I 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:

Except probably even sweatier. I will surely smell bad. Touch me at your own risk.
Because I get to be the official-style pitcher-taker! Have I mentioned, that
I
AM
SOOOO
EXCITED.

Who else is going?!?!

Because, Why Not?

Sometimes my husband thinks of names for ridiculous fictional characters, and then I draw them. Hence:

Inspector Henspectre. JUST like Jessica Fletcher, but a chicken. And a ghost. Enjoy.

I Painted You a Little Green Apple

...because I think that you're nice.

That's all.

Pillow-Making, Print-Making, and Whatever Else I Remember.

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?

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.)

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.

So. I made this print because of this song, 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.

Desktoppy versions (download larger on the "free thingies" page):

'Tis all I can think of! Adieu!

Huge (Formerly) Secret Project.

So!

I've been photographing a book.
Like, a whole book, that will have pictures on every. single. page. Actually, more like between 1-6 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.

Shea. I've told you about Shea, the magical unicorn, whose coattails I would gladly ride forever, yes? Well, she wrote a book, an HAMAZING book, 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-- Susanne Woods of Lucky Spool Media, who I had met at market several years back, and I knew would be awesome to work with. 

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 Shea has said about it:

 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!

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!

Seriously, this project has been so awesome. Exhausting, consuming, and LOTS of work, but above all that, it's just been fun. 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! 

All of the exclamations!

Technically, It's Called Washington's Birthday.

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 to get Abe-Lincoln-faced-up and show up randomly at friends' doorsteps?

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.

 So I've been making silly little Presidents' Day cards for years, and this year I made some for, perhaps, you? Be they on etsy, 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?

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.

Abraham Lincoln! Theodore Roosevelt! John Quincy Adams! Just go with it!

Pre-Beard Abraham Lincoln Sure Looks Sassy.

I've been drawing presidents and listening to Bruce Springsteen covers on repeat. 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?

 

  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. Theodore Roosevelt 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:

Commence with the weeping. 

What was my point, internetlings? I do not remember, but enjoy the historical tidbits. I will sew something again, some day.