Thrifted: five men’s dress shirts in various muted shades.

Assembled: a quick quilt top, from 11″ squares cut from the larger sections of the shirts.

Quilted: with grey perle cotton.

In progress: but honestly, not really loving it as much as I’d like.  Something’s not quite right.  There seems to be a very fine line between “muted and manly” and “unattractive,” and I think this one has its foot firmly planted on that line.  I wanted to do something that was outside my comfort zone–which is to say, that wasn’t electric-bright colors and whimsical dots–and this certainly is.  As a result, it’s harder for me to evaluate whether I’ve achieved success.

The plan: to keep pushing on through, in the hopes that when I get to the other side, I won’t hate it but rather that something will reveal itself to me.  My default, fall back plan is that if the hand quilting fails to capture my imagination and redeem the palette (which I admit is so far outside of my own Spring palette that I can’t be sure I even know the names of these colors), I’ll take out the hand quilting and machine quilt in a wide chevron.  Because everyone loves a chevron.

Other options I considered for this project:

• all flannel shirts
• all seams flat fell, with no backing or batting–just a single layer of flannel with reinforced seams
• larger pieces cut as wedges from the sleeves, then assembled at angles
• whole-cloth man quilt, made from a single cut of flannel

• garbage bag for car
• bento-y lunch kit in tweed
• steering wheel cover
• leather “bracelets”
• manly placemats & napkins
• skinny ties
• boxers (silk and otherwise, as well as something called a “willy warmer”)
• scarf with built-in iPhone pocket
• anatomically correct heart embroidery (on anything, other than an actual heart, I assume)
• padded kindle cover, preferably with nerd theme
• slippers
• embroidered hankies
• long, lean hoodie
• t-shirt quilt
• wallet with secret love note pocket inside
• desktop organizer
• hand-embroidered note inside the pocket of his favorite suit
• cuff wallet
• warm hat & gloves with a small heart applique or embroidery
• “man woobie”
• manly bag for manly things
• pajama pants with or without robe
• MP3 pillow with pocket
• bag for wet swimsuits, for traveling
• cord roll-up for traveling
• travel shoe bags
• lined men’s toiletry kit

I mean, really some GREAT ideas that bring lots of images to mind of a happy, crafty Valentine’s Day.  I’ve narrowed the choices down to three for the tutorial I’ll be posting on Monday–but there are a bunch of tutorials out there that can be adapted to make some of the stuff listed above, so I think I’ll do a little rounding-up while I’m at it.  If you’re looking for a gift to make for your manly man, stay tuned!

I think I was most surprised at how lovely and collegial everyone was.  The older I get, the harder I find it to make friends, and there are no words for how downright friendly each and every one of these women was.  Just open and interested and kind and smart and sassy and funny–oh, my gosh, SO FUNNY.

And it seemed as though every one of them had something so cool going on, such interesting lives and amazing accomplishments, in so many fields.  Jane lives right here in Atlanta and raises backyard chickens and makes the prettiest quilts.  Kristen is a federal agent and was making pants for her enviable figure.  Rachel is working on a deal with Bernina and is consulting for J. Crew and Anthropologie (!).  Josie teaches middle school science and can knit like a fiend.  Jean makes the most delectable modern quilts, and also is a vet with a heart of absolute gold–plus she has the most amazing dog ever.  Annabel teaches kids to sew from her home studio and has a book coming out early next year.  Emily takes such gorgeous photos and makes wedding dreams come true (plus she has a baby due in the summer!).  Just a really impressive group of women, across the board.

And then there were the instructors.  Heather Ross, of course, who is everything you already know her to be but also the best hugger in the world, and such a humble and kind and generous person.  And Anna Maria, who is both brilliant and talented but also funny and thoughtful and welcoming.  Denyse Schmidt, who easily has the most gentle manner I have recently experienced, and who was truly interested and intrigued in every project she saw this weekend (not least of which was Tony Danza).  Gretchen Hirsch, better known as Gertie, who has a delicious, dry sense of humor and a keen eye, and who is sharp as a tack, crazy talented, plus adventurous and engaging and maybe a bit of an enabler (like I was really going to order the LAMB, for heaven’s sake).  Every one of them there with a spirit of camraderie–not just with one another, but with all of us, too.

Naturally, there was, like, a serious TON of fabric.  More than half of us confessed that we’d taken clothing OUT of our suitcases to make room for more supplies.  For my part, I cut out the squares for my Tony Danza quilt, and then fiddled with the pattern a bit to break it into 36 12.5″ blocks.  Of which I sewed three in Palm Springs–which is practically 10%, so I am thrilled.  I also did a little hand quilting on my sampler quilt and finished hand-sewing in the lining of my LBD, which I didn’t finish in time to wear on my date but will SO be wearing this Saturday when hubs and I go out.  Very successful weekend for me–if you don’t consider the fact that now I have 25+ people who have seen the beginnings of Tony Danza and will now be holding me fully accountable to bring the project to completion.  When Heather Ross and Denyse Schmidt take photos of your quilt project with their cell phones, and Denyse tells you, “I CAN’T WAIT to see the Tony Danza quilt finished!” you get your fingers moving and make you a quilt.  The world demands it.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, there was the sheer exquisiteness of the setting.  Southern California, 78 degrees, sparkling pool water for our exclusive use, Butter the Greatest Dog Ever, citrus trees outside your room, the hippest hipster hotel, it was all so lovely.  So relaxing.  Dreamy.

I am already dreaming of going back next year, if only to see that puppy face again.  Oh, who am I kidding? It’s to hang tough with my fabulous new sewing friends and soak up some mid-winter sunshine.  To get some inspiration and to make some connections and to recharge tired batteries.  To eat great food and to swim and to gaze at the peaks in the distance, framed against a crystal clear sky.  (And to see that puppy face again.)

More photos on Flickr.

Two words: Tony Danza.

This weekend, you could win a spot in the Essential Sewing e-course that begins on Monday!  Jog on over to True Up, our favorite all-fabric-all-the-time blog, and leave a comment for a chance to win.  Giveaway closes Monday morning!

There are still spots remaining in the class if you’d like to join!  Registration will remain open through early next week to allow last-minute folks a chance to pick up your needle and get sewing this January.  Hoping you’ll be part of the group!

Let’s back up.  First:  I think my long-standing love-affair with Kona cotton is no secret.  I know there are lots of solid cotton fabrics out there, but Kona is the Cadillac of them all, the very best of the best, the most consistent in quality, always true-to-color, never fades or bleeds, is a dream to work with–when you see a solid fabric in my sewing, it’s Kona cotton, plain and simple.  Plus, with over 240 colors–yes! 240+!–you can always find what you’re looking for (and if you can’t, they’re adding new ones every year, which makes me so very, very happy).  I love me some Kona.

Image via True Up

Second: Spoonflower is the vanguard in a group of companies that have come to be known as “print-on-demand fabrics.”  They were true pioneers in the field, and offer you the opportunity to design and print your own fabrics, even if you have ZERO design experience.  You can upload an image and they have built-in software that will repeat that image over the face of the fabric for you, or you can design something from scratch and upload a file to their server.  You can choose a pile of different media (that’s the plural of “medium,” BTW) on which to print–for now, it’s a variety of textiles, but if I’m reading the hints and signs right, I think in 2012 Spoonflower is about to let us begin to print on other media, as well.  I’m hoping for cardstock (for note cards and stationery) and wallpaper, but that’s just me.  Also: when it does come to pass that Spoonflower lets us print on wallpaper, please remember that you heard it here first.

Check out some of the amazing prints online that other Spoonflower-ers have been making–drool-worthy, for sure.  These are just designs that caught my eye today, but if you haven’t browsed the variety before, you are in for a treat.  Get your Pinterest ready, y’all.

Bees and red ovals by Holli Zollinger; Delft buildings and 2012 Calendar game by Bora;  Mock Pacman by pixeldust; London cartoon map by anastasiia-ku.   

Kona becomes the default cotton base cloth at 9 AM on Monday! Woot!

Found this little fella outside the bathroom window the other morning as flurries were circling overhead.  Tried desperately to snap a shot of him with a single flake scooting past, but never did–only ended up with a zillion pictures that look more or less like this:

Except then I wanted to play with my special effects button, and now you have to look at some more of them.  Here ya go.

He’s pretty cute, so that makes up for it.

Meanwhile, I’ve been moving in furniture that has been handed down to me (thanks, Mom!) and fits my home perfectly, prepping to open up the Sewing Buddy 2012 sign-ups, and doing some editing work on the new book.  Kitchen?  Languishing a bit, but I’m hoping we can at least get some drawers in this week–I’ll let you know how it goes.

Oh!  And I still have spaces in the Essential Sewing e-course starting Monday!

The idea is based on the Power Phrases that I use in my sewing classes, and that I included in Stitch by Stitch.  The first power phrase is “You’re the Boss!”  Taking control of your sewing machine and not letting is sass you is core to the Whipstitch way of thinking, but then, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.  I want to sew something to reflect that.  Enter: Tony Danza.  Is it all coming together now?

I’m using the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Patchwork Generator to create a pattern for the whole thing–it’s a great little tool that allows you to upload any image and turn it into a quilt pattern, PLUS you can vary the number of fabrics and complexity of the design.

 Upload any image, including one from the Victoria & Albert’s own archives, which are extensive and lovely:

In my case, it was a Tony Danza image I downloaded from Google images.  (Do note: I am free to use any image I choose because I don’t plan to sell this piece; be sure to double-check any copyright laws as they might apply to pieces you intend to make for sale or profit.)  The uploaded image will display like this:

Then, make your selections:  you can crop the image, you get to choose how many colors will be included in the final patchwork (more colors = more fabrics but also more detail, so it’s a judgment call) and how many total pieces (same deal–you get more detail with more pieces, and I might be wrong, but I think only the “advanced” tab gives you the option of triangles in the form of HSTs).

Naturally, I chose 20 colors and “advanced” because I intend this piece to be both big and detailed.  From there, click through to find your image has been pixellated, if you will, into a patchable, quiltable pattern.

You’ll also get a by-color listing of how many triangles and squares of each fabric ought to be cut–no counting, just follow their list and you’re ready!

Plus, the V & A give suggestions and links at the bottom of the page for how to get your best results from your project:

Next for me is to match the colors to my Konas and do some fine-tuning–I plan to hand-quilt and embroider some detailing into the finished quilt, so you can really tell it’s Tony (not to mention appliqueing on the words “You’re the Boss!” in curly 80s-style script), but I don’t love how mushed up his mouth is here, so I plan to fiddle a bit with the colors to make his face a little more clear.

Once the fine-tuning is done and the pattern is really ready, I’ll cut out my squares so I can take just the pre-cut pieces with me to Palm Springs!  Woot!  God willing, I’ll at least have the quilt top done by mid-February, so that I can get well into the hand-quilting and embroidery by Easter.

Tell me: if you were going to “quiltify” one image, what would you choose?  Would you use the V & A program to make your pattern?

*Also, I was flattered to have been included in the Sew, Mama, Sew Reflections and Predictions series this month.  Check out all the great contributors and posts, including mine!  I hope if nothing else, reading all of us chatter about what we love most and hope for in the coming year will get you inspired to think of your own best and worst from 2011.  You can even win a prize!

• install dishwasher
• hang pantry door
• prime and paint cabinet doors and drawers
• select and order new hinges–naturally, the old ugly ones were a non-standard size, so we have to get them off the web
• install new handles and hinges, hang cabinet doors
• select and install tile backsplash

Today, our amazing contractor came over and put in the dishwasher and hung the pantry door, so that’s AWESOME.  I spent part of yesterday sanding and priming the cabinet doors and drawers:

I took a lot of advice from these guys, and so far it’s going very well (knock wood).  I’m pleased with this primer, too, since the other brand of oil base primer I used on the walls has left a very faint texture that I don’t love a whole lot–it’s only barely, barely noticeable, so you probably wouldn’t see it if you came over, but in just the right light at just the right time of day, I can glimpse it and I’m mildly saddened.  But aside from the fact that we saved a cold five grand by painting the interior ourselves, not to mention using the existing cabinets, I am reminded over and over that even when the pros do something, it rarely is perfect, so I’ll sand a few spots that are irritating me and call it a day.

The cabinet doors, hopefully, won’t need any sanding–so far, so good:

We also got in the samples in for the glass tile backsplash, and that’s where I need your help.  We like them both, but I don’t know that we love either one–or maybe we love them both, but we’re not sure which we love more?

Both are 1″ x 3″ glass tile.  One has two shades of green, the other has the lighter shade of green plus a pale turquoise and a veeery pale grey.

You can see the white marble countertops here with their grey veining, and the white of the cabinets above.  You can also see the horrible country blue wallpaper that used to be there, and which will be covered up by the tile.  This is the horror from which you could be saving us.

We have three options for you to vote on here, along with the relevant data to help you make an informed decision:

1. I LOVE the green-and-green tile!  You should totally install it vertically, because that’s how the cool kids are doing it. 
2. I LOVE the herringbone tile–but only if you install it like zigzags rather than chevrons.  And NO, it is NOT too many colors of tile. 
3. I don’t know if I would choose either of these, even though the green in both is an EXACT MATCH to your wall color.  I think you should go back and search for other options, like this suggestion I have for you right HERE.

These are your only choices, pollsters.  Forget the primaries, no one really thinks they’re predictive–but THIS!  THIS could be your date with backsplash tile infamy!!

Thanks for your help.  We really do want your input, because we’re exhausted from making decisions and we need an extra few sets of eyeballs.  Y’all rock.