pretty good, pretty good

I LIKE FOOD

2012-03-03T07:01:00.003-08:00

WEEK 8:
Dude. It's been a while. Please forgive my absence last week.
I'm just returning to normal life after a kick-ass week of post-production and editing on my brother's album. He was also here for my birthday, so we had a really great hang all around. Between working on the music for twelve to fourteen hours a day and celebrating my b-day, we ate some food, y'all. My brother is a lover of all things fruity (with a special appreciation for apples), and whipped up a really amazing strawberry frosting for my vegan heart-shaped vanilla cake. The strawberries on this square are a nod to that. The blue mottled fabric is for him, and the green daisies are for me. Lastly, the pattern is called Double T, which I like to think stands for "Double Trouble". That, we most certainly are.

'I Like Food' is on the Fat EP, which is kind of a big deal, and I'm about to tell you why. This was the first recording by the dudes to feature Milo Aukerman. Prior to its release, we'd only heard the Descendents as fronted by founding members Frank Navetta and Tony Lombardo. The band released a 7" as a trio ('Ride The Wild'/'It's A Hectic World') in 1979, and the Fat EP was the next thing they put out. I think it's safe to say that we've all been addicted to the sound ever since.

The song of the week is only sixteen seconds long, which is just long enough to let us know just how much Bill Stevenson (writer) loves him some food.

"I like food, food tastes good!
I like food, food tastes good!
Juicy burgers, greasy fries,
Turkey legs and raw fish eyes
Teenage girls, with ketchup too!
Get out of my way, or I'll eat you
I like food, food tastes good!
I like food, food tastes good!
I'm going to turn dining
back into eating
I like food, food tastes good!
I like food, food tastes good!"

All hail the glorious work of the original gangsters. Food rules, and so do the Descendents. Go Have some fries.

-B.A.

I LIKE FOOD: 6 x 6 inches, Double T pattern in cotton (inspired by 'I LIKE FOOD' from FAT EP, 1981)

THE ROCK MUST COME FIRST

2012-02-25T17:19:00.000-08:00

Hey buds,
just a quick note to say that this week's quilt square will be done and posted next week. I'm in the middle of finishing production on my brother's record, and there's simply no time for stitchin'.
All apologies.

-B.A.

GOOD GOOD THINGS

2012-02-18T18:51:00.009-08:00

WEEK 7:
This was an exercise in imperfection, tell you what. Everything about this square is slightly off, but I've put too much work into it to trash it. (Sigh.) Right out of the gate, I'll confess that my math was suspect, and that the border is a modification of the original design, employed to mend my mistake. Secondly, due to the close proximity of seams and their respective allowances, I wasn't able to stencil my letters onto my fabric by way of laying a print-out of the title underneath, with just enough transparency to sketch with pencil. This was free-hand. It's harder than it sounds.

On to what matters: 'Good Good Things' appeared on the same side of the same album that last week's square ('Silly Girl') did, I Don't Want To Grow Up. It's also from the Bill Stevenson catalog of Awesome Songs. I die for this song. It all works. The toms, the pronunciation of the word "cool" (making it "cyool"), the hopeful harmonies on the chorus...

"I've been thinking good good things about you
Cool and warm, good good things about you
If you've been thinking good good things about me
So cool and warm when you put your arms around me"

Despite my poor measurements and wobbly embroidery, I wanted to do this song at this point in the project as a special treat for myself. You see, this coming week is my birthday week. On Thursday the 23rd, I start a new year, and I want to bring good things into my life - good good things, to be exact. I have a thing for lightning. I think it represents the sudden and powerful for me, and I often equate big changes of heart with its force. So, since it's my party and I'll wish if I want to: I combined the song 'Good Good Things' with the Streak of Lightning pattern. Let the magic commence.

-B.A.

GOOD GOOD THINGS: 6 x 6 inches, Streak of Lightning pattern in cotton (inspired by 'GOOD GOOD THINGS from the album I DON'T WANT TO GROW UP, 1985)

SILLY GIRL

2012-02-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

WEEK 6:
Since we're a few days away from Valentine's Day, I decided to play along and do a sweet song about innocent puppy love. 'Silly Girl' is a perfect song wherein the singer recounts experiences with a girl he knew in his adolescence - the one who got away. I don't think I'm alone in wishing that this song had been written about me. Oddly, even though the title and theme lend themselves to being overall "girly", this song is the stuff that makes grown men cry, too. True story.

'Silly Girl' was the first song on the B side (cassette or vinyl, of course) of I Don't Want To Grow Up, from 1985. Bill Stevenson wrote it, which makes me smile. I think my favorite part is the opening couple of lines:

"Started on a summer Sunday, the pink dress on the setting sun
You were going to Grandma's house, I was too scared to come..."

Such a great, epic visual. My pink hearts on this quilt square are for her pink dress. The fabric was hand-dyed, so it has some variation in color, which represents the reflection of the setting sun. They are appliqued onto an otherwise piece-worked square. The pattern is called Amish Hearts. I have tremendous respect for the Amish and their contribution to the history of quilting. They have a remarkable sense of graphic layout, and their techniques beautifully marry the simple with the complex. It was an honor to give my own spin to one of their designs.

We try.

May you all have love this Valentine's Day. (And gentlemen, get to work on a song of this poetic value. I dare you.)

-B.A.

SILLY GIRL: 6 x 6 inches, Amish Hearts pattern in cotton (inspired by 'SILLY GIRL' from the album I DON'T WANT TO GROW UP, 1985)

VAN

2012-02-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

WEEK 5:
I decided to lighten things up a bit this week. It's February - my favorite month, and I wanted to kick it off with something fun for our project here. We go back to the album ALL from 1987, to a song about farting in one's vehicle, among other things, 'Van'. The song celebrates the freedom one has when answering to no one, and living (quite literally) in a van.

"Here in my van, I can play the Last tape
Play my small uke, write stupid songs - like this one."

I can relate. I did a three-week solo tour in 2009 called Reclamation Tour, during which I ate, dressed, practiced and slept in my car at the time, a 1999 Honda Odyssey mini-van. It was about as punk rock as it gets for me, and I loved that time to myself. Sure, I saw friends, family and strangers along the way, but the majority of my time was in the van. (When you tour alone, you do all the driving, dudes.) I made a series of dresses for this particular set of shows, and the collection was, in my way, paying homage to 'Raclamation' by Fugazi. The materials were a motley lot of bed sheets, curtains and other scraps. The inside of each of the waistbands was a line from the song. I played a show in Philly at North Star Bar with Dave Walsh (from The Explosion and The Loved Ones), and was sick as a dog. I had a fever and the chills, but played anyway, and slept in the van that night, at some rest stop. Despite feeling like crap, the show was pretty fun, and one I'll always remember because of the circumstances. The venue paid us three bucks for playing that night, true story. I still have it tacked up to my music room wall, it was so funny.

For the body of this square, I used the same pink floral fabric that my Philly show dress was made from. The plaid fabrics are for Dave, as he was rocking some fabulous plaid trousers at a couple of our shows together on that tour (pretty good, pretty good). The name of the pattern is Bachelor's Puzzle which seemed fitting to me for two reasons:

The pattern makes arrows, which remind me of travel.
Male or female, when you're living in a van - you're a bachelor alright.

'Van' was written by Milo Aukerman, Steve Egerton and Karl Alvarez. It's ridiculous and funny because it's true.

Pals, I give you, 'Van'.
-B.A.

Van: 6 x 6 inches, Bachelor's Puzzle pattern in cotton (inspired by 'VAN' from the album ALL, 1987)

WE

2012-01-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

WEEK 4:
I've decided to skip way ahead in the catalog from last week's song, from 1982 to 1996. (That's the great thing about this project - I can do whatever I want.) I chose to do a song from Everything Sucks, a kick-ass album that came along and reminded us that the Descendents still ruled, in case anyone had forgotten. That record is filled with driving, perfect songs on which Bill Stevenson plays the drums to actual death. I'm quite certain they had to have a funeral for the drums that were featured on this record. May they rest in peace.

'We' has always been in my top three from Everything Sucks. It's a proper love song filled with optimism, positivity and faith; no darkness, no catch. While I love a great many people on this earth, I made this square to honor Mr. Amos McPhee whom I love to bloody shreds. He and I have had a hard week, and almost said our goodbyes after our seventeen-plus years together. It's day-to-day right now, and while my heart is breaking, I'm grateful for all of the years of love and for every minute we still get to spend with one another.

Amos "Fatty" McPhee

Back to the rock. Milo Aukerman wrote this song. It's two minutes and thirty-three seconds of Hell Yeah, and I heart it all. Listen to Bill's cymbal work, the perfectly tasteful solo by Steve Egerton, and the usual awesomeness from Karl Alvarez and Milo. Even the backing vocals rule.

As far as the technical quilt business goes, I modified the pattern ever so slightly. It was so close to looking like Amos that I added one more step to the black and white sections, you understand why. In total, this six inch square is comprised of forty-five pieces of fabric (with my modification). I like it because it's called "prosperity", and that's just what I wish for my friend right now. To quote Milo:

"I don't know what the future holds, all I know is you're here with me - that's all I need."

Until next time...
-B.A.

WE: 6 x 6 inches, Prosperity pattern in cotton (inspired by 'WE' from the album EVERYTHING SUCKS, 1996)

HOPE

2012-01-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

WEEK 3
Don't be fooled by the name, 'Hope' is anything but hopeful. Determined, maybe... But, never hopeful. This song shows the dark side of the Descendents' love-lorn sentiments. It is a perfect counter to the other, more upbeat numbers we have all come to know and adore. Let's be honest, love isn't always gooey and cute. It's messy and terrible most of the time. This song speaks to that gospel.

Despite its stormy musical undertones, 'Hope' gets a bright square on the quilt. Part of my decision to do this was based in playing along with their misnomer, and part of it was because this song reminds me of my awesome friend, Sara Hartmann. That alone makes it a happy square. She likes the bluey-greeney colors, so the background fabric is for her. Also, the name of the pattern is 'Friendship Star', which seemed fitting. She's about as rad a friend as anyone could ever have. So, this square's for Sara.

'Hope' is on the very brilliant first record by the Descendents, Milo Goes To College. Many other quilt squares will be made to honor the works from this collection. Shout out to Milo Aukerman for writing this excellent piece of angst and resentment. We've all been there, dude.

'Til next week, enjoy.
-B.A.

HOPE: 6 x 6 inches, Friendship Star pattern in cotton (inspired by 'HOPE' from the album MILO GOES TO COLLEGE, 1982)

CHEER

2012-01-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

WEEK 2
I have a special place in my heart for this week's quilt square honoree. As much as I love all of the Descendents' hits, this one definitely makes the top five for me. I even went so far as to cover it a bunch of years ago (let's never tell the Descendents that, k?). To me, there's something so righteous and true about a song that asks a person to try to cheer them up, in the wake of heartache and disappointment. No promises are made, just honesty shared. The person wants to let go of old hurts, but is not sure it's possible.

"Don't want to spend the rest of my days singing yesterday's love songs"

'Cheer' is from an excellent album that features a drawing of a roll of toilet paper on the cover, Enjoy!. Shout out to Doug Carrion, who only appears on bass on this one record. Shout out to Bill Stevenson who wrote and produced this rad song. I hope that my yellow roses and dots do it justice. I know my embroidery still sucks, but there's nowhere to go but up, friends.

Without further ado, I give you this week's contribution to our Descendents quilt.
- B.A.

CHEER: 6 x 6 inches, Hidden Star pattern in cotton (inspired by 'CHEER' from the album ENJOY, 1986)

ALL

2012-01-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

WEEK 1
Those of you who know me will find this project to be no surprise. For those of you who don't, let me introduce myself. I'm Buick Audra. I have the All-O-Gistics on my music room wall and I wear a gold pendant that says 'Good Good Things'. In short: I'm a Descendents fan. I also happen to be a maker of sorts. These two parts of who I am will come together over the following thirty-six weeks.

I currently live in Nashville where I enjoy a fairly chill life of making rock music and the occasional vegan cupcake. I have a rad husband and a little old cat who wears a tuxedo, full time. In past lives, I've also been the creator of many a thing out of fabric. Lately those projects are becoming fewer and fewer, I guess to make way for the music. It all started with quilting, many many years ago, and I've decided to get back in touch with that part of who I am. I was recently flipping through a book of five hundred and one quilt squares and fantasizing about making a kind of sampler. I've set out to do just that, though I'm adding my own punk rock twist: each square will have the name of a different Descendents song on it, by way of some fairly shoddy hand embroidery. They will all be six inch squares with satin stitch embroidery. I'm doing my best to pay homage to the Descendents font (Franklin Gothic Extra Condensed), but, yo... That's no joke, right there. It will in no way be perfect, but I think it will be fun as hell. I'm going to do one square per week, for the next thirty-six weeks.
This is my first square, and I started where it made the most sense to: ALL.

Enjoy, fellow Descendents nerds... Enjoy.
- B.A.

ALL: 6 x 6 inches, Shoofly pattern in cotton (inspired by 'ALL' from the album ALL, 1987)