ASS Guru Sunday

Hi everybody, it's that time of the week again, where ASS gurus answer any little question that may be pressing on your mind...

This week's question came from Rachael, Katie and Sara (hmm, obviously they think that if there's 3 of them, then they'll get 3 answers...)



Dear ASS Gurus,




Should my friends and I make matching dresses to wear at sewing summit? Should we use the same fabric? Maybe in different colorways?




Regards,




Fashion Fried in Findlay



After last summer's 2 dresses, I was the obvious choice for this one...

Dear Fashion Fried,




So you feel you need to be in some kind of uniform?  Did you go to school in the UK, Australia or South Africa by any chance?  Have fond memories of working at McDonalds or Pizza Hut?  You can get therapy for those kind of things you know, or alternatively, my mum was just complaining the other day that my old school uniforms are still in the wardrobe at home, I'm sure they'd fit one of you...




Still, if you're determined to persevere with this, you will, of course, need to find a truly stand out pattern - none of that Simplicity or McCalls crap for you, oh no, straight to the vintage Vogue.  This will give you all loads of stories to tell:

• the pain of tracking down the pattern on e-bay, which cost more than college fees for your first born, is actually three sizes too small, has a coffee stain on that really important part of the directions on the zip, and is missing the sleeve gusset pattern piece
• how difficult it was to size it for all of you, and how many times you had to resew the darts before converting to a princess line to avoid the Madonna 80's look
• the challenge of working with velvet and getting the pile all going the right way (what, it's nearly winter, in October, it snowed last year, did you think you could get away with flimsy cotton?!)

Might I suggest the following choices - you will, of course, require a range of outfits depending on the time of day:




For the opening evening:

Photo courtesy of http://voguepatterns.mccall.com

The gloves are obviously a must for this outfit as you glide around the room meeting people - all those hands to shake, who knows where they've been - eewww!

For class time:

Photo courtesy of http://voguepatterns.mccall.com

The practical nature of this outfit will be ideal for sitting in classes, no uncomfortable net underskirt to contend with.  Obviously, if you're making the hat too, you will need to sit at the back of the room so your big head doesn't block anyone else's view...




For going out on the Friday evening for dinner:

Photo courtesy of http://voguepatterns.mccall.com

You will need to stay warm when out for dinner on the Friday, but it's still only autumn, you can probably pass up on the full on winter coat.




For the closing night:

Photo courtesy of http://voguepatterns.mccall.com

This is your last night, so obviously you will need to make a statement so that no-one forgets you.  Of course with skirts this size, you'll only be able to fit the three of you round the one table, but everyone will remember you!




To avoid the freaky triplet look, I suggest you each choose a colour of the day as your signature colour, and perhaps you could each make up a slightly different view for every outfit.  




Regards,




Ass Guru



Now don't forget, if you have a ridiculous question you would like a ridiculous answer to, please submit it in the comments below so a Guru can address it for you.

Winners

I thought about writing a really long post about something unimportant just so you had to read through it before getting to the winners, but then I thought that was too mean. So without further ado, here they are:

For the SMS Giveaway Pouch:

Congrats Lindsey, dear! I've sent you an email!

And the winner of the Traveling Stash:

Congrats Bobbie! I've sent you an email.

A good Giveaway Day, wouldn't you say??

And on a somewhat unrelated but totally related note: I have a lot of healthy eaters reading my blog! I couldn't believe the number of people who said they loved salads in the summer and fresh veggies from their personal gardens and tomatoes. So many tomatoes. Thank you all for your comments and recipes! You've made me want to eat even better this summer!

YES!

I just wanted to shoot out a quick note to let you all know...

Caleb is now in FULL REMISSION!

Praise God!

SMS Giveaway Day!!

If you're looking for the Traveling Stash Giveaway, go here.

Today is Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day! Yahoo! So what do I have for you today?







How about a handmade pouch filled with some pretty scraps from my personal stash? How about I add in Amy Butler's Swing Bag pattern??

Still not enough? Oh fine.

Gingersnap Fabrics has offered to give the winner a charm pack of the oh-so-cutesy Apple of My Eye by Riley Blake!

Image Source

I just love the colors! Too bad I can't win!

All you have to do to be in the running to win this bundle of greatness is leave me ONE comment answering this question:


What is your favorite dish to cook/eat in the summer?

It's getting hot here real fast and I'm looking for some summer-time menu inspiration!

Giveaway will close May 25th at 5 PM PST. I will use Random.org to choose a winner and I am willing to ship international.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

Go HERE to see the other giveaways being linked up.

If you are a no-reply blogger or are unsure if you are a no-reply blogger, please leave your email address in the comment box with your comment so I can contact you should you win. If I cannot get in touch with you, you cannot win.

ASS Gurus Help Frantic in Fresno

Today, the ASS Gurus help Frantic in Fresno.

Dear ASS Gurus,

The day tickets went on sale for Sewing Summit, I was him-hawing around about whether to purchase, and like so many others, I missed my chance to buy before they sold out. Now, I’m wondering how I might sneak into the classes should I decide to crash the illustrious Sewing Summit. Any suggestions?

Please help!

Frantic in Fresno



Lucky me! I have been given the privilege of laying some knowledge on this poor sap.




Dear Frantic in Fresno,

My father always says, “Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine,” but since I am an ASS guru and it is my job to answer these questions, I will bite. But you really ought to have purchased a ticket. I mean, was it really THAT tough of a decision:


to go to the most amazing sewing/blogging convention in the known world, or not to go?

Hamlet messed around with those thoughts and look where it got him! But I digress…

It’s funny how you can be completely indifferent about something until the moment comes when you no longer have a choice between “A” and “B” (we shall call them “to go” and “not to go”, respectively). Then, the moment immediately following when you become hysterical and yes, frantic, over the split-second decision “to go” only after “to go” is no longer an option. Not funny? Maybe it’s just funny to me sitting at the café across the street sipping my latte while I watch you running into trees and storefronts ready to self-implode. Regardless, in order “to go” now that “not to go” is the only legal option, you must first get your head on straight. Calm down. Sing the mantra. Count to ten. Whatever it is you do to refocus and stop slamming your body with flailing arms into the helpless homeless man trying to enjoy his nice conversation with his pigeon friend. You’re scaring him. Stop it.

Now that I’ve gotten your attention, here are some options:

- Research. You must know by now the events of last year’s Sewing Summit are scrawled and photo-documented across just about every sewing blog in blog land. Look past the 10,000 pictures of that one lady standing with 20 other random ladies (and maybe one guy. We aren’t sexist here, but let’s be honest gentlemen. You’re outnumbered) and look for badges, shirts, folders. Anything with the proper insignia. You must make everyone think you’re supposed to be there. Act like someone who took the time to purchase a ticket (as you should have done). If you’re as passionate about attending SS this year as you appear, there is no force in the world that can stop you from whipping out your scrapbooking supplies and creating an exact replica of the badges from last year. With it, you will be able to attend any class without having to worry about being seen because while some sewing ladies may be snarky, they would never be so to your face for fear of ruining their precious online reputation. My guess is that they would run from room to room to find you an extra chair, give you a free charm pack of the newly released Bella, and apologize profusely for any inconvenience the delay may have caused, all while passing you a Moo card asking you to “follow” their blog.

- Be stealthy. Is acting not your thing? That’s fine. Try this: Remember how I told you to research? This time, look at the wallpaper, the carpeting, the plastic potted plants meant to give the comforting feel of the outdoors. With five months and change, you should have plenty of time to create near-perfect costumes to make you blend into your surroundings. I recommend creating a morph suit to match each wall you intend to blend into. This way, your face, hands and feet will be completely covered as you try to make yourself as flat as possible against the back wall.

Image Source

Or, you could go another route: Dress as one of those terrible plastic potted plants. You can hop from corner to corner to get a better view of the instructor’s perfect Y seam tips while taking notes on the backs of the fabric leaves. Just don’t try to be too fabulous. Keep those leaves green and your torso brown. You’ll be made quickly if you show up with a patchwork trunk. Also, be warned that trees take an awful lot of abuse. You may leave the convention covered in burns from the coffee Little Miss Quokka Quilts threw into your pot or matted with the gum Lady Littlest Thistle stuck to your leaves. People are nasty. Just saying.

- Become a conjoined twin. So this one might be a little hard to pull off, but hey! If you’ve made a decent enough friend in the sewing world who A. is attending, B. will let you room with her, and C. is willing to hoist you onto her back for the duration of the convention while letting you stick you head out through the enormous moo-moo you are hoping will fool everyone, then so be it! Just make sure you Photoshop all the pictures on your blog to include her face coming from your stretched out neck-hole, and that you are ready to scrap over who gets to take home the Robert Kauffman Kona Card you two will have to “share”.

Image Source

There are always other options, like procuring a ticket. As a lioness preys on the weak of the herd, so you could wait in the darkness for a lonely-looking single lady bogged down with suitcases and not a friend in sight on her way into the Little America. Easy prey.

Or perhaps you become friends with someone you know is planning to go to Sewing Summit and send her a little “gift” of Mendocino laced with something that would cause confusion. Something that would cause her to send you that SS ticket, your Mendocino back, and some of that Good Folks she’s been hoarding all because her new and very good friend told her to. I, by the way, am not taking on any new friends between here and SS.

I have come to learn that procrastinators are a resourceful bunch; so whatever you decide to do, don’t tell us. Plausible deniability. Also, don’t be surprised if I walk around SS randomly punching the walls and spitting in the potted plants. You really should have just bought a ticket.

Yours,

ASS Guru

If you have a ridiculous question you would like a ridiculous answer to, please submit it in the comments below so a Guru can address it for you.

TRAC Bag update

I will be adding this to the end of the original post, which you can find here.

Here is what has been claimed thus far:

24 Drawstring Bags for Boys

1. Audrey
2. Audrey
3. Steph J
4. Steph J
5. Kathy H
6. Kathy H
7. Kathy H
8. Kathy H
9. Kathy H
10. Jess
11. Jess
12. Ella
13. Ella
14. Ella
15. Susan
16. Mary-Kate
17. Mary-Kate
18. Di
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.


40 Zipper Pouches for Girls

1. Susan
2. Nancy
3. Nancy
4. Helen
5. Helen
6. Shanna
7. Shanna
8. Jenelle
9. Jenelle
10. Jess
11. Jess
12. Alli
13. Alli
14. Jennifer
15. Jennifer
16. Susan
17. Roslyn
18. Mer
19. Mer
20. Jodi
21. Jodi
22. Hadley
23. Di
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.

When you are ready to send, please email me for the shipping address.

Thank you again for your help. I will be updating this list on the original post as I get more volunteers!

Traveling Stash {Giveaway}

I won the Traveling Stash last week from Cindy over at Spin the Bobbin. I was really excited to get it because I've seen them floating around blogland.



I'm not going to lie, there was some ugly in this box but a few pretties too. And before you ask, no. I didn't take them all!

As a matter of fact, I'm adding all the pretties on the right! Do you see the Domestic Bliss and Riley Blake and Michael Miller Groovy Guitars? And the ribbons? And those bright zippers? You're welcome.

These are what I'm taking:



Some lovely canvas print scraps, DS, a 1/4" SA measuring thingy, and the Amy Butler pattern, which I am going to add to my growing pile for Giveaway Day with Sew Mama Sew. I also took out some more of the ugly because I couldn't get the box closed. I added too much!!

So how about it? Do you want a chance to win the Traveling Stash?

Here are the new and improved rules:

- Be an active blogger. Post about receiving and the giveaway on your blog in a timely manner.
- There is a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.
- There is a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box.
- You may take anything you like from the box. Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken.
- Ship the box to the next person in a reasonable amount of time.
- Due to the amount of postage shipping is only within the USA. Sorry guys. I'm a little broke right now!

Now for a little heart to heart: The Traveling Stash is not a dumping ground for your old, outdated, smelly fabric. It is an opportunity to share some of your lovelies with your bloggy friends. Should you take all the pretty stuff and replenish the box with really ugly fabric, I will scowl in your general direction.

To win, leave me a comment telling me which fabric line you are most wanting to get your hands on. Giveaway closes Thursday, May 24th at midnight.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

I need your help

Let me tell you what I want, then I'll explain why.

I am looking for donations of 24 drawstring totes for boys and 40 zipper pouches for girls.

Random?

Not really.

Since I was a teenager, I've been helping with a program called Royal Family Kids Camp. This is a camp for youngsters in the foster care system here in America. These children are neglected. Abused. Abandoned. Lost. RFKC strives to mend those wounds by providing a week of fun, comfort and love. I had the opportunity to attend RFKC as an adult leader and the experiences changed my life. We played games and sang songs and ate three meals a day and had a birthday party for all the kiddos with presents; presents they took home, and for some of them, these presents became their only possessions. We hugged. We cried. We laughed. We talked. My only job for the entire week was to love on these kids. It was by far the easiest and the most mentally and physically exhausting thing I have ever done in my life.

These kids age out of the program at 12 years.

This summer, we are joining forces with a new camp geared toward teenagers; a new camp that will give these kids and others a chance to experience the love and acceptance we strive for with RFKC. Teen Reach Adventure Camp (aka TRAC) is a three day single gender camp for kids ages 12-15 providing a fun-filled, outdoors experience with safe loving adults to help provide an experience that brings hope and encouragement to these hurting teens.

Every child who attends RFKC with us gets a quilt handmade by some generous donors in and around the Valley (where I live). We would like to do something similar for the TRAC kids and have come up with a few small items that we really feel will make a difference. The kids attending these camps come with next to nothing. We give them clothes and toiletries, and since the TRAC kids are teenagers, we've decided to make them bags to hold their toiletries.

This is where you come in.

We have 24 boys attending camp this summer and we would like a drawstring bag for each of them. These bags should be fairly simple, made with manly/teen appropriate fabrics. Since this is a camp, outdoorsy fabrics are fine. Please no halloween (or any holiday for that matter), skulls, chop-choo trains, teddy bears, etc. We want these to be age appropriate and uplifting. The lovely Kat over at Mummas Time to Create has posted a recent tutorial for making drawstring bags that are the PERFECT size. You can find it here. When you make your bags, please leave the handles off.

We have 40 girls attending camp this summer. For them, we would like a simple zipper pouch measuring about 7"x 9" finished. Again, these should be simple: just one fabric for the outside and one for the inside. We want these to be special and unique, but also uniform so the girls can all feel their gifts are equally lovely. Remember, fabrics should be age appropriate (teenagers). Here are a couple tutorials for basic zipper pouches:

See Kate Sew
Skip to My Lou

Think camp. Plaid. Green and yellow are the colors of TRAC, if you want to go that route. Modern. Fun. Things teenagers would like.

If you are willing to donate one or more of these items, please let me know in the comments section on this post. I need all the items by Monday, June 18th in order to get them to the campers on time.

Also, please help me spread the word and get all these campers their bags. Blog about it. Facebook it. Share wherever you are willing and link back here so donors can let me know in the comments that they are going to help.

Thank you all so very much for your consideration!

UPDATE:

Here is what has been claimed thus far:



24 Drawstring Bags for Boys

1. Audrey
2. Audrey
3. Steph J
4. Steph J
5. Kathy H
6. Kathy H
7. Kathy H
8. Kathy H
9. Kathy H
10. Jess
11. Jess
12. Ella
13. Ella
14. Ella
15. Susan
16. Mary-Kate
17. Mary-Kate
18. Di
19. Mary-Kate
20. Mary-Kate
21. Ella
22. Kristy
23. Kristy
24. Theresa T.




40 Zipper Pouches for Girls

1. Susan
2. Nancy
3. Nancy
4. Helen
5. Helen
6. Shanna
7. Shanna
8. Jenelle
9. Jenelle
10. Jess
11. Jess
12. Alli
13. Alli
14. Jennifer
15. Jennifer
16. Susan
17. Roslyn
18. Mer
19. Mer
20. Jodi
21. Jodi
22. Hadley
23. Di
24. Marian
25. Marian
26. Judith
27. Judith
28. Angie W
29. Angie W
30. Ellie Q
31. Mary-Kate
32. Mary-Kate
33. Mary-Kate
34. Mary-Kate
35. Mary-Kate
36. Mary-Kate
37. Kristy
38. Kristy
39. Ellie Q
40. Ellie Q

I will strike your name off the list once I have received your bags.

When you are ready to send, please email me for the shipping address.

Bee Blocks

Ok... so I'm still working on my Stitch Tease block, but I will have a teaser for you soon!



This is the Semi Truck block for Beejeebers. Sadly, this is my final block for this bee. It was loads of fun and this was an interesting block to go out on. I had fun figuring out how to put it together!



This is May's Stash Bee block. I really enjoyed making this one as it was quite relaxing. The whole wonk thing is really starting to grow on me as an artist. It's so liberating to not have to do math! And I really LOVE these colors. After seeing how pretty this block turned out, I am totally asking for Kona Charcoal for my month in Stash Bee.

I really have the best friends

Some of you may not have known this, but a little while back I won a giveaway on Maureen Cracknell Handmade. And not just any giveaway...

THE giveaway.

The best giveaway she's had by far, in my book!

I won her beautiful, handmade birdie pillow!



Isn't it beautiful?! I love Maureen. I love her creativity and passion for the craft. And as if it wasn't already amazing that I won such an awesome giveaway, she sent me some extra goodies, just because!



Here is a little collection of Freshcut she sent me. It's so dainty and light. Just the refreshing addition my stash needed!

I had big plans for this pillow. It was going to be the pretty pillow I place front and center on the couch when people come over so they can see that I have pretty things too! But Maze had other ideas for it:



She was taking a nap when I took this photo. Trust me. When she's awake, she will not let me take the pillow from her. She likes the texture, taking her one little pointer finger and scratching at the raw edge appliqué and the bitty black embroidered eyes. When she's ready to move on to a new toy, she tosses it behind her and falls back courageously on it and sighs. Such a cutie.

She has another pillow from a friend that she adores (it has a button. Endless fun), but I can't show you that one yet because my friend asked me not to, so you'll just have to believe me.

I also got these babies in the mail last week:



Amber from Wambers Whimsies sent me this great bundle of Mendocino scraps. I just can't get over it. Mendocino!! So exciting! The Little Mermaid was my favorite Disney movie as a child (Beauty and the Beast made a close second. Cinderella came in third) and I would have bought this entire line if I were quilting when it came out, but sadly, I wasn't. Same with Good Folks. I LOVE GOOD FOLKS, but I don't have any of it. Well, that is, until I get my great little package from Jess this week. We swapped some fabrics and I got some Good Folks out of the deal!!

See? The best friends.

Mother's Day (and lots of pics of Maze)

I was going to say this was the best Mother's Day ever, but I didn't think that would be fair just because this is the first one where I was celebrated.

This weekend was a blur. It started with packing up my little sister and sending her off to Texas with her new hubby. I still can't believe she's married. She wasn't even out of the house before my brother moved into her nice, big room. I suppose being the youngest, he's overly excited about finally getting the "best of the best" now that his two older sisters are finally out of the way! We had to paint the room before he moved in, obviously. Wouldn't want him chastised at school for a pink room! Anyway, long story short, this weekend included a lot of moving, painting, decorating and reorganizing. You should SEE my sewing space! SO MUCH BETTER. I have room for a playpen now!! But I said this story would be short, so here are some pictures anyway.







While daddy was off at church shredding on his guitar, mommy and Maze ate a nutritious breakfast of some mushing, off-white stuff and a flavorless wheat biscuit... yum...



Later, we went to my grandparent's house for a BBQ and some swimming. Since I was in the pool, I don't have very many pictures, but here's one of Maze and her G-pa (Brent's dad). If I get any other pictures from the other photographers at the BBQ, I'll post them later, well, as long as they aren't offensive... We ARE all in swimsuits, after all!



And my most favoritest Mother's Day gift of all. My MIL secretly had Miss Maze fingerprint this AH-mazing picture for me! As soon as I have some cash, I am going to frame this bad boy and put it up in my newly refreshed sewing space! I think it's the PERFECT way to spruce up my little creative corner of the house!

And here I am, at 1am on the day after my wonderful Mother's Day still wishing my little lady would JUST GO TO SLEEP!

Hope you all enjoyed your Mother's Day as much as I did and I hope you were able to get to sleep at a decent hour!