Bluesville…..

October 9th, 2011

Thanks for stopping by for Emily’s Scrap Republic Book Tour!

You didn’t know you were coming to the Blue Nickel on a tour day?? Oh then it is your lucky day…there’s a fun little interview….a little delving into the book…and a whole lotta blue pictures….AND a WHOPPER of a prize offering….I mean seriously….FIVE prizes to FIVE people! That rocks!!

Emily wanted all of the stops along the tour to reflect a particular color as the book is such a celebration of color!  I tried to get my favorite color which is red, but for some reason I was forced into getting blue….probably something to do with branding and keeping me in line, but whatever!  :)   :)

So I have been looking for my favorite blue stuff, and the good thing is that like Emily, I also love abundant color and therefore had no problem finding a lot of blue around here…as evidenced throughout this post..

I also thought it would be fun to give Emily a mini “blue” interview about …well..blueness….

What 3 songs make you Bluer than Blue??

  • - Red Rain

  • - We All Live in a Yellow Submarine

  • - Black Hole Sun

and here’s the song that inspired that question  ;)

 

 

What 3 things make you as Happy as Blue Skies?

  • - grey skies

  • - finishing up a big project

  • - and seeing happy little smilie faces belonging to Maeve & Liam




Pick one of these three: Blueberry shake, Blueberry muffin, Blueberry pancakes…

None of the above. Blueberries are the worst things to ever grow on a plant. Strawberries on the other hand…

(we obviously have a rule breaker here!)


 

Two truths and a lie:

  • —Actively sought out grizzly bears (to photograph) on our honeymoon

  • —Sewing machine shaped tattoo on my lower back

  • —Toenail polish of choice: blue with rainbow sparkly sprinkles

Okay….and I should talk about the book too, huh?  Simply put….buy it! That is if you love color and have a ton of scraps and love good instructions and don’t like to toss out even the tiniest bit of THAT favorite print, or THAT one, or THAT one either.  You can use them all!!

What’s more even if you don’t have a ton of scraps, each of the scrappy quilts shown has an alternate version that you can use for that incredible fat quarter pack you bought back in 2009 but can’t figure out what you want to do with it.  You know the one I am talking about.  If you get this book, you can finally get some use out of that pack AND be on your way to the obsessive compulsive hoarder collector of a great start on the scrappier versions!

Are you ready for the prizes? Check it out!

  • - Scrap Republic from C&T Publishing—printed version for US residents, PDF for international


  • - Scrap Republic Eco Tote from C&T Publishing—US residents only


  • - Bag o’ Scraps from Robert Kaufman—US and International

 

  • - ROY G BIV Essential Cotton Thread in Red, Pumpkin, Butter, Lime, Cerulean, Midnight, and Red Violet from Connecting Threads—US residents only


  • - Mrs. Roy G. Biv Pattern from Carolina Patchworks (the pattern that inspired the book!)—US and International

All you need to do is tell me about your favorite blue, however you interpret that! oh, and try to guess what Emily’s lie is from above.  I will let you know when I announce the winners next week!

And in case you missed the schedule, here you go…remember this prize package is at EVERY stop of the tour! is that incredible or what?!  Tomorrow my friend John has a cool group…Indigo, Black, Brown, Grey…...hhhhmmm that sounds like an awesome quilt, doesn’t it?

Monday October 3: White
Rachel Griffith @ p.s. i quilt
http://www.psiquilt.com
rachel@psiquilt.com

Tuesday October 4: Pink
Kathy Mack @ Pink Chalk Studio
http://pinkchalkstudio.com/blog
kathy@pinkchalkstudio.com

Wednesday October 5: Red
Kimberly Jolly @ Fat Quarter Shop
http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com
kimberly@fatquartershop.com

Thursday October 6: Orange
Jake Finch @ Generation Q Magazine
http://generationqmagazine.com
alljake@hotmail.com

Friday October 7: Yellow
Pat Sloan
http://patsloan.typepad.com/pat_sloans_corner
pat@patsloan.org

Saturday October 8: Green
Connecting Threads
http://www.connectingthreads.com/blog

Sunday October 9: Blue
Scott Hansen @ Blue Nickel Studios
http://bluenickelstudios.com
bluenickel5@earthlink.net

Monday October 10: Indigo (grouped with Black/Brown/Grey in the book)
John Adams @ Quilt Dad
http://www.quiltdad.com
adamsjohnq@gmail.com

Tuesday October 11: Violet/Purple
Allie Heath @ Robert Kaufman
http://www.swatchandstitch.com
aheath@robertkaufman.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modern Mix Blog Tour

October 8th, 2011

Welcome to the Blue Nickel today!

I get the special treat today of sharing with you my friend, Jessica Levitt,  and her book Modern Mix.       I first met Jess online through her blog, and then we met in person at Quilt Market in Pittsburgh where she was pitching her first line of fabric, Timber.    Everything Jess does is detailed and very exact.  She was an engineer in her earlier years,  and it plays out in her creativity now as evidenced by clean, straightforward lines and no-nonsense approach to everything (how she stays my friend, I do not know, because I do not adhere to any of those virtues)....probably because we only see each other once a year….   ;)

Looking through Modern Mix, I have to say it really is truly Modern! The designs are all very clean and streamlined, if  I didn’t design my own quilts there are quite a few in here that I would love to make.  These definitely shout that these are not the grandmotherly little cottage quilts (which I love too).  These are the NYC loft  type quilts that will be classics for a long time.

That being said, there are two projects that I find truly, truly tempt me….first the wall organizers pictured below.   The Lord knows that I need better organizing skills that’s for sure!!

And the second project that I might make if I have the time (okay….stop laughing now, alright?) would be the camera/phone case (no picture, you have to buy [or win, see below] the book) What I really love about the case is how Jess developed a little chart with the calculations to make this fit multiple little devices…you know the ones that run our world?   Who wants a standard black case when you can make your own in your favorite fabrics?

I did a little interview too with Jess,  so here is that as well.

I figure everyone else is going to be asking all the “relevant” questions….I like to go down a different path….

Besides quilting, you are the party queen as far as I can tell.  Tell the Blue Nickelites about some of your favorite party themes that you have come up with and share a few great photos if you can.

  •  I do indeed love to throw a good party.  I used to design and plan weddings but lately it’s all about my kids’ birthdays.  Probably my favorite is always the last one, which in this case was a Harry Potter Party!  I’m a huge fan of the books and so is my daughter, and last month she got to invite 20 of her friends to come experience Hogwarts complete with classes and Quiddich.  I haven’t blogged this one yet so this picture is a sneak preview.


  • I also loved her Unicorns and Rainbows last year and my son’s Construction Party.

  

How do you include you love for sewing into your party planning?

  • I love to use fabric to decorate because I love fabric so much.  I sew table cloths and runners, bunting, and even favor bags.  After you can re-use the fabric from the tablecloths.  For the Harry Potter party each child got their own robe to wear and take home!

Your most creative time of day? or night?

  • Late, late, LATE at night.  I rarely go to bed before the wee hours of the morning.

Who’s partying with you on your iPod this week?

  • I’m sad to say I don’t listen to much music lately…but maybe it would be any of the Glee albums.

You need a quick meal. Is it Kraft macaroni and cheese, Burger King, or Grilled buffalo burgers with rosemary hollandaise sauce and a side dish from Martha Stewart’s latest ? (you know, something simple and easy to prepare)

  •  Mac and Cheese is most likely.  I do cook sometimes and enjoy getting fancy, but most nights it’s broiled chicken or fish, some veggies, and pasta/rice.

Describe your perfect camping adventure with the kids so far…..okay Glamping…I know you are not a “Camping” person!!

  • This summer we were in the Thousand Lakes region of New York and it was amazing.  First, it’s didn’t rain much like it has the past few years.  The weather was beautiful and our campsite was very pretty and private.  I really loved the air there and there were just enough sites/attractions to see to keep us occupied.  I like a place where we can commune with a nature some, but also go do stuff.

On Heartthrobs: Brad, Johnny, Hugh

  • All of the above.  And you forgot Robert.  But I’ve always been a Brad Pitt fan back to his young and single days… Who can forget Thelma and Louise?

On cookies: Chocolate Chip, Snicker-doodle,  Macroon

  • Chocolate Chip all the way.

Two truths and a lie.

  • 1. My first quilt was teal blue and dusty rose….very 80s.

  • 2. In college I made costumes for my friends and I to be characters from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

  • 3. I’ve never worked in a fabric store.

See she is pretty incredible, isn’t she? and so is the book… You could buy it…like I did, or you can leave a comment here (Comment on anything you want, no rules on this one)..and on the 22nd after the tour,  I will randomly draw a name from the comments and Stash Books will send you your own copy.  You can in fact sign up at all these blogs to win!!

Here is the schedule for the rest of the tour….Tomorrow check out the Uber-riffic Alissa Haight Carlton.  She’s got game I tell ya!

10/6/2011-Sew Mama Sew  Beth Wilson

10/7/2011-Jaybird Quilts  Julie Herman

10/8/2011-Blue Nickel Studios  Scott Hansen

10/9/2011-Handmade by Alissa Alissa Haight Carlton

10/10/2011-Stop Staring and…Start Sewing   Jona Giammalva

10/11/2011-Quilting is my Therapy   Angela Walters

10/12/2011-Stitch Magazine Blog   Tricia

10/13/2011-Oh Fransson   Elizabeth Hartman

10/14/2011-Gen Q Magazine  Jake Finch

10/15/2011-Quilt Dad   John Adams

10/16/2011-Confessions of a Craft Addict  Mary Abreu

10/17/2011-Amy’s Creative Side  Amy Ellis

10/18/2011-Pink Chalk Studio   Kathy Mack

10/19/2011-Connecting Threads Blog  Melissa Burt

10/20/2011- Keepsake Quilting blog   Betsy Markert

10/21/2011 – Juicy Bits – Jessica Levitt herself

Busy, busy week at the Blue Nickel!

October 2nd, 2011

about 50-60 blocks have come in for the Bumble Beans Basic Quilt Project so far…Here are  pictures of all of them.

 

and an interested passerby….

    

I do have to cut this project off now, so if you haven’t sent them here yet,  please contact Victoria here and I know that she will find a home for your blocks.  If you have sent them and I don’t have anymore time to work on them, or I don’t have enough for a full quilt, we’ll figure something out.   And I will announce the winners of the fat quarters of fabrics later this week….

This week’s Watch It Wednesday video is  a very rugged rock number, and it is a deluxe version because it relates to a debut line from a new fabric designer who has in a relatively short time gone from being a passing acquaintance at Quilt Market to a friend and collaborator. I can hardly wait to share with you on Wednesday…Don’t miss it, you will be surprised!

And then there are the Blog Tours at the end of  this week….

Saturday the 8th,  I get to feature Modern Mix by my friend Jessica Levitt!!

and then on Sunday,  I  get to talk about  Emily Cier’s book Scrap Republic.

And don’t forget the Quilt Uberfest all week and next here at the Blue Nickel!

I am excited about both of these books, and even though I was sent a PDF copy  to review by email awhile back, my copies of both just got here from Amazon on the first, so I get to look at them for real!  So stay tuned….and watch for the Blue Nickel posts this week….after that I don’t know how much actual posting will get done…I kind of need to get working on that book thing I started back in May!!

Piece Out!

Scott