{"id":260,"date":"2012-08-16T16:29:05","date_gmt":"2012-08-16T16:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stitch.hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/?p=260"},"modified":"2012-08-16T16:29:05","modified_gmt":"2012-08-16T16:29:05","slug":"to_the_one_or_two_people_that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/to_the_one_or_two_people_that\/","title":{"rendered":"to the one or two people that haven&#8217;t unsubscribed from me on google reader yet&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p>Hi. : )<\/p>\n<p>As per usual, it&#8217;s been a little while.  Okay, it&#8217;s been a long while.  If you&#8217;re still reading, I&#8217;d like to give you a hug.  HUG.  Thanks for sticking with me.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ll do my best to catch you up.  In the past 7-ish months of so, here&#8217;s what&#8217;s been going on at ye olde Hip to Piece Squares:<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797844700\/\" title=\"Yellow Door Art Market by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8285\/7797844700_36e0dd6d34_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\" alt=\"Yellow Door Art Market\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>By far, the most exciting thing for me was being picked to have my sewn goodies have a new home at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yellowdoorartmarket.com\">Yellow Door Art Market<\/a> in Berkley, Michigan this spring.  It&#8217;s a fabulous and well loved shop that has goods from about 60 Michigan artists on display, all the time.  My spot is a cozy little green table near the register&#8230;just perfect!<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797866024\/\" title=\"Yellow Door Featured Artists by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8431\/7797866024_651b273178_z.jpg\" width=\"429\" height=\"640\" alt=\"Yellow Door Featured Artists\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>In March, I was Yellow Door&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yellowdoorartmarket.com\/yellowdoor\/2012\/03\/artist-of-the-week-sarah-minshall.html\">featured artist of the week<\/a>, and had a whole week dedicated to me and my work on their blog.  I even had a spot in the store&#8217;s front window for the whole month.  That may be the closest I ever come to being a celebrity.<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797872668\/\" title=\"back from the repair shop by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8296\/7797872668_ea2f84c58e_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\" alt=\"back from the repair shop\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>In April, just as I was starting to get ready to start getting ready for summer shows and keep my table at the Yellow Door full, my sewing machine took a dive.  I was without my machine for two whole weeks.  I borrowed a friend&#8217;s machine, but it wasn&#8217;t the same.  Thankfully, my machine feels like it&#8217;s in the best condition since it first came home.<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797870782\/\" title=\"crazy list by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7275\/7797870782_523670322a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\" alt=\"crazy list\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>But while my machine was away, I went to crazy town and started making my patented, crazy lady, color coded lists.  I actually lost it a little when I misplaced my orange pen (which was used to cross off checked items) and had to make a special trip to the store to buy one.  Ben asked if I could just use another color, and I may have looked at him like he had two heads.  OF COURSE NOT.  ORANGE IS THE COLOR OF CROSSING OFF.  I found my original orange pen two days later at work.  Now I&#8217;m <em>all<\/em> set!<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797868230\/\" title=\"pouch stack by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8444\/7797868230_b013006b81_z.jpg\" width=\"429\" height=\"640\" alt=\"pouch stack\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>But all that crossing off with the orange pen meant that I got a lot done!  I sewed what seemed like hundreds of bags and pouches this spring.  Maybe it wasn&#8217;t <em>hundreds<\/em>, but it was a lot.<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797875288\/\" title=\"triangle pillows by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8438\/7797875288_f1aa7b68d0_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\" alt=\"triangle pillows\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>Pillows were also on my to-do list this late this spring.  I want to do patchwork projects, and they can be hard to fit in with my other sewing obligations sometimes.  I&#8217;ve been in a half square triangle mood for the past few months, and I imagine it&#8217;ll continue.  They&#8217;re just so much fun to piece and quilt.<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797878102\/\" title=\"Redford I-Art Festival by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7256\/7797878102_c7db32dd3f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\" alt=\"Redford I-Art Festival\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>With the arrival of summer, also came my craft show season.  I did A LOT of shows last year&#8230;12 total.  I decided early on this year, and especially with the addition of the Yellow Door to my workload, that I would cut back, and only do my most favorite shows.  This summer I participated in three shows, including <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makerfairedetroit.com\/\">Maker Faire Detroit<\/a> and the Redford Michigan <a href=\"http:\/\/rpaconservancy.org\/index.php?option=com_content&#038;view=article&#038;id=61&#038;Itemid=2\">I-Art Festival<\/a>.  Great times were had at all, and now I&#8217;m looking forward to starting my fall shows.<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797841336\/\" title=\"Hudson is sleepy by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8287\/7797841336_aa3c0b69ca_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\" alt=\"Hudson is sleepy\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>The pets had a busy summer too.  Hudson was a lousy guard dog most days at the sewing room door.<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797880606\/\" title=\"Audrey as a penguin by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8445\/7797880606_56b22fa420_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"461\" alt=\"Audrey as a penguin\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>And Audrey pretended to be a penguin.  They&#8217;ll have lots to tell their friends when they go back to school in two weeks.  (Wait, that&#8217;s me.  I go back to work at school in two weeks.  Crap!)<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797886744\/\" title=\"Laura's wedding party! by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8448\/7797886744_c5dae7de5e_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\" alt=\"Laura's wedding party!\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>I also was a bridesmade in my friend <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mynameislaurak.com\">Laura&#8217;s<\/a> wedding this summer!  All four of us originally met at our now disbanded Brighton Modern Quilters group several years ago.  The group might not have worked out as a whole, but I made some amazing friends there that I still continue to see and sew (or knit) with.  It was a beautiful and fun (but hot!) weekend.<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797884472\/\" title=\"mistake pouch by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8302\/7797884472_8c80b0b384_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"429\" alt=\"mistake pouch\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>One beautiful thing about 2012 so far is that I have felt so creative!  I can&#8217;t fall asleep at night because I keep thinking of all of the things I want to make.  New ideas don&#8217;t always work out, but on the whole, I feel like this has been one of the most creative years, ever.  The discouraging thing is that I don&#8217;t physically have time to do it all, and that&#8217;s when I get frustrated.  This pouch came out of an hour of pure sewing experimentation, and although I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s quality enough to sell, it&#8217;s quality enough for me.  Sometimes I like it when that happens, and I don&#8217;t feel bad keeping the items I make.<\/p>\n<p>\n<center><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/hiptopiecesquares\/7797878528\/\" title=\"Chevron Pouch by Hip To Piece Squares, on Flickr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7107\/7797878528_4746229153_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" alt=\"Chevron Pouch\"><\/a><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n<p>So that, pretty much, is it for the past seven-ish months in a nutshell.  Keeping this blog is by far, the toughest part for me.  I love to write, I love to take pictures, and I LOVE to sew and make things, but it is SO hard for me to just say it.  There are those who do it so much better than me, and it&#8217;s hard to compare yourself to that.  But, I can look back over these notes and snapshots that I&#8217;ve taken over the years and know what I&#8217;ve accomplished for myself.  I still have a long ways to go, and a lot more sewing to do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi. : ) As per usual, it&#8217;s been a little while. Okay, it&#8217;s been a long while. If you&#8217;re still reading, I&#8217;d like to give you a hug. HUG. Thanks for sticking with me. I&#8217;ll do my best to catch you up. In the past 7-ish months of so, here&#8217;s what&#8217;s been going on at <span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span> <span class=\"more-link-wrap\"><a href=\"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/2012\/08\/to_the_one_or_two_people_that\/\" class=\"more-link\"><span>Read More &rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,13,5,2,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crafting","category-etsy-shop","category-life","category-quilting","category-sewing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hiptopiecesquares.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}