever episode helped to quenched my thirst! I can do that!

THE JEALOUS CURATOR, ART for your ear SUMMER CAMP. I LOVE, love, loved what she assigned for week 5. How liberating. I've got my guild sew-in's on the calendar and I CAN NOT wait.

But you know what helped me the most? Being trapped in a car for hours. Yes! A good old fashioned road trip. It's like an isolation tank but you end up somewhere! HA! Perfection. Our little family did a quick-y trip down to Portland. Not only did I finally get my binding done on my Katie Peterson Psychedelic Baby workshop quilt (big reveal still to come), I had a chance to visit Fabric Depot (first time) and Modern Domestic (they moved)! I bought my first Row by Row there. Uh-oh! Finished projects score: 1- 1/4. Unfinished projects score: 52 and 3/4 (aw, the number didn't go down). Hence my new mantra, "It will all get done". 

Oh right Week 6 instructions! You can get them HERE. This week we're sewing the Boombox back pockets! Yay! Check out @emsteratx progress on her sewing machine cover! Gah! LOVE! Now don't worry if the summer slump gets a hold of you, all is okay. The sew-a-long instructions will become a tutorial that'll permanently be a part of my site. It'll be here waiting for you when you need it. Say it with me, "It will all get done". And while it all gets done...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR 80's PLAYLIST: Jenny 867-5309 by Tommy Tutone, My Sharona by the Knack and Kim Wilde's Kids in America (which I thought the Go Go's did-whoops!)

 

 

BOOMBOX SEW-A-LONG! HERE WE GO!...

Y'all want this party started, right? Y'all want this party started quickly, right? Get this weeks BOOMBOX sew-a-long PDF instructions... HERE.

In it you will find the schedule, how to figure out the dimensions for your sewing machine cover, a list of extra supplies, fabric AND instructions for the first block: the radio (the top band). Lots of things to decide this week and a little bit of sewing. Next week there will be more sewing, so if you feel behind, there'll be time to catch up. Oh and if you've never heard of Bosal foam and are wondering what's the difference is, I found this link for you.  

I'd like to add that the Boombox pattern is a leaping off point, either keep it exactly the same or change it up. Don't want to make the equalizer, no problem, make more knobs. See easy! Also, if making the tape open makes your head spin, just sew the front all together as one piece. It's allowed. It'll still look awesome! 

I can't wait to see your fabric selections and progress! Remember to post on Instagram under #lysaflowerpatterns, #boomboxsewalong or #sewinglikeamothertrucker. If you're not on Instagram, feel free to post on the Lysa Flower FACEBOOK page. That's also a great place to post if you have a question. 

RECOMMENDED TOOL: Love it or hate it, hello seam ripper (again)! We spend a lot of time with this tool, don't we? I don't mind ripping any more but I've become quite fussy about which seam ripper I use. My favourite seam ripper is a Seam-Fix by Dritz. I LOVE how skinny the poky thing is (highly technical term). The rubbery ball on the end, I CAN NOT live without it! It's great for pulling out those straggler threads. And yes I decorated them with poop emoji stickers. HA!

Warning there are 1/4" pieces in the pattern. Hang in there, you can DO IT!  Oh did I mention I'm a TED TALK junkie?

RECOMMENDED PEP TALK: TED TALK, Grit: the power of passion and perseverance by Angela Lee Duckworth.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR PLAYLIST: NEW 80's sounding DREAMCAR! Dare I call them a super group?! It's a mash up between No Doubt's band and the singer from AFI. Totally RAD!

BOOMBOX PATTERN COMPLETE! WOO HOO!

It's done. Holy smokes! It's done! The Boombox quilt pattern is done!

WOW! A LOT has happened in the past few months. In February Kim Kight, co-founder of Cotton + Steel, invited me to sew for her new Snap to Grid Spring 2017 Collection! There was (again) A LOT of secret sewing going on-whoa doggie! And then there was Quilt Market! That was a check off my bucket list moment! I'm still processing it all. That lovely lady on the left is Kerry Goulder. She did the awesome #HotSkatesQuilt behind us. I can't wait to make it!

I'm thrilled I can finally share everything with you! One project was my Boombox Sewing Machine Cover. Originally, I had a tutorial planned but then I thought, you know what would be even more fun?! A sew-a-long!! It starts next Tuesday, June 6 and will go for eight weeks. 

To get started, it's easy peasy...

Step 1: Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly instructions. New subscribers get 10% off my ETSY patterns! BONUS!

Step 2: Pop over to ETSY (or Craftsy, I'm on there too now. YAY!) pick up the Boombox Quilt Pattern and if you want to make the cassette zippy pouch that goes inside the Boombox, you'll need to pick that up too. 

Step 3: Post your weekly progress to my Lysa Flower FACEBOOK page OR on Instagram using the hashtag #lysaflowerpatterns

Post your completed Boombox sewing machine cover by July 30th midnight PST to either site and win a Sulky Snap to Grid thread pack! It's dreamy.

Please note: for the Boombox pattern it's important to have some experience with paper piecing. 

Any keeners out there? I'll have the schedule written up for next week BUT if you want to get your party started early, the fabric requirements in the quilt pattern are the same for the sewing machine cover, up until the "Face of the Boombox and handle". Stop when you get to there. Until then, enjoy the coloring/planning page! This is going to be, to quote Cypress Hill, "insane in the membrane!" fun! I added the fun part (wink).

P.S. Yes that is a cassette book cover. And yes a tutorial is coming for that too!

 

 

 

#putacassettetapeonit

I've been off the grid lately. I've been in the depths of writing my boombox pattern (side note spellcheck is pretty sure when I write "boombox", I mean boob box... interesting). 

While I've been underground I have been enjoying the notifications from Instagram. It seems people are using my cassette tape pattern and putting them on zippy pouches! So clever! I was chatting with my friend Dana (@danahannah310) about how we should, instead of Portlandia's "put a bird on it", we should flip it to "put a cassette on it"!

Which brings me to these photos. This is Sherri (@sherrichalke). She's a ray of sunshine! She tested the Hard-core Mixed Cassette Tape Pattern and  when she was done the mini quilt, she used the cassette pattern pieces and combined them with Sonja Callaghan's (@artisania) bag pattern (second, side note: Sonja taught me how to paper piece!) Sherri and I went to Quiltcon 2016 together and I must say the bag was quite the hit. But I think also because of her sun shiny smile!

 

 

I'm Overwhelmed... but in a good way.

I wasn't 100% sure what making sewing patterns entailed. All I knew is that I wanted to make them. Then Instagram. To my shock and delight upon completing my Mixed Cassette Tape Quilt, requests for a pattern flooded my feed. It gave me momentum, encouragement and the kick in the pants to hurry up and do it already! Then, the same thing happened with my Control Freak quilt (pattern released in December 2016) and recently with my Say Anything quilt (pattern coming 2017). You have no idea how tickled and grateful I am for those requests.

What I wasn't prepared for... I don't even know how to put it into words. All I know, it's BY FAR my favourite part of being a sewing pattern designer. See the look on Laura's (@lbaker537) husbands face Christmas morning! When I saw that photo I realized this pattern is out in the wild! People are making it! This project has become part of their daily lives. 200%! that's how much Sara (@sewsweetness) blew up the pattern to make a snugly quilt for her son! (Photo not shown but seriously go check it out!) Amazing! Rebecca (@hugsarefun) also made a pillow for her husband and so did Ann (@stitchsupplyco), again for her son. All were made to be opened Christmas morning... I'm a little verklempt! Thank you for welcoming these patterns into your life. It gives me the warm fuzzies all over! 

 

1989 called and they want their Boombox back.

Holy moly! Talk about sewing like a mother trucker. That was a whirlwind of a project. I posted it's making on Instagram. Are you on Instagram? Love Instagram. If you are on Instagram think of this as an instant replay. 

From start to finish this took about a month. You'd think a month would be oodles of time... but it's not. It's really not. I'd been sitting on this idea for a while now but when the idea did come to me it was as though I was struck by lighting. After my Mixed Cassette tape quilt I had been searching for something to new to do with it. Then BAM! Memories flooded me with my first boombox... and they ended with John Cusack holding a Boombox over his head in the 1989 movie, Say Anything. *Spoiler alert* I called this quilt, "Say Anything"

Okay, that's all I got, I'm going to go have a nap. I'm pooped!