Happy Leap Day!
I'm making the most of my extra day by spending the entire day in my sewing room, wearing pjs, and not cooking, but I do plan to eat! If you can't spend the entire day doing exactly as you wish, I hope you'll at least take the time to do something to make this day special. You won't be getting another extra day for four more years!
I've heard from a few folks that Joe Wood of ThimbleCreek Quilts mentioned in a newsletter that I was working on his pattern French Vintage, I figured I better post an update on that project to give those folks and you something to look at.
Here's the next border of blocks, all ready for their sashing. I think you can see the slight difference between the background fabric for the inner blocks and the background fabric for the next set of blocks. Next up, more checkerboard sashing for those outer blocks.
It's also Leap Day Superior Thread Giveaway Day!!
Elizabeth, at Occasional Piece Quilt, read my earlier post about wanting to do something special in my sewing room on Leap Day and asked if I would be willing to participate in a thread giveaway with some other folks on February 29th. Who would turn down free thread? So the deal was that I could pick any 4 spools of Superior Thread, I could keep one and giveaway three.
Up until this giveaway came along I never gave any thought to my thread. I use a brand of thread that someone recommended to me when I first started sewing. I've never had any problems with that brand of thread and I never took the time to research other brands of thread.
I have now learned that Superior Threads makes all kinds of thread in all kinds of amazing colors,plus they make silk thread, glitter thread, rainbow thread, vanishing thread, and NiteLite extra glow thread! There is thread for quilting and thread for piecing. They even make thread that is white indoors but changes color when outdoors!
Given all these fabulous choices what do you think I picked . . .
Master Piece thread by Alex Anderson.
I know, given all those wild and crazy options why did I pick something so generic? I wanted to try something that I thought I would use, and I thought I would use this thread.
Here's the skinny on Master Piece thread:
it's #50 / 3-ply extra-long staple Egyptian-grown cotton
comes in 600 yd spools
comes in 75 colors
is ideal for piecing, appliqué, lacework, bobbin, and fine quilting
is also available in hand appliqué thread packs and 2,500 yd cones.
Besides wanting a thread that just does its job, I thought it would be interesting to see how much lint this thread produced.
Here's my sewing machine all clean.
Here's my sewing machine after going through one full bobbin of thread. Some lint, not tons, but less would be better. I'm going to sew with my new thread and then report back.
If you would like to win those three spools of thread just leave a comment on this post relating to thread. What thread you use, is thread important you, anything will do. You have until Saturday, March 3rd to leave a comment. If the post office delivers to your address you're eligible. I'll announce the winner on Sunday along with the results of my lint test.
Several other bloggers are also participating in this giveaway, and may be giving away more exciting thread than what I picked, go check them out!
For more information on Superior Threads or to learn about their products, Superior University, and their Thread of the Month Club, or to receive their newsletter, check out their website here. 
