Washing Instructions- Hats, Pop-opens, and Sleep Masks

I took several of my handmade products with me backpacking to Emigrant Wilderness a few weeks ago. When you come home from a trip like that, all you really want to do is take a long hot shower and sit down on the most comfortable chair in the world-- which, after sitting on granite for days, is any chair, by the way. Then you look over at your backpack, which you can smell from across the room, and contemplate how long you can put off the task of washing its ENTIRE contents.

But don't feel too sorry for me:

SunhatEmigrant

There's my reversible sun hat! In the wild! It was the perfect hat to bring because it had a large brim, and was lightweight and highly packable. But man, did it get dirty! I'm talking sunscreen-sweat-bug spray-dirt-dirty. Washing it an alpine lake is a fantastic option for cleaning out in the woods... but back in San Francisco, I wanted to get everything CLEAN-clean. Which, by that I mean actually using soap.

So I'm taking the opportunity to share some important washing instructions for a few of the products I make.

Photo by Isabel French.

1.) Pop-opens:

This felt like a good opportunity to make a really grainy GIF. Please enjoy!

Basic instructions: Hand wash exterior, sponge wash interior.

Detailed instructions: Pull the interior out of the bag. Using lukewarm soapy water (I use a clean and free detergent), hand wash the exterior. You can soak it up to the zipper, just avoid soaking the interior. Then, take a sponge and wipe down the interior. Hang to dry or rest on a drying rack. Just 'pop' the inside back in once dry!

This is where I'll point out that people DO wash laminated cotton in the washing machine, and have no problems. It's up to you, in the end. :)

2.) Reversible Sun Hat:

Basic instructions: Machine wash, hang dry.

Detailed instructions: Machine wash with cold water in a regular load of laundry. To dry, I used a vase to prop the hat up so it dries in its original shape, but this is not necessary.

3.) Sleep mask:

Basic instructions: Hand wash, dry flat. That's it!

--

All of these items came in handy on my backpacking trip, by the way. Some things that I'd add to my list of handmade items to bring for next time: A variety of bandanas (for ascot purposes) and several small drawstring bags for separating and sorting items inside backpack.

All in all, 31 miles, four days, one blister, and a lot of dirt. But worth every bug bite.

Love,
Ashley

Summer News

Happy Summer!

School is out and the sun is out (occasionally) in San Francisco! There has been a LOT going on over here, so allow me to cut to the chase.

Attention World!

I LIVE STREAMED! Yep, I made my very first infomercial, an impromptu Facebook live video from the Patchwork Show Oakland a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to the team at the Patchwork Show, and also a special thanks to my friends Justin and Jamieson for helping, it was like sweet serendipity the way that whole thing went down.

In case you missed it and need a few chuckles, here it is:

[video width="640" height="640" mp4="http://www.alphabetsummer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/PatchworkLivestreamJune52016.mp4"][/video]

Attention Pop-Open Coveters!

My Etsy shop has a new look. Also, I’m going to be adding this beautiful medium size to my offerings, as well!

Attention Sewists!

My latest post on the Dear Handmade Life blog is a tutorial on how to make this super easy sleep mask. I’m taking mine on an upcoming backpacking trip, since that summer sun makes it almost impossible to sleep past dawn. You should make one, too! 

Awesome photography by Isabel.

Also, my latest Creativebug class, How to Sew a Dopp Bag, is the June Bag of the Month! If you haven’t checked out the trailer to see if it’s your thing-- which I can already tell you it is-- here you go! Don't forget to use the promo code ASHLEY for a free two-week trial!

Attention Pop-Open Owners!

Are you taking yours on any trips this summer? Take a photo of your pop-open in the wild, like my friend Diali has here in the Grand Tetons! Tag me (@alphabetashley) and use the hashtag #popopensinthewild and it could be shown on my page! Also, at the end of the summer, there might be a prize involved. Just saying.

Attention Quilters!

I'm excited to be teaching at Quiltfest Oasis in Palm Springs this October 6-8th! I've never been to Palm Springs and I feel like it might officially make me Californian. I can't wait! Head over to the site to see why I'm so honored to be a part of this lineup.

Also in October, I'll be returning to the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara! Head over here to see my class offerings and also who else will be teaching... hint: It's my mom!

Attention World, Again!

Last but certainly not least, I’m thrilled to share that an article I wrote will be appearing in issue #30 of Uppercase Magazine! More on that soon, but if you aren’t a subscriber yet, use the code “summer30” for a discount. This magazine is one of my absolute favorites, and I look forward to receiving it more than almost anything. To say I'm honored that words that I wrote will be printed in this beautiful publication is a vast understatement.

That is all, for now. Thank you for reading, and happy summer out there! I'd love to hear from you, especially if you have any ideas for more silly live videos!

More from me really soon.

Love,

Ashley

A Proper Posse

I am so lucky because I feel like lightning struck twice. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’d remember my obsession with Tuesdays. Back when I lived in Spain, I had an amazing group of friends who met every Tuesday for a session of crafting, yapping, and general silliness. Our bond, while no longer taking its weekly format, endures to this day.

When I moved to San Francisco, I did not know what was in store for me. I packed up my things into two giant green Correos boxes, and shipped them to the only person I knew in the state of California: my sister’s friend. So, going to a new city, a new job, an unfamiliar country… it all felt a little bit too much to bear without my pals.

But, lo and behold, the gods of friendship smiled upon me once again. Within my first week in San Francisco, I met two of the members of what would turn into a five-person posse. A proper posse.

If you follow my Instagram feed, you might recognize these ladies. Like my Valencian counterpart posse, we tend to meet once a week for a session of non-judgmental support, yapping, and general silliness. We have helped each other through tough times: breakups, surgeries, general malaise. We have celebrated joyous life events: new jobs, new loves, new husbands. We have helped each other move countless times, tracing a frenetic zigzag on the map of the Bay Area with our collective 12 different homes over the years.

And this time, one of us is moving farther away. Don’t get me wrong, this is in the "joyous life event" category, but it’s disguising itself as a sad moment in our lives. In this particular case, we celebrate her new opportunity, her fresh start, her bravery and inner wisdom. But dammit, it’s still sad.

For this special lady, I made a small quilt to take with her on this new journey. I chose the friendship star block, for obvious reasons, and the entire posse helped me with color and fabric choice. But I also love the friendship star because the shape reminds me a little bit of a person walking forward with her head held high, with an air of confidence, of self-assuredness. And what’s more, she is holding on to the people behind her, but she's not looking back.

Go forward, my friend.

(And, just to infuse a little bit more of the city that she loves so much, I took the little quilt out around the neighborhood for a little photo session. And rubbed it up against a nice selection of grimy walls.)

-Ashley

We love you, Larry.

Happy Times- A Patchwork Show Recap

Wow, that was fun.

As a two-time Craftcation attendee and steadfast devotee, I already knew that I loved Nicole and Delilah from Dear Handmade Life, who are the organizers of both events. The atmosphere that these women foster is not only one of immense inspiration and creativity, but it's one that's free of pretense or opulence. So it may not come as a huge surprise that I find myself quite at home around this crowd.

It was a busy day at Jack London Square, full of familiar faces... A friend brought her mother, another brought a group of girlfriends on the ferry, I even saw a fellow quilter who I met in Austin at QuiltCon! And that's just to name a few. It seems like almost all of my dearest peeps made it (if they weren't on their honeymoon!) and OH did they make it special. Flowers, photography, snacks, customer service, manual labor, moral support... It made all the difference.

But ultimately, you know what else made all the difference? My customers. Thank you to all of the people who stopped by, and whether you shopped or not, your feedback and enthusiasm about my bags made it all worth it. Robin the Flight Attendant, you are my hero. Also, I met so many of my amazing fellow vendors, including my neighbors on all sides, and fell in love with a local leather bag maker.

If you did not get a chance to check out my friend and photographer Isabel French's post about my booth, check it out here. And, if you ever have seven spare hours and need to hear someone gush about something they love, just ask me about Craftcation sometime.

Talk to you soon,

-Ashley

Photo courtesy of Isabel French

Golden Gate #1, check!

Last week's gate project involved a beautiful Art Deco pattern that I had a fun and humbling time quilting onto a bright and colorful spectrum pieced top. I took all of the beautiful pre-cuts that I received at QuiltCon from Moda, Windham, and American Made Brand fabric companies, and I pieced them together. Color explosion!

Then, I took the gate pattern and developed the machine quilting design. The colors are so bright and beautiful that the quilting almost seems secondary, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

One of my favorite parts of this project is going out and photographing in my neighborhood. I got several looks, a few curious glances, and one sweet woman who walked by told me she was "so happy to see a young person so passionate about quilting," which warmed my heart.

Here's a glimpse of my Golden Gates 1 quilt. Enjoy!

More #gatesofthesunset to come...

Alphabet Summer 2013: Looking Back

Maude keeps staring at me, almost as if she's saying, "Hey! Thanks a lot, woman. You made me and now I just sit here. At least have the decency to bust me open like a civilized piñata." STOP YELLING AT ME! I say, as I walk past her confused face every morning. 

Don't worry, Maude, even though this year's alphabet is done, there's still plenty of fun to be had. And, no, that doesn't mean I'm going to stuff the poor chicken with candy and beat her with a baseball bat.

I'm probably not going to do that.

Alphabet Summer 2013 was wonderful, and I'm so happy to look back on all of the sweet, sweet memories.

ALSO, I am proud to share that photographs of all 26 projects are hanging in the art space at my school here in San Francisco. For those of you who can't stop by, you can check out the photos below. Also, visit this page if you want to look back on each project.

And for everyone who followed along this summer, or if you have just started checking in, I'm so grateful for all of your support, both this summer and beyond. You haven't heard the last of me quite yet:) Promise.

And, in case you were interested, I was honored and super excited to contribute an article about making zigzags from triangles on the Bernina blog!  Here's a link to the article.

Now, what to make next...

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 ?