BOOMBOX-SEW-A-LONG: WEEK 7 (don't you love it when it ALL comes together!)

Have you seen what Angelini @suchastitch has been up to? I've LOVED seeing her progress on Instagram (#boomboxsewalong #lysaflowerpatterns). She's posted photos, starting with an inspirational BOOMBOX art wall, to her colouring sheet including her fabric selection and ALL her sewing (especially those teeny tiny pieces). Have a look at what a smarty pants she was! On the tiny pieces on the back of the pattern I noticed she coloured them! BRILLIANT! She also made two cassettes. She wasn't happy with the first one (which I loved) so she made a new one (which I also LOVED). I could never choose between them. Please done ever make me!

This week the sew-a-long is quite exciting! The boombox gets sewn ALL together. Next week is even more exciting because we're going to be making the cassette zippy pouch! Yay! All right. I need to settle down, I'm getting a head of myself. This weeks instructions you can get HERE.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT: I like spray starch. There I said it. BUT did you know starch is made out of potatoes? You know who likes potatoes? Bugs. The last thing I want are bugs to be interested in my quilts. Or my anything! Here's a solution. Soak! Have you heard of it? This spring I came across their booth at Quilt Market. I also like smelly things. There I said that too. I prefer scents that are fresh and not to flower-y. They have dreamy scents! Their solution to spray starch is called FLATTER. It gives me that extra crispness I'm looking for when I'm paper piecing my heart out. Oh and they also have (soy based) labels designed by Carolyn Friedlander and Deynse Schmidt. Pretty, nice smelling and useful. I'm sold.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR 80's PLAYLIST: Styx-Too Much Time On My Hands. Check out this Jimmy Fallon Split screen - Hilarious! 

PS. Speaking of time, this week I came across this quote: Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes everyday. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientist can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so. time is amazingly fair and forgiving. Not matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow. - Denis Waitely - Serious!

BOOMBOX-SEW-A-LONG WEEK 6: FEAR NOT THE SUMMER SLUMP

Early June: Woo Hoo! Summer is almost here! As soon as the kids are out of school, I'm going to have SO much extra time. I'm going to finish this and this and...

<insert outrageous, unattainable list here> 

Reality. Present day: Oofft! It's HOT, I feel melt-y. Hey look at this new shiny thing over here! Where do you need to be driven? Sure so and so can come over. Crap, I better clean up! Unfinished projects score: 52 and 3/4. Finished projects score: 1/4. Ah, the summer slump. Oh yeah! I remember now, didn't this happen last year? 

I was chatting with @bespokeoutlaw and @sewhungryhippie on Instagram who've been feeling the summer slump too, which I was INCREDIBLY relieved to hear. Until then I was convinced I was the only one. Phew! This led me to thinking about and digging for solutions to a summer slump.

RECOMMENDED TO BEAT THE SUMMER SLUMP: Marie Forleo and her 3 Steps to Retrain Your Brain So You Can Be More Productive Than Ever episode helped to quenched my thirst! I can do that!

THE JEALOUS CURATOR, ART for your ear SUMMER CAMP. I LOVE, love, loved what she assigned for week 5. How liberating. I've got my guild sew-in's on the calendar and I CAN NOT wait.

But you know what helped me the most? Being trapped in a car for hours. Yes! A good old fashioned road trip. It's like an isolation tank but you end up somewhere! HA! Perfection. Our little family did a quick-y trip down to Portland. Not only did I finally get my binding done on my Katie Peterson Psychedelic Baby workshop quilt (big reveal still to come), I had a chance to visit Fabric Depot (first time) and Modern Domestic (they moved)! I bought my first Row by Row there. Uh-oh! Finished projects score: 1- 1/4. Unfinished projects score: 52 and 3/4 (aw, the number didn't go down). Hence my new mantra, "It will all get done". 

Oh right Week 6 instructions! You can get them HERE. This week we're sewing the Boombox back pockets! Yay! Check out @emsteratx progress on her sewing machine cover! Gah! LOVE! Now don't worry if the summer slump gets a hold of you, all is okay. The sew-a-long instructions will become a tutorial that'll permanently be a part of my site. It'll be here waiting for you when you need it. Say it with me, "It will all get done". And while it all gets done...

RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR 80's PLAYLIST: Jenny 867-5309 by Tommy Tutone, My Sharona by the Knack and Kim Wilde's Kids in America (which I thought the Go Go's did-whoops!)

BOOMBOX SEW-A-LONG! HERE WE GO!...

Y'all want this party started, right? Y'all want this party started quickly, right? Get this weeks BOOMBOX sew-a-long PDF instructions... HERE.

In it you will find the schedule, how to figure out the dimensions for your sewing machine cover, a list of extra supplies, fabric AND instructions for the first block: the radio (the top band). Lots of things to decide this week and a little bit of sewing. Next week there will be more sewing, so if you feel behind, there'll be time to catch up. Oh and if you've never heard of Bosal foam and are wondering what's the difference is, I found this link for you.  

I'd like to add that the Boombox pattern is a leaping off point, either keep it exactly the same or change it up. Don't want to make the equalizer, no problem, make more knobs. See easy! Also, if making the tape open makes your head spin, just sew the front all together as one piece. It's allowed. It'll still look awesome! 

I can't wait to see your fabric selections and progress! Remember to post on Instagram under #lysaflowerpatterns, #boomboxsewalong or #sewinglikeamothertrucker. If you're not on Instagram, feel free to post on the Lysa Flower FACEBOOK page. That's also a great place to post if you have a question. 

RECOMMENDED TOOL: Love it or hate it, hello seam ripper (again)! We spend a lot of time with this tool, don't we? I don't mind ripping any more but I've become quite fussy about which seam ripper I use. My favourite seam ripper is a Seam-Fix by Dritz. I LOVE how skinny the poky thing is (highly technical term). The rubbery ball on the end, I CAN NOT live without it! It's great for pulling out those straggler threads. And yes I decorated them with poop emoji stickers. HA!

Warning there are 1/4" pieces in the pattern. Hang in there, you can DO IT!  Oh did I mention I'm a TED TALK junkie?

RECOMMENDED PEP TALK: TED TALK, Grit: the power of passion and perseverance by Angela Lee Duckworth.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOUR PLAYLIST: NEW 80's sounding DREAMCAR! Dare I call them a super group?! It's a mash up between No Doubt's band and the singer from AFI. Totally RAD!

BOOMBOX PATTERN COMPLETE! WOO HOO!

It's done. Holy smokes! It's done! The Boombox quilt pattern is done!

WOW! A LOT has happened in the past few months. In February Kim Kight, co-founder of Cotton + Steel, invited me to sew for her new Snap to Grid Spring 2017 Collection! There was (again) A LOT of secret sewing going on-whoa doggie! And then there was Quilt Market! That was a check off my bucket list moment! I'm still processing it all. That lovely lady on the left is Kerry Goulder. She did the awesome #HotSkatesQuilt behind us. I can't wait to make it!

I'm thrilled I can finally share everything with you! One project was my Boombox Sewing Machine Cover. Originally, I had a tutorial planned but then I thought, you know what would be even more fun?! A sew-a-long!! It starts next Tuesday, June 6 and will go for eight weeks. 

To get started, it's easy peasy...

Step 1: Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly instructions. New subscribers get 10% off my ETSY patterns! BONUS!

Step 2: Pop over to ETSY (or Craftsy, I'm on there too now. YAY!) pick up the Boombox Quilt Pattern and if you want to make the cassette zippy pouch that goes inside the Boombox, you'll need to pick that up too. 

Step 3: Post your weekly progress to my Lysa Flower FACEBOOK page OR on Instagram using the hashtag #lysaflowerpatterns

Post your completed Boombox sewing machine cover by July 30th midnight PST to either site and win a Sulky Snap to Grid thread pack! It's dreamy.

Please note: for the Boombox pattern it's important to have some experience with paper piecing. 

Any keeners out there? I'll have the schedule written up for next week BUT if you want to get your party started early, the fabric requirements in the quilt pattern are the same for the sewing machine cover, up until the "Face of the Boombox and handle". Stop when you get to there. Until then, enjoy the coloring/planning page! This is going to be, to quote Cypress Hill, "insane in the membrane!" fun! I added the fun part (wink).

P.S. Yes that is a cassette book cover. And yes a tutorial is coming for that too!