So turns out... 

the earth is actually square afterall, and as luck would have it I fell off one of the sides. 

but seriously. So much has been happening, and I owe you posts from March! When I was at the Farm. But while I get my business together, and hold this baby, I want to share a project that I collaborated with Marisa of Creative Thursday on! 

our collaborative name is Creative House! and we created a podcast about the ins and outs of the textile design! It covers almost 2 hours of discussion about the industry. How we came to it, and where from, and also things that you will deal with once you get into it. It makes a great compliment to How to Enter the World of Textile Design for the Quilting Industry! So if you are looking for more information, look no further. We even talk about money, which is something that peeps tend to shy away from, but you're always curious about so we went there. 

We are fun, and helpful, and qualified to help you get to where you want to be! 

So check it out! 

I have about 4 posts for you. Not right yet though. Things are crazy town USA around here, and my little sister might have her baby in a couple of hours or 2 weeks... also, I'll be in LA next week... and there is new fabric, and new patterns and what have you. 

I'm dropping in this afternoon to share a kickstarter project with you!

I know some cool cool peeps in a band called Matteo, and they are so cool their whole band plays traditional Chinese instruments mixed with western instruments in a contemporary way. Well, they've been invited to be artist in residence at the Sichuan University in China, and they need a little help to get there, and I think to pay their videographers so they can record the experience... which is something that I am excited about, because I'm a process person. 

Their music is beautiful and interesting and a little haunting. Won't you chip in? The kickstarter closes in 7 days! 

  talk to you soon! 

If you know anything about me by now, hopefully, one of those things would probably be my great love of making up fake things. Or rather my great love of telling stories, about things and places that never really existed. Or it did exist, and then I have to put it through my patented Lizzy House Midcentury Machine. 

Moving on. I love fake things. I need to draw more. So I'm going to start a fake zine, that might on occasion be a tangible thing. There I said it. I'm sort of committing to something. 

New Headlines can be seen daily on my Instagram! That's right! I now have instagram, because they finally made it available for Androids which is a dream come true. 

You can follow me! I'm @lizzyhouse, just like on twitter. Where nearly 3000 of you follow me. That is crazy town folks. But if you want to read my wise cracks, dating success and tragedies that are always coded, juice recipes, and now see my instagram feed, then I'm so glad you're with me. 

One more thing. I'm looking for a couple of people who like making up fake things also, who might want to participate in my little pretend project. And since it's mostly fake, it isn't much of commitment. And the pay is lousy, but that makes it funnier. Like me sending you a fiver in an envelope. 

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather! We are starting our garden tomorrow, because most of the snow is gone from the peak of Mount Granger... ya know?

When I was at the farm, Susan made the comment that, "we have no idea what you are going to say next". 

This is about how four minutes out of me sounded:

I love all of you so much

I haven't listened to the Talking Heads all week

Do you know where my phone is?

What's your favorite color?

You absolutely can do that. 

Everything IS GREAT!!!

This is really funny. 

I love glitter.

This is going to be so funny.

I'm hungry. 

This is out of control

This is crazy town USA

YOU are out of control. 

I wish this dog was a cat. 

+++++++++++

When I review it like this, I feel an awful lot like Pigeon of Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus fame. 

Maybe Pigeon is a gemini? I should write Mo, and ask him. 

Anyway. This struck me as funny when I was listening to the Talking Heads today.

Sometimes I'll have a tremendous amount of specific thoughts in a very short period of time, and express them. This usually happens after a nap, or when I wake up in the morning. I think generally that by vocalizing it I have addressed the thought and moved on to the next one, even though it seems breif. Or bizarre to the people around me. 

I'm a subject changer. 

This just happens from time to time. Most of the time I'm contemplating, or thinking of thoughtful questions. If I'm not doing that, I'm heckling in the key of Statler and Waldorf.

When I got to Toronto last year, Karyn had just finished this dress. All she had left to do were the buttons. It was just too freaking cute. And I was all, hey, I want to make one of those... 

so I did 

the pictures aren't spectacular, my hair is looking ultra stringy! but it was Friday night at midnight, and I had a lot of work to get done, but I realized I needed to take a pic to show my peeps or you'd never see the sleeves!!!

I used the Blue Red Letter Day stripe from Hello Pilgrim, and the meadow print from the blue colorway for the lining and the pockets. I also covered the buttons with different prints from the line. It's a fantastic pattern, and that is coming from a dyslexic right brainer who has the hardest time wrapping myself around other peeps instructions. That's why my patterns are fully illustrated, and broken down to a point that I can be all about. 

So all I have to say is two can play at the cute game, Anthropologie. 

I made the dress on Thursday, and I was so excited that I wore it out that night, and I hadn't even put in the hem. When my friend was dropping me off, I said something sassy, and then he said, "Oh, go hem your dress." In a really funny tone. It made me laugh, and then I didn't hem my dress yet. Because no one tells me what to do.

kidding

sort of.  

Oh and Mona Lisa eyebrows here... they exist, you just can't really see them.

My Fiber Farm Peeps are starting a magazine. It's called, By Hand. I am so excited for them, and to be a part of it, and that they are creating a publication that I so want to read. 

They have done a kickstarter, and well met there goal! But to create more content, have a better web presence, and get to print faster we'd all like to do just a little more! 

They have fantastic gifts for their backers, but I am going to sweeten the deal. There are 4 days left, and if you pledge more than $45, you will get everything that they are sending you, as well as a fancy gift from me. There will be a pattern, some fabric, a little stationery, and a couple of other things... when did I ever send someone a gift that wasn't the bomb dot com. 

Lets be serious here. Never. I never sent a gift that didn't knock someones socks off. 

So. When you pledge, leave a comment saying that Lizzy Sent You. Like a speakeasy. 

*** update! you can leave a comment here if you pledge, and I will just verify with my Peeps, and get your info! Thank you, already! 

I've been feeling overwhelmed. I have a lot going on, and it feels like I'm going it alone, and I just don't want to do that anymore. I took a bike ride, the first late night bike ride of my late night bike riding season, and I don't know what it is, maybe it's the fact that I am exercising, or maybe it's the night air, it could be the quiet streets, but something about it allows me to transcend the everyday and the lists of things yet to be done, and just open myself up to the good, and what I am beyond grateful for. It gives me a wild sense of clarity. It's as if my cares were objects that I velcroed to myself, and the wind is strong enough to dislodge all of them. Gross but true. 

I wrote in my journal a couple of weeks ago that this life is a treat life. I thought it was funny when I wrote it, but it keeps ringing around me. Things can be lame, or not go your way, but for reals we have soooo much good, and there is so much beauty it's overwhelming in the most heart warming of ways. 

So that's what I woke up with this morning, and I thought I'd share it with you. 

wowowowow! I just got back from a 10 day trip/workshop/vacation at Juniper Moon Farm! I am still decompressing, and I haven't quite been able to really sleep since I got back, so I'm a little wired, a little weary, and missing my peeps, and all my new friends (Jerry the Llama). 

So as I collect my thoughts for an epic post, start my seeds for my garden, finish up fabric, send off The Meadow to print, and all around pull myself together I wanted to have a little sale. Because we are starting fresh people. This is a big week for me. 

Until Sunday you can have 20% off any items in my pattern shop. Just use the discount code SEEDLINGS. That's just 4 days, but enough time to decide if there is something that you've had your eye on, and want to put in the queue for this spring/ summer. Or on your wall for that matter. 

A word about the quilt, The Meadow. Obsessed. 

No but really. This quilt has caused me a little heart ache, with it getting lost and what not, but when it got to the farm from Angela on Thursday, it's like all my dreams came true. So is the pattern late? Yes. Is it on its way? Yes. Does it use Hello Pilgrim and most of the back Pearl Bracelets and Jewel Prints? Yes. Is it a pain in the butt? Yes. But can't you see how worth it it all is? I hope so. The pattern will ship in 2 weeks. Shops, if you are selling Hello Pilgrim and want to carry the pattern, let me know, so your order will get turned around immediately. It will also be carried by Checker for sure, so you know. 

And another thing. If you want to read up on the week here are some great posts

From Virginia, Lisa, Amy, and Susan

I'm feeling joyful and hopeful. The feeling of Our House by Crosby Stills Nash and Young pretty much sums up my mood today. An all time favorite. 

I still love everything and everyone. It's amazing!

I'll duck back in soon. 

And one more thing... I still owe you an explanation about Hello Pilgrim, the actual pattern names, and the colorways that peeps are jumbling up. So that's a lot of posts I've promised for this week... 

yikers. 

I've got a crush. I don't really like to talk about this kind of stuff on my blog, because my feelings change so quickly (roving eyed gemini here)... but I just have to tell you about this...

I'm pretty much head over heels for Hello Pilgrim. 

I think my knees get a little weak, and I definitely get butterflies. I just can't help it, it really does something to me... more than any other collection to date. 

I'm looking at you Outfoxed. 

I'm so all about it that I decided to make my friend, Kenneth, a tie. And because I was making this tie, I decided that we should probably match. I believe it was a smashing success all around. We wore our Hello Pilgrim outfits to church, and I couldn't help but giggle all day. 

What are you making with Hello Pilgrim?

I'm about to start flying. March is booked, part of April, most of May... June is my birthday month (I think that is pretty self explanatory at this point)... July or September I'll start up again head up to Canada then maybe my peeps in Cambridge??? It's a busy year and it has just started.

I'm going to be meeting a lot of new peeps, talking a lot about fabric design, and printmaking... probably crying

But there are a couple of things that I have started to do as a bit of a preparatory ritual before my life is not in one place for a good while.

Sleeping. I try to take it easy before I put it into hyperdrive for weeks on end. It's like pre-teaching season hibernation. I haven't been doing a champion job of this, this year, just because it seems that every year that I have my business it continues to grow and grow and there is more and more to do. Which is a good thing, obviously. But resting. Totally crucial.

Hair. I know why you hire me... and it's not for my skills. It's my striking good looks. So I have to keep up appearances. You all know that my hair has gotten wildly long. I've started to embarrass myself. I'll be having a conversation with someone, and I'm playing with/ braiding/ pulling/ messing with my hair. I'm one of those girls. It's an odd thing to find yourself with. But I'll just get an overall hair tune up, nothing drastic. But important to the ritual of preparation.

Clothes. I've been really good about not buying so many clothes. I've come leaps and bounds in the separation of need-want-must have. I did realize, however, in this that I am wearing essentially the same thing everyday. And I don't know if this years uniform is as stand up as years past. I have also noticed that by having less clothing, I am wearing out my clothes really fast. This all seems like really basic stuff, but I guess as I buy/make more classic clothing that isn't going in and out of style that I am ruining it by constant use. So it has been decided that the majority of my shopping happens in the pre-season push. I make most of my years purchases between now and Middle March.

I've made two successful purchases thus far. The first of which was a surprising black dress from the Gap and the second an Olive and Orange dress I have had my eye on since last year. There is a fantastic boutique here in town called the Children's Hour. When they got the dress in, I literally could never have afforded it. But with a series of mark downs, a series of shed lbs, and only one dress left in my size, it was just meant to be.

The rest of my purchases will be a combo of JCrew and Madewell. I have found that my JCrew clothes last longer than any other. Plus they are always classic enough to keep wearing them, no matter what. I'm all about it.

so these are just a few of the things I do to get ready to see you/ be with you this year. They might seem superficial, but lets not kid around about how a new dress and sweet hair style can make you feel like you own the entire world.

here I am as seen this past week teaching a beginning sewing class, in my workroom uniform.

I'd say this girl doesn't own the entire world. Just a very small provence in an unpopular country in the EU. Next week. World domination.

maybe this year I will try to look less like a 15 year old.

We shall see...

Virginia from Gather Here, and Maritza of Sotosofties are hosting a Colorist Quilt Along! I don't know if there are any details yet, but as soon as I know them I will post some!

So if you are a Colorist, join the group here

If you are looking for the pattern, you can get it here!

If you want to find the pattern locally, ask your local shop to contact their Checker or Brewer rep!

I can't wait to see what you come up! Please post your ideas, fabric combos, progress, and of course quilts to the group!

I hope to see lots of participation from everybody, but ESPECIALLY my Canadian Peeps, my Cambridge Peeps, my SLC Peeps, my Oregon Peeps, and my Peeps down under. (that's just where I have sent a lot of patterns...) You might even get your Modern Quilt Guilds involved... There might be prizes.

you're going to be astonished and amazed as you start making this quilt how fun and fast it is. You might end up with numerous Colorists. Just saying...

ok... i'm already obsessed with it. Go Forth! Join the Group!

instagram of Marisa and Me in front of one of my Colorists!

I just want to talk a little about Happiness. 

I have made the most conscious choices in my life in the past 3 weeks. I have been choosing happiness. I've actually been preparing for this for a while now.

Practicing smiling in airports. Practicing accepting and resolving bad news. Practicing accepting and dismissing snarky emails... just overall practicing letting things be light, and letting happiness into my heart quicker and quicker. 

But truth be told, this is a fairly new concept to me. I always felt and believed and had been taught that happiness was a choice, but for various reasons it never felt like it was an option that was available to me. Because I had been broken, or unwanted, or didn't belong, or unloved. Being happy wasn't in the cards for me. I could arrange happiness in other people's lives, and did, but I would not be granted the same gifts, because someone wasn't giving me that same gift, or I was unworthy to receive it. 

Then a light went off.

I have been a victim to unhappiness for the better part of my life. Things have happened to me. I was not a lucky one. Bad things continue to happen to me, because that's all I have ever known. And although I believe that there is some truth to that, I felt like, but didn't know how to put my finger on the fact that I was perpetuating that. I was in a way choosing for good things not to happen, to be unlucky, to not get picked, to not be as happy as the people I helped be happy. I think some weird twisted part of that, in our most unhealthy victimized state, sort of relishes the fact that our lives are hard. Poor Lizzy. She has so much going for her, and yet she's so sad. I wish she could find someone, I wish that she could be pleased with what she has accomplished. But it wasn't enough. Nothing I could ever do or print or perform or give would be enough. I'd always felt that I was too much in so many ways, and just not enough in the ways that mattered. 

I just don't buy it anymore, and I want to banish that sliver of self that would ever allow me to fall back on pity for anything in my life. Or what I don't have. Or have not accomplished. Or that I am in some way not enough.

More now than ever, I see my life for what it is. A Gift. No one owes me anything. I don't expect anything, and every good thing is a gift, a bonus, a buoy. So everyday I am waking up and choosing to be happy. 

And what is so amazing, is how incredibly easy it is. I except all responsibilities for my actions. I except all trials (or contrast) as an opportunity. And when you decide to choose, things do not just happen to you. You see your way in and out of situations with a different perspective. What put me here? How will I choose to deal with this? What will I do when something like this comes along again. How many minutes before I can let this go and be happy again... 

There is no more beating myself up. There is no more dwelling on things that were. I am no longer hiding from anything. For me, those things have become indulgent. And I can longer afford such a sick luxury. There are real boundaries that protect me and this space. Not walls. But the amazing thing is, is that when you are choosing to be happy, and you are making healthy choices, and you are not beating yourself up, then all of the bad choices, and the dark places, and the things that would cause you grief, seem to melt away, and you stop choosing them. You stop choosing to let them be the things that makes you up. Whether it be abusive damaging people, situations, fear, sadness, judging others, or a million other things; you release it all. You stop carrying things with you that just don't matter anymore. You look brightly to what is to come. You anticipate greatness in yourself and the people around you. You allow the good and the happy to be what you carry instead, and it's like a balloon tied to your wrist. And no one gets to take it away from you. And it's not going anywhere, unless you cut that string. And if you would do that, cut that string, please acknowledge why. Address it, let it go, and be happy again.  

The most beautiful thing about all of it though, is the longer you sit with this, and choose it, the more natural it is, and happiness doesn't seem like a conscious choice anymore, it's just who you are. It's also vital that you have or find people around you that can help you build this consciousness. I have found these people in my life, and also I am so grateful to say that my dear family is getting on board and we are sailing forward together. 

I was standing in my kitchen last night, eating some brussel sprouts, putting away some dishes, and like a gift from a sponsor in the Hunger Games, a little package with a parachute fell into my hands, and told me

I'm enough. 

I always have been, I just know it now.