Heather Ross MISC package arrived!

Finally! It feels like I have been waiting not so patiently for this parcel to arrive for FOREVER! It was on the doorstep when I got home this evening, with this cute little note written on the outside.....

It reads "Sorry about the Addams family packaging, I'm hopeless with a tape gun." - H. I know I am sort of a groupie (I won't even tell you all about my Prince obsession) but this was pretty cool.

I couldn't restrain myself and blew my whole months fabric budget on the package! So this is what two hundred duckets gets you.....

I did specifically ask for some Recess or Field Trip, but alas there was none! I am guessing she doesn't have enough to spare because I haven't seen any of you other lovely ladies score a piece either. Oh well, plenty of other goodies in big, fat pieces! There is roughly a yard of Alice in Wonderland on poplin, pink dandelions, white dream bikes and goldfish! Also some very generous half yardish pieces of kittens on poplin, Munki dogs, sushi and pink dots. In varying sizes was some vans on flannel, ice cream trucks, girls on twill and a sea scene one - not sure what it is called. The one I found to be very exciting is a large scrap of what looks like to me the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland with mushrooms, but I have never seen it before! I wonder if didn't make it into production? It is very cute!

Oh yes that is a piece of Flea Market Fancy seeds in the corner - I mentioned in my letter I love Denyse's stuff too!

She also included lots of adorable outfits for Lucy! Gotta love the little green gnome pants! And also sock monkey flannel PJs, a dandelion top with pants and a knit 2T Sushi dress- score!

Overall, I am really thrilled with my loot!

More Hubby love!

My wonderful husband Mark has seemed to have started a tradition of hitting a quilt shop when he goes away on business and bringing me back a surprise package of fabrics he picked out all on his own, with a little help from the sales gals. Isn't that about the sweetest thing you've ever heard? I used to complain that he didn't bring me flowers as often as I'd like him to, but this thoughtful gesture is so much more romantic than flowers if you ask me! Just imagine my giant six-foot-five, bearded man walking into a fabric store and telling them his wife loves Heather Ross and Japanese fabrics - could they help him find something I would like?

When I heard he had to go to NYC without me :( I was hoping he would be able to get over to Purl in the Soho district. He knows I am collecting honeycomb dots (I guess he is observant after all!) and got two colorways of the Cake Rock Beach dots, as well as a couple of adorable Japanese prints and three from the organic Cloud Nine line. The birds are so cute!

I think he did pretty well this time! I'm not sure if it softened the blow of not being able to go to The Spotted Pig and Babbo, though, well maybe just a little bit.

Inspiration (and Sunday Stash # 4)

Look at what goodies arrived in the mail yesterday!

Japanese Hansel and Gretel.....

and Little Red Riding Hood!

They are so unbelievably cute. I had been on the prowl for both of these prints for quite awhile with no luck. Then suddenly one of my swappy friends lets us know one of her Etsy sellers just got this in stock! Totally made my day! They make me happy just looking at them. Both were purchased from Japankawaiiya on Etsy.

I was under the impression that they have both been long out of print - maybe this is hope that Cosmo textiles is reprinting these popular fairy tale prints? I really can't understand why a textile manufacturer rarely does second runs of the most popular lines? Why not make money instead of letting the secondary market cash in and raise prices (i.e. Flea Market Fancy)? Seems like poor business planning to me, just my two cents.

So by now you may be realizing I have an obsession with these Japanese fairy tale prints. I literally pour over them on a regular basis (haven't yet sewn with them, though. That would mean having to cut them, haha!). I have always loved drawing and sketching and I was even a Fine Arts major for part of my college career, but it has been years since I picked up a pencil to draw. But these fabrics have been such an inspiration.......

I have been checking out Spoonflower fabric designs for a long time now and have decided to start some planning for my own fabrics. I was really intimidated because of all the computer designing involved, but after seeing the lovely designs of Ariel (Pocketful of Pinwheels) and Aneela (Comfortstitching) and a little reassurance that it really isn't that difficult, I am ready to take the plunge.

These are some preliminary sketches and experimentation with markers. By the way, if you love markers, these Copic Sketch pens are far and away the best I have ever had the pleasure of using - but beware, they are not cheap (although I did find some online for about two dollars cheaper a piece than the list price). It feels so good to create in this avenue again!

Snow White is the first one I am seriously working on - trying to go for a very obviously Kawaii-inspired style. Someday I hope to make Lucy a quilt with fairy tale fabrics all designed by me. Wish me luck!

Sunday Stash #3

Twenty nine fat quarters from Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party. Aren't they lovely? My mom fell in love with this line and I am making her a queen sized quilt for her bed for Christmas. At least for once I'll be starting early!

Zig Zag Quilt completed!

Yay! My zig zag for the Old Red Barn Co. quilt along is finally quilted and bound. Now I just need to learn how to take a decent picture of it! I apologize for this one, but I took about a hundred and none of them were any good. I think quilts are pretty hard to photograph anyways, and this one in particular is just SO much prettier in person. I think because the prints are so delicate it is hard to get a good idea of how lovely they are in the photos. The fabric is from the My Folklore collection by the Japanese manufacturer Lecien.

This is my first completed quilt. I have about five other works-in-progress and about fifty others planned in my head but it is so satisfying to have made one beginning to end. It is a throw size and it will live over the back of a chair in our bedroom for now.

Here is Lucy chillin' on the new quilt. I think you can see the fabrics better in this one

.

And I thought I would give you a little peek at what I am working on for Round 3 of the quilt along - Wonky Log Cabins. I'm sure I don't need to express the thrill and sheer joy of cutting into all this Flea Market Fancy goodness! Most of the prints came from the jelly rolls mentioned in a previous post (Aka biggest fabric score of the year) and I am also cutting into some of my yardage as well. Such a beautiful collection I think deserves a quilt all it's own. I am having a ball making these since I am not such an accurate person and accuracy is unneeded in the making of these blocks.

It's not too late to jump into Round 3, just click on the quilt along button to the left and follow the links to Quiltdad.

Help with quilting, please.... and early fall dinner

Good Folks quilt top, originally uploaded by Lucy & Norman.

Here is the finished quilt top I made for my girlfriend who just ran off and got hitched. I adore Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks line - so bright and cheery. I made this with the left overs from my mom's birthday quilt (WIP - I won't show you that one until I'm done) and bought a few prints in the blue colorway to add in. It is a Disappearing Nine Patch (great tutorial here) and I have no idea how to quilt it up. I know I don't get a lot of traffic through here yet, but any ideas or suggestions? I want the lines to be pretty organic so they don't draw attention to my less than perfect corners.

Here was last night's dinner. Chiogga & golden beet salad with fennel and grapefruit followed by simple roast chicken and baby red & fingerling potatoes. Pretty damn good if I don't say so myself. All washed down with some yet-to-be-released wine my talented husband made. I just wanted to show you the placemats I whipped up for Mark's birthday last month. He loves the Echino line and I thought this print with the little spider piggy was especially fitting - the man loves pork in any form. While I love our everyday plates (from Pottery Barn), some of them are a bit wobbly and it drives Mark crazy. I just but a little fusible fleece in between the linen and a canvas backing, and wah lah! Problem fixed and Mark loves them.

Socialite Dress

, originally uploaded by Lucy & Norman.

Wow! Can you believe I was brave enough to wear this to my friend's wedding? It is always scary to wear something out in public that you actually MADE. I really do like it though! I am still carrying around some extra baby weight so this was a great loose-without-looking-like-a-paper-bag dress. This was also the first time I have put on heels in about a year and I got my hair done! It is nice to feel a little girly again.

So anyways, the pattern is Anna Maria Horner's newish Socialite dress, and I used a print from one of my favorite designers Etsuko Furuya, or Echino. It is a double cotton guaze from the new Chelsea line. This is my first time actually sewing with this material (I won't show you my giant pile of Far Far Away I haven't yet cut into, not to mention my beloved Nani Iro fabrics!) and it was much easier than I imagined, really not that different from quilting weight - just softer. I definitely recommend this pattern, even for the beginner. The directions are very simple and clear and the finished product was true to size. Sewing the yoke on is really the only somewhat difficult part. I also love the fact that it has pockets! I will certainly be making another one of these, and I can't wait to use double cotton guaze again.

Sunday Stash #2

If you are reading my blog, you are probably already very aware of the illness that has inflicted hundreds of women around the world to scour Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Ebay to collect Munki Munki pajamas. Yes, I am one of them. The bizarre part of the disease is leading most of the women to actually CUT the brand-new, never worn pajamas up to use the fabric in other projects! I must admit, I have fallen hard for the PJ bottoms themselves, so I have been opting to keep those intact and wear them to bed with tank top or t shirts (soooo comfy!) and use the tops for fabric stash. I just hope my husband doesn't start thinking it strange to come home to find me in gnome, alien or yoga girl pajamas every evening!

It may look as though I have been very unproductive this week, but the exact opposite is true, and that is why there have been no other posts this week. A dear friend ran off to Vegas recently and got hitched and her reception is tonight. So, I of course decided not only to make her a quilt for her wedding gift, but also to whip up the Socialite dress from Anna Maria Horner to wear to the party. Hopefully I can get a decent shot of the dress and post it tomorrow with a pattern review. The wedding quilt is not even close to being finished, but the top is almost finished. I hope to have it in the mail to her by the end of next week. So far I love it so much I'd like to keep it!

Happy Labor Day everyone!