What's New

Lots of fun stuff happening over here!

First of all, this week is QuiltCon 2016 in Pasadena, CA. I'm thrilled for several reasons, one of them being the cool classes I'm taking, including my first long-arm class! I'm excited to see friends and meet new ones, hopefully. And of course, I can't wait to see the one and only Gwen Marston as the keynote speaker this year. But... it's also the first time I have a quilt hanging in the show! I'm extremely giddy to see "Pixels" hanging on the wall of a show... it will be a special moment for me, for sure. More on this soon!

Secondly, my latest class on Creativebug is out! The Perfectly Pixelated Jelly Roll Quilt is a great beginners quilt top project. It features my favorite chain-piecing technique, and explores how to use a design wall to map out your design. 

If you haven't signed up to Creativebug yet, now's your chance. They're offering a free month subscription if you use the code MSTAR. What are you waiting for? Just head over and check out their instructors and classes if you don't believe me about how amazing it is.

Thirdly, I'm so pumped to be writing a monthly post for the Dear Handmade Life blog. If you're not familiar with this website, it is one of the many glorious brain children of Nicole Stevenson and Delilah Snell, of Craftcation and the Patchwork Shows that I participate in and love. Check out my maker profile and see my first DIY post, this super sweet and simple fabric wallet.

Simple-DIY-Fabric-Wallet-from-Dear-Handmade-Life

And on the personal project side, I can finally share this baby quilt that I made for my dear friend’s new baby boy. I used these delicious constellation and moon phase prints from Moda, and love both the random chaos and occasional order that the half square triangle design created. I have an image of him, as he grows, staring at the triangles and squares and finding new patterns and different shapes each time. 

WillsGalaxyAshleyNickels

I just love this quilt, and I hope he does too.And don't forget, registration for Craftcation is open!

See you soon,

Ashley

A Mother's Day Treat

Mother's Day is coming up! You might remember that me and my mom filmed a Mother/Daughter quilting class last year with Creativebug... Well if you haven't checked it out, you can at the very least watch the trailer (complete with eye-roll from yours truly) here.

Also, I thought you might like to know about a NEW Mother's Day offer from Creativebug! Click on the image below if you think your own mom might like a creative jolt for her present this year! TWELVE classes for her to keep FOREVER! The Creativebug library includes some AWESOME classes, and not just quilting! Some of my favorites include this watercolor class, this scarf class, this knit dog sweater class, and this felt sewing kit class. OH! The list goes on. Maybe one of the 12 could be a class featuring a Midwestern mother/daughter combo?

So click on this image to get your mama a sweet creative treat! Enjoy!

And... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, stepmothers, almost mothers, sort of mothers, surrogate mothers, and friend mothers out there!

-Ashley

Photo courtesy of Creativebug.

To Infinity, and Beyond

This must be what it’s like when you come home from Burning Man. I’ve been on an emotional high ever since I came back from my big-fat-love-fest QuiltCon, and for some reason I’ve been thinking a lot about Buzz Lightyear. This feeling of awe and excitement about the world, it reminds me of what children must feel when they are growing up and want to be the President, or win the World Series, or dream of being an astronaut. You feel like anything is possible. Nothing seems out of reach, and why shouldn’t it?

Forget that I’m talking about a quilting conference. What I’m referring to is that universal feeling of purpose, the sense that everything makes sense. That I’m surrounded by my people. That there’s no financial, psychological, or logistical obstacles standing in the way of achieving greatness. That I figured out what I want to do.

Attend conferences, you might ask? Is that what you’ll do now? Gonna keep chasing that high? Cuz that’s not-really-a-job. No, as much as I love spending eight hours a day in dimly lit convention centers, it’s not the actual conference that I want to pursue. It’s what’s within the conference. The community. The spirit. The ART. Someone asked me last week what I want to do in this field, and all I could say was, “I want to do it ALL.” And I’m not even really exaggerating.

Originality, authenticity, tradition. These were all big takeaways for me. Within a community that feels comforting to me because I grew up immersed in it’s warmth, I feel like I’m finding my own place within it. But it will be new, and it might not be what I was expecting. After all, my old pal Buzz keeps telling me not just to go to infinity, but beyond as well.

-Ashley

Need a pick-me-up? Watch Spanish-speaking Buzz again, or for the first time!

Photo: Geometric Rainbow by Nicole Daksiewicz, Chicago IL

M is for Makeup

Two things.

1. I had two delicious yards of the “Maude the Yogi” fabric waiting for me in the mail when I got back from my Eastern-ly Journey. I didn't think that fabric could be funny, but man, that chicken sure does make me chuckle.

2. Do you know about the Tumblr “Your LL Bean Boyfriend?” I find it quite magnificent, and not just because of the bearded preppy men. My point for bringing it up is this: When asked if the dress she was wearing to an awards ceremony was in fact actually from LL Bean, Liz Price (the mastermind behind the blog) answered, “I’m big on themes.”

I, too, am big on themes. So, while this makeup case may have several commonalities to other things you have already seen this summer (here, here and even here), think of it as an overarching theme (like “Good and Evil” in To Kill a Mockingbird, or “Dependence on Men” in A Streetcar Named Desire.)

The case features some familiar fabric, but it also debuts a new treasure. In looking for a plastic material for the lining of this little guy, I stumbled upon some... ZEBRA PRINT... wait for it... VINYL. Yep, that's right. Zebra print vinyl. Which, of course, not only makes it water/makeup resistant on the inside, but also freaking fabulous.

Enjoy the pics.

Hey you! This is post #13! Halfway point! Which is to say that Alphabet Summer made it over the hump! Which is your favorite hump video between these two: Camel v. Unicorn ?

E is for Education

“Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in...”

Not like school is the same as being in the Corleone family or anything... but school’s out for the summer!? Not entirely! This week, I had the awesome pleasure of teaching a sewing camp called “Accessorize it!” ...and please don’t forget the exclamation mark.

All but one of my students (age 10, approximately) hadn’t used a sewing machine prior to showing up to class on Day 1. Fresh meat! And thanks to some generous friends and colleagues, we had a 1:1 ratio for machines. We spent the week cranking out all kinds of accessories: bracelets, drawstring pouches, pins, tote bags, infinity scarves, and even hair scrunchies (hello 90’s!).

To summarize:

The experience was educational for all parties. The students were eager and energetic, their final products were elegant, and their egos were elevated (ever so slightly) and I believe they have truly caught the sewing bug.

Yay! More little sewists for the world. But I'll tell you who also learned a thing or two... this guy. (Pointing to myself.)

Basic lessons learned:

1. Bring extra sewing machine needles. Within 20 minutes of the first class, two needles broke, and we were down to three machines. Rookie mistake!

2. Draw lines for students to sew along! Beginners (who are also ten-years-old) tend to veer off course.

3. When drawing said lines, DON’T use a turquoise Sharpie. Use a writing utensil that doesn’t bleed through!

More exciting lessons learned (or re-learned):

1. Sewing is FUN.

2. Watching a bobbin wind is AH-mazing. I had a crowd around me EVERY time we had to wind a bobbin. They were in complete and utter awe.

3. Sewing on a machine is a lot like driving. Therefore, when a person under the age of 16 is sewing... do NOT assume they understand the “your foot controls the show” idea.

4. Do not even bother to give advice to a ten-year-old about which colors look best together. They have their own ideas about that, and cannot be convinced otherwise.

5. Also, don’t bother telling a ten-year-old about what is/isn’t trendy. Making an infinity scarf is apparently a lot less fun than making a long piece of cloth that you can turn into a blindfold or use to whip your friend.

Now... "E"njoy a few pictures from class:

Hey you! Check out the "Blue Tool" here. This thing is MAGICAL for turning straps and threading drawstrings.