Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Some fabric and a road map

I won! I won!

Grin.

I want to show you what I did win, and then give you a map to a destination that you will really like!


The fabrics that I won are "Golden Holiday" by Benartex . . . I won the Benartex "Deck the Halls" giveaway and received these delectable fat quarters!

Thanks, Benartex! They're beautiful!


Aren't they gorgeous? 
Want a closer look? 
You know you do!


Look at the beautiful metallics incorporated into the fabrics . . . 


Now I am thinking of how to work those into a Christmas project!

While I work on that, you should follow this link: Click on this link!

See, I told you I would give you a map -- that will take you to Chris Dodsley's blog, called Made by Chrissie D.


There are so many great tutorials on Chris' blog, from repairing a well-loved quilt to mastering many different types of pillows and cushions!

I'm inspired by Chris' tabletopper (could also be a wall-hanging) for the hop, that I think I will make that with these sparkly fabrics!


Be sure to scoot over and say hello to her -- I know you will find lots to look at there!

Love,



Thursday, February 16, 2017

More blocks!

Hi everybody!
I wanted to show off some of the fabrics that I'm using in my Jacob's Ladder blocks . . .
Many times, we quilters are a little "bamboozled" in our choices of color and print, value and contrast.
I'm hoping today's post will encourage y'all to follow your instincts. Let me explain . . .


There are five blocks in that picture, and they are created from totally different fabric lines, with different styles.


Those greens? The apple design is from Jacquelynne Steves' "Fruitful Hands" line, and the green dot is a Mary Engelbreit!
I put them side by side and they played well, so they went into a block!


The block with the red print is a Pat Sloan print from her "Hometown Girl" line . . . it goes really nicely with these in the picture below:


These are more from my Mary Engelbreit stash, with the really pale blue in the bottom left being another "Hometown Girl" fabric. The point I want to make is that we don't need to agonize over our fabric selections. I'm preaching to the choir here, because I was so hung up on this issue that I had trouble doing anything in combinations, unless they were all from the same fabric line, from the same designer! (Grin)

Be adventurous! Choose things that look good to you, and that make you happy!
Our hobby is a wonderfully creative way to craft beautiful things, so let's enjoy!

Love,



Thursday, February 9, 2017

Cabin Fever giveaway winner!


What a fun party!

Almost as good as digging our toes into the warm sand, and looking out across the breakers, eh?

Well, almost!

It's time to announce our winner, but I'd really like to thank all of you for joining our Cabin Fever Party, whether you linked up your current project or just left some comment love!



And I'm really grateful to have the Green Fairy team as a sponsor here at the Lilypad! They have wonderful fabrics, great prices, and shipping is only $2.95!




Thanks, Clint and Judi!




Mr. Random Number Generator chose . . . 



And that is Lynn!

Congratulations, Lynn, and enjoy your shopping spree at the Green Fairy online store!

More merriment and mayhem on the way, so stay tuned!

Love,



Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Jacob's Ladder blocks - a Fat Quarter Shop hop!

Welcome to our Lilypad!

If you've hopped over here from the Jolly Jabber, glad to have you here! Hope you enjoy your visit!

The Fat Quarter Shop asked us to participate in this blog hop, and boy, were we happy! The Jacob's Ladder block is one of our favorites!

They have a lovely kit available in the online store:



And Kimberly made this awesome video tutorial, too!



 I would love to show you my blocks, and tell you about my project! Got your cuppa in your hand? And maybe a snack? I'm warning you, this is a picture-heavy post! (Grin)

The instructions that I received were super clear and easy to follow -- gotta love those diagrams! Be sure to check on the first one or two blocks, until you get a feel for it.....you just might flip one of those half square triangles over the wrong way! (Don't ask, just nod knowingly and we'll move on.)

I was pedal to the metal with my beloved Nora, chain piecing these bad boys:



Be sure to get those seams nested, and you'll have the cutest four-patches around!


See?


(Can you tell I have a "thing" for dots?)

Then the whole block goes together like lightning!



Mr. Snoodles had requested a new cover for the tv table . . . looking at those autumn colors all year round WAS getting a little monotonous! So I am putting together blocks in spring and summer colors.




But get this!
The reverse will be Christmas colors! (Grin) So then I can just flip it over for the holidays!

I love, love the way that Jacob's Ladder forms this neat pattern when you put the blocks side-by-side:



Got a few more blocks to go, and then I'll start on the flip side!

In the meantime, hop back over to the Jolly Jabber blog and check out the other quilters in this hop!

I'm so glad you stopped by -- drop by anytime!

Love,


Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Cabin Fever Party 2017 - and a giveaway!


This linky party was so much fun a couple of years ago -- let's do it again!

Here's the thing: it's winter here in the Continental US. Uggh.

It's cold. Double Uggh.

It's wet and icy a lot of times. Yuck!



So we tend to stay inside and drink lots of warm drinks, run around in our bunny slippers when we can, and sew a LOT!!

That leads to two things . . . one is getting a lot of our projects done (YAY!) and the other is . . .

Cue the ominous music here.

CABIN FEVER!!!

I feel like I must digress just a little at this point. Having raised three kiddos, every time I hear the phrase "cabin fever" I think of the Muppets. So I'll let that sink in for a minute.



You now will sing that all day.
You're welcome.
Now, I asked our fabulous sponsor, Green Fairy Quilts, to help us with a prize, because this is a linky party and it's more fun when there's a prize to win. (Grin)

Green Fairy has an awesome variety of fabrics and designers -- new stuff arriving every day! And get this -- shipping is only $2.95 in the United States!



Want to win a $25 gift certificate to their shop?



Woot! That got your interest!

Here's what you need to do, if you'd like to join our party, and if you'd like to win!
First, link up to our party, down below.
Tell us what you are up to. What are you working on? A new project? An old one? A new technique or skill?
Then, hop around to all the other linkies and say "howdy!"

And here is how you can enter to win:
1. Comment to alert me that you have linked up your blog, Google Plus page, or Flickr page.
2. Comment again if you are a follower. (Optional)
3. Comment again if you have signed up to receive Green Fairy's newsletter. (They don't spam you.)
4. Check out the pre-cuts arriving at Green Fairy and tell me which is your favorite!
5. If you have hopped around and said "howdy!" to all of the linky participants, comment to tell me that.

Easy peasy!
Five entries in the contest if you like . . . oh! If you tell others about it on your blog, Twitter, or Facebook page, that gets you one more entry -- just comment to let me know!
(PLEASE leave your email in your comment , like this: person(at)gmail(dot)com, so I don't have to draw another name, OK? We don't want you to miss out on the prize, if your name is chosen, and I can't get in touch with you!)

One other thing...if possible, put a link to allow folks to hop back here to the Lilypad, OK? Thanks! We'll leave this party rocking for a week, so everyone can join the fun, and then we'll ask Mr. Random to choose a winner!

Good luck, everyone! Let's get rid of our cabin fever by partying!
Love,





Helping hands (and machines) needed

Because of our history with rescue critters, and also our own Padsworth's Project, we have a special place in our hearts for kennel quilt efforts.

Recently we received a plea for help, and I wanted to pass it along in case some of you could assist these fine folks.


The Quilt Pattern Magazine Small Kennel Quilt Team has received a request for kennel quilts from Petfinder -- a Louisiana shelter would appreciate having some kennel quilts for their rescued puppies and small dogs.


Here is their address:
        
                     Bark and Roll Rescue Companions
                     3105 Shadows Lake Drive
                     Baton Rouge, LA 70816

And click here for the form to send with your donation.

TQPM encourages everyone to send photos of your kennel quilts to their Facebook page before you mail them off. That way, we can all enjoy the fun of quilting and helping these furry friends!

Not sure quite how large to make the kennel quilts? Check out the instructions at this link!

We applaud these folks in their efforts to help kitties and pups be ready and rested to greet their new owners when they come to call!

Love,