Merry Christmas to all of my friends across the miles and around the interwebs! I hope and pray that your Christmas will be joyful and peaceful, and that many happy memories will be made!
Be sure to take a moment to stop and breathe!
And take some time to thank Him for sending His Son! He's the reason for this season! Let's find some peeps less fortunate than ourselves, and share His love, blessings, and Hope with them!
I hope some of you awesome Lilypadquilting friends and neighbors will give me some advice today.... I have a treasured piece of cross-stitch work; this was framed lo, these many years ago, and it hung in my grandma's kitchen for a loooooooong time before it was passed down to me.
I brought it out to admire it again recently and wondered anew if I could refresh it. Here is the problem:
At some point in her kitchen, some water splashed from her sink, I suppose, and made these problem areas.
I'd love to hear from some of you -- how can I remove those stains without harming the lovely piece? I feel confident that I can carefully remove it from it's frame, but what then? Love,
This week is the official finish of this fun sew-along! It's been great to see all the different blocks that the participating bloggers have created! Once again, here is the book that we are using:
I would like to encourage y'all to grab a copy of the book, because of all the great projects in it:
Can't you just see these holly-jolly creations at your house?
My block for this week is the cute "Wreath" block. Just like last time, I put two together:
I wanted to show you how I kept all these itty-bitty pieces straight:
And sewing them together gives you these little guys:
Now, remember those two "Warm Hat" blocks from last week? I used some lattice strips around all four of these bad boys, and made a pillow top!
Yes, little DragonDrop insisted on photobombing....
And he wanted me to show y'all the reverse side of the pillow, too. I found a cute winter print with mittens and hats and snowmen, so I made a two-piece, envelope back for the pillow:
I hope y'all have enjoyed the Fat Quarter Shop's Vintage Christmas Sew Along! It's been fun! Grab one of Lori Holt's books and sew up some of these cute and easy blocks. Big thank you's to our friends at the Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring this inspiring blog hop! Love,
The Vintage Christmas Sew Along is in full swing! All of the cute blocks that you've been seeing are found in this bodacious book by Lori Holt:
I'll share one block with you this week, and another next week! This week, here is the "Warm Hat" block:
I rooted around, er, dove in and swam like Scrooge McDuck, er, searched through my stash, and came up with some vintage-y fabrics.
I have plans for this block (and next week's, too!) so I made two versions -- just reversed the fabrics for the second one:
Have you ever been sewing happily in your creative space, and then gotten frustrated because you had to struggle with a book? You only wanted it to lie open so that you could refer to it. Is that too much to ask? But nooooooo, that book dug in its heels and stuck out its chin. It glared at you and said, "You can't make me!" And unfortunately, it was correct! But no such troubles with these great Lori Holt books from the folks at It's So Emma . . . these are especially made to fold over and lie flat so that you can easily consult them while you are creating! Gotta love it! And here is where you can get one just for you! (Click on that link and grab one for your very own!) Here is this week's schedule of creative bloggers:
Sure hope that you will join us -- there are many cute projects in the book, and we're having a blast! Be sure to join us next week; we'll show our second block and the surprise project, too! Love,
If you'd like one to give away, or if you'd like one of your very own, just click on that picture up there, and you'll fly through cyber-space to where you can nab one!
As promised, here are the last three of the dish towels that I have stitched up during my recuperation. I really love these patterns from BirdBrain Designs (and they don't even pay me to say that!).
Aren't these cute? I think they'll be very useful in the kitchen!
Just like the last time I had surgery (the other foot!) I kept quiet with stitching. I'm not good at sitting still, but having something in my hands to work on really helps! I'm making some tea towels for a wonderful person who recently married..... both he and she love to get in the kitchen together and cook up a storm! I went all over the interwebs looking for just the right tea towels -- I ordered some that were entirely too thin. The weave was very loose, and I was looking for some better quality. These are the ones that I ordered next, and I give them the Lilypad Seal of Approval!
(I know, I know, I just couldn't resist!)
First, because they are really nice and tightly woven; the thread count is 130. Not what you want on your bed sheets, but this is a great set of dishtowels for machine or hand embroidery! Second, because they are so generously sized!
I actually cut each of these in quarters, so I'm getting four times as many dish towels as you might expect! They are hemmed on all sides, and measure 33 x 38, so you can do the math and see they still are a good size for kitchen work when they are cut up and hemmed again. The embroidery designs are from BirdBrainDesigns.net. I think they turned out pretty well! Here are three of them:
That's me, for sure! I choose to be grateful and to count my blessings! Good health, a warm home, loved ones to hug! God is good -- all the time! That's not to say there's not been some rough waters this year, or that we won't have any obstacles next year..... but we've had all that we need, and are truly thankful. So, I'm wishing all of you, my friends and companions on this quilting journey....
Hope that your day is warm and special. See you real soon, back here at the Lilypad! Love,
I hope that all of you are enjoying the Saturday "Vintage Christmas" posts over at the Jolly Jabber - the Fat Quarter Shop is hosting the blog hop, and all of us are busy creating blocks.
Here is the lovely book that the blocks are found in!
(In compliance with FTC guidelines, please assume the following: any of the links on the Lilypad may be affiliate links. I may receive a small commission from sales of certain items, but the price is the same to you. It's what keeps the lights on here at the Lilypad, and keeps the sewing machine humming!) Get a copy and sew along with us!
And here is a sneaky peek at my Christmas fabrics that I'm using:
I had a lot of great Christmas fabrics, but some of them were not too vintage-y. I created a new word! (Grin) Anyway, I think these will do great for my blocks!
My first foot surgery went so well three months ago, that I'm headed back for round two! Pretty soon, I'll have the official title of Bionic Grandma! (Grin) Seriously, I will be back soon, and hope all of you have a fun Halloween. Padsworth is kicking back, and DragonDrop, too.
(Kermit has the right idea, here.)
We're stoked to be taking part in the Very Vintage Christmas Sewalong! Check out the fun here at this link!
We will be showing blocks later on.... grab your book by our friend, Lori Holt, and sew along with us!
Padsworth here, to announce our newest blog sponsor! I think you'll love them! Ribbit!
Fairfield may be new to some of you -- I've used their products for years, so I wanted to introduce them to you! I love their battings, and their weighted stuffing beads, "Poly Pellets" are my go-to when making stuffed animals and remote caddies.
(In compliance with FTC guidelines, please assume the following: any of the links on the Lilypad may be affiliate links. I may receive a small commission from sales of certain items, but the price is the same to you. It's what keeps the lights on here at the Lilypad, and keeps the sewing machine humming!) Fairfield has a broad assortment of quilt battings in pre-cut sizes, bulk rolls, and in bolts. I love that they offer renewable-resourced battings: cotton, bamboo, and wool, in addition to the many polyester styles they offer. Are you like me? Do you prefer to shop from "Made in America" items? Never fear, Fairfield's American Spirit line is your new friend!
The Poly pellets are great for creating therapeutic sensory items: they work well in play objects and in weighted vests for calming.
Making bags and purses? Crafting projects? You'll love Fairfield's huge assortment of interfacings. It's like a menu at the diner -- so many choices! Do you want to stick, stabilize, soften or support? Your interfacing can solarize (provide a thermal barrier), smooth, structure, stiffen, or shield from allergens! Amazingly awesome alliteration, right?
I really love this product, Oly Fun....it's an easy to use material that comes in lots of colors. It can be used indoors or outdoors! Look at these great ideas you can use just in time for Halloween! Indoor/outdoor garland....
Clicking on any of those links will whisk you away to the inspiration page at Fairfield -- you'll see oodles of projects and instructions there!
Last, but not least, I'm always happy with companies that find ways to give back - Fairfield's We Make For Good project is a wonderful program; they love to post stories about peeps who use Fairfield products to create things for their communities -- and they select projects to fund with special We Make For Good grants!
I only introduce y'all to products and companies that I've used myself, and I hope you will click on these links and get to know Fairfield World. I believe you will like what you find! From inspiration to shopping online, Fairfield is a great resource for our quilting and crafting communities! Love,
