LizzyHouse

Christmas Lights.

Sometimes it's hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit, because everything seems to go so fast, and it's too commercial. But I have a made a real effort this year to get there. So I've thrown a party, I've baked cookies, I've dressed festively every chance I've gotten, and last night I went to see the lights at Temple Square! I've never seen them before, so it was ultra spectacular, and if you are in Salt Lake for some reason in the next little bit I highly recommend spending the evening walking around Temple Sqaure. 

Also. I just want to say that I am in love with my camera. It was the best purchase I can ever remember making. And a quick note about this photo up top. That was the top of the tree against the sky. It was incredible. 

I hope as you prepare for the holiday this week, that you can be happy and safe, merry and bright in whatever you celebrate!

lots of love

lizzy. 

Oh... I forgot something...

I forgot to tell you that I added a baby size pattern to The Colorist right before I sent it to the printers! Meaning that you can either make the full size one (72x80), or the baby peep one (50x50), or both. So you're getting two patterns for the price of one. Which makes me feel good about things. 

It would make the perfect baby quilt. No but seriously though... 

 

the actualization of The Colorist.

The Colorist gets here on Monday. I have all the pre-order envelopes addressed, and I'm turning them around as soon as they get in the door. Same with any new orders. 

Monday is also my last shipping day before I leave for the holidays. So time is of the essence. 

The pattern is beautiful. And BIG! it also has one of my favorite quotes in it:

Only those who love color are admitted to its beauty and immanent presence. It affords utility to all, but unveils its deeper mysteries only to its devotees.
—Johannes Itten

aside from that it has fully colored/illustrated/photographed instructions, and a gigantic pattern piece to cut out and use. This pattern was quite the production, but I think it will all be worth it. I designed it a year ago, figured out the wheel in March, how to do the background in July, made the real one in September, finished the pattern in early November, and now it is ready for action. 

I can't wait to see the variations you come up with. I've already got a few different ones planned, along with the other 2 colorist tops I already have made waiting in line to be quilted! 

hair today, gone tomorrow.

My hair is getting really long, especially for my standards. For most people my hair is medium length. For me, it's becoming unreasonable. 

Here is an amusing conversation I had with my friend Sharydon (who also happens to do hair). 

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Lizzy: Sharydon, have you come up with any ideas for my hair yet?

Sharydon: I still think that you should go short. 

Lizzy: I'm totally fine with short hair, but both my Mom and sister said that I probably should get a boyfriend before I cut it off...

Sharydon: I understand. I'm growing my hair out for my wedding. 

Lizzy: Um... are you dating anyone, Sharydon?

Sharydon: No.  

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She makes a really good point. So my princess hair lives another day. 

this is a self portrait. 

Studio Sale!

hiya peeps!

this weekend is my studio sale! If you are local come and say hi and find some last minute gifties, or just some fabric for yourself because Utah still doesn't dig me enough to carry it (totally bogus)... I'll have a limited number of Outfoxed bundles.

There will be actual cookies this time, not just hypothetical cookies. 

see you this weekend!

some holiday cheer.

I didn't say WITCH holiday!

I'm pretty excited. Amanda was going on and on about Halloween, and so I said, Hey, I'll try my hand at Halloween. 

I wanted to do something different. Something that looked like me, but wasn't so typical Halloween. All Halloween means to me anyway is Charlie Brown. There is no green, the purple is really gray, not shocking. The ghosts are emoting. The pearl bracelets are present... the eyes are just googly enough. The candy corn was made special so you could have as many as you want without a tooth ache/nap. The jack-o-lanterns are doing their thing. Nothing too frightening. 

My biggest deal, as we have been discussing as of late, was the color. Think more It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, than Nightmare before Christmas. You know I love a good peach. Also, I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but our little ghosts are doing the neutral thing, so I can see using them well outside of this holiday. 

So, I hope you like Guising (to go disguised). Tell your favorite shops to talk to their Andover reps! I think it will ship late spring/ early summer. 

Moral of the story. If I like you enough, and you talk about something enough, the odds of it turning into a line of fabric are high. 

increments of time.

How do you measure time?

I like how Hugh Grant talks about time as units in About a Boy. I think each unit is half an hour.

for myself the time a project takes is usually measured in movies, music, shows or phone conversations.

Here are some projects, and the time they were completed in:

The quilts from 1001 Peeps: five magical projects ~ The entire series of Ugly Betty.

Binding a quilt ~ 3-4 episodes of a British Mini Series

The Enchanted Lamp crewel pillow from 1001 Peeps: five magical projects ~ Ally McBeal all seasons except the last when characters were gone and never accounted for. Followed by Cheers up until Diane leaves, followed by all of Wings (I really grew to love that show). Turns out large embroideries with lots of satin stitching take a long time...

Outfox the Fox ~ cut and pieced in under 2 movies!

cutting 150 yards of fabric down to 1200 fat 1/8's ~ 3 episodes News Radio (not as funny as I remembered, but did make me miss Phil Hartman... ), 2 full repeats of every song from Sufjan's Christmas cds, two 1-2 hour conversations with my Mom (someone needs to update their blog...), four 30 minute-2 hour conversations with Melissa, and one 3 hour conversation with Marisa. With intermitent chats with Karyn.

folding 1200 fat 1/8's ~ 6 movies

assembling 24 fat 1/8 stacks ~ 8 episodes of House Hunters International

you get the idea...

I wonder what will become of my work when I don't renew my yearly subscription to nf this coming year? Books on tape? podcasts? a vow of silence?

this picture reminds me that I was on a Tony Curtis kick when I was making the Castle Peeps quilts...

 

looking around!

As always, I am making way for new patterns and fabric... and as such it has me looking around at what I can move out of here! 

Today, I've decided to put my 1001 Peeps project book on sale. Enter the word MAGICAL at the check out and recieve $6.95 off. Meaning you get a beautiful book with 5 patterns for $18.00, or $3.60 a pattern... a magical holiday steal!

I'll be leaving for Christmas on the 20th, so that's my cut off for Holiday shipping and this sale. 

carry on! 

I'm building you a rainbow.

I have always known that color was important to me, but it wasn't until relatively recently that I realized that it was such a sticking point about my work... not to me, because it always has been, but to other people. I've had several conversations with random guys who don't say anything about the designs, all they see is to color. Which in and of itself is interesting to think about, but that my color is the discriminating thing about my work to them, and that has me thinking that it's not just me who's into my color work. 

Did you know if I went and worked for some one it would probably be in H. Wood, and it would probably be as a colorist for a cartoon? or an animation company? true story. And then they would hear how silly my voice is and my life long dream of doing voice work would come true. Also, true story. 

Since last week I had been working on the fabric bundles. We'll just say that it was quite the task. But interestingly enough it gave me a really personal overview of my little canon of work. It pointed out to me that I really like orange, peach and barbie pink. It also pointed out that I am missing some greens, and it showed me that I need to work on adding some neutrals. 

I then I realized that a lot of the missing pieces to this spectrum are present in Hello Pilgrim. Minty greens, Magentas, more deep blues, and lots of neutrals! AND pinks that aren't necessarily barbie pink. I then remembered that that was how I designed it, and what I designed it for, to fill in some of these spaces. 

I don't know how everyone designs, or how they choose their colors, but for me it is continuous. I want to to keep filling and wedging new color into this brilliant little rainbow. I don't know if you are collecting my fabric, or keeping some pieces of it, or just looking at it... you can really do whatever you'd like with it, but just know that every piece I add to my personal catalog is to stretch this color bridge a little farther.

I love color. I love using color. I love talking about color, and I love sharing color. etc etc etc. 

fabric bundles, FYI

OK! I am letting everyone know RIGHT NOW.

Tonight at 8:00 PM Mountain Standard time! I am listing 24 fabric bundles. These are not the scrap boxes, so I'm not employing the waiting list, because this is a different product.

The bundle is 50 fat 1/8's (a fat 1/8 is 9x20-22 depending on the WOF). The fabric is Castle Peeps, 1001 Peeps, and Outfoxed. It is the most beautiful rainbow of color in the world. In my opinion. With this bundle, you could easily make at least 3 The Colorist.

The cost is $65, and I will ship international this time, so it's opened up to all my peeps domestic and abroad.

Ok! I'm off to prep the bundles!