About a decade ago, my friend Leslie and I saw this this woman on Simply Quilts making “photos” out of squares of fabric. We got so excited about the process, we jumped right in and we each made her little “photo” quilt of a picket fence with a garden behind it. I’m not a picket fence person, but I loved the idea of a photo quilt and it was so fun to make. My ugly little fence quilt is long gone, but my desire to make a photo quilt (into something I actually like) has lingered for years. When I saw what Elizabeth did with her Toyko Subway quilt, and Amy with her Hello Kitty quilt - I knew that all these elements could turn into something magical. And that magical thing is Ron Swanson. Ron Swanson, the beloved character played by Nick Offerman on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. Parks & Rec - my favorite TV show of all time + Ron Swanson my favorite TV character of all time (even though I heart the entire cast of P&R) + my two favorite things - fabric and quilting. It took me a while, but I plotted and planned and finally got it done. I know I’m not the only one on the ronswansonlovedrug, so I decided to share and do a quilt along… The Ron Swanson Along.



I was secretive - but also giddy while I was putting it all together. I couldn’t resist leaving a trail of hints. First at the end of my Treat Yo Self blog post, and then I Intsagram’d this:



Then I got really ballsy and Instagram’d Elizabeth when she was secret-sewing along with me:



I feared I was being too loose lipped, so I went tactical and threw in a Miss Marple diversionary nugget:



Once I was near the end of finishing - I decided to go bold and drop a ronbomb:



So here he is, Ron F***ing Swanson… The Quilt.













I’m almost to the actual Day 1 of the Ron Swanson Along, but I want to mention some important things before anyone begins:

1. Blech, this Along is heavily laden with disclaimers - this is to keep everyone’s butts covered and Kosher. Please respect them or the terrorists win.

2. Day 1 is your Day 1, and so on and so forth. You can start at any time and take as much time as you need. There is no set date or timeline - the Days are your days. We’re all pretty much pretending we’re all sewing together, anyway… so set your own Day days.

3. Each day will have illustrations that you’re welcome print out. Be sure to set your printer to “scale to fit paper”.

4. Illustrations are in shades of grey, this is to show color value and not actual color. This will hopefully make it easier to pick out your own prints and color choices. Arrows are pressing guides if you’re a side-presser. If you press your seams opens - frolic and ignore the arrows.

5. I have no set schedule of when I’m going to post each Day. There will be a total of 12 Days, and I’m planning on posting a Day every couple days or so. Something like that.

6. Show & Tell! I’ve set up a Ron Swanson Along flickr group: flickr.com/groups/ronswanson. Please don’t make me come hunt you down. It’ll be way more pleasant for us both if you just join the pool and show everyone your pics.

7. Wanna button?



Feel free to grab the button and link it to: http://thehappyzombie.com/RSA

If you need help adding a button to your site, please consult your blog’s admin Help or try Google for help.

8. This is a free pattern that is for someone who knows how to quilt. If you’re interested in learning how to quilt and don’t have access to a quilt shop or community college that teaches quilting - here are some good online resources and books to help you get started on the quilting crack.

INTERACTIVE/ONLINE:

– All People Quilt

– Sew,Mama,Sew! Forum & Book Shop

– Craftsy

– Threadbias

BOOKS:

– The Practical Guide to Patchwork by Elizabeth Hartman

– Complete Guide to Quilting by Better Homes & Gardens

– Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! by Diana McClun & Laura Nownes

– Start Quilting with Alex Anderson by Alex Anderson

9. Your personal touch and fabric/color choices are encouraged. Modification is a happy thing. This quilt is easy to modify in size since all the pieces are the same size. Go bigger (if you’re nuts - this quilt is already a beast at 60″ x 80″!), or go smaller (hang Ron in your mid-level government work space!).

9½. If questions arise in a comment, I will answer them in that comment so that others may benefit. (answers are pretty in pink )

10. Blahblahdone!

Day 1 (finally)



The Ron Swanson Along

[print yardage/cutting info] [print block layout] [print face map]

[Day 1] [Day 2] [Day 3] [Day 4] [Day 5]

[Day 6] [Day 7] [Day 8] [Day 9] [Day 10]

[Day 11] [Day 12] [Day BEST DAY EVER]

[Ron Swanson Along Flickr group]