Happy Valentine's Day runner

Ain't love grand? Padsworth, DragonDrop and I love all of our Lilypadquilting friends! And we want to wish you a very happy Valentine's Day!

(Oh, before I forget, there may be affiliate links in our posts here at the Lilypad; that's how we can get more goodies to create the merriment and mayhem that we are known for!)

Anyway, back to our story! I also LOVE bargain hunts and sales, and when Connecting Threads discounts their kits, it's hard for me to resist! They offered a runner kit about two years ago from their "All Season Table" series, and this past week I pulled that bad boy out and made a sweet table runner!

And what's even sweeter is that it is reversible!

I love the kits from Connecting Threads for two reasons: first, they save me time when I need instant gratification from a quick project! Secondly, they are always generous in their cuts of fabric; there are no heart-stopping moments of panic, trying to figure out if there's enough of one fabric or another in order to finish!

With all of the straight lines in these fabrics and block units (except for the paisley), I decided to do some big-stitch quilting with loops and "vines" and of course, hearts.

Don't ya love a striped binding? Awesome fabric choice!

And the way the stitches make the fabrics puff up a little bit after a wash? Love it!

It's hard to decide which of the two sides I like best! (Grin)

Of course, then the other table needed some Valentine's love, so I got out a runner I made some years back and now the window table is happy!

Gotta show you the swirls and hearts once more . . .

In addition to the kit from Connecting Threads, I also used my favorite choice for my big-stitch quilting: Sulky Threads' 12 weight cotton thread. 
No tangles, no breakage, and the snap end spool keeps my thread storage tidy! Check some out at tese links and you will enjoy it!

What's going on at your place for Valentine's Day?

Love,

Nonsense blocks and traffic humor

I suppose these blocks don't have a whole lot to do with what I saw in traffic the other day, but then it again, it WAS kinda funny! 

I pulled up at a stop light and looked to my left just as this car pulled up alongside:

Out for a ride, just chillin'!

Gotta love it!

And yes, he's out cruisin' in a Mustang GT. (Grin)

Now, for my latest Summer Moon escapades . . . 

Here is the smallest of the Nonsense blocks - I like that bunny print!

This block is almost all half square triangles. Oh, lest I forget, there are four hourglass units there, too!

Don'tcha love it when the points come together!

So, here for your enjoyment are the two smaller Nonsense blocks; the eight incher will be under my needle soon . . . 

Mostly I'm trying to finish up a runner for my table - Valentine's Day is coming, right? 

Reveal will be soon!

Love,

Seed packet organizer reveal!

Well, Santa has left the sewing room . . . has it been that long since I posted? Wow! That old rascal pulled out of here muttering something about relaxing on a tropical island. (Grin) Sounds good to me!

First of all, I want to make it abundantly clear that I did not come up with this fabulous organizer! This is a free pattern from Jenny of Elefantz' blog. You can hop over there using this link and make one for your very own!

Now that we've got that out of the way, happy new year!! Gee, I hope this is going to be a better year for everybody! I hear lots of rocks tumbling around, so I believe you all are nodding with me! (Grin) I expect those are just the rocks in my own head.

I showed a sneaky peek of this before Christmas, and then got sidetracked and finished it up between Christmas and New Year's. My sweet sis received it this past week, so I am not spoiling any surprises to show it off to you!

I love the embroidery on this, but I might make another without the embroidery so that I can put it in the pocket of my pants/overalls and take it to the garden with me.....without fearing that I would spoil the pretty stitching.

I really like the cute button that my pincushion swap friend Lois sent to me. 

I think it turned out great! I chose fabrics that I thought my sis would like, and it didn't take a lot -- I shopped my stash for everything! Yay!

Here's how it looked after I put the binding on. I like the dark brown for contrast on the organizer.

I printed out a couple of vintage seed packet fronts to slip in the pockets. I tucked in some tiny packs of flower seed in the other side.

Here is the finish! Taaaadaaaaa!

Many thanks to Jenny for sharing her creativity and talent with us! 

How do YOU organize your seeds? Might there be a seed organizer in your future?

Love,

Santa is sewing!

 

Shhhhhhhhh!

Don't tell anybody else!

Santa is in my sewing room! At least I think so!

Look at all these cute things!

First, since I know the momma won't be looking at this blog, check out these cute bibs for our two month old granddaughter!

Easy, peasy, just two pieces of flannel right sides together, and sew on some velcro! I, er, Santa made seven so there would always be a clean one while the others were washing! (Grin)

Next, look at this embroidery! I can't say who is going to find this under the tree, since sometimes the recipient DOES look at this blog. Heehee!

This is using Jenny Elefantz' Bloom and Weave pattern, and will be turned into a seed organizer. More to come on this one . . . 

And then.

The piece de resistance . . . you have to say that with a French accent, right?

Doll clothes for our other two granddaughters' six inch dollies! (Yes, Mr. Snoodles is sadly outnumbered. But he loves it!) Oh, the fingers ache making these tiny things, but don't they turn out cute?

I'm so glad Santa is in my sewing room!

What's under your needle as Christmas approaches?

Love,

Handquilting

(All posts may contain affiliate links.)

I enjoy hand quilting.

I REALLY enjoy hand quilting.

It's relaxing.

I like the feeling of accomplishment when I finish.

I like seeing the parts of the block that I want to emphasize, "pop" and grab my attention when I pull my stitches through.

I like to see the stitches (as uneven as they may be) on the back of my piece.

And I REALLY, REALLY like it when I have good thread to do it with!

Enter Sulky's 100% Long Staple Cotton in 12 weight!

I like Sulky's 12 weight because it is strong and there's virtually no lint. Also, I can cut a pretty long piece of thread and not worry about it breaking as it's pulled through the fabric many, many times! 

It's great for embroidery, too, because one strand of Sulky is the equivalent of two strands of floss . . . and it's a lot easier than trying to separate those six wiggly strands of floss in order to get two to stitch with! (Grin) Most of our patterns tell us to use two strands, right? Well, using the 12 weight from Sulky just made that a whole bunch easier! Unwind some 12 weight and you are ready to rock and roll!

I love the snap spool end, too. All of the Sulky spools have at least one. All you do is gently lift up the end with your thumb and release the thread. Bam! You're on your way!

Done with stitching for the day? Just lift that end again, wind the thread into the gap, and snap it shut! No more tangled up threads in your basket or bag!

Don't ya love those variegated threads? Gorgeous!

You don't have to take my word for it, though. Check out this awesome video tutorial for tips and inspiration:

Want to try some great Sulky threads for yourself? Click on these links and look at all the yummy colors over at Sulky!  

Want to do some machine quilting with Sulky's Blendables? No worries! Grab some of these delicious 30 weight spools!

But back to my handwork . . . 

This sample block that I'm quilting was an attempt to try out the pattern for a Summer Moon sampler block.

I am pretty pleased with how the Sulky 12 weight worked for the handquilting there. 

Have you tried Sulky thread? Let me know in the comments, and if you would like to try it, click on the links and check out their colors and their assorted color packs!

Love,