tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65448707173946249032024-03-13T15:12:58.744-07:00my aunt juneAuntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.comBlogger322125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-19818449840171412052014-07-02T12:08:00.001-07:002014-07-02T12:08:10.241-07:00I Get to Go to Quiltcon!And I AM EXCITED. If you'll be there, you should say hi. This is what my face will look like:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AK65G-vv0U/U7RYMEkWtoI/AAAAAAAAFII/iQ4A2bNGZZI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-27+at+5.01.57+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9AK65G-vv0U/U7RYMEkWtoI/AAAAAAAAFII/iQ4A2bNGZZI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-27+at+5.01.57+PM.png" height="472" width="640" /></a></div>
Except probably even sweatier. I will surely smell bad. Touch me at your own risk.<br />
Because I get to be the official-style pitcher-taker! Have I mentioned, that<br />
I<br />
AM<br />
SOOOO<br />
EXCITED.<br />
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Who else is going?!?!Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-20412835400121113262014-06-19T08:21:00.003-07:002014-06-19T08:21:45.440-07:00Because, Why Not?Sometimes my husband thinks of names for ridiculous fictional characters, and then I draw them. Hence:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhfuxN4Hzng/U6L_v1_DPLI/AAAAAAAAFG8/Q0yFwvyTb1Y/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-19+at+10.18.13+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HhfuxN4Hzng/U6L_v1_DPLI/AAAAAAAAFG8/Q0yFwvyTb1Y/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-19+at+10.18.13+AM.png" height="640" width="530" /></a></div>
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Inspector Henspectre. JUST like Jessica Fletcher, but a chicken. And a ghost. Enjoy.<br />
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-16453443245666713002014-06-05T15:13:00.003-07:002014-06-05T15:14:09.698-07:00I Painted You a Little Green Apple...becau<span id="goog_474005628"></span><span id="goog_474005629"></span>se I think that you're nice.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BU_KqjP1Xu4/U5Drc2NfWMI/AAAAAAAAFFc/0QdqBcdbLjw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-05+at+5.12.51+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BU_KqjP1Xu4/U5Drc2NfWMI/AAAAAAAAFFc/0QdqBcdbLjw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-05+at+5.12.51+PM.png" height="640" width="580" /></a></div>
That's all.<br />
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-78496285333670804672014-05-28T15:10:00.000-07:002014-05-28T15:10:20.419-07:00Pillow-Making, Print-Making, and Whatever Else I Remember.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WAY3i6qXcV8/U4Zc9XUrBFI/AAAAAAAAFDM/Vs-LDofgJSw/s1600/hourglass02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WAY3i6qXcV8/U4Zc9XUrBFI/AAAAAAAAFDM/Vs-LDofgJSw/s1600/hourglass02.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
I made a pillow cover. Monumental, right? Actually, in terms of FINISHING A SEWN ITEM, it kinda is. I can't remember the last time I finished something that wasn't for some outside project, something that was just for me to Make and Have. This is it: a pillow. Behold it's squishyness?<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1tIz0QBTMzs/U4Zc9Y8kLuI/AAAAAAAAFDA/N33lpXRC6U4/s1600/hourglass01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1tIz0QBTMzs/U4Zc9Y8kLuI/AAAAAAAAFDA/N33lpXRC6U4/s1600/hourglass01.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
I've never made these hourglass blocks before, but I've been dreaming of quilts with them for a while now, so I thought I'd try. I did the 8 HST's at once deal-y, and then smashed them together like they weren't nothin' and did the HST dance. You know the one, yes? It was quite a bit of fun, and my points stayed pointy, all except for two. DON'T LOOK FOR THOSE TWO! It shames me. (Also don't look hard at my couch, it sorely needs some attention from the vaccuum.)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jo5YOTJEjuc/U4Zc9lBkyXI/AAAAAAAAFDE/lzJ0PjXc7y0/s1600/hourglass03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jo5YOTJEjuc/U4Zc9lBkyXI/AAAAAAAAFDE/lzJ0PjXc7y0/s1600/hourglass03.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
One thing I've thought about more and more lately is this: staged photographs are REEDEEKUUULOUS. Like, of course, this is a pillow on an old crate in front of a chalkboard leaned up against a wall. Because that's TOTALLY where we keep our pillows. Yet somehow, it just doesn't look as wrong as it sounds. Eyes, you are silly geese.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-De9Orebc-WY/U4ZYRRHQa_I/AAAAAAAAFCw/7a5R2PbGG-Q/s1600/allwillYE02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-De9Orebc-WY/U4ZYRRHQa_I/AAAAAAAAFCw/7a5R2PbGG-Q/s1600/allwillYE02.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
So. I made <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/191117836/all-will-be-well-print-aqua-sky?ref=listing-0" target="_blank">this print</a> because of <a href="http://matthewsmith.bandcamp.com/track/all-must-be-well-acoustic" target="_blank">this song</a>, and I sorta love them both so much. I don't really have a lot to say about it, but it makes me happy, and I feel a bit calmer when I catch a glimpse of it. I made meeself a desktop background, and if you wants to, you can download one by clicking at the"free thingies" tab at the top o' the page.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jRnn4QVvj44/U4ZYN3kE5SI/AAAAAAAAFCo/_wMC3QBdFuY/s1600/allwillAQ01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jRnn4QVvj44/U4ZYN3kE5SI/AAAAAAAAFCo/_wMC3QBdFuY/s1600/allwillAQ01.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vSn7zGvY_1g/U4ZYLGNQ53I/AAAAAAAAFCk/7h-j37LuLRA/s1600/allwillYE04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vSn7zGvY_1g/U4ZYLGNQ53I/AAAAAAAAFCk/7h-j37LuLRA/s1600/allwillYE04.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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Desktoppy versions (download larger on the "free thingies" page):</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JoSS4Q_cGs8/U4Zd4-IOTUI/AAAAAAAAFDg/rf70LhpEFIs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-28+at+4.39.41+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JoSS4Q_cGs8/U4Zd4-IOTUI/AAAAAAAAFDg/rf70LhpEFIs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-28+at+4.39.41+PM.png" height="344" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lqIgtVSrNrI/U4Zd5P6rXyI/AAAAAAAAFDk/kv0mVsDahCY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-28+at+4.39.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lqIgtVSrNrI/U4Zd5P6rXyI/AAAAAAAAFDk/kv0mVsDahCY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-28+at+4.39.52+PM.png" height="345" width="640" /></a></div>
'Tis all I can think of! Adieu!<br />
<br />Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-72434226420692328702014-05-23T15:17:00.002-07:002014-05-23T15:19:18.377-07:00Huge (Formerly) Secret Project.So!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SwukAL8NfV0/U3_EeorlXNI/AAAAAAAAFAI/L8BjEUbNPTs/s1600/BookCover-815x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SwukAL8NfV0/U3_EeorlXNI/AAAAAAAAFAI/L8BjEUbNPTs/s1600/BookCover-815x1024.jpg" height="640" width="509" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4L4Q-hm0aQ/U3_FoGr2aTI/AAAAAAAAFAg/_fwjSxColKs/s1600/04.03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I4L4Q-hm0aQ/U3_FoGr2aTI/AAAAAAAAFAg/_fwjSxColKs/s1600/04.03.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
I've been photographing a book.<br />
Like, a whole book, that will have pictures on every. single. page. Actually, more like <i>between </i>1-6<i> </i>pictures on every. single. page. That is MANY pictures. And I've been meaning to blog about it FOREVER, but my act has just never gotten itself together (responsibility, dodged!) and so, well, here it is: I've been taking pictures.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aRIAjr33uVU/U3_ICjoe3dI/AAAAAAAAFAw/EkxaoN_d80M/s1600/016.01_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aRIAjr33uVU/U3_ICjoe3dI/AAAAAAAAFAw/EkxaoN_d80M/s1600/016.01_2.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
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Shea. I've told you about <a href="http://emptybobbinsewing.com/" target="_blank">Shea, the magical unicorn</a>, whose coattails I would gladly ride forever, yes? Well, she wrote a book, <a href="http://luckyspool.com/collections/books/products/school-of-sewing" target="_blank">an HAMAZING book</a>, and she asked me, would you take the pictures, and of course I said YES! OH MY! YES! I WILL! I WILL! I WILL!, you get the idea. What made it even more exciting is who is publishing the book-- <a href="http://luckyspool.com/pages/about-us" target="_blank">Susanne Woods</a> of <a href="http://luckyspool.com/" target="_blank">Lucky Spool Media</a>, who I had met at market several years back, and I knew would be awesome to work with. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZPdFKd_ntE/U3_FRc-g-3I/AAAAAAAAFAQ/RtyD4cDqWWk/s1600/06.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZPdFKd_ntE/U3_FRc-g-3I/AAAAAAAAFAQ/RtyD4cDqWWk/s1600/06.04.jpg" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
It's called School of Sewing, and I want to shouw you every single picture in the whole book, but I am pretty sure I'm not allowed to do that. It's ingeniously written, and insanely thorough, and I might be biased, but I think it's just about the best sewing reference book that anyone who is learning to sew, or knows how to sew, or is teaching people how to sew could have. It's kinda perfect. I'll quote some of what <a href="http://emptybobbinsewing.com/2014/02/27/coming-soon-school-sewing/" target="_blank">Shea has said about it:</a><br />
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<i>There is machine buying advice, the what and why of sewing supplies, a detailed troubleshooting section and it’s filled quotes from actual beginners and I think that is my favorite part. It includes the storyline of my group of eight students who have been learning over the course of the last year!</i></div>
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<i>My greatest hope is that not only will beginners pick up this book, but also experienced sewists looking to teach a friend, neighbor or co-worker to love our craft. The book is designed to tackle one project a month with each building on the skills learned in the previous lesson. The projects are functional, gift-able, and (with the exception of one project) can be made in one class!</i></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iPNzRmVjtDk/U3_HDbjZnEI/AAAAAAAAFAo/SvZ9o78twLc/s1600/03.08_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iPNzRmVjtDk/U3_HDbjZnEI/AAAAAAAAFAo/SvZ9o78twLc/s1600/03.08_1.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; line-height: normal;">Seriously, this project has been so awesome. Exhausting, consuming, and LOTS of work, but above all that, it's just been </span><i style="color: black; line-height: normal;">fun</i><span style="color: black; line-height: normal;">. And as soon as I can show you more, I will; but for now I can just give a few sneaky glimpses into the book, and I hope dig them even half as much as I have dug? (digged? dought?) taking them. Wooha! Bam! Boo-yah! </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All of the exclamations!</span></span></div>
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-78099220133937708862014-02-07T13:39:00.001-08:002014-02-07T13:39:34.470-08:00Technically, It's Called Washington's Birthday.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fKuJosqBR6o/UvVK6gRolkI/AAAAAAAAE6k/i45CyC6-hZE/s1600/prescardquin02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fKuJosqBR6o/UvVK6gRolkI/AAAAAAAAE6k/i45CyC6-hZE/s1600/prescardquin02.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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Have I ever mentioned that we don't really celebrate Valentine's Day in our house? And that a shared love of Lincoln-kitsch was one of the reasons why I ended up meeting my husband? And that our honeymoon was an Abraham-Lincoln-themed roadtrip? And that I sometimes get the urge <a href="http://www.myauntjune.blogspot.com/p/me.html" target="_blank">to get Abe-Lincoln-faced-up</a> and show up randomly at friends' doorsteps?</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V581uaIN6dY/UvVK3IFfZYI/AAAAAAAAE6c/3jxJI1r0iFg/s1600/prescardlinc03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V581uaIN6dY/UvVK3IFfZYI/AAAAAAAAE6c/3jxJI1r0iFg/s1600/prescardlinc03.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
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Because all of those things are true. For as long as I've known him, Brian and I have exchanged our declarations of love and affection on the third Monday of February instead of the 14th. We've always preferred the easy-going, apathetic vibe of Presidents' Day, or, as it is officially labelled by the federal government, "Washington's Birthday". Because who doesn't fondly remember the many filler worksheets of elementary school-- the endless stream of word-searches, scrambles and crosswords that teachers flung at us to escape, if only for a moment, the bleak monotony of February following the Valentine's sugar-rush? I suppose that the answer is: Everyone who isn't American. But 'Murricans, you know what I'm talking about.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7TvBRxnCdho/UvVK6oLNACI/AAAAAAAAE6o/eeGAU3NL5gE/s1600/prescardroos01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7TvBRxnCdho/UvVK6oLNACI/AAAAAAAAE6o/eeGAU3NL5gE/s1600/prescardroos01.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
So I've been making silly little Presidents' Day cards for years, and this year I made some for, perhaps, you? <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/auntjune?ref=si_shop" target="_blank">Be they on etsy</a>, but I'm also doing a special on instagram-- 3 cards of your choice for $12 + $2 shipping. You can purchase them via instagram, I'm @lauren_hunt, or, if you're not "on the 'gram" (that's slang that no one has ever before used), just send me an email (lauren at auntjune dot com) and I'll invoice you via paypal. What what?<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gJMa40NNzOo/UvVK1HvbQqI/AAAAAAAAE6M/vNdkJkkgd60/s1600/prescardinside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gJMa40NNzOo/UvVK1HvbQqI/AAAAAAAAE6M/vNdkJkkgd60/s1600/prescardinside.jpg" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
And yes, that is a hand-carved bust of Abraham Lincoln, made by an African man who had never heard of him before. To our knowledge, we own the only one in the United States, or, at least the first one produced by that particular craftsman. It's a good story, I'll have to tell you later.<br />
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Abraham Lincoln! Theodore Roosevelt! John Quincy Adams! Just go with it!Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-61374913303824478752014-01-28T12:31:00.001-08:002014-01-28T12:31:42.641-08:00Pre-Beard Abraham Lincoln Sure Looks Sassy.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sRPaanRiHUU/UugL-USpx6I/AAAAAAAAE4U/iKVRB_ylIbg/s1600/abelincolncard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sRPaanRiHUU/UugL-USpx6I/AAAAAAAAE4U/iKVRB_ylIbg/s1600/abelincolncard.png" height="640" width="448" /></a></div>
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I've been drawing presidents and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyxx85q00QI" target="_blank">listening to Bruce Springsteen covers on repeat</a>. Winter does strange things to people, amiright? The presidents are for some cards I hope to have done soon, so at least they have a purpose. As to the cover, I have yet to determine whether I have discovered a dormant love for Bruce Springsteen or for Justin Townes Earle, though perhaps it is just this singular combination of the two?</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rShRY6qbemY/UugQVvvea3I/AAAAAAAAE4g/6lLyNq96mvI/s1600/theoroosevelt.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rShRY6qbemY/UugQVvvea3I/AAAAAAAAE4g/6lLyNq96mvI/s1600/theoroosevelt.png" height="640" width="494" /></a> </div>
It remains a mystery for now. I seem to have made Theodore Roosevelt's hands a bit too small for his head, or maybe his head too large for his body? Oh well, I don't tend to fuss around with accurate human proportions. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt" target="_blank">Theodore Roosevelt</a> was kinda amazing, by the way, not only did he wrestle bears, make up his own political party, and give a 90-minute speech immediately after being shot in the chest, but he was a really sweet dude. This is his journal entry for the day that both his mother and wife died tragically:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u8eo5Q-urBQ/UugSw4ATezI/AAAAAAAAE4s/8rXw-z7RQLo/s1600/Light_has_gone_out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u8eo5Q-urBQ/UugSw4ATezI/AAAAAAAAE4s/8rXw-z7RQLo/s1600/Light_has_gone_out.jpg" height="640" width="392" /></a></div>
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Commence with the weeping. </div>
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What was my point, internetlings? I do not remember, but enjoy the historical tidbits. I will sew something again, some day.</div>
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-87166915664687196502013-12-12T14:02:00.002-08:002013-12-12T14:02:43.935-08:00Studio Stitches For You, Stanford Marshmallows, Pattern Sale, Yee-haw.Ok-- I said I would get this post up last week.<br />
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I am a liar. BUT, I am a liar with good intentions and a heinous cold, and I do apologize.<br />
Aaaaaaaand, since my brain is still slowly leaking out of my nose, this will not be a long and flowery post: Would you like to win a copy of <a href="http://www.myauntjune.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-love-embroidery-like-nobodys-business.html" target="_blank">this pattern</a>? It is the result of much, much love, mixed with a potent combination of blood, sweat, and tears. Not literally, that would smell awful. I'm sleepy, can you tell?<br />
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THE POINT IS! This pattern is my baby, and I love it, and it has both iron-on and traceable templates and a TON of images and DIAGRAMS! Oh, the diagrams, I love them dearly. It's a great excuse to buy shiny happy floss and sit in front of a heater and watch movies and stitch away to your heart's content. I'mma do this differently than I have in the past-- for every 20 comments, I will give away 1 pattern, and each winner will be drawn from that specific segment, so you have a 1-in-20 shot of winning, no matter how many people comment! Sound good? Cool. This time I'm going to make it easy, you don't have to answer any questions, just comment with anything. Although, if you're an overachiever, you can comment with your favorite quote from a Christmas movie. Or any movie. Run with it. I'll draw on the 18th!<br />
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And, if you've decided you'd just like to get one, all quick-like, <a href="http://shop.emptybobbinsewing.com/" target="_blank">Empty Bobbin now has a shop</a> with downloadable PDF patterns! Instant gratification-- it's pretty awesome. You can eat your marshmallows right now-- no harm, no foul.* AND, To christen the newly launched store, <a href="http://emptybobbinsewing.com/" target="_blank">Shea</a> is offering a 20% off code through Monday the 16th at noon on ALL of the patterns! Just enter the code GIVEAWAYDAY at checkout for 20% off your PDF pattern order. <a href="http://shop.emptybobbinsewing.com/">Check it outsies.</a><br />
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And now, I shall scuttle back to my lair and return to coughing up phlegm! Victoire!<br />
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*<i>When I was a kid, my mom would always tell me about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_marshmallow_experiment" target="_blank">this study</a> in order to encourage me to be a more patient and productive human being. I don't think it worked. And, apparently, no one elses' parents used this as a cautionary tale? My kids will know what I mean when I yell "Wait for your marshmallows, delinquents!"</i><br />
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-60379156774286745952013-12-03T15:11:00.001-08:002013-12-03T15:11:30.774-08:00The Somewhat Sad-ish Sampler, or: How I Learned to Embroider, Kinda.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After deciding to dip my toe into the delicious-flossy-rainbow pool that is embroidery, I realized that it would be prudent to, well, uhm... actually learn to embroider? I think maybe I'd done it a few times before, but I can't imagine I had produced anything with any degree of aesthetic appeal or skilled craftsmanship. </div>
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Which is to say, I sucked at it. Thus was born, The Somewhat Sad-ish Sampler! Shifty, shaky, and utterly without skill! It was insanely fun to make.</div>
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You could probably guess, but this was not a well-planned project. Basically, I decided to start randomly embroidering concentric squares in different stitches, and it just became a sampler by default. Did I have any idea what I was doing? No. But I DID have a book on embroidery, and a lot of West Wing episodes to burn through. Netflix streaming is the jet fuel of the 21st century crafter.</div>
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I think I learned a lot, because that's easiest to do if you know almost nothing. And it was just so much fun to play with pretty colors and spent almost no time thinking about what I was doing-- bumbling along, picking stitches at random and being generally unconcerned by the many, many mistakes and irregularities in the design. When you're in the habit of thinking about projects as (to some degree) commodities, it's really refreshing to make something so haphazard and unappealing that there would never be any question of re-making or marketing it. </div>
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Clearly I'm still no expert, but it was great practice for the MANY hours that I would put into sewing up the Studio Stitches sewing machines, several of which I stitched multiple times before I had acceptable samples. More on those soon-- I promise, I really am getting around to giving some of them away; this week it IS happening.</div>
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(For the record, I didn't embroider it in this hoop, but since I had put no forethought into display, there's really no good way to do it. Stitch tension, heh, heh... it was an issue.)</div>
Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-19427511946347709732013-11-26T08:54:00.002-08:002013-11-26T09:25:20.859-08:00Winner, Winner, Goose-y Dinner.I must say that I greatly enjoyed reading all of the goose-names submitted, and if it were a vote, I think our collective goose would definitely be named Lucy (or Loosey, or other variations thereof), or Grey. Quilters and vodka-lovers, it seems that a venn diagram would have a significant overlap, amiright? Anyway, drumroll, please...<br />
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Elizabeth! You have done won. I shall email you shortly.<br />
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I really do wish I had a bunch more to give away, especially since there were so many interesting and hilarious suggestions. A few of my favorites:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CJNV1Ffpyk/UpTWVWZ_ikI/AAAAAAAAE04/JqjMc3xpdnM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-26+at+11.07.39+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4CJNV1Ffpyk/UpTWVWZ_ikI/AAAAAAAAE04/JqjMc3xpdnM/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-26+at+11.07.39+AM.png" /></a>Awesome, right? And, even if you didn't win on this one, I hope you'll be comforted knowing that I'm going to try and give you as many chances as possible to get some free stuff in the next few days! If you haven't already signed up to win an <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/64322888/2014-overdue-book-calendar-endlessly?ref=shop_home_feat" target="_blank">Overdue Book Calendar</a>, <a href="http://myauntjune.blogspot.com/2013/11/its-baaaaaaaaack-overdue-overdue.html" target="_blank">you can do so here</a>. Also, I just received a nice stack of <a href="http://myauntjune.blogspot.com/2013/11/i-love-embroidery-like-nobodys-business.html" target="_blank">Studio Stitches patterns</a>, and I am itching to get some of them flying out the door and into your hands... look for it soon!Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-21991517131487826472013-11-14T13:21:00.002-08:002013-11-14T13:23:18.497-08:00It's Baaaaaaaaack... An Overdue Overdue Calendar, and Another Giveaway! So, last year I didn't make one. I was indecisive, and really busy with fabric-schtuff, and then it was too late. But I felt a little sadness in my cold, grinchy, heart, and this year I was determined to bring my baby back: <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/64322888/2014-overdue-book-calendar-endlessly?ref=shop_home_feat" target="_blank">The Overdue Book Calendar.</a><br />
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And if you're new around here, well, first of all, welcome! Thanks for coming! You can leave your shoes on, we don't have carpet! Are you allergic to cats? I hope not, because if you are, uhm, well, I need to go vaccuum. Wait, what was I saying? Oh. Yeah!<br />
If you're new around here and not accquainted with the Overdue Book Calendar, it's something I started making <a href="http://myauntjune.blogspot.com/2009/12/overdue-book-calendar.html" target="_blank">a few years ago</a>, inspired by the hilarious <a href="http://www.booksidoneread.com/" target="_blank">Raych</a>, one of the most impressive library-patrons I've ever known. She reads A LOT OF BOOKS. And so I was thinking, I could do that, but I always forget the due dates, so...<br />
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The OBC was born. I'mma copy and paste some of the etsy listing, because I'm lazy. Skip over it, if you know the drill. Salient points are, digital download, so you have it IMMEDIAMENTE! Since it's a digital printable, you can print it a zillion times for all your friends and family, a super-cheap Christmas gift. And, did I mention super-cheap? It's $4. Other than pretty minimal printing costs, it's like the cheapest gift ever, besides gum. And gum is a LAME present, guys. Just sayin'.<br />
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Commence etsy listing text! And, if you're already convinced, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/64322888/2014-overdue-book-calendar-endlessly?ref=shop_home_feat" target="_blank">buy it here!</a><br />
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<i>Books make people smarter, it's a fact. I'm pretty sure that there is scientific evidence to prove it, AND that evidence is most likely located in a book. Bam.</i><br />
<i><br />And books are GREAT, but they are not free, and that is sad. But! Libraries exist! Which is awesome, because they let you read books for free! Unless you forget to take them back, and then books costs money again. <br /><br />So I drew up this handy calendar to help you remember when to take your library books back, because that is a surprisingly hard thing to do, at least for me. Time moves forward, in a very logical and well-documented way, but somehow I manage to forget (or ignore) the consequences of it.<br /><br />But ANYWAYS! Every month of this 2014 calendar has space for you to write in your library books (12-14 spots) with their due dates. You can also circle the due dates on the calendar to give yourself a visual reminder. <br /><br />And, yep, I know, E-Readers exist. I have one. (I have two, actually. What a traitor.) But it doesn't mean you don't need the calendar! Just use the blank version of it as a record of the books you read. An heirloom, if you will, because without paper proof, how will your future (or present, I don't know,) grandchildren know you could read? Also, you can print two and keep a decoy calendar on your fridge that makes you look super-fancy, and keep the real one hidden away. I'm not here to judge.<br /><br />Two versions of this calendar are available for you to download, the standard calendar as well as a blank version without the words "Due By", so that you are able write in your own text. This makes it possible to alter the calendar for many purposes, including recording books read or setting specific reading goals. Downloads for both calendars are included in this listing, so it's kinda like two for the price of one!<br /><br />Also included is a completely customizable page of books with a single large space for you to fill up- perfect for any number of uses, like recording your favorite (or least favorite) books read during the year, or making up fictional titles for books you wish existed, or listing books you want to read in the future. </i><br />
And if you are NOW convinced, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/64322888/2014-overdue-book-calendar-endlessly?ref=shop_home_feat" target="_blank">it is still here</a>. Woot!<br />
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But wait, you're saying, what's that about a giveaway? Welp, since I'm in the away-giving mood, and your duck names were all hilarious, I'm giving away 5 copies of the calendar, freesies. If you want the calendar <i>now</i>, you can go ahead and buy it, and if you win, I will refund your $4, I promise! I'll pick the 5 names and announce them on the 21st, and because I like to ask silly questions, we'll go with this: If you could alter the size of any wild animal and keep it as a pet, what would it be? Tiny hippo? Giant spider? (I reeeeeeeally hope it isn't giant spider.) Oh, and if you do the thing where you <a href="https://www.facebook.com/auntjune.etsy?ref=hl" target="_blank">"like" or "share" or whatever</a> on facebook, you'll be entered into the drawing, but twice more! Social media, I am harnessing it? Do so if you wish: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/auntjune.etsy">https://www.facebook.com/auntjune.etsy</a><br />
Yay! I hope you win! No giant spiders!<br />
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<br />Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-28675233178572795352013-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:002013-11-13T00:01:01.385-08:00Classic Modern Quilts: A Real Book, That I Am In! (And Of Course, A Giveaway!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, many months ago, which translates to two posts ago, I was all, <a href="http://www.myauntjune.blogspot.com/2013/07/add-whining-project-limbo-and-actual.html" target="_blank">I'm done made a quilt!</a> For a thing! <a href="https://www.pickledishstore.com/productDetail.php?PID=1401" target="_blank">A book thing!</a> For reals!<br />
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Well, y'all, I was not lying, and now I have the proof to prove it! (Yeah, I know that's a redundant sentence, but isn't it fun to say?) It's a book! With my name on the cover! Which is weird! But awesome! Exclamation point overload!<br />
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<a href="https://www.pickledishstore.com/productDetail.php?PID=1401" target="_blank">Classic Modern Quilts: 10 Quilts Inspired by Historical Kansas City Star Blocks</a><br />
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And it's a PRETTY book, my friends. There are some very fabulous quilts in here, so you should take a gander at it when you get a chance-- and definitely check out the blog tour that's going on from now until the 22nd, at the fabulous blogs of the other contributors!<br />
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Nov. 11: Lisa Calle, <a href="http://www.vintagemodernquilts.com/">www.vintagemodernquilts.com</a><br />
Nov. 12: Lynne Goldsworthy, <a href="http://www.lilysquilts.blogspot.com/">www.lilysquilts.blogspot.com</a><br />Nov. 13: If you're reading this, You Are Here.<br />Nov. 14: Heather Kojan, <a href="http://www.heatherkojan.blogspot.com/">www.heatherkojan.blogspot.com</a><br />Nov. 15: John Kubiniec, <a href="http://www.bigrigquilting.blogspot.com/">www.bigrigquilting.blogspot.com</a><br />Nov. 18: Adrianne Ove, <a href="http://www.littlebluebell.com/">www.littlebluebell.com</a><br />Nov. 19: Trisch Price, <a href="http://www.hadleystreetquilts.com/">www.hadleystreetquilts.com</a><br />Nov. 20: Tammie Schaffer, <a href="http://www.craftytammie.com/">www.craftytammie.com</a> and Tia Curtis, <a href="http://tiacurtisquilts.blogspot.com/">tiacurtisquilts.blogspot.com</a><br />Nov. 21: Amy Smart, <a href="http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/">www.diaryofaquilter.com</a><br />Nov. 22: Susan Strong, <a href="http://www.strongstitches.wordpress.com/">www.strongstitches.wordpress.com</a><br /><div>
<br />And, the lovely folks at <a href="http://mystarsblog.com/" target="_blank">My Stars</a>, the newest imprint of Kansas City Star Quilts, are letting us each give away a copy-- that's unlimited ganders, and all for free! Just leave a comment on this post before November 22nd, and I'll do one of those random-number-drawing-things to pick a winner! Of course, it wouldn't be as much fun if we didn't have a theme for the comments, so let's go with: If you had a goose, what would you name it? (Optional secondary question: Why would anyone want to own a goose? They are TERRIFYING.)<br />
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The theme of the book is taking traditional blocks and remaking them in a modern way, and I've got to say, I really enjoyed the challenge of it. I chose a block called "Many Roads to the White House", and to tell the truth, I'm still not sure how the original block was constructed, but I had a lot of fun figuring out how to recreate it in a way that's surprisingly simple, with no paper-piecing.<br />
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My goal was to take the relatively basic block and make it look far more complex, and I'm really pleased with how it came out, and especially pumped about the method of construction. Because yeah, it LOOKS like a lot of small pieces, but it's actually strip-pieced in a way that makes it MUCH faster than it would seem. I mean, I finished it, so it has to be pretty basic, ya know?<br />
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Anyhoo, it makes me smile. Now, leave your goose-name in the comments, and check out the other stops on the blog tour! Because, QUILTS! They are awesome.<br />
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And of course, so are photo-bombing cats. Named Baxter. Ahem.<br />
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com108tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-17126436435389292132013-11-04T08:59:00.002-08:002013-11-04T08:59:40.405-08:00I Love Embroidery Like Nobody's Business.<div style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #222222;">
So it turns out, I freaking LOVE embroidery. Which is good, because it's, like, 90% of what I did this summer. Why, you might ask? Because, I was a-makin' somethin'...</div>
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<a href="http://emptybobbinsewing.com/2013/10/23/introducing-new-fall-patterns-somewhere-under-cantilevers-studio-stitches/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Studio Stitches, A Sewing Themed Embroidery set</a>! I'll post more details later, once I have them in my hot little hands, but this pattern was truly a labor of love, and I'm really really pleased with the way we set it up. Starting out with almost no embroidery experience allowed me to see elements that I wanted from traditional patterns that just don't exist, and try to make graphics that would explain things clearly, especially for visual learners like me.</div>
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How did it happen? Well, my friends, when <a href="http://emptybobbinsewing.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Shea Henderson (the unstoppable force behind Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio</a>), says to you, "You should think about doing this thing," <i>LET ME TELL YOU</i> you should probably do that thing. Because, like a magical soul-seeing unicorn, Shea will direct you to things that you had no idea you would love, and she will gently nudge you with her unicorn-horn towards them until one day you're like, WHOA, I love this, how did I get here? and then you turn around and, Magical Unicorn Shea looks at you knowingly and then disappears into a mist. Or, something like that... I think I've read too much fantasy lately. (For the record, Shea does not actually have any horns.)</div>
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And, I have a so many thoughts about embroidery, because I've spent the past 6+ months becoming somewhat less terrible than I initially was at it-- but I won't go in to it all now, because 1) I can't remember most of it at the moment, and 2) I will be blathering about this a lot more when the pattern is officially out in the world, so I'll save it for then. But, man, I am EXCITED about embroidery. I am JAZZED. My SOCKS have been ROCKED. </div>
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But because the pattern was hush-hush, I spent the entire summer desperately desiring to talk about embroidery all the time-- It was like spending WEEKS at French immersion camp, and then going home and not being allowed to let anyone know you speak French. And you're all, I can conjugate THAT verb! but you have to put a sock in it, or everyone will know what you're playing at. But now I shall conjugate all the embroidery-verbs! And loudly! I'm so happy that this is finally out in the world, and I hope at least a few other people do, too.</div>
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Lest ye should ever wonder how fake the interwebs are, and what it ACTUALLY looks like when I'm snapping pictures...</div>
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-70259554578599374622013-07-29T10:18:00.003-07:002013-07-29T10:18:35.907-07:00ADD, Whining, Project-Limbo, and an Actual Quilt.I have the attention span of a gnat. Actually, I take that back-- I doubt gnats have enough of an inner monologue to BE distracted. Probably if they have a gnat-language, they're just thinking <i>Don't die, fly around, eat things, continue not to die.</i> Good thinking, gnats.<br />
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But me, I get distracted easily, and I am very good at forgetting things. And while I have almost 30 years worth of coping mechanisms (So! Many! Lists!) and a bottle full of (Legally acquired!) magic pills, I still manage to let things just fall out of my head; plop! shwish! <i>gone</i>.<br />
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Which is a problem when I am working on projects that cannot be revealed during-the-makings. I want to be like, Look! I'm MAKING a THING! Do you like it? Is it awful? How should I do this thing or that thing? But I can't, because there are Timelines and Official Release Dates and whatnot. And, that's fine, but it means that by the time something can actually be shared, I've usually kind of forgotten it. Plop! shwish! <i>gone.</i><br />
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And lately, it makes me feel like Nothing Is Ever Done, because even when it is ALMOST done, there is still editing and proofing and ok'ing and printing and whatever else to be done. And there's also the lurking possibility that it might never see the light of day, anyway. It's a pretty BLERG-y feeling sometimes, though for the most part it's not a big deal, because after all, what I'm getting to do is really fun. Fun! In limbo! Limbo-fun!<br />
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But TODAY, there is something that is not-done-but-enough-done to share at least a few photos, and I haven't even forgotten it yet! It feels delicious. So: I was lucky enough to be asked to submit a quilt for the first book published by <a href="http://mystarsblog.com/" target="_blank">My Stars</a>, a new imprint of Kansas City Star Quilts, and while I can't show you the whole shebang, I can give you at least a few sneaky peeks. To prove, you know, that I actually still know how to sew.<br />
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Look! I MADE a THING! Please note the almost-neat-ish nested seams, if you will. Those made it quite a bit easier to quilt, and allowed me to feel very smug. Perfect, they are not, but they're good enough for me.<br />
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I quilted it with wobbly-doodles. That's an technical term. Really.<br />
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And if you have a chance, check out the My Stars blog to read about the books other contributors, they're all totally better at quilts than I am, and I'm still surprised that they let me in. Also, Jenifer Dick, the exclusive editor of My Stars Quilts and my fellow KCMQG peep, will be on Pat Sloan’s American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast live today at 4 p.m. Eastern. Click <a href="http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines-more/quilting-podcast">here</a> to catch the show live or listen later.<br />
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I've realized how much I overuse the word BAM, so today I'm going with something new.<br />
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Hoorah!Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-23795726358211427672013-07-25T16:15:00.001-07:002013-07-25T16:17:04.743-07:00Buy Uno! Get Uno! Freeeeeeeeee!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Heyo!<br />
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I'mma be brief, but I wanted to tootle my "sale" horn and let you know that from now until August 8th, all prints in my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/auntjune" target="_blank">etsy shop</a> are buy one get one freesies. So, Now Is The Time, or something like that. Make your walls not-as-naked? That's the new name of the sale, the Anti-Wall Nudity Act of 2013. BAM!<br />
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Here's how I'm working it: just tell me what you would like for your free print in the "notes" section when checking out, and you will receive it (in the same size) with your purchased print. This includes the custom ASL prints-- choose either a duplicate print of your custom print, or any other print in the shop.<br />
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Also, I've added a new addition to the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154474722/woodgrain-herringbone-original-fabric?ref=shop_home_feat" target="_blank">Woodgrain Herringbone family</a>, a spiffy graphic <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/157760915/woodgrain-herringbone-black-and-white?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">black and white cousin,</a> for the tone-on-tones to play with.<br />
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Giddyup.<br />
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-10696297922457322772013-06-19T15:14:00.001-07:002013-06-19T15:18:40.829-07:00Woodgrain Herringbone, BAM.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'm having a mildly triumphant day today-- I discovered that if I tip my computer screen upwards a bit, I don't have to squinch my neck up to look at it, which is AMAZING, because I am all sorts of sore because of squinching. That's a technical term. Look it up. (Don't.)<br />
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And, even greater than my potential squinching-remedy, is that I finally have my newest favorite fabric design ready for show and tell and <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/auntjune" target="_blank">up on etsy</a>!<br />
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So, at some point this winter, I became mildly obsessed with carving eraser stamps. I carved a jillion of them, but some of my favorites were these really simple ones with a doodly faux bois pattern in them-- they were fun and graphic and a lot of fun to stamp in different patterns. So I scanned 'em in, vectored 'em up, and made me some woody fabric goodness.<br />
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And, HERRINGBONE! It is fun to SAY and fun to MAKE and fun (I think?) to SEW with! I stuck with simple tone-on-tone color pairings, because I am a sissy, but I am thinking about doing some versions with a white background... Thoughts?<br />
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H'Anyways. You're about to get fabric-photobombed. I'd apologize, but you're probably used to it by now. I'm sorry.<br />
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154470050/woodgrain-herringbone-blue-sky-original" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KaGm20cxqZw/UcInEeICirI/AAAAAAAAElI/AinKSIi-PyM/s640/woodHBblue01.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154470050/woodgrain-herringbone-blue-sky-original" target="_blank">Sky Blue</a><br />
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<span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154470306/woodgrain-herringbone-plum-original?ref=v1_other_2" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ufrCklOUc-Q/UcInVVAD7fI/AAAAAAAAElo/w4Zfn-okZpc/s640/woodHBpurp01.jpg" width="426" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154470306/woodgrain-herringbone-plum-original?ref=v1_other_2" target="_blank">Plum</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154470626/woodgrain-herringbone-orange-peel" target="_blank">Orange Peel</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154477285/woodgrain-herringbone-lemon-yellow" target="_blank">Lemon Yellow</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154471502/woodgrain-herringbone-grashopper-green" target="_blank">Grasshopper green</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154472332/woodgrain-herringbone-gray-original" target="_blank">Gray</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154479183/woodgrain-herringbone-brown-mahogany" target="_blank">Mahogany Brown</a></div>
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and of course, the <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/154474722/woodgrain-herringbone-original-fabric" target="_blank">"Taste the Rainbow" seven pack.</a> But watch out for splinters! When you taste it! Get it?!? Hyuk! (Ugh, I am SORRY. Being mildly triumphant makes me AWFUL.)</div>
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Also, after being curious for MANY moons about the Magical Unicorn they call Aurifil, I bought a spool from my friend Elizabeth's wonderful new etsy shop, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShopCucire" target="_blank">Cucire</a> (KCMQG, Woot Woot!), and I have to say, unsurprisingly, that I'm a fan. It's excellent for both sewing with and use as a photo prop... BONUS. </div>
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-55077733622028047042013-06-06T15:25:00.002-07:002013-06-06T15:36:42.985-07:00Watercolor Splosh Tea Towels and Book Recommendations for Bored Kids.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sometimes when I play with watercolors, I like to make the sounds that I think watercolors should make. Or, the sounds I think they DO make, but louder. Splosh. Shlopp. Shweeshweeshwee. (Actually, I sometimes make these sounds when I'm not painting-- I make a lot of random sounds. Pity the people who live with me.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I don't do it as much anymore, but I've always loved painting with watercolors. I've still got the two sets I carried around throughout high school, rubber-banded together and with a water bottle full of dirty-paint water. (I mean, I still have the paints. The rubber band and water bottle went off to live their own lives</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In college, for reasons I no longer remember, I painted, like, a million apples. I have no idea why, but they're kinda pretty.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-noHAfoTx4eQ/UbEJV3uQMJI/AAAAAAAAEjc/W8hl7cQ8gzM/s1600/wcTTcoral02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-noHAfoTx4eQ/UbEJV3uQMJI/AAAAAAAAEjc/W8hl7cQ8gzM/s640/wcTTcoral02.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Like I said, it's pretty rare now that I pull them out, but during a texture-acquisition-frenzy, I made several pages of delightfully squishy paint-blobbers. And because It's What I Do, I made them into tea-towels. And if you want, <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/auntjune?ref=si_shop" target="_blank">you can buy them</a>. They're the same luscious linen/cotton blend as the calendar tea-towels, printed fabulously by Spoonflower and hemmed lovingly by yours truly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, book recommendations, what??? Am I pretending to be <i>literate</i> now? (No.) But when I started planning this post, I got to thinking about my childhood watercoloring adventures, and why exactly I have such great fondness for my beat-up little set of Prangs. I took some summer art classes, but my only clear memory of those was that we salt on wet washes to make little "stars" in the sky, and nothing else stuck. And then I remembered this book:</span><br />
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<i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Watercolor-Artistically-Undiscovered-John-Cassidy/dp/1878257447" target="_blank">Watercolor: For the Artistically Undiscovered</a>,</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> by</span><i style="font-family: inherit;"> </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-Cassidy/e/B000APZ1EU/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" style="font-family: inherit;">John Cassidy</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Watercolor-Artistically-Undiscovered-John-Cassidy/dp/1878257447#" style="font-family: inherit;"></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thacher-Hurd/e/B0034Q2BCC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_2" style="font-family: inherit;">Thacher Hurd</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. This book Is. Awesome. Unlike most kids' art books, the materials it comes with are actually GOOD quality-- I still have the Reeves brush that it came with, and I would have the paints too, if I hadn't completely used them up. Most of the book is actually watercolor paper with bits on the side to get you started, and plenty of open space for you to doodle with, and this is a book that really encourages doodling as opposed to trying to make perfect finished paintings right away. It's completely un-intimidating, but it has a lot of really good information presented in ways that I still remember today. If you have bored children who are even vaguely interested in making art, I wholeheartedly recommend this book.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Aaaaaaaand, by the way-- I'm not an amazon associate or whatever that is, because I'm too lazy to google it and sign up or whatever, so these recommendations are completely unsponsored. I don't squat if you click through these links to buy the books, but they're good books! And cheap! Click away!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paint-Jeffery-Camp/dp/0789406330" target="_blank">Paint</a>, by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jeffery-Camp/e/B000AQTS98/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">Jeffery Camp</a>, has what might be one of the most hideous covers ever, so I can't bring myself to post a picture here, but I remember looking through it a million times (though my copy is at my parents' house, so I couldn't tell you everything that it goes over). It's a DK book, (or Dorling Kindersley, if you're fancy), and I have never seen a DK book that wasn't an extremely high-quality reference. DK has a bunch of different series, and this is listed as DK Adult, which means it might have paintings with nekkid people in them? I don't remember, but I had it when I was in elementary or middle school, and don't recall anything too racy in it. It seems to be out of print, but it is definitely worth a library checkout.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">DK also has a "DK Art School" series, which I remember as being equally fascinating. I had <i>An </i></span></span><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Drawing-James-Horton/dp/0751306479/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370555909&sr=1-7&keywords=dk+art+school" target="_blank">Introduction To Drawing</a> </i>by<i> </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=James%20Horton&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank">James Horton</a>, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/DK-Art-School-Painting-Portraits/dp/078944304X/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370555909&sr=1-5&keywords=dk+art+school" target="_blank">Oil Painting Portraits</a></i>, by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Ray%20Campbell%20Smith&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank">Ray Campbell Smith</a> and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/An-Introduction-Watercolor-Art-School/dp/0789432919/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_8" target="_blank">An Introduction to Watercolor</a> </i>by<i> </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Ray%20Campbell%20Smith&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank">Ray Campbell Smith</a>. I cannot tell you how many times I looked through these books-- staring at the hundreds of pages that compare materials, demonstrate techniques, go through the history of the art forms, and highlight the great masterpieces associated with them. Artistically, these are books that helped shape me, and despite the fact that LIKE EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD IS NEW AND ELECTRIC and the things of my childhood are mostly obsolete, pancils and paper and pigment remain the same. I think? And they're like, $7 on Amazon, and probably at your local Half Price Books, too; so not a huge investment. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What am I, a book salesman? No. Ok. That's all for now, then.</span></div>
Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-77918161768245711522013-05-31T10:58:00.001-07:002013-05-31T11:02:16.355-07:00It's Kind of A Long Story.So, say you're a gardener. You love to garden. And you love fruit, and so you decide to go get yourself a fruit tree. You drive to the plant-store (clearly, I am not a gardener), and you say, "Plant guy! Please direct me to the fruit trees! I would like a peach tree, because I love peaches!" And the plant guy takes you to the peach tree, and you find the one you think looks healthiest, and you take it home.<br />
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And you plant your peach tree, and do all of the things that loving peach-tree-owners do: you water it and prune it and fertilize it and protect it from whatever it needs protected from. You do it because you love your peach tree, and because you know that these are the things you have to do for your tree to bear fruit. Fruit trees, after all, are not sources of instant gratification-- it takes three years for a peach tree to bear fruit, but those years are made easier by your eager anticipation of <i>what is to come.</i><br />
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Then the long awaited season arrives, and you are excited; you start pinning peach cobbler recipes and researching canning and jam-making, and promising your neighbors that you will share your peaches. The time has come! you think, and you can already taste the peach juice.<br />
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And then your peach tree starts to blossom, and fruit begin to grow, and DUDE, THESE ARE CHERRIES, NOT PEACHES! WHAT? Seriously!?! THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A PEACH TREE!<br />
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(Ok, so I don't know if those trees actually look enough alike to be mistaken for one another. Maybe not, but you're an inexperienced gardener. It's an analogy, folks.)<br />
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So you shrug your shoulders and you tell yourself to buck up and you recycle all the peach-based recipes you printed out. And you're ok with it, because you still have a fruit tree, but it takes you a while to get used to the fact that this season is going to TASTE DIFFERENT than you thought it would. You're not unhappy, but you're not quite happy yet; it takes a while to shift gears.<br />
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But then one day you sit down on your porch with a handful of newly picked and washed cherries, and as you sit there spitting out seeds and staining your fingers with sweet cherry juices, you realize that you like cherries more. You don't remember why you chose peaches-- you liked them, and you still like them, but when you imagine sitting on your porch with a peach, you think what a lucky duck you are to have cherries instead. Cherries are expensive, and the season is short, and the cobblers are just as lovely.<br />
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And you think about how much you learned about fruit trees, and how it would be pretty easy to go to a plant-store with a more competent staff, and get a REAL peach tree, and start your own little orchard. And maybe if you would have gotten peaches, you never would have considered going back to get a cherry tree. You would have enjoyed the peaches, and made the cobblers, but you never would have started googling recipes that have both peaches AND cherries. They would be tasty together, you think.<br />
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Ok, sorry, enough with the fruitiness. If you know me well, you know that I can barely manage any complex thought without turning it into some sort of over-long analogy, that eventually leads to me forgetting what I was talking about. Here's the facts: Until a few months ago, I thought that I would be hugging bolts of freshly-printed fabric right now. I thought I would have gone to Portland for market, and worn some sort of Mrs-Frizzle-esque dress made of that fabric. I planned on cutting enough fat quarters to roll around in them like Scrooge McDuck. (Ok, I didn't think of that one until now, but it would have been nice.) Them's the peaches I was hoping for.<br />
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But it wasn't to be. There was no great disaster, no horrible mistakes, no drama-- everyone did their job well, but it just didn't happen. It's not uncommon, I guess. And I'm fortunate that the previous years of tree-maintenance prepared me for this, because I always knew that some trees don't bloom when they should, or at all, or they die, and I learned to be cautious in my optimism, and kept from defining myself as a peach farmer. I just had a peach tree, and I hoped for peaches someday, and when I got cherries, it took some getting used to, but it didn't crush me.<br />
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What's the cherries? There's lots of them. One particularly juicy one is that I am fortunate enough to be writing patterns for my fabulous friend, Shea Henderson, of Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio. And I'm in really good company; you can read her blog post <a href="http://emptybobbinsewing.com/2013/05/08/introducing-empty-bobbin-designers/" target="_blank">here</a> about the new designers that will be putting out new Empty Bobbin patterns in the near future. These are some very skilled ladies, and I'm excited to see what they are going to do, and eventually to share the secret-cherries I'm working on as well.<br />
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Another big bunch of cherries is that I am <a href="http://www.auntjune.etsy.com/" target="_blank">selling fabric</a>, in fat quarters and yardage, on <a href="http://auntjune.etsy.com/" target="_blank">etsy</a> again! Right now I have all of my previous designs, birdies, feathers, bikes, ships, and sign language up, but I have a LOT MORE coming soon-- I have a HUGE backlog of designs that have been hiding in the design-portfolio-basement, soon to be exposed to the glorious light of day. I'm rather fond of them, and happy that so many prints that had been stamped as "rejects" will get an opportunity to shine.<br />
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And there's more cherries where those came from, but I won't go into all of them now, because already, there are SO MANY WORDS in this post-- but I want you to know that I am loving the cherries. Don't cry for my peaches, guys, I'm not worried about them. Maybe I'll have some someday, but if not, whatevs. Right now, I have cherries, and they are sweet.Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-72703239013780332013-05-29T11:04:00.001-07:002013-05-29T11:09:55.246-07:00So I guess I have to do this?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/1938603/?claim=errk9frhpc7">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a></span></span><br />
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<span class="description-content" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">You been bloglovin'ed. Sorry. Everybody's doing it, so why can't we? And by "we", I mean "I", but I'm making a reference to an album by an </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">early nineties Irish rock band. What of it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">In other (non) news, here is the most attractive picture of me ever taken. YOU ARE WELCOME!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">I have a REAL post that I'm working on. It has a lot of words, though, so it's taking a while to squeeze out. It has nothing to do with owls, though. I am sorry.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Also, according to bloglovin', I have two blogs? One with .se instead of .com? Whatever. I shall claim them both. But you should click on the top link, not this one. This one is a mystery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4276853/?claim=bwb4jmfgvwt">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a></span><br />
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-69831552697724555562013-05-07T10:37:00.001-07:002013-05-07T10:37:45.698-07:00Spring! and Guild! and Rainbows! and Embroidery!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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SPRING. It's been here for a while, but it's been playing sneaky-hidey in Kansas City. Today, though, is LOVELY and the sky is BLUE and the sun is YELLOW and my thoughts, they are ALL OVER THE PLACE!<br />
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Ok, I had soooo much fun speaking at KC Modern Quilt Guild-- which is not surprising if you know me, because what is there that I love more than talking about myself? Ha. (It's funny in that half-joke/half true confession sort of way. Sigh.) But I enjoyed it, and I hope that the people who were there (the ones not my immediate family), enjoyed it as well. I only forgot what I was saying a few times, I think? Which is far less than in any un-rehearsed conversation I've ever had.<br />
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Anyway, I shared some newsies at guild that will be appearing here shortly, but I'm waiting on a few things from the postman; and some details take far more time to type than to talk about-- especially when you type as slowly as I do. But they are Good Newsies, and I am excited!<br />
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Along with tossing back vitamin D chewies like they're candy (which, they practically are), I have been soothing my sunshine-deficient eyeballs with this glorious thing... The Legendary Cosmo Floss Color Card. I know, I know, the Kona color card is the one that usually gets all the love, but, trust me, this one is SHINIER and FANCIER and has JAPANESE all over it. I'm in love with it, which is good, because it turns out, I am in love with embroidery.<br />
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How did I go so long without realizing it? Seriously? Embroidery is DRAWING with SHINY RAINBOWS on FABRIC, how did I NOT realize how incredible that is? I'm still working on my first project, which I've nicknamed the Shaky Shoddy Sampler, which I have vowed to make myself finish before I start busting into the gorgeous little stash of Cosmo floss from Lecien that I've been hoarding. (More on this later. I'm also enamored with a charming tiny Japanese woman. [Which, as a child, is what I wanted to be when I grew up. Sorry, child-self-with-limited-understanding-of-genetics, I have failed you.])<br />
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Do you guys know the feeling when you have <i>delicious</i> supplies for a project that you haven't started yet, and your whole body is like, <i>quivering</i> with anticipation and your chest feels tight like it just wants to hug all the pretty colors but it <i>can't</i>, and it's like your Very Soul is being forced to hold it like it's waiting in line at a movie theater restroom after a 3-hour film? Yeah.<br />
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Is that a real feeling? Or do I need to see a doctor?<br />
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<br />Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-89852828697201363992013-04-09T15:25:00.000-07:002013-04-09T15:25:06.180-07:00I Am Being Paid to Talk? (To youuuuuuuuuuuuu!?!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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GUYS! I keep forgetting to tell you, but I am the <i>official speaker</i> at this month's meeting of the KC Modern Quilt Guild, which is, <i>DUDE</i>, this Thursday! (The hamster will be there, too, I guess?)<br />
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I'd like to say it will be Interesting and Informative and Whatnot, and HOPEFULLY it will be be all of those things, but I make no guarantees-- but it will be SOMETHING, and there will be PICTURES, and I will probably embarrass myself in some way, but whatever. (And my <i>MOM</i> and <i>3RD GRADE TEACHER</i> will be there so there will definitely be no cursing.)<br />
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I'm kinda going to meander all over the place, topic wise, but I will be focusing on what the fabric design process consists of, how I conned my way into the fabric design, my design inspiration, and the tiny crumbs of insight I've picked up along the way. I'm really excited.<br />
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(I know the previous sentence might have seemed sarcastic, because it had no exclamation point, but it was not. It just seemed redundant! To have an exclamation point! On such an exclamatory sentence! I AM EXCITED!)<br />
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So! You should come, if you want! If you've never been to a guild meeting, that's awesome, it is totally not scary. (My default is to be scared of any sort of public assembly I have not previously experienced.) Do not be afraid! And it is free! (Unless you have attended as a guest before, and then I think it costs some money? But first times is free!)<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">DEETS:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thursday, April 11th</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7-9:00 pm</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=Roeland+Park+Community+Center,+4850+Rosewood,+Roeland+Park,+KS&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Roeland+Park+Community+Center,+4850+Rosewood,+Roeland+Park,+KS&cid=0,0,12755257390339713481&ei=24pkUZO6H8G1iwKmtIDQDg&ved=0CJYBEPwSMAA" target="_blank">Roeland Park Community Center</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=Roeland+Park+Community+Center,+4850+Rosewood,+Roeland+Park,+KS&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Roeland+Park+Community+Center,+4850+Rosewood,+Roeland+Park,+KS&cid=0,0,12755257390339713481&ei=24pkUZO6H8G1iwKmtIDQDg&ved=0CJYBEPwSMAA" target="_blank">4850 Rosewood</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&q=Roeland+Park+Community+Center,+4850+Rosewood,+Roeland+Park,+KS&fb=1&gl=us&hq=Roeland+Park+Community+Center,+4850+Rosewood,+Roeland+Park,+KS&cid=0,0,12755257390339713481&ei=24pkUZO6H8G1iwKmtIDQDg&ved=0CJYBEPwSMAA" target="_blank">Roeland Park, KS 66205</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;">And did I mention that </span><a href="http://www.marmaladefabrics.com/" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;" target="_blank">Marmalade Fabrics</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px;"> is sponsoring this meeting? Meaning, there will be FABRIC for sale? It's a fact. Look it up. (There's nowhere to look it up, so just trust me.)</span><br />
<br />Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-4548617745414831142013-04-05T10:07:00.001-07:002013-04-05T10:07:50.055-07:00Friday Thread Rainbow.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Thrift store thread. Don't ever use it! It is SEWING MACHINE POISON!<br />
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But it sure is pretty.<br />
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Someone was THRIFTY.Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-46496546728819430162013-04-01T14:55:00.003-07:002013-04-01T14:55:43.331-07:00Stack O' Monday Fabric Sunshine.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jtyJHlGnJsg/UVoCDbcDoeI/AAAAAAAAEdE/VJdc1Gt9IVI/s1600/manyroadsswatches2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jtyJHlGnJsg/UVoCDbcDoeI/AAAAAAAAEdE/VJdc1Gt9IVI/s640/manyroadsswatches2.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
Someday these will be a quilt. That's the plan. But for now, they're just really, really pretty.<br />
That is all.<br />
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-5506573376598909422013-03-29T08:25:00.000-07:002013-03-29T08:25:26.744-07:00Free Shipping until Sunday- Pillowcases, Phone Paraphernalia, Tote Bags.. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Just popping in to mention that society^ is having one of their periodic free-shipping periods, and I have some <a href="http://society6.com/auntjune/Everyday-Im-Rippin_Print" target="_blank">new</a> <a href="http://society6.com/auntjune/Some-Day-My-Ship-Will-Come-In_Print" target="_blank">goodies</a> up (more on those later), but if you love your freaking cat, or find that everyday you're rippin', then perhaps it's time to... <a href="http://society6.com/auntjune" target="_blank">TREAT YO' SELF</a>!</div>
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<br />Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6544870717394624903.post-49587926618115946192013-03-27T10:39:00.001-07:002013-03-27T10:39:13.937-07:00Past-Due Post: A QUILT?!?!Blogging takes more time than one might think. Fellow bloggerses, do you agree? Maybe I'm just slow (I am), but I find that I always have a folder full of images on my desktop, destined for a post that never happened. Sometimes that's probably a good thing, but sometimes I dust these folders off and feign surprise and say, Hey, buddy, where have you been hiding? and feel guilty because obviously I knew they were there all along.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8jxm-JXw_IE/UVMavj_aBxI/AAAAAAAAEaA/Hv2NgpbhSn8/s1600/flourishquilt03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8jxm-JXw_IE/UVMavj_aBxI/AAAAAAAAEaA/Hv2NgpbhSn8/s640/flourishquilt03.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
All this to say that I'm going to be putting up some not-so-recent photos, and all of them will begin with something like "Last summer at the National Clogging Championship..." or "When I was 12 and my family lived on a submarine..." Except, you know-- different and less exciting. Welcome to the start of the past-due posts.<br />
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GUYS, I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN MAKING QUILTS. No joke. Last Spring, I participated in a gallery show at our <a href="http://www.redeemerkansascity.org/" target="_blank">church</a>, where we were asked to make two 18" x 24" pieces- the first based on the concept of barrenness, and the second, flourishing. The first went up on Ash Wednesday, and the second on Easter.<br />
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So of course, being the thoughtful, introspective artist that I am, I came up with this deep, symbolic, and highly meaningful interpretation: Barren = gray! Flourish = colors! Hyuk, hyuk! (I promise, there was some thought behind it. Mostly because I was told I had to write a statement to hang next to it, but fortunately, that ended up not being necessary, which is good, because I have little patience with writing that sort of thing.)<br />
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I don't have any pictures of the first one, because I forgot, and it is boring, and it is currently at the bottom of some pile and covered in cat hair. Maybe some day I will unearth it? I actually do like it quite a bit, but gray quilt with gray quilting and gray binding isn't all that exciting.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cHFHRqzglfA/UVMpwQzZ_ZI/AAAAAAAAEbA/f4aw5Og0Dn4/s1600/flourishquilt06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cHFHRqzglfA/UVMpwQzZ_ZI/AAAAAAAAEbA/f4aw5Og0Dn4/s640/flourishquilt06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
And this was my first foray into hand quilting, if you can call it that? Utility stitch? Utility stitch by a four-year-old? I thought it would take a few hours... Ha. Haha. Hahahahahaha. THIS IS A WEEK OF MY LIFE. But it's colorful! So I'm ok with it.<br />
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There were actually multiple versions with different piecing configurations, but then Brian laid out some of the strips I had sewn together, and it was obnoxiously perfect. I feel a bit like a four-year-old tying my shoe when that happens, because it's like, Oh, thanks, that's awesome! but also, <i>I AM MAKING IT, I CAN DO IT MYSELF (EVEN THOUGH I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING THAT I CAN'T DO IT)</i>! Do you know this feeling, friends? I still have a lot of those other pieces, though; so someday I might make a second COLORSPLOSION.<br />
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So! That's that. Only a year late, that's not too bad... And, on a related note, if you live in KC and are looking for a place to celebrate Easter, Redeemer is having a big ol' shindig at the convention center that we're calling <a href="http://downtownforeaster.com/index.php" target="_blank">Downtown for Easter</a>, because we are creative with names. You should come! It will be fun! I will be there! There might be chocolate! (I don't think there will be chocolate, sorry!) But there WILL be Jesus, and singing, and good coffee, I am sure of that.<br />
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Auntjunehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16188243366416634202noreply@blogger.com12