The arrival of charm packs of I Like You came as a surprise. What a great surprise too! In the sea of same-same fabrics that have been coming out lately, Amy Sedaris' range for Windham is kooky and quirky. I'd describe these prints as new retro. They include large-scale remakes of old classics with 70s throwbacks like rickrack gingham.
I came to know about Amy Sedaris through her brother, David. I used to be a voracious reader and devoured each book he published. If you're looking for a book and haven't read him, try Naked
Me Talk Pretty One Day
or Holidays on Ice
. They are quite the talented family - writers, actors, playwrights - and now Amy has made her mark on fabric.
The large scale kookiness should make for fun playful homewares, tote bags and dresses. There's something for everyone though with the addition of softer pindots - perfect for young girls and boys. I've only had it in my hands for a short time, but I'm picturing baby doll style pajamas with sweet little binding for those pindots.
I Like You is Amy Sedaris' debut collection with Windham Fabrics with 13 prints. The charm packs came as a surprise to me and I want to share one with you! I'll be travelling soon, and could use some book suggestions for the flights. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment and suggest a book for my trip. I trend to read quirky, witty books like those from David Sedaris. If you don't have a book to suggest, let us know what you'd like to make with the prints from this collection. The giveaway winner will be by random draw on January 25, 2pm Sydney time.
Speaking of Windham Fabrics, I'll tell you right now that I've got my eyes on one of their May collections. I'm a bit smitten with those record platters in Bye, Bye, Birdie.
Good luck everyone! Thank you for being here. I like you. I really like you.
I'd love to make some pouches! Thanks for the chance to win...
ReplyDeletebea968{at}gmail.com
I like you too! Your blog is so great, and I am plugging away at/really digging your Bargain Basement pattern. I also love Amy Sedaris, and all things David Sedaris (I once saw him read, and it was one of the most memorable nights of my life). I like Hollis Gillespie, maybe because she lives in Atlanta? Or maybe because her best book is called Bleachy-Haired Honky Bitch. It'd be great reading for a flight. (She is a flight attendant!)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book, Laura. I'll definitely look it up.
DeleteI just love those fabrics - so unique. I have decided not to buy any more fabric (or very little) so I am entering every giveaway in hope I may win something.
ReplyDeleteTry Holy Cow by Sarah MacDonald. Perfect for a long flight but be warned you'll probably laugh out loud.:)
ReplyDeletehttp://australianbookshelf.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/aussie-book-review-holy-cow-an-indian-adventure-by-sarah-macdonald/
Yes! I really like Holy Cow too! I have a bit of a thing for funny travel books too.
Delete###have you read zadie smith's books? Those were so popular when they came out, but if you missed them - they're great reads! Also, if it improves my chances to win this fun fabric I think I should tell you that #1: I love this fabric, #2: strangers with candy is close to my all time favorite tv show, #3: it's my birthday today! (I know it's prob random, but a girl can try, right? And it really is my birthday :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to make some wallets out of the dollar sign fabrics!! Cute!
ReplyDeleteYour reading style and mine are very different, but I will suggest a book that while not quirky is something I loved, but I can't remember the name and the computer won't let me google it right now. The book is Dean Koontz book about his dog which is a much more interesting story than it sounds like it would be. His relationship with the dog causes a lot of personal growth and he shares that beautifully in my opinion. PS even though the fabric is gorgeous I live in the states and that is ridiculous postage so give it to someone else.
ReplyDeleteI just joined the triple zip pouch sewalong. These fabrics would be great. I'd love to suggest a book, but i don't do quirky. Love classic literature.
ReplyDeleteI read the descriptions on Amazon because I wasn't sure what you meant by quirkey-I'm an avid reader but I tend toward mystery. It's possible you might like the Lumby series -I think Lumby Lines is the first & there are about 5 of them
ReplyDeleteCute fabric designs! For quirky good reads I can't go past Tom Robbins. Another Roadside Attraction is a particular favourite, as is Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates.
ReplyDeleteTalking to the Dead by Harry Bingham is great, no zombies or vampires.
ReplyDeleteAnother great one is The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. Have a safe trip.
I would love to make a cushion cover. Love the gorgeous fabric.
ReplyDeletejchiagan at yahoo dot com
Oh my goodness. I knew Amy was crafty, I have her book, I would never have DREAMED she would have a quilting line, this is too fabulous!!
ReplyDeleteGreat fabric!
ReplyDeleteHave you read 'The Other Hand' by Chris Cleave??
I love Terry Pratchett. Such a clever man. Great fabric and so suited to the 80's inspired fashion I see everywhere right now.
ReplyDeleteDid you read Gone Girl? Really good, fast read. Love this fabric- so different from the usual right now! I'd love to make hot pads with it so I can keep them in my kitchen! Love the colors!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for sharing and showing what you are up to! Love to see what you make! A good read: Murakami: Kafka on the beach. A bit surrealistic and strange, but I love it!
ReplyDeleteThe Night Circus by Erin Morganstern was really wonderful ~ never got bored with it. I'd also suggest IQ84 by Murakami but it's a massive book, over 1,000 pages, tho a quick read because you want to know what happens next kind of book.
ReplyDeleteMurakami is one of my favorite authors. I did made it through 1Q84 and you're right, it's massive but devourable. I'll check out Erin Morganstern. Thank you for the suggestion!
DeleteLet me just start by saying that I am not going to be helpful. I like mysteries & I like them old so I can go from book 1 to 2 without waiting for the author to finish writing the second one...
ReplyDeleteI like that fabric too. :o)
I think it would be hilarious if someone released a fabric line called I Love You:D
ReplyDeleteI spent my undergrad studying "serious" literature and film, but I think the whole reason I wanted to study those things is because I so enjoyed the novels of Kurt Vonnegut (whom, a quick Wikipedia check seems to suggest, Sedaris credits as an influence). Vonnegut's works are often exaggerated and comical, bittersweet and, depending on which book you pick up, somewhat autobiographical. My particular recommendations would be Timequake and Slaughterhouse Five:)
I can also recommend a few books that are not particularly subtle in their humour -- I guess I mean that you would probably actually find them in the Humour section of the bookstore! You can try Letters from a Nut (and the ton of books that came after it) by Ted L. Nancy or All My Friends are Dead and I Feel Relatively Neutral about New York, both of which are written by Avery Monsen and Jory John. The humour isn't all that sophisticated, but they make me laugh in the same way that a feel-good movie like Shrek does, which is okay:) But maybe these three books are too short for a flight...
I have written way too much! Hope you have a safe trip, well-liked Amy!
First off! I feel awful you had to post twice thinking that this was deleted. It wasn't I have comment moderation turned out at the moment. I'll pop that into the post so no one else is thrown. =/ I love Vonnegut too! great books. And I do like "serious" literature and film quite a bit here are home, but find the light and quirky easier on the road. I'll definite pop over to humor to check our your suggestion. Thank you heaps! Amy
DeleteNo worries! I assumed you had a moderation setting on, but I'm also positive I hadn't signed in to Google yet. It was when I selected to reply as a Google user that it reloaded without the message. Oh well, all is fine now!
DeleteAh, I love Amy and David (yes, first name basis). I saw David live once in college and it was amazing! As for books, if you like quirky and funny, try A.J. Jacobs. I especially liked "The Year of Living Biblically." Have a fun trip!
ReplyDeleteI don't really have a book to suggest for you but the fabrics would make an awesome bag.
ReplyDeleteOh, you should read "To Say Nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis. One of my favorite books ever. Its kind of sci-fi but in a light also kind of historical fiction / time travel / what would the Victorian Era look like from the 22nd century with a mystery or two thrown in for fun.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this book right now and am killing myself laughing with it...
ReplyDeleteLet's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) By Jenny Lawson
Old Yeller. Just kidding... I don't do much reading, since I am an editor. :) But my husband likes "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius."
ReplyDeleteA Short History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka, this will make you laugh out loud in public. Thanks for sharing such fun fabric.
ReplyDeleteks(dot)eyles(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)uk
You really should read Smoking monkeys, drilling rigs, bio-diesel bikes and other stories. The complete Paul Cater. I had read don't tell mum I work on the oil rigs, she thinks I'm a piano player in a whore house previously but it's incorporated in this compilation. Such a funny life full of amazing locations and interesting characters. I hope you give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteif only your trip was happening a bit later in the year, I would recommend picking up David Sedaris' upcoming release-- Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls (due in April in the States). I love all of Sarah Vowell's books-- history (you learn things!) with style (read, not boring!). of course, Kate Atkinson, Margaret Atwood, AS Byatt always do the trick for me. oh!, just finished We the Sinners, a debut novel by Hanna Pylväinen; it's really sticking with me.
ReplyDeleteQuirky? Witty? A smart book that's a little off the wall and had me laughing out loud sometimes is Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins. Strange and wonderful. From the book description on Amazon ... "In the gloriously inventive Tom Robbins style, here are characters, phrases, stories, and ideas that dance together on the page, wild and sexy, like Salome herself." And ... "Few contemporary novelists mix tomfoolery and philosophy so well. This is Robbins at his best."
ReplyDeleteOh, and if my previous encouragement wasn't enough, here's what a reader/reviewer wrote about Skinny Legs and All, "During the first 50 pages, I thought the book was stunningly strange. By the halfway point I decided that the book was also really funny. By the end, I realized that it was absolutely brilliant." That's what I thought, too.
ReplyDeleteAnything by Erma Bombbeck or Bill Cosby. Both are really funny. Thanks for the giveaway. I am a new follower. vickise at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteWhy not read Amy Sedaris's books "I Like You - hospitality under the influence"or "Simple times - crafting for poor people"? They are great. However they are a bit bulky for travelling, I would suggest "Class" by Jilly Cooper which has been around for years but it a still hilarious look at the English class system.
ReplyDeleteI read but not what you do but would love to add those to a quilt
ReplyDeleteI like you, your blog and that fabric! As for reading-I will suggest NOT to read Pillars of the Earth-BORING! I am reading I Capture the Castle bu Dodie Smith. Really interesting! Also anything by Terry Pratchett is very cool!
ReplyDeleteEnjoying getting some quirky suggestions for myself by reading thru :-) I will second a few from above.. Tom Robbins (KING of quirky), and Short History of Tractors I just finished :-) will look up more of her books. Currently reading Whale Season by N.M.Kelby - HYSTERICAL and ANYTHING by Carl Hiaasen. Also a HUGE Sedaris family fan - spent years in Raleigh, NC where they grew up. Fabrics are FUN! especially liking the ric rac and the "i like you" print also. Kinda getting into the charm square "thing" of late... LOVE your blog... makes my day when I see you have a new post :-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your trip!
I noticed a while back that you lived in Japan. (Am I right?) Have you heard of the Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto? I have read a couple of her books. She writes short little novels--a bit unorthodox, but I kind of expect that of Japanese people! I love Amy Sedaris! I have her cookbook "I Like You"...it fits my entertaining style to a T. I would love to win some of her fabric.
ReplyDeleteI love the quirky fabric! Thanks for the chance to enter your great giveaway!
ReplyDeletepippirose59 at gmail dot com
Hi!!! Love the fabric!!! I would love to make a lap quilt with them!!! Thanks for the fun give away!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe obvious choice is one of Amy Sedaris's books! I received her book 'Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People' for Christmas. It's exactly my sense of humour. The six (or eight?) page spread of Amy in a leotard doing pre-and post-crafting stretches is unparalleled in craft publishing.
ReplyDeleteI loved Tina Fey's Bossypants (yes, I am hopelessly behind the times). I listened to the audiobook last week and laughed out loud . If you have not seen Amy's craft books - you just have to take a look. Hilarious!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi! I love David Sedaris (And Amy - her apartment is legendary!) I recommend Kevin Kling's short story collection, The Dog Says How (he's an awesome Minnesota storyteller.) If novels are more your thing, Jasper Fforde is hilarious; especially the Detective Jack Spratt mysteries...
ReplyDeleteWOW, I had no idea Amy Sedaris had a fabric line, I love her kookiness. I also read all David Sedaris' books, then heard her name, now I'm a fan of both. The fabric is fun.
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