Hoffman Fabrics sponsors!!

The staff here at the Lilypad is hard at work, preparing for the August Pets on Quilts Show! We are lining up sponsors and making plans!

Well, that is, when we are not playing with fabrics and buttons and the like! (Grin)

The first sponsor to sign on is our fab friends at Hoffman Fabrics! Love, love, the beautiful fabrics that they create..... didya know that they design and produce over 800 screenprints and hand-dyed batiks every year! They truly have a passion for these products, and their made-in-Bali lovelies are just stunning, year after year, since 1924!

From one named after my favorite tea....

To a wide variety of colors and designs:

 


I hope you will take a peek at their process -- it's really interesting to see how these fabrics are created!



This year, Hoffman California Fabrics is marking their 90th year! And they are sponsoring an awesome prize for our show in August!

Hoffman will send two of our winners their very own fat-quarter bundles! Thirty three fabrics from the "All A-Twitter" line, by Kari Carr!!

So much fabric yumminess!
Check out the feature print! I'm warning you, you will fall in love....just gorgeous!

And just to get those inspirational juices flowing, here are some patterns that Kari designed for her fabrics:

Our winners may want to purchase these patterns to use with their prizes!

The talented team at Hoffman also took some of their most popular fabrics and made them 108 inches wide! Then they packaged these beauties into three yard cuts for us to grab for quilt backs and more!

How cool is that!

I hope that you are as excited as we are, here at the Lilypad, about our first sponsor-sign-up! Take a look at what Hoffman California Fabrics has to offer....

......you just might be our random winner in August!!

Journey over to their FB page and leave 'em some love, won't you? Let them know we appreciate their sponsorship! 
Hope you are snapping pictures of your pets on some quilts! It won't be long until the show!!

Love,

Memorial Day musings

This will be yet another Memorial Day in which I am unable to give my dad-in-law a bear hug, and tell him that I love him and appreciate his service. He passed away nine years ago, and was laid to rest with military honors.

He was one of the unsung heroes who put down what he was working on in 1942 and sailed across the sea on the Queen Mary, the ship that was stripped of her finery in order to hold as many fighting men as possible on their way to England. He lived almost three years in Polebrook, England, as part of the Mighty Eighth Air Corps.  

He did a little bit of everything, from serving as navigator in a huge B-17 Flying Fortress, to timing the take-offs of the 351st Bomber Group, from a tiny shack at the end of the runway. Filling in as a mechanic, picking up airmen off the runway when a bomber crashed, riding a bicycle in to town for a welcome respite, and writing, writing, writing love letters to his bride of less than two years, and their little son.....

What a life. What a sacrifice. And I know that his story is only one of so very many. He was blessed to make it home safely and continue building a family, a business, and a life.  Not all come home safely, though.

So, on Memorial Day, I'd like to say that I'm truly grateful to live in this, the greatest country of all, and that I'm grateful so many were willing to give that last measure of devotion. The freedoms I enjoy were purchased by them. 
And to those who serve today -- thank you, too. From the bottom of my heart.

Today, in the midst of festivities and feasts, find a veteran or someone who is serving today. Tell them thanks. Don't be ashamed to wave the flag. 

And have an awesome Memorial Day, y'all!

Love,

So cute! And they include free patterns!

I received word that one of our Lilypadquilting sponsors has released new products, and I wanted to show you!

I can see a lot of different projects from these Accuquilt dies!

That small square die would work really well for a postage stamp quilt, like an Around the World pattern!

Another deceptively simple die, the circle (on the far right of the photo) would make wool projects and quilts alike go very quickly!

And I can hear the gears turning as y'all check out the Northwoods and the musical dies, too!
I'm told that all of these dies will work on a GoBaby, like I have, or the larger cutter, as well!

I love my Accuquilt, as you can see from this post and this one. (Accuquilt also has limited edition dies, and an awesome Memorial Day sale going on now!

Check it out today!

Love,

Number three!

I wanted to show you the third dish towel finish . . .

And I realized I have been remiss in not telling you where I got my embroidery motifs! Wow! Can't believe I did that.

Y'all know that I love all things ME, right? (Mary Engelbreit) I recently snagged a copy of one of her books (+ patterns) on Etsy:

This has so many (fifty-three) cute projects!

They can all be done in several ways -- what's your pleasure? Want to create them in applique? Cool. Instructions included! Want to embellish with markers? That's in here, too! Just want to create some simple, vintage-look embroideries? Easy peasy with the full size patterns folded in the pocket of the book!

So, with that in mind, here is my latest creation:

I am enjoying the process on these..... using Presencia perle cotton size 8 for the embroideries. It's keeping me from feeling like I need to jump up and do something, and my foot is responding - the swelling is going down.

See y'all next time!

Love,

Still stitchin'

Another dish towel complete and ready for dish duty!

Thanks for all your kind words as I recuperate!

Love,

Trying to sit still.....

Waiting to heal!

Doin' my best to follow the doctor's orders and be still.....wanted to show you some of what has kept me occupied:

I'm enjoying the stitching; I don't usually take a lot of time for embroidery, but this is working for me as I wait until I can be up and around again.

Hope all of you are having a great week!

Love,

I will try to hurry back!!

I will be back soon.....I might visit some blogs while I down, but I probably won't post for a few days!

I'm having orthopedic surgery - replacing a joint in my big toe, so that I will be able to walk without bone crunching on bone! Ugh. An implant....will that mean I'm bionic? 

I think the hardest part will be sitting still for a couple weeks to try to keep the swelling down!! (Grin)

Maybe I can work out a way to have my foot higher than my heart and still be sewing with my beloved vintage machine, Nora? Ya think?

(I have some tea towels prepped for embroidery, and a table runner sandwiched for hand-quilting....a good book to read, too. And I can always watch some great lessons on Craftsy!! Hmmmmm, this is starting to sound like a vacation, no?)

Be back soon, I hope!!

Lots of love and hugs to all,

Pet Show this summer!

Padsworth and DragonDrop would like to send a quick message to all of our fabulous Lilypadquilting peeps!

Please be sure to take some photos of your pets and your projects -- the Pet Show is coming in August!!

Whether your "furbaby" is a dog, a cat, a horse, ducks, or a hedgehog, everyone is invited to participate! And if you don't have a pet, you can still enter our show with a pet-themed quilt!

We will be reaching out to sponsors, and posting instructions, etc soon..... be sure to take some photos so you will be ready!!

Love,

Padsworth
DragonDrop
and Snoodles

Patch Abilities winner!

Let's have a big round of applause for our marvelous sponsor, Patch Abilities!!

Thank you very much, Julie, for sponsoring our giveaway!

And thank you to all of the Lilypadquilting peeps that participated!!

One lucky winner, selected randomly, will win three patterns from the wide variety of fun patterns that you see on the Patch Abilities site...

Wonder who our winner will be? What will they choose?

Let's ask Mr. Random Number Generator.....

It's Vicki in MN, number 13!

Congratulations on your win! I know you will have fun with the patterns -- let us see what you create, OK?
Post on your blog, and holler at us, so we can point people over there! (Grin)

Thanks again to everyone!!  GO OVER to Patch Abilities and get those patterns and display items that you liked when you visited, OK? Julie will give you the best service ever!

I'll be away for a bit, but I will try to get back soon!

Love,