Things I Am Thankful For. (In No Particular Order.)

-Spacebags.

-Family and friends who are willing to spend hot sweaty weekend days hauling our crap across town. Seriously. We have the best people in our lives, and are super blessed.

-My hair being long enough to throw into some semblance of a ponytail. If it weren't I would have gone Sinead O'Connor after the first day of painting. The mini-tail has risen again!

-Spacebags again. Except for the ones that break, or deflate randomly, those are on the list of things I spit at.

-Getting the best mail ever: on the first day of moving, I got my vintage sheet swap package, and on the second I got my Dubb Nubb CDand an amazing pity-letter from Raych. Maybe the mail will always be more exciting at this house? (Ha.)

-My mother, who CLEANED OUR OLD APARTMENT. All of it. The kitchen, the bathroom, the 2-inch thick layer of animal hair on every surface. She even washed the dirty dishes I still had sitting in the sink. Sainthood, I think, is in order.

-My mother-in-law, who made brownies and cookies and macaroni for the 13 people that were here on Saturday, with a lot of leftovers, which she left for us. I have not had to even think about what will be for dinner for the past four days! Joy!

-Brian, for being patient with me when I was freaking out, which happened a few times. Also, for helping paint the millions (three) of rooms we painted. And for schlepping all my stinkin' craft stuff around.

-Having a back yard we can park giant trucks in. Convenient.

-Costco, for carrying the giant pack of Spacebags, and $10 pizza, and for the giant pack of allergy medicine.

-Netflix, and Netflix streaming, and Party Down, and The Sopranos on dvd. Because at the end of the day, you need SOMETHING to make you not want to curl up in your box-shanty-town and die.

-Tiny light, at end of tunnel.

I am sure there were more, but I have forgotten them, because my brain is still stupid with exhaustion. Come back again tomorrow, and maybe I will have found my card reader. And when I do, your eyes will be ASSAULTED with NEW FABRICS! Or something?

Cleaning, Packing, Painting, Pledging, LOST.

There were potential new tenants in our apartment today. People I do not know, who I cannot ask to excuse the mess, along with my landlord. Do I need to say what I have been doing nonstop for the past two days? A massive cleaning effort, that for the most part is only a "pre-clean" for the one we will have to do after our stuff has been moved out. It was crazy, and we are tired, but it is nice to see a lot of stuff packed up, and GREAT to see a lot of things cleaned. Did I mention that my husband cleaned the bathroom? Meticulously? Did I mention that I have the greatest husband ever? In the history of the world? All of the above is true, my friends.Also, I am taking part in r0ssie's Process Pledge, here it be:
I, Lauren Hunt, pledge to talk more about my processes, even when I can’t quite put them in the in words or be sure I’m being totally clear. I’m going to put my thinking and my gut feelings out there.
So, there it is. Hopefully this will help me to start work on all of the sketches I have yet to turn into quilts? I hope so. I am also participating in r0ssie's Mid Century Modern bee, more on that later as it develops.A few REALLY EXCITING THINGS are happening, and number one is that today I went and picked up paint test-pots! AHHHHH! Right now four of them look pretty much identical to me, but I am hoping that will change once I get them up on the wall. And by the wall, I mean, "the paper I am painting them on and taping to the apartment walls". Because we close next Wednesday, and would like to paint some on Wednesday and Thursday before we move in on Friday. Not ideal, but it is the way cookies are crumbling, and we can probably get a fairly decent idea of what the colors look like? Worth a try.
Number two exciting thing is LOST! LOST LOST LOST LOST! Have I mentioned that I am a LOST dork? Because I am, people, I am. And less than a year ago, had you asked me if I watched it, I would have snidely said something along the lines of, That deserted island show? No, I don't really get the point. Well, I wouldn't have SAID that, because that's a pretty jerky thing to say, but I would have thought it. Because, from the outside, it really doesn't look like the show can go much of anywhere. People. Plane crash. Deserted island. Not really enough to be interesting, right? WROOONG. Dead wrong. There are a million people saying a million things about how brilliant it is, but what I love about it is that it is a fully formed fictional world in the way that most TV is just not. It is book-worthy fiction. It is a valid cultural text. They knew EXACTLY what it was they were making, and they CREATED it, they didn't just slap a bunch of wacky crap together at the last moment. My criteria for a really great fictional world is if it pops into my head while I am driving. This sounds stupid, but most of my best thought happens while I am driving, and if I find myself asking questions about the story during drive-time, I know it has sunk deep. Into my SOUL. Or maybe not soul, but pretty deep anyway. So, if you are someone who sees it as just another network melodrama, I encourage you to give it a chance and START FROM THE BEGINNING. You MUST start at the beginning, or you will get totally frustrated and hate it and I will cry. And also, be a little bit patient, it seems simpler in the beginning than it is, and ignore the Nikki and Paulo episode, because everyone knows that episode stunk.
Post summary: Wow, I forget. Cleaning, paint samples, process pledge, and most importantly, watch LOST, it will make you smarter?

Vintage Sheets and Tote Bags.

Title pretty much says it all, folks. Today was the sendoff day for the vintage sheet FQ swap I am participating in on flickr, organized this year by the talented Kate of See Katie Sew. What you see here, my friends, it 80 vintage sheet fat quarters. 80. For serious. And I will get 80 back, and on that day, I will prance around like a moron, and make a big pile, and jump in it like Scrooge McDuck, but I will get hurt, because 80 FQ's a big jumping pile does not make. Expect sprained ankles. Anyway, I sent these off today, so alls I have to do now is WAIT.Last week I made a zillion tote bags (read: 15 ) for the craft sale I did on Saturday, where I sold exactly 2. A triumph it was not. But, this means a biggish etsy update, with more coming in the next few days. I am super pleased with how these came out, and I reeeeeally like the new shoulder/messenger bag things that I did. They have a magnetic snap closure and are a great length for carrying as a purse. And they are ships! Also, I am quite fond of the vintage fabric totes, because, c'mon, it is vintage fabric. I dream of this kind of stuff. So, everything is in the etsy shop if you're interested, and more coming soon! Also, take note of my fine (and by fine I mean awkward) modeling work. Somebody call up Tyra! Also, I have grandma hands. That is all.

First Pyrex!

I finally found a nice piece of Pyrex while thrifting! I have been drooling over In Color Order's collection for a while now, but it has been hard to find a nice quality piece. Yay! Of course, it is somewhat counter-productive to buy ceramics right before moving, but...And thanks for all the boat love. I am printing it in 4 more colors, and will post them just as soon as I get them... I can't wait!
PS: Sorry if this posted in your reader a bunch of times-- I tried using the new blogger editor, and had ISSUES. I am way behind the times.

Mah New Baby!

Ha! Perhaps we should have a dirty-jeans convention? We can bring the ones we have worn into dust and tell the long stories of their sentimental value to us? It will be like Violet Beauregarde's gum, but with denim, and we can have a prize for whoever has worn them the longest, and that prize will be a giftcard to the nearest laundromat. Have I told you, lately, that I love you?
Because I do. H'Anyways, moving on before I get too sentimental, I have been awaiting a package from Spoonflower containing my newest fabric designs, and they have finally arrived! This is not really as exciting to anyone as it is to me, but to me it is SUPAAAAA EXHIYTING. So, I present to you my newest design, which I haven't given a cute name to, but you are welcome to leave suggestions in the comments. I thought of "Ship-Shape" but it is possibly too cutesy? Who knows, but the fact is that I looooove this fabric. I do not care that it makes me a design narcissist, I really really like this one. Because adorable little boats! So many of them! None of which would really sail at all because I use reference photos extremely loosely! I love! So far, I have just printed it in the black and white and the blue, but I think it will end up in a few other colors, eventually. I went ahead and put it up in my etsy shop, though, if you want to get your sail on!

Blogging About Blogging.

If you want to understand what I am talking about in this post, read this. If not, well, ok. Context clues, I guess?

So I read Kathy's post last night and it really really got to me. I get the feeling she is talking about ALL THE TIME, and so while it is nice to know that I'm not the only one, it also got me thinking about what this blogging nonsense is, and why I do it.
I do it because it is fun. That's the first thing, and if it wasn't the first thing, I would have no business doing it. I do it because I like the connections I make with people through my own little blog. I do it because my husband doesn't want to hear me drone on for hours about the things I write about here. (Although he does read this blog, and I do still drone on, so... Sorry, Brian.) BUT I also do it because I feel like it makes me seem like a better, cooler, and more together person than I really am. Because my blog is my life, but edited and styled and fluffed out a little, to make it seem a bit more fantastic than it is. A lot more, really. I know that no one who reads this blog thinks I am Martha Stewart or anything, but you probably don't think of me as a person who only does dishes once a week and will wear the same pants for about a month before washing them. Or maybe you do, I don't know, but I do know that EVERY PART of my house is a mess EXCEPT what falls within the angle of my camera lens. And I use a narrow-angled lens.

So while I have to admit, my life is probably just about the best it has ever been right now, it looks better online than it does in person. I don't think anyone out there is jealous of me, but if you were even considering it, I want you to know...

There are two food groups in my life right now, Easter candy and cottage cheese.
I really haven't washed the jeans I am wearing in about a month.
Today the boots that I have duct taped together started letting in water, and I almost started to cry.
I watch, like, a LOT of trashy tv. So much.
I have letters I started writing months ago sitting on my bedside table giving me dirty looks. I have emails that have needed replies for months. I am a complete communication-flake, which leads to constant guilt but little action.
I ALWAYS photoshop out my zits in photos, even, usually, in photobooth photos.
On the last post, I moved the moving boxes around so they would look more photogenic. This is the depth of my illness.
I don't eat organic food, I eat whatever is cheapest, and there is always Velveeta in my kitchen.
I always forget to take out the recycling so we currently have three bags of it sitting in various spots around the house. AND our entryway is filled with the boxes we bring home from Costco.
I own a bazillion reusable bags, but I always forget to take them to the store.
I yell Really Bad Word at the animals if they step on sewing stuff I am working on. EVen though, they are animals, and the things they stepped on were on the FLOOR.

Now you know.
But since you read this whole post, which was QUITE THE DOWNER, if I do say so myself, reward yourself by watching THIS:

Two Things:

1) I was interviewed by the fabulous April of aprilmariemay.com and it is here if you want to read it. I = not wonderful interviewee, so keep those expectations low, my friendlings.
2) TODAY, after, uhm, like, eight years of sewing?, discovered that I have NOT BEEN USING THE SEAM RIPPER CORRECTLY. Like, I had no idea, I had been picking stuff out STITCH by STITCH, but it turns out it is SHARP and it SEAM-RIPS! Just like it's name! Yeah. I am awesome.
Picture, by the way, is a view of the thermos collection as seen from the floor under the thermos shelf. Currently, the thermoses (thermosi?) are in a box, but this photo still makes me happy.