Under The Sea

                     

UNDER THE SEA

Since relocating our family to the coast my daughter has deepened her love for the ocean. To commemorate I thought a fun quilt was in order. I found some beautiful fabric at my local (insert expensive) fabric shop. Then I free hand cut see weed and kelp. Then the assembly began. I sewed on the green fabric to the bottom of the Blue and then added the "kelp".

Then I chose several different fabrics for the sea life. I used "WonderUnder on the back of the fabric. The Cricut company recommends using Heat N Bond. The next time I do a project like this I am going to try Heat N Bond to see if there was a difference. The fabric kept sliding on my Cricut mat so I just cut all the sea life out and then traced it onto my fabric and then cut it all out...one at a time. 

Then I began creating my under the sea scene. Using the WonderUnder was fantastic! I just followed the easy instructions that came with the product. Ironing on the letters and different items was super fast. It made cutting out each item worth it-Maybe.

 
My Favorite is the Crab Family. After everything was ironed on I selected my back fabric and purchased my "Warm and Natural" batting. I am new to this batting and I LOVE it! I have always used a high loft polyester batting. The Warm and Natural batting is great for machine quilting.  I thought a wavy machine quilting design would be fun for this project. What do you think?

I machine stitched around some of the bigger sea creatures and submarines. I used a few different stitches that my machine provides. It added a little more dimension and flare to some of the creatures. 

I made my own biased tape out of the green fabric and attached it. My friend Britt at www.diythirdtimesacharm.blogspot.com taught me a fantastic trick. I don't know why I have never done this before but it goes to show you that even after sewing for over 20 years you still have a lot to learn! Attach the biased tape to one side first. Then fold it over and attach it to the other side. I have always folded it over and tried to sew it all at once. This is easy enough on small projects but for large projects my new preferred method is Britts. I did this quilt as a "throw quilt" but I have already seen my daughter try to steal it for her room. Maybe it will end up on her bed as a decorative quilt.

Fun Fun Fun!!!

I love to create and love the look on people's faces when they receive what I have created for them...but let me tell you something funny about this!

While my husband was on a deployment I made a "quillow" for him (a quilt that folds up into an attached pocket to create a pillow). I used photo transfers and made it look like I scattered pictures all over the quilt. The photos were of family and friends and of course him and I. He was so excited to receive the quillow! He showed everyone and bragged about how lucky he was.

Recently I asked him if he didn't know me if he would still like the items that I made...his response took me by surprise. He told me that watching the process from start to finish has taken some of the "magic" out of it for him. He reminded me about his quillow I made him and then related it to seeing me make other items. He of course loves to see the items and what I've created but admitted that it was fun to see the end product and the surprise that comes without seeing the in-between. I laughed but could see where he was coming from.

It's like when you are a kid and have no idea how they make Twinkies. How that creme gets in there...how they make each one shaped like that. Then when you are old enough to turn over the Twinkie and see the little tell-tale holes the magic is gone and you know they squeeze the creme into the center after the cakes are made.

I must admit though that the magic for me comes from the creation. I love the process! Figuring out unique patterns and changes to a basic pattern.

By the way...if any of you out there in blog-land would like to make a quillow, let me know and I will email you a copy of the instructions. It's fun and easy...even putting pictures on it!!!

thelilypadshop@gmail.com

The Lily Pad Shop has Gone "International"

As many of you know, The Lily Pad Shop is on Etsy. Etsy is a fantastic site that allows you to reach across the world...literally. Last week we received our first international sale. Today we had another international sale.

This may seem silly to some, but knowing that my creations are reaching around the world is humbling and exciting. When we work with people from around the world, it makes it seem a little less overwhelming in size.

I am so blessed to have the opportunity to share this talent. Thank you for coming on the journey with me!

www.thelilypadshop.etsy.com

Mad Hatter Knits

Being a big BYU Cougar fan I have been waiting to find the perfect way to show our School spirit. I am here to tell you...I have finally found it!

Jody of Mad Hatter Knits has an incredible talent for creating fun, quality and adorable hats. She made this BYU Cougar for my little one.

She is now offering this hat along with many other styles in different sizes as well as colors. She makes headbands and knit hair clips as well. She also offers photo props for you to purchase.

Check out her incredible craft at:
www.madhatterknits.blogspot.com
www.madhatterknitsco.etsy.com or email her for a special order at madhatterknits@gmail.com.

You will not regret ordering from Mad Hatter Knits!

Things I have learned from my most recent project

I have learned quite a bit from this project. I loved doing it! Sometimes I had to put it away for a while because I was so frustrated with it. Looking at it you can see that it's not such a difficult pattern...and yet there were so many issues with it. So...I learned a lot.

#1 If the tension is off on your embroidery machine it affects everything!
#2 No matter how many times you try, if your tension is still off it's going to mess up the design.
#3 Fabric glue fixes A LOT more than you think. (I guess it's kind of like duct tape!)
#4 Making your own Biased tape is quite fun!
#5 Ironing quilts while making them does reduce time overall.
#6 You really DO need to stuff decorative pillows with more filling than you think.
#7 No matter how long it takes you to make something, when it is done you still feel pretty good!

I loved doing this quilt and pillows. I think this quilt took longer than any quilt I have made! That includes the ones that I have hand stitched. I think it turned out great! I am excited to see the reaction it gets.

Happy New Years!

Happy 2011 Everyone!
We have a great year ahead of us and fantastic moments to celebrate! Cherish your family and friends. Give hugs and loves to all around you!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!