U R Priceless Blog Hop and Giveaway!

This giveaway is closed now, but thank you for your interest!

Welcome, all of you intrepid hoppers! We're happy to see you here at the Lilypad, and we're thrilled to be a part of this fun "U R Priceless" blog hop . . .many thanks to Madame Samm for thinking it up in her wee head, and for making the pattern available to all of us! And thank you, too, to Katherine, our head cheerleader!

 Padsworth and DragonDrop drew straws to see who would be chosen to show off my completed coin purses . . . well, you can see that DragonDrop won!

The red one is from a Deb Strain fabric line called Java, in honor of the Elixir of Life (grin). 

The yellow plaid is from Jacquelynne Steve's fabric line, called Apple Blossom Acres. I love the little bumblebees - can you see them?

(DragonDrop was convinced that there was some more loose change in that one.)

I even love the way their little bottoms look --- you know what I mean. Seriously. Where are your minds?

This is the interior of the Apple Blossom purse. I like that red print since it picks up the red from the stripe in the plaid.

This is the interior of the Java one . . .I'm loving text prints lately, and this one says "Latte," "Vanilla," "Machiatto," and all kinds of lovely things that have me headed to the kitchen for a cuppa --- I'll be right back, OK?

Ahhhh, now I'm back. Jacquelynne's apple print was perfect for the sides of that purse.

Now, I hope you are still with me, here. I did say there was a giveaway, ya know!

How would you like the chance to win one, er, two, er, three, no really, FOUR charm packs? Yes, really! 

Show the audience the prize, DragonDrop! (He's been watching re-runs of The Price is Right, don'tcha know? (Wink) 

I know that these lovelies say "Rites of Spring" (by Brannock and Patek for Moda) but I've flipped through them and I really think they are autumn-like --- check this out:

Aren't those swatches pretty? Well, one of you lucky readers will be making something beautiful with these!

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment telling me what you think you would create with the four charm packs!
And because we LOVE our followers, you may have another entry if you follow Lilypadquilting!
We'll leave this open to the end of the hop, on November 13th, and we'll ask Mr. Random to choose a winner!

Be sure to hop over to all of the other blogs that share the spotlight today:

The Crafter's Apprentice
Jane's Fabric and Quilts
Rosemary B
Why-Knot-Kwilt
Random Thoughts..do or "di"
Mary T.
Supermom No Cape
Lily Pad Quilting
.Quiltscapes.
Stitch, Stitch, Stitch
Rose Creations
The Treehouse
Gracie Oliver Arts
Quilting Prolifically
Stekje
Grammie Q's 

And stop by at Katherine's blog, Sew Me Something Good for the full schedule, and catch up on any of the blogs that you've missed!

(And if you haven't yet had enough of giveaways, there is one going on here, too! Grin) 

Love,

  

The Colonial Needle Blog Hop Finale

Moses, my studio cat, is quite happy that Barbara at Catpatches is our Colonial Needle bloghop hostess today.  Her blog is one of his favorites, as she regularly posts pictures of her special kitties: George and his ample-bodied assistant, Gracie.

When she posted a video of kitties "singing" Silent Night at Christmas, Moses nearly demolished my monitor -- he climbed up in my lap, then onto the desk, and then tried to get to the kitty in the picture . . . purely in a friendly way, of course. But we don't hold Barbara responsible for that. (Grin) Moses just found it irresistibly cute.

He also has a serious case of hero worship. It's not widely known (I think she had to stop his blog-posting because of celebrity issues -- you know, stacks of adoring fan mail, bundles of catnip, that kind of thing) but George's secret identity used to be Captain Cat-tastic. Moses so admires his bravery in the face of pythons, coyotes, neighbor spy-cats and the like.

Now, I know that you are primed and ready for her giveaway, so hop right on over to the Three Cat Ranch and enjoy your visit!  (You may want to follow her just for her great recipes....and for the Key Lime Smackdown that is coming in the near future. LOL)

Love,

Let's all hop over to Sunni's place!

Sunni at Love Affair with my Brother is our host today for the Colonial Needle bloghop! In addition to having the blog with the most intriguing title I think I've ever seen, Sunni has a lot of inspiring projects and tutorials to offer! (For anyone who doesn't yet know, her title is referring to her fav sewing machine! Giggle!)

Sunni has exciting projects like these on her blog, and she is also hosting a Mystery Charm Swap! 

She combines traditional piecing with a modern palette, and does it with flair. Hop on over to see her post today, on the second-to-last day of the Colonial Needle hop! I'm amazed that she was even able to participate, since the love of her life will be deployed very, very soon. (Waves) God bless you, Mr. Sunni! Thank you for your service!

Love,

PS I hope you are still reading, cos one of our awesome sponsors is having a HUGE sale!! Click on the logo on the left-hand sidebar, to hop over to Quilt Kit Market, and then select "Clearance" for some jaw-dropping specials! Hurry and check it out!!

We're Visiting Kiera today!

Kiera's blog is called It's So Kiki, and you'll find patterns, tutorials, reviews and more --- and today you'll find her hosting our Colonial Needle blog hop!

This is one of her published patterns, called "Follow the Leader" --- isn't it stunning?

Kiera also designs gorgeous totes -- this one inspired me to make one in Mary Engelbreit fabrics. I hope that you will hop over to her blog (see, I gave you a link to zip over there to it!) and leave her some comment love today!

Love,

Next Stop - Sew Bittersweet Designs!

I hope you've been enjoying our trip across the fruited plains . . . this Colonial Needle blog hop has been a lot of fun so far, and it ain't over yet!

If you haven't yet entered the giveaway here at the Lilypad, click here to do that. And don't forget that all of our bloggers are having their own giveaways, too! Here is the list again for you --- so stop in and see them! 

Monday, April 16 –SewCalGal

Tuesday, April 17 – Gene Black

Wednesday, April 18 –HillbillyHandiworks

Thursday, April 19 – SewBittersweet Designs

Friday, April 20 – It’s So Kiki

Saturday, April 21 – Love Affair with my Brother

Sunday, April 22 – Catpatches

Today you'll visit Melissa at SewBittersweet Designs -- hop on over and see what she has planned for you!

Love,

Set the GPS for - Missouri!

We're winding our way through the scenic backroads, traveling from Alabama to Missouri --- we're off to see our good friend Tonya, at Hillbilly Handiworks! She's the creative genius behind the Ahhhh Hexies Series - her intricate stars and hexagons will inspire you!

She is also one of the master-minds behind the exciting Bingo games that will be starting soon --- check out that page on her blog, cos you might want to join in!

Hop on over to her blog, and she'll tell you more about our sponsor, Colonial Needle, and some of their great products.  (And I hear there's a giveaway, too!)

Love,

Next stop on our road trip!

On the road again . . . this time our Colonial Needle blog hop takes us to Alabama, and the blog of our creative friend, Gene Black. Stop in and see him, and see what he's been up to! 

(Pssst . . . come over closer. I want to tell you - he's got a giveaway going on!)

See you back here soon!

Love,

The Fun Begins!

Welcome, blog hoppers! Welcome to the Lilypad! We are thrilled to be part of the Sew We Quilt Table Toppers hop --- featuring mini quilts that can be displayed on our Ackfeld wire frames.

Some of you that are hopping over here may not know why I say "we" here at Lilypadquilting . . . it's not the royal "we" that I am referring to. I share this blog with my mascot, Padsworth, a frog of some renown. (Wink)

He has his own web site, too: Ole Frog Eyes virtual design wall for quilters. He helps out here at Lilypadquilting, and we enjoy his antics. 

Let me show you my table topper for this hop:

It's a very simple block, called the Log Cabin block, and I made it to finish at 12 inches, which is a very nice size for the frame.

It's an old and traditional block, and I think that when someone comes in and sees it, it says, "A quilter lives here."  Personally, I think it also says, "And she is interesting and creative and has superb taste in fabrics and design."  But I digress.

You just need some fabric strips with nice contrast, like these:

and you start with a red block, because the hearth, or fireplace, is the "heart" of the home:

  . . . and you just keep building!

Madame Samm said we didn't need to show a tutorial, so I'm just giving you an idea of how the block is constructed. You can easily find log cabin blocks on the web. 

Once you quilt it and bind it, with a little hanging sleeve on the back, you have a mini-quilt to go on your frame and display with pride:

Okay, okay, Padsworth . . . get over there and I'll take your picture, too!  

Be sure to hop around and see all of the other table-topper display quilts!  

Here is the list for today:

Snoodles (haha! You're here!)

Lesley

Sharon

Dawnmarie

Piece Peace

And check each day at Sew We Quilt to see a list of bloggers that are participating!

Before you leave, be sure to enter our Colonial Needle giveaway, too!  Just scroll on down to the post below! And stop in at the next stop on our Colonial "hop," which is SewCalGal's place!

Love,

Sponsored Blog Hop - Colonial Needle (Now Closed)

Thank you so much for your interest.....this giveaway is now closed!

Welcome to the Colonial Needle Blog Hop! We have assembled a super panel of bloggers for your enjoyment! And we all have wonderful notions from the Colonial Needle Company to give away!

(Padsworth wanted to check out the giveaway prizes . . . excuse me, whilst I get him out of the box.)

Colonial Needle is one of the companies that sponsored the awesome Wantobe Quilter campaign last year, over at Sew We Quilt. They have an incredible array of notions, needles, tools, and even sewing baskets. You can check out their web site at this link, and you can always click on their badge on the sidebar here at Lilypadquilting, too.

Here's some notes from their web site --- you'll be amazed at the variety of products you can find there!

Our extensive collection of hand and machine needles, beading needles, weaving and specialty needles, and even industrial and specialty needles is unrivaled.
In addition to needles and notions, we have felting tools and wools, fun and easy felting kits, knitting needles, gift sets and helpful accessories.
Sewers, quilters and needleworkers will also enjoy our sewing and quilting notions and supplies including fasteners, hoops, measuring and cutting tools and pins of all sizes and styles.
If crafting is your passion, you can choose from an assortment of glues and colorful writing and craft pens for all of your craft projects.

Personally, I think the most wonderful things on their site are the "Pebbles" - but I bet you'll find your own favorites there.

Let me tell you a little about the Pebbles.  If you have reached into your sewing bag or tote just once and come out scratched, and possibly bleeding, then you need a Pebble! (Grin)   These little gems are packages of needles that close right up and protect you and the contents of your tote. You can get them in all types of needles, and our bloggers will be telling you more about those as the week goes along.

They were incredibly generous with their sponsorship, and I was able to divide up the items and ask some wonderful bloggers to help me out.  Here is the schedule of our hop:

Sunday, April 15 – Snoodles at Lilypadquilting (that's me!)

Monday, April 16 –SewCalGal

Tuesday, April 17 – Gene Black

Wednesday, April 18 –HillbillyHandiworks

Thursday, April 19 – SewBittersweet Designs

Friday, April 20 – It’s So Kiki

Saturday, April 21 – Love Affair with my Brother

Sunday, April 22 – Catpatches

I sure hope you are still with me, because we'll have a giveaway here, too! Here is a package of prizes that TWO lucky winners will receive:

 Safety pins, tape measure, magnet, seam ripper, needles and more!

And they'll also receive one of these Colonial Needle Pebbles, too!

So do you want to win? Well, we love our followers, so please leave us a comment if you follow, for one entry in the giveaway.  For another chance to win, tell me if you use a thimble --- whether you are hand-quilting, embroidering, or whatever; do you use a thimble?

We'll leave this one open til Saturday at midnight, and announce the winner on Sunday, April 22!

Good luck!

Love,

Random notes . . .

Hi Lilypadquilters!

Just a couple of random notes today --- I can't reach through the screen to tie a string on your finger, so I just wanted to remind you of a couple of things!

First, one of our special sponsors is having a storewide clearance sale! Looks like everything in the store is 30% off!!  Yippee!! They are doing their spring cleaning, and we are the lucky ones --- scoot over there and grab your favorite pre-cuts at great prices.  Oh! I didn't tell you who it was . . . why, it's the Green Fairy!

You'll have to excuse Padsworth and me; we're headed right over there!

Oh, before I go, a quick reminder about a blog hop starting next week -- the Quilts of Valor challenge hop. Please be sure to visit these bloggers and help out with blocks or a quilt top for this worthy cause!

Here's the schedule of talented bloggers that you'll be visiting:

April 2: Barb Gaddy
http://bejeweledquilts.blogspot.com/

April 3: Gene Black, an Alabama Artist and Quilter
http://blog.geneblack.com/

 

April 4: Marjorie’s Quilting Bee – will also be Blogger Spotlight for Accuquilt on April 4.
http://b-quilts.com/blog

 

April 5: Marilyn Lewis
http://northhillsquilter.blogspot.com/

April 6: Linda Alexander
http://living4quilting.blogspot.com/

 

Hope all of you are headed towards an awesome weekend!


Love,

Coming in April -- Blog Hops!

I want to let all of you Lilypadquilters know about a blog hop that is coming in April! The Colonial Needle Company is sponsoring a hop the week of April 15 through 22, with lots of prizes and great products!

Please feel free to grab our button from the right hand sidebar, and help us spread the word about the hop . . . 

You may remember that I've mentioned Colonial Needle before -- among other great products, they offer the awesome "Pebbles" --- packages of needles that will close right up and not scratch you when you stretch your hand down into your bag of take-along stitching! Love 'em!

Here is the list of the blogs that will be participating:

Sunday, April 15 – Lilypadquilting (that's me!)

Monday, April 16 – SewCalGal

Tuesday, April 17 – Gene Black

Wednesday, April 18 – HillbillyHandiworks

Thursday, April 19 – SewBittersweet Designs

Friday, April 20 – It’s So Kiki

Saturday, April 21 – Love Affair with my Brother

Sunday, April 22 – Catpatches

I also want to alert you to a special event from April 2 - 6 . . . a Quilts of Valor blog hop.  It will be called the Go for a Star QOV hop, and these wonderful blogs will be the stops on your journey:

Monday, April 2 Bejeweled Quilts by Barb

Tuesday, April 3 North Hills Quilter

Wednesday, April 4 Marjorie's Quilting Bee

(Marjorie will also be the spotlight blogger on the Accuquilt website)

Thursday, April 5  Gene Black, An Alabama Artist and Quilter

Friday, April 6  Marjorie's Quilting Bee
 

Here's some information from Marjorie's blog, to let you know what is happening:

One of the Quilts of Valor coordinators, Tink Linhart, and Marjorie Busby have worked with Accuquilt and Aurifil and are having a QOV Challenge during April and May.  Our goal is to challenge as many quilters as possible to make a QOV, whether it be a set of blocks, a quilt top, or a completed quilt – and submit it by May 31 so that it can be given to an active duty service member or Veteran who has served in a war zone.
We are having a blog hop April 2 – 6 to kick off this challenge and will have some great prizes for giveaways. We’d like to inspire as many quilters as possible to join us. So mark your calendars for the blog hop and mark your calendars for time to make a quilt.
And there will be prizes for those who complete quilts for the Challenge including Aurifil thread, fabric, and the grand prize is an Accuquilt GO!™ Baby and five dies of the winner’s choice.

Sure hope that all of you will enjoy the upcoming hops!

Love,

Starting on Sunday . . . "Farmer's Wife in Your Life" bloghop!

<center><a href="http://www.loveaffairwithmybrother.com/search/label/farmer%27s%20wife%20in%20your%20life<br /> <br /> " target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Farmer's Wife in Your Life" src="http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x240/redredreeves/farmerswifebutton1-1.png<br /> <br /> " width="150"/></a></center>

Farmer's Wife in Your Life is a series inspired by The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt by Laurie Aaron Hird. The series will focus on using 6" quilt blocks in everyday sewing projects. 

It starts with a preview post on Jolly Jabber on Sunday, March 4th! 

There will be three full weeks of fun!

Here's the schedule:

Inspiration and Tutorials from Designers

Blog Hop

Week 1

March 4-Sunni is guest-posting on Jolly Jabber

March 5-Love Affair with my Brother

March 6-Craizee Corners

March 7-Lilypad Quilting

March 8-Love Affair with my Brother

March 9-Clover & Violet

Week 2

March 12-Mommy for Reals

March 13-A Colorful Life

March 14-It's Sew Kiki

March 15-Lilypad Quilting

March 16-Why Not Sew? Quilts

Week 3

March 19-Love Affair with my Brother

March 20-Echinops & Aster

March 21-Life's Rich Pattern

March 22-Ellison Lane Quilts

March 23-Love Affair with my Brother

Linky Party

Linky Party will be open from March 24-31 with 2 winners announced the next week. You can link up any project that is inspired by The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt and uses anywhere from just one, to nine of the  6" finished quilt blocks. The blocks do not have to come from the book. 

Please link up a blog post or Flickr photo for your entry.

Judges

Sunni says, "I just nearly died when both of these amazing ladies agreed to act as judges!"

Laurie Aaron Hird, author of The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt  
Michele Foster, Quilting Gallery

The third judge will be Sunni Bolger, Love Affair with my Brother 

Prizes

The Intrepid Thread is sponsoring a FQ bundle of the amazing Cosmos by Dan Bennett for Rowan.

Fat Quarter Shop is sponsoring a FQ Bundle of gorgeous Poetica by Pat Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics.

Padsworth and I are looking forward to seeing the projects the designers have completed, and we hope you will jump in and enter a project in the linky party, too! There are some great prizes there!

Love,