LizzyHouse

So... I've been sewing pretty with Hello Kitty...

Since January 2007 there has been a Sewing Pretty with Hello Kitty Janome Sewing machine in our family. Melissa bought it, I think because it was very cute, and she could afford it.

Understandable.

I have often wondered at great length, what this machine was really intended for, and how long it was intended to run? I feel strongly that the individuals in my family who have used this machine have each personally exceeded the manufacturers expectations. Or do we not take it seriously enough, because it is so cute?

Melissa sewed three dresses that I can think of, one jacket, and lots of aprons... then I borrowed the machine in October of 2007 to make my first quilt (a City Scapes). Because I was designing fabric and I needed to get serious about quilting, and I didn't have a machine at school... The machine at that point stayed with me till almost April. I sewed various things. Then Melissa took the machine back, and sewed crazy amounts of things. She used the machine almost everyday until 2010 when she bought her Bernina. I might be wrong, but I think the machine ended up in Utah with Ashlee when Melissa moved east to go to Johns Hopkins. So then the machine sat for a little while, until I moved to Utah in November of 2010. My machine was broken so I started Sewing Pretty with Hello Kitty.

I have:

sewn and quilted 20 Peep Boots

recovered a lamp shade.

sewn through a bunch of paper

made strands of garland

created several sewing patterns

Pieced all of the quilts in my 1001 Peeps: five magical projects

created the cushion for the crewel embroidery project in the book

Bound 5 quilts

Sewn several new quilts to be released in the next few months

quilted several projects (it's hard to fit large items through the 9 inch throat.)

And most all of this happened from December to May.

During the months of March, April, and May, there was not a day that this machine was not on and running for at least 6 hours. (540 hours roughly)

During my market prep, I didn't have the time, energy, or money to get a new machine, so I just prayed and prayed that Hello Kitty would keep working. And it did.

We had a few fights. At one point the machine completely seized up, so I did minor surgery, disassembled it, cut some lodged thread, reassembled it, dabbed some oil on a few spots, and brought it back. It got to the point where I was sewing with a screw driver in my lap.

The long and short is that it is a miracle, a literal miracle, that this machine has operated the way that it has. It is a fantastic little machine, and has run for 1000's of hours. I would recommend it, but with some wisdom:

When you first start out in anything, whether it be painting, or running, or cooking, or clothing construction, or whatever... it is important to use good ingredients. You never want to make the task more difficult than it needs to be by using tools or ingredients that add to the frustration of learning. This machine, from the beginning has run with a few hiccups. But the price and size make it super appealing to beginners. So I recommend it to new sewers with a little apprehension, just learn how to take care of it, read the manual...as much as it looks like a toy, it isn't so much

but know that I don't hold the machine accountable for any troubles past year 2...

I think this machine is ideal for traveling. If you need to bring a machine with you for workshops, or a class, or even just because, this machine is ace! It only weighs 12lbs. You can put it in your carry on luggage! And as I've mentioned, it can pretty much sew anything. Plus it will, without a doubt, be cuter than anyone else's machine in the class.

Needless to say, I am looking to upgrade. I am interested in the Janome HD3000. I've heard good things and the price point is fantastic. But what I am really interested in, is a machine that would work well for both quilting and clothing sewing, works fast (I mean FAST), and has the charm of the Hello Kitty Machine. I've sewn on dozens of machines in my life, and nothing has been nearly as sweet or pleasant as sewing on an aqua machine. I want color and I want it to be more than a decal!

It seems like all the machines that have color are made with plastic parts. I am a serious sewer, I want a real machine with metal parts, and color. I think a lot of us do. And I don't think it's too much to ask. If you are paying more than $500 does it have to be white/silver? I can buy a stand mixer in almost any color, why can I not buy a work horse sewing machine in the same fashion? And I am not talking the occasional red machine that companies put out as a novelty. I am talking color.

So, here's to another at least 2 months of me and Hello Kitty. We make a cute team.

how do you feel? Do you want Sewing Machine manufacturers to start taking our color wants seriously?

on the life of a shoe.

I don't own a car. I haven't since I was 19.

It has been a conscious choice. I'd rather invest the money that I would spend and continually spend on a car into my business, or traveling. And that isn't to say that I wouldn't like a car on days, especially in the winter, and on days when you need freedom from things that keep you tethered to home. Also, running some errands solicits the actual need of a car... but for the most part, I just like walking, and I have generally lived in places where this was a perfectly normal mode of transportation. 

I've pulled out all of my summer shoes, and have started wearing them again. Today as I was walking my iPad to the UPS store to make it someone else's iPad, the sun was bright and I was watching my feet. I was wearing one of my very favorite pair of shoes in the world. A sort of Anthropologie knock off pair of red sandals from 2007, that I found at Payless (who knew?). I thought about all the places they have been, and all the unfortunate weather I have been caught up in, in them. I also thought about how great they look after all this time, and how cool it is that they don't smell, or show the 1000's of miles they've traveled.

I probably wore them in the snow when I should not have, not because they were precious, but because that was dumb...

they've come on every trip with me since I purchased them I've worn them to every market that I have attended. They were there when I was first in Portland and decided that I needed to move there.

(Japanese Gardens, Portland Oregon)

They've been to concerts

(Heart Mind and Soul in Rexburg, Idaho----they must have been brand new here)

They were on my feet the hundreds of hours that I worked in the print lab, they do have a little vine black ink on them.

They've been on dates

They were on almost all of my daily walks up to Broulims in Rexburg

Not knowing what to expect, they were the one of two pair of un-sensible shoes that I brought with me my first year of Squam

(squam Holderness, New Hampshire)

They were the only shoes that I packed on my day trip to Basel (that turned into 3 days in Neuchatel) while I was in Switzerland. It rained at the farmers market, and they got super soggy.

(Market in Neuchatel, Switzerland)

They've been taken off at literally hundreds of security check points in countless airports

They've been on through dozens of museums

(Montreaux, Switzerland )

so not only do I have a lot of pictures of these shoes, but for some reason it stuck out to me today. Looking at them in all of these pictures, I don't think they are particularly cute anymore... A lot of years past, and a lot of ground has been covered. And in this throw away society we live in, it doesn't feel like things really last, especially things you only pay $12 for.

I've been sitting here trying to recognize why this was significant to me today. This is the conclusion that I have formed:

I've been thinking about a lot about being 26, and what that means and if i've used my years well or wisely. I think the real point is that I am actually proud of my years. I guess I bought the shoes around the same time that I started achieving things, and globe trotting, and they reminded me of that progress as I walked with them on my feet today.

 

 

 

1001 Peeps Summer Camp! week 2

Hello Peep Campers!

Today I want you to take a walk over to your counselor, Alexia's of Craftopia! She has put together a great activity of Pool Toys! Who knew??

When you get there, to download the pattern, make sure to sign the roll, and tell Alexia your favorite summer movie to get entered in  contest for a very cute stack of 1001 Peeps fat 1/8's. The same ones that were used to make this project!

So click back to our first post if haven't had a chance to pick up your badge yet

Here is the schedule again, just in case you still need it!

June 17: Sew Mama Sew

Today ----> June 24: Alexia Abegg.

July 1: Lemon Cadet

July 8: The Fat Quarterly!

July 15: Quilt Asylum.

July 22:  MrsMcPorkchop

July 29: Flax and Twine

August 5: Heather alamode

August 12:  Make Something

August 19: Whipstitch

August 26: Happy Zombie

have a great, safe, pool toy making weekend!!!

love,

camp director lizzy.

Breathing easier

I am so grateful to my printer. They have been so helpful, and accommodating with my tight deadlines after all the drama with the other printers. In fact, they just sent me some photos of my book on press.

It's pretty surreal for me to actually have a real life book from start to finish. It's literally a life long dream that I have had since I was a child, and it has come to past and I just turned 26. I'm doing alright.

Also, we are shipping a box directly from the printer to Sister's Oregon for the Outdoor Quilt Show.

I can't wait for it to get here! This might be even more exciting than getting strike offs or a new fabric line!!!

 

Squam June 2011

Before it gets too far from me, I wanted to talk about Squam this year. I don't have any of my own pics, because my camera didn't even make it to my bag! It's getting to the point that I need someone following me around taking pictures!

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

I want to just touch on each of the classes, and how I have come to understand myself better through teaching, and pay tribute to what Squam is in my life.

This year I taught another session of block printing fabric. This class and the people who take it NEVER cease to amaze me. Year after year, as I teach this class, the work that people produce is so inspiring. And I love the opportunity to bring people to the inky side of printmaking. My peeps find peace in carving and printing for a couple of hours, and I am always grateful for the chance to facilitate that. I love that a 6 hour class might help you discover talents and expression you didn't even know you were searching for. Every one did such a fantastic job. In this class especially, I was moved by how everyone worked together. Using ink together, moving tables when the power went out together... just a sweet action sisterhood of printmaking. It makes me weepy just thinking about it. But I'll have you know I held it together pretty well the first day. 

For the first time I taught Mini Quilts! I was emotional right out of the gate with this one... I think I've shared it here before, but I started quilting for a couple of reasons, but the reason I came to love it was a need for a kind of healing therapy from a tragic event. But it was through teaching this mini quilt class that I came to better understand the kind of teacher that I am.

I am about your success.

In that, I feel like I am also about failing, in the very best way. Because it's only through the stumbling that we learn to solve the problem and try again.

I give you the tools you need. I give you the pieces to the puzzle. I give you the space, and the guidance. I give you the comfort that I have the knowledge and I am always right there if you need to talk through something, but ultimately, your success stems from the fact that you went out on your own. That way, you aren't learning how to follow exactly how I teach, or have a specific end product that you would compare to someone else's, you are solving problems which will give you more permanent solutions, and let you OWN your success. Hopefully, I am giving you the space to learn to express yourself in a new way. The Mini Quilt class was a testament to the process. There were 16 students, and all 16 students created beautiful, unique pieces, and from those, about 12 were actually finished in the time from breakfast to dinner. The best part of this class was getting to watch these sparks lighting all over the room in people as they discovered where they were going, and what they were capable of. Not joking at all, it was as if there were actual lights over people. It was such an incredible experience. Discovery is such a beautiful thing.

It is because of my Mother, and the incredible teachers I have had in my life, that I am able to enable capability and discovery in my own students.

Also the biggest thanks to Singer Sewing for providing Squam with 20 brand new machines! People who had never sewn before IN THEIR LIVES were able to just take off sewing. And it was because of Singer's fantastic generosity, that: Pixie, Maya, Cal, and myself were all able to offer sewing classes this year! and hopefully more in the future!

The final class was our Champion Ribbon class! and again, I was thrilled to see the beautiful and abundant ribbons created by everyone in the class. The best part was seeing my Peeps each wearing almost all of their ribbons at one time... just how they should be worn. 6 or more at a time!!

Just thinking about Squam now, and the time that I had, and have had in years past...this year was different for me. I have become increasingly busy, and this year I reached exhaustion after Spring Market. I am constantly learning how not to over fill my plate (by over filling my plate!), it helped me reflect on the people, places, and things (nouns) that really matter. I don't think I will be teaching more than a few workshops next year, as part of this refocusing of my life. So stay tuned to know where you can find me.

But know this, Squam has become such a powerful part of me. It's through Squam that I have come to better understand what teaching means to me, how vital it is to connect to the people that fill the seats of your tribe, and also how crucial it is to take a quiet step outside of your everyday life, to breath, to think, to be, and to fill up your creative lamp.

Squam has been so formative to me, and as always, I hope that it can become such for you.

My biggest thanks and continued gratitude go to Elizabeth for continually letting me be a part of the beauty and goodness that are created through SAW.

love to all of my Squam Peeps from this year, and all years past.

 

 

 

1001 Peeps Summer Camp + Utility Apron

Check out the 1001 Peeps Utility Apron here! Also, if you leave a comment, you'll be entered in a drawing for the book!!!

Also, if you leave a comment here, and play our "Name That Peep" at our 1001 Peeps Summer Camp kick off, you will have a chance to win a fq bundle of one of the colorways of 1001 Peeps.

I'm getting emails from Peeps asking what they should get to prepare for Camp, and I would say this: start with at least a fat quarter bundle of two color ways, and also, I would recommend some ribbon! I use this ribbon for everything and it's the ribbon I use for my Utility Apron.

Thank you SOO much for all the birthday love. I've felt so special all day long!

*I just thought of something!!! Would anyone be interested in reading the 1001 Nights with me this summer? This is the version to get! and we can cover a couple stories a week. I was reading in the comments over at Sew Mama Sew, and it seems quite a few people haven't read the stories, so why don't we do it together. Just a thought. Ok love you bye.

1001 Peeps Summer Camp!

Hi Campers!!!

I'm really excited to kick off Summer Camp again this year, and you should be too! This summer there will be a new project each week by your 1001 Peeps Summer Camp counselors, as well as a giveaway! Each week sign the roster for a chance to win some 1001 Peeps goodies!

 

Here are your counselors and when you'll meet with them!

June 17 (today): Hike to Sew Mama Sew for our official campfire kick off, a great contest, and the first project of camp!

June 24: Alexia Abegg.

July 1: Lemon Cadet

July 8: The Fat Quarterly!

July 15: Quilt Asylum.

July 22:  MrsMcPorkchop

July 29: Flax and Twine

August 5: Heather alamode

August 12:  Make Something

August 19: Whipstitch

August 26: Happy Zombie

If you are going to be joining us for camp this summer please take a button for your journals!

There are two sizes: 175 px (above) and 150 px (below)

Also a few orders of business: The notebook buy one get one free ends tonight, and the 1001 Peeps: five magical project book will ship the first week in July! Isn't that exciting! Also, internet issues kept me from getting out the fabric requirements for the book to my presale peeps. You'll have them this coming Monday. 

Well I hope that you all enjoy yourselves this summer. You've got some great counselors cooking up some fantastic peep projects! So find a buddy, stay with the group, make sure you've got your bug spray... and so on. Have a great time, and don't forget to write!!!

oh and it's my birthday...

Notebooks for everyone!

My notebooks are on sale!!!

I am making room for an inventory of books and these little babes are taking up some of the minimal space I have! It seems like I am always making room for something new...

Until the end of my birthday, June 17th they are buy one get one free. Just specify the color of the free notebook you want in the comments before you check out! To the sale!

What did I tell you???

Probably early August, there will be a pattern out featuring Castle Peeps and 1001 Peeps.

When I said they would work together, I really mean that they REALLY work together.

But I will have you know that I have taken into account that some Castle Peeps are not still available. I know that the Green Armory is gone, and possibly the blue. I will find out for sure, and edit the pattern so that you aren't searching for something that doesn't exist anymore. But as before, I would recommend holding on to your CP or tracking a little bit down.

*this just in! If you are searching for any of the Castle Peeps Gallant Green Armory print Suppose, has some.

also, I have to say that I am really loving the green-blue green-blue section of my little Peeps rainbow.

The Peeps are here!

I'm starting a list here of all of the shops that have Peeps in stock.

If you are a shop, and you have the fabric or are getting the fabric, add your link in the comments and I will add it to the post!

*I am adding a "(castle peeps)" behind the stores that are still have CP and are also carrying 1001 Peeps.

Pink Chalk

Sew Mama Sew

Hawthorne Threads (Castle Peeps)

Above All Fabrics

Whipstitch (Castle Peeps)

Faric Worm (Castle Peeps)

Del Ray Fabrics (Castle Peeps)

LolaPink Fabrics

Hip Fabric

The Quilt Asylum (Castle Peeps)

Intrepid Threads

Fresh Modern Fabric (Castle Peeps and Red Letter Day!)

Suppose (Castle Peeps)

Fresh Stash

Brick and Mortar stores that have the fabric should also leave a quick comment and we can get that list going too.

Also, just so you know... 1001 Peeps Summer Camp will kick off on the 17th. That's what I was alluding to in my last post. We have a really great roster of Camp Counselors this year, so you'll definitely want to come along. I would recommend a fat quarter bundle of at least 2 color ways to get you on your feet with summer camp!

ONE MORE THING: for my presale book peeps, look for an email early next week with fabric requirements for the book. And to shops who are interested I will be posting a kitting chart for the book.

ok! I think I'm going to Ikea tomorrow... so I have to rest up.