nanaCompany

:: seeing stars

Warning:  I'm about to indulge in some shameless name-dropping...

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...which, by L.A. standards is kinda vulgar I suppose, but I've learned that friends actually like hearing the list of famous people I've met.  Nowadays I'd jump at the chance to meet Alicia Paulson and I just missed an opportunity to meet Holly Becker at her L.A. book signing.  But Robert de Niro?  Yes, I've met him.  It was so glamorous.  He spoke to me, which is more than most people get ~ he is a notoriously shy guy.  But the truth is, I was very young, I was working the front desk at Beverly Hills Mercedes Benz, and he walked in.  He had to speak to me.  He was wearing a cardigan and he reminded me of my grampa.  Maybe not a very impressive story, but hold on, I've got better ones...

I returned a movie to the library the other day, a movie called, "An Education."  It's based on the experience a woman had when she was very young, meeting an older charming con man who whisked her into his glamorous world for just the briefest moment.  She returned to her "normal" life and never spoke of it 'til she was much older.  Everyone, I think, has within them the things they do not speak of, right?  Either because it's something embarassing, or unacceptable, or simply has no place in their current day to day life.  The latter applies to me.  I'm not "out there" anymore.  I stay home with my kids and sew stuff.  It doesn't matter to them that I once met Fabio.  Ha ha!  It was fun searching through my memories for the things I'll share in this post.  Here's a little list:

• I once sat at lunch, there were 4 at our table, across from Charlie Sheen.  He seemed a little tired.
• I had a date with John Cusack.  "Johnny" is what he calls himself.  He was feeding me pie and the fork somehow got stuck in my back teeth.  Lovely.
• I went to a dinner party and was seated next to Steve Guttenberg.  He was quite amusing.  Strangely enough that was the moment I was most star-struck.  I think it's because I hadn't heard anything about him since I was a kid, but I remembered him vividly from so many beloved childhood movies.
• I've sat with Ed O'Neill (Married with Children) and a few friends an entire night ~ drinking beers and talking about favorite authors, Hemingway and Fitzgerald.
• I've had drinks and hung out with David Spade, Benicio del Toro, Michael Madsen and his beautiful wife, I can't remember her name.
• I've cooked dinner for and eaten with Robin Wright (The Princess Bride).  Later, I met Cary Elwes several times, work related.
• I worked for Mark Burnett (Survivor, Apprentice).
• I've met Shannon Doherty, Martin Lawrence, Neve Campbell, Michael Bay, all the Baldwin brothers (very charming), Gary Busey.
• I literally bumped into Axl Rose (Guns n Roses).
• At Toys 'r' Us, Ben Stein stood behind me in line, looking on at my crying, screaming baby (Anne) and said in his deadpan voice, "she's cute."
• One night at a club, an invitation came from the VIP room... when I entered the room I was introduced to Sean Penn, Chris Penn, Harry Dean Stanton (whom I loved), and others.  Chris and I became very close friends though he passed away recently.  I miss him still.

There's been a ton of people I've seen out and about, but didn't meet.  My standard operating procedure when I see a celebrity is to look away quickly, then, all excited, whisper to whoever I'm with, "OMG!  That's ___ over there!"  Backstage at a Sting concert, I saw Gwyneth Paltrow (without makeup), and of course, Sting himself, but I didn't get to meet them.  I just remembered I went backstage and met John Oates, of Hall and Oates.  Met him and his pretty wife, Amy, and their adorable son ~ they were super nice.  I saw Brook Burke shopping for hats at Fred Segal (she is sooo skinny in person).  Saw Shaquille O'Neill in Las Vegas.  I was hanging with my friends in the same room as Leonardo di Caprio at a club.  Was on the same flight as Jason Alexander.  And then I met Nick Sinibaldi.  Have you heard of him?  I married that guy ~ brightest star in my sky.  ;)

Well if you're still reading this, thanks for coming down memory lane with me.  Have you got any fun celebrity encounters to share?  Gimme the dish!  Here are a few lovely "stars" I found on pinterest to inspire...

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: anyonecanquilt.typepad.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: scandinavianretreat.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: houseofbliss.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

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Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: justbesplendid.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Amy on Pinterest

 

xo amy

:: weekend stuff

My husband and I survived the Smurf movie this weekend with the kids... it wasn't easy.  They kept singing that song... la la la la la la la la la la la... ok, I liked it.  In the 80's, my sister and I collected puffy Smurf stickers ~ we loved those little blue peeps.  I know the movie wasn't good,  but I thought it was fun.  Children, I've noticed, show no discernment 'til they're at least 8, and love everything.  God bless 'em.  The rest of our weekend involved the usual and then me twisting my ankle during a run on a downhill and falling into the asphalt so hard I am scraped and cut all over... not pretty.  I've got a half-marathon in two months so I'm hoping this ankle will heal quickly ~ there's nothing like an injury to bring out my defiant side.  I was born the year of the Tiger, I think. ;)

I really enjoyed making that ticker tape linen "abc~123" thing, so I sewed another one Saturday... it was just as enjoyable and came out just as cute...

It's so small I even sewed the binding by hand.  I suppose it could be used as a mug rug, it is 6.5" x 8.5", but I think it would be cute as a wall hanging.

It'll be going in the shop ... if I can bear to part with it.  xo amy

(it's now sold)

a charming world

Have you met Himiko?  The moment I set eyes on her blog, Himiko No Sekkai, I fell in love.  And when she very sweetly proposed a swap... I jumped up and down while screaming yes!  I adore her work, her style, her aesthetic ~ check it out:

{ all above images from Himiko No Sekkai }

Himiko No Sekkai ~ for those of you (and me) who don't speak Japanese ~ means "Himiko's world"... isn't that charming?  She just opened an etsy shop, and it's filled with her gorgeous handmade goods.  I was lucky enough to get my hands on one of these adorable bags.  Want to see what else she sent me?

Look at all that Old New fabric by Lecien!  Thanks, Himiko, for a great swap, and thanks for sharing your world!

Before I go, a few more things to inspire:

1. wovens, 2. Tiny elephant, 3. ローズ リラックマ チョコセット, 4. Summer Love, 5. inside cupboard, 6. Swoon Quilt - Lap Size Edition, 7. amy's angry chickens, 8. Lonestar, 9. Summer Picnic, 10. Vintage Quilt, 11. isbn 4861912016 2/6, 12. pin cushions, 13. Almost finished

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Happy Friday all!  xo amy

boo hoo

Summer is drawing to a close and I have to admit I am dreading it like never before.  Easy breezy simple summer days will end soon and I'll have three children in three different schools.  Then before I can blink my eyes we'll have two major birthdays back to back... my husband is turning 50 (uh huh) and my Anne is turning 16.  Then there's my birthday (waa!  make it stop!) and all those expensive holidays (that I love, in fact, it's just that I need to win the lottery).

{ lunch at Johnny Rockets }

{ gatherings from our nature walk }

I am still running around town getting the kids shots and health records together for school.  Shopping for cooler weather clothes is nearly complete.  I pretty much got everything from Old Navy, Target, H&M, and Gap (cute + affordable, thank you)... I'm just a little jealous of Livi's growing sweater collection.

By the way, according to the shops, it's time for Halloween already.  Isn't that frightening?  Well, after seeing Amanda's quilt I was reminded of all the Halloween fabric I picked up last year.  Last year, I had fallen in love with a placemat on the Superbuzzy blog, designed by Ever Kelly.  So cute, right?

Well, just a warning.  Kelly's placemats are awesome and mine are not.  But the kids love 'em.  What I wouldn't give for some of that orange striped binding, ooh... I had to wing it with what I had on hand.

If I hadn't had Kelly's design in my head all this time, I don't suppose I would have dared to go this bold.  If you like the fabrics and want to make a few for your kiddos I've put a few small Halloween fabric bundles in my shop.  Don't be scared... your kids will love it ;)

xo amy

:: for Maddie

Saturday I abandoned the computer and sewing machine for softer and sweeter companions ~ family got all my attention and, really, each of us got a good dose of what we needed ~ but Sunday I was back in my usual mode.  Sunday mornings, Nicholas makes my cup of coffee, husband makes breakfast, and I go downstairs to my sewing machine until Olivia yells out, "breakfast is ready!"  This Sunday, I was finishing up a custom order placemat for a little tot named Maddie.  I hope her mama likes it...

It's a patchwork pocket placemat with a napkin tucked inside.  I top-stitched the little thing (it's about 9" x 12") and it buckled ~ wouldn't lay flat, arggh ~ so I had to rip out those stitches and do more hand-quilting.  I realized I much prefer the look of handquilting anyway and it's perfect for these little projects.  I am still in the midst of hand quilting my "very own" quilt... which I hope to finish by year end.  Sometimes I think I must've been crazy when I decided to hand quilt that one.  But crazy is nothing new to me ;)

Here's to a great week!  xo amy

awesome, sweet, thoughtful...

More often than I ever thought would be possible, someone out there sends me a package of goodies just because they're awesome (sweet, thoughtful, and generous).  I mean, seriously, how cool is this international community of creative, supportive, and inspiring artists : the crafting world.  In a million years I couldn't have dreamed it up... that is before I discovered my first crafting blog in 2006, and then etsy, flickr, and so on.  To this day, I can't fully explain it to people who aren't, y'know, a part of it.  I'd love to have a big party and invite everyone so I could meet you all in person.  I hope, at least, someday I'll get to go to Quilt Market.  I do love a party.  But I'm digressing.  I wanted to say thank you, Tasha.  You were right... these prints are just perfect for me, and I love 'em.  ;)

Already used some today, in a Farmer's Wife block.  Of course, I did the block all wrong, but I'm past worrying about that...

{ Farmer's Wife quilt block no. 9 Box }

Thanks for your comments about the fabric scrap mini quilt... it is now hanging in it's official position above Livi's bed.

And before I leave, here's a spoonful of sugar...  See those adorable plushy animal heads?  I've been dying to make a doll of some sort... someday...

1. everybody is someone's secret (32/52), 2. Vanilla cupcakes, 3. Doris print, 4. Twigs & Honey necklace, 5. advent., 6. Morning after? No hangover., 7. Nursery Shelf - Cherry Menlove, 8. pocket teddy, bunny and kitty, 9. Christmas Vignette , 10. all things grow., 11. *, 12. round & round & round & square, 13. Grey pumpkin

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Happy weekend, friends!  xo amy

:: fabric scrap love

Mail from Japan is always a treat.  I've been eyeing the gorgeous fabrics from etsy shop Lilymeru for some time and now I've finally made a purchase, received it lightening fast, and sewn something I absolutely adore using the tiny (really tiny) scraps that were included in my package...

For reference, that little blue strip is just an incy bit more than a 1/4" wide.  When I saw the scraps I initially thought, "cute.  too bad they're too small to use."  I admit:  I save every bit of fabric, sometimes even if it's smaller than an inch.  How 'bout you?  Do you hang onto every little scrap or are you less manic, tossing those tiny pieces in the garbage without a second thought? 

Well, as I was laying out fabric last night, I kept looking at those scraps (ah, so pretty) ~ arranging them and rearranging them ~ and now I have this:

{ abc~123 mini quilt wall hanging }

eek!  Love it.  And it was totally unplanned, made up as I went along, sewn fast and loose.  As for the fabrics I received yesterday... the ones I bought and paid for?

I'm kinda excited about those, too. 

xo amy

:: playing with dresdens

hello all!  I have a little something to show you.  I've sewn up those dresden plates and now I've got a pile of trivets for the table...

The first one I sewed I used my EZ dresden plate template, which creates 20 thinner wedges of fabric, and I sewed it into an "organic" flower shape.  I also zigzagged the circle in the middle.  My husband likes this one best.

For the next dresden plate, I drew up my own template, which is the width of two wedges: 10 wedges to make a full circle.  I like the look of the fatter wedges and it's less work, ha!  This time, I sewed by hand the circle in the middle, after using Anna Maria Horner's method to make super circles.  I hand quilted this dresden with two layers of batting and then slip stitched the back to the front, all the way around... each and every corner.  Ooh, those inner corners were tough.

Did the same with the third dresden, and all the while I was thinking, "there's got to be a better way!"

So for my last dresden, I didn't finish the points at the top.  I sewed all the wedges together, drew a scallop pattern, sandwiched it with only one layer of batting, finished it with the sewing machine and then hand quilted it together.  I have to admit... I'm kind of on the fence.  I love the look of the pointy dresdens, but the scalloped one looks pretty too and it was a lot easier.  What do you think?  Which do you like best?

Also, I totally would love to hear your secret tips or techniques... yep, I can keep a secret!  (no, not really.)

xo amy

:: the drama queen is getting better

Well, it's nice to know I'm not dying.  When it comes to sickness I am a bit of a drama queen.  I always think the worst.  Especially when there is no improvement after a few days of miserably doing nothing.  Well now it's been several days and I am finally getting better ~ doing more each day before I reach that debilitating exhaustion.  Yippee!

So, I decided that I wanted to make dresden plate trivets.  I say 'trivets' rather than potholders because I truly only intend to use them on the table, under serving bowls and pots.  To protect my hands, I like to use oven mitts.  (I've burnt myself too many times using flimsy potholders.) 

My first dresden was sort of experimental (I'll show you later), but these two dresden plates I love...

Soon they'll be all sewn up and I'll show you.  Still moving rather slowly 'round here, but getting better every day.  Thanks so very much for your well wishes ;)

Friday inspiration anyone?

1. sewingcorner4, 2. Untitled, 3. Vintage Wallpaper, 4. My daughter, 5. Everything Will Be Alright, 6. Trays in Sew Cherry, 7. My dauthter likes the wallpaper..., 8. Poem commission, 9. Sweethearts On Parade Necklace, 10. little quilt in a basket., 11. Ringo Pie--June, 12. W.I.P. detail, 13. More Strawberries

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

xo amy

candy that's good for you

hello.  Feeling cruddy over here.  I began to feel the body aches and shivers the very moment I hit the "publish" button on my last post and it's been downhill since then.  I've been lying in bed most of the time, which is about enough to drive me insane.  I know by now that I get sick more often than others.  I have one of those "weak constitutions" and I can only surmise that it's brought on by eating too many sweets or is it because I don't get enough sleep?  Those are my {only} weak areas ~ too much sugar, not enough zzz's.   Any tips on how to strengthen an old shotty immune system?  I'm about to toss mine out the window.

Anyhow, I thought it would be a great time to throw out some eye candy at ya... this kind of sugar won't make you sick, promise.

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Aaah, I actually feel a bit better now.   See that gorgeous vintage-looking dresden plate?  I want to make a trivet just like that.  I think I'll... try... getting... up... now!

xo amy

over the weekend...

I have enjoyed immensely reading your comments about the painting mishap.  I kid you not, when I found the paint splatters, my whole family grabbed Olivia as if to shield her from me ~ then she was immediately whisked off to the park.  (I wasn't going to hurt her, seriously!)  But, thank goodness she's cute, right?  And for the moment, those two blocks are simply resting.  Their fate will be decided later.  Welcome the newest member of my Farmer's Wife quilt...

{ no. 19 Checkerboard }

I like it, it was easy to put together, and it's now secured in a fireproof safe with a triple lock... ha!

Have you seen the work of Amy Merrick?  Her website and blog, An Apple a Day, are crazy gorgeous ~ in that modern, sophisticated, prairie style that I'm so enjoying right now.  Her flickr photostream is here.  Take a look at her photos and then come back and laugh as I share with you my feeble attempts at playing with flowers...

I spent 20 minutes Friday morning, playing with a $5 bunch I'd gotten from the Farmer's Market.  If I have any wisdom to share it's this: spread that love.  Don't hoard the whole arrangement in one place, break it up.  I love putting a little jar of flowers in my bathroom because otherwise there's nothing pretty in there.  And lately, I like the filler stuff even better than the "important" flowers...

But I did like these peach roses so much...

And on Saturday, there was a giant party at a park in our town.  There was a lot of fun for everyone...  you know, kettle corn, train rides, bouncy house, face-painting, barbeque, kinda fun.

Hope you had a great weekend!  xo amy

:: has this ever happened to you?

Certain things should never ever be in close proximity to one's sewing projects ~ tomato sauce, markers, children's scissors, and paint would be a few fine examples.  It can only end badly.  It might even make you want to throw something or sit down and cry when you turn around and see... ohmygosh...

Paint splatters!  I really did want to cry when I saw this, but I didn't.  These are the after photos.  After I doused the blocks with water, trying to get the paint out unsuccessfully.  And of course the only two blocks that got "painted" are my two favorites ~ of course, right?

What would you do?  Would you spend more of your precious time making the blocks again, or just use the "pre-loved" blocks anyway?  I'd love to know.

There are a bunch more photos and things I did today that I wanted to share with you, but I'm running out the door for a date with my husband.  I leave you with a small dose of inspiration...

1. Untitled, 2. apron wraps..., 3. Clown, 4. , 5. happiness on a hook, 6. Petit Point Handkerchief, 7. From Harpel's Typograph, 8. Pretty Vintage Seam Binding, 9. the wall through the hassie, 10. Luxe Pillows, 11. Aurora Close Up, 12. Oh! You Pretty Things, 13. Granny Square Baby Quilt

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

And please do share your thoughts on the 'paint + precious sewing project' thing... I'd love to know what you'd do, or if it's happened to you...

xo amy

block redux

I have already 5 or so Farmer's Wife block rejects that have been sent to sulk in my scrap pile ~ blocks not making it into the quilt because they're too small, off color palette, or just plain ugly.  I really hate to waste hours of work though, and I've wondered what I'd do with them til now...

tada!  I don't actually think I'm a genius or anything, I really truly needed some trivets.  Ask my husband ~ he's the one who sets the table at dinner and he ends up piling placemats and dish towels in the middle of the table because it's all we have!  (Ok, there is one trivet, but it's tucked away and he never remembers it.)

I do love when practical and pretty come together (in the case of this block it was 1/4" too small and only slightly off palette and just a little bit ugly).   Makes a great trivet, right?  I had the perfect length of binding and I used three layers of batting... hand quilted the thing... done in no time.  I think I'll make three more.

Next up, call me crazy but something about block no. 16 'Calico Puzzle' was driving me nuts ~ so I ripped it apart, saving the strawberries, and gave it new life with a fresher combo of prints.  I am so glad I did.  Totally worth the effort...

See the block below with the yellow diamonds?  It's block no. 18 'Century of Progress'.  Took me hours to make.  That was my first paper pieced block, but I don't love it and I won't be using it.  Poor poor reject. ;)

I think it'll make a lovely trivet, though ;)

xo amy

And with that I'm off for some fresh air...

Just finished my best Farmer's Wife quilt block ever... at least, the best in my eyes.  And it's a good thing because lately when I spread out the blocks I've made so far, I examine them with squinty eyes and a wrinkled scrunched up nose... not good.  This new block encompasses the look I've been trying to capture, but 'til now have not achieved.  sigh.

Modern~prairie~pretty.   Love it.

{ no. 44 Gentleman's Fancy }

And I finally got a chance to use this Japanese fabric I bought years ago...

I have only a half yard and I've been fussy cutting with it, but ... um... thanks for listening to me drivel on and on about a single quilt block, sometimes I truly feel like a nut.  Think I'll shut off the computer and take us all out for some fresh air now...

Also, thanks so much for the sweet compliments about the alphabet mini quilt.  I appreciate your taking the time to share that love!  Your comments do mean ever so much to me...  xo amy