Gingerbread Fun

Our local library was handing out gingerbread houses to be decorated and judged.  My kids jumped right on it because there were great prizes.  I stayed out of the way (besides helping them locate additional supplies).  One of the rules was that all the pieces in the kit must be used.  This turned out to be a tricky requirement.  I was amazed at their creative ideas and how well they were able to execute them.  Delaney decided on a beach theme for her house.  She was able to transform the peppermints into coconuts and bikini tops.  I  think she did a fabulous job.

Sydney waivered on what she wanted to do, but then settled on a train theme.  She was going more toward Polar Express.  She put a lot of time into making the train cars and the tracks.  She had to cut out all the little dots and squares the covered the cars.  I thought it was a great idea to use the peppermints at wheels.

And the snow became the smokestack.

Gavin went to town decorating his house, and he settled on a sweet theme.  I just love how the ice cream cone turned out.  At the last minute he came up with the idea of putting the gingerbread man in the cocoa pond.  I was really impressed by this idea. 

After the kids were all putting so much time and effort into their houses, I decided I better do one.  I spent the first the first week debating on how I wanted to decorate mine.  Anyone that knows me knows that I do better with a deadline.  The first idea I came up with was straws for the roof.  After that, the creativity started flowing.  Long ago quilt group did a swap with 1000 pyramids.  I did all the cutting with my Accucut.  In the center of the die was this beautiful little hexagon that was essentially a little piece of everyone in my quilt group.  How could I throw away these beauties?  What on Earth would I ever do with 10,000 or so of these?  They have been aging in a container in my sewing room for over a year.  I devised a plan!  I was going to have a house with a cobblestone path.  The next thought was to have one side of the house be stone.  My girls quickly squashed this idea and said the whole house needed to be covered.  The fabric for the base was a piece of leftover backing.  The tree is made from a scrap of fabric gifted to me and I added light brite pegs for lights.  It was a very fun project but I spent way too much time on it when I should have been doing other things.  It was quite time consuming to line up all the little hexagons perfectly.  I learned a few things about myself along the way. 

I had lots of pieces that I had to use. I didn't want windows in my house, so I used these pieces as the gate. I didn't want to pay the price for modge podge, so I used equal parts of Elmer's glue and water. I applied with a brush and put several coats over the fabrics. I selected several selvages from my basket and cut just the dot portions. I sewed them together to make the garland. The gingerbread man was cut with my Sizzix, but the rest of the foam pieces came in my kit.

 Eleanor do you see anything special about this window??  There is that dreaded piece of fabric that started your title as cheetah girl!!!  It just fell out of the container and asked to be put on the house.  I picked a special spot under the window.

Another Oldie

Many years ago when my group was making charity quilts, a challenge was issued to make a second quilt from the scraps of the first quilt.  I did start it, but the flame burned out.  I am in the mood to finish it up, but I need your help.  This quilt is U-G-LY.  It needs a lot of help.  It is those big squares in the middle.  Obviously I didn't quite have the log cabin concept at the time.  Please help me find a way to salvage these 12 blocks before I decide to trash them.  These are some of the ideas I came up with.

• Slash the blocks into 4 equal pieces vertically and horizontally; rotate 2 of the blocks 90 degrees and sew them back together
• cut them into wonky 4 patches and add a narrow black sash (perhaps 9 patches or just vertically?)
• cut them on the diagonals and sew them back together so the stripe forms a square (problem with this one is that not all the stripes are going the same direction).

Thanks for stopping by.  I can't wait to hear all your suggestions.  Please check out Patchwork Times for more inspiration on design wall Monday.

Bright Scraps

I wanted to post a picture of the other charity quilt that I completed.  These are the lonely 9 patches that lived on my design wall for many years.  They were there so long, they were invisible to me-just part of the wall.  I ran out of black scraps so I couldn't put the sashing on all 4 sides.  If anyone asks, it was part of the design.  My DH picked the binding fabric.  It will move on to Eleanor this afternoon for handstitching and a label.  I used flannel leftovers for both backings to make them nice and soft.  After backing 2 quilts, I still can't get the drawer shut.

Baby Quilt

My friend Eleanor (and resident binder) asked if our little group of quilters would be interested in making small baby quilts to help out a charity that she donates to.  How could I turn her down?  She happened to hit me at a great time.  I was in the process of clearing off a table a scraps.  I had a pile of white fabric with bright dots (no surprise there since I am know to have a dot fetish).  It turned out to be just enough.  I have one 10" strip left.  I based my design on the strip o'hoy pattern from G.E. Designs.  The white was left over from a string quilt and the pieces were already 2" wide and assorted lengths.  I pulled out my graph paper and calculated the measurements.  This little quilt used one hundred four 2" squares, but that didn't put much in my container.  I should have made it a little larger, but I didn't have enough white.  It finishes at 29" square.

Have you ever had something hanging on your design wall that just sort of become part of the wall?  You know, the type of thing you pin over to the side out of the way, and before long you don't even notice it's there.   Well the 9 patches in this next charity quilt were probably hanging there for 5 years.  I just happened to see them out of the corner of my eye and decided they needed to find a new home.  I am sure when I made them I had a vision, but that is long gone, and the blocks will be shortly too.  Come back tomorrow to see another finish.

Another Finish

It was really a push to get this one done, but I had a deadline.  I didn't have time to take pictures before I gave it away, but I did manage to get the label on it.  I love how it turned out.  I made up the pattern after seeing off track on the Cluck Cluck Sew header.  I don't know what the sizes of her strips are, but I used 2 1/2"  I love how the little bit of black and white jazzes it up.  I decided on scrappy binding.  I tried a black and white, but it was too much.

This quilt was made for a girl that my daughter clogs with.  Her family moved and she will no longer be clogging with us.  It was a very emotional for all the girls.  They have been together for a lot of years.  All the girls signed blocks and I put those on the back. 

When we gave her the quilt, it initiated a group hug.  At first I wasn't sure if she like it, but then I realized she was trying not to cry.

Happy Halloween

I missed a sewing weekend in Shipshe, but I had a great time trick-or-treating with the family.  It was worth it!  On the way home from exercise on Saturday I saw the sign- Rummage Sale.  I found the perfect shorts for her costume.  You know I am the queen of last minute.  I couldn't believe that they had 2 boxes of belts and no suspenders.  Being inventive, I took my roll of elastic and sewed in into the shorts for suspenders.

Delaney wanted to be a nerd, and I think her costume turned out well.

Mason wanted to be a Popeye, but he settled for a clown at the last minute

Gavin just got dressed up for fun

Sydney had her face painted at the library.  They did an amazing job!

Here's the three youngest together and looking happy about it!  What a fun evening together as a family.  Sydney didn't join us because she had other plans.

A first for me

This is a customer quilt.  She wanted 60 degree diamonds in the border.  I am sure there must have been an easier way to accomplish this, but I wasn't able to figure it out.  It was difficult to make it work out when I went around the corners.  I struggle with marking light fabrics.  I have heard horror stories about marking pencils, so I only use school chalk.  I did freehand leafy design in the middle and did SID on the skinny border.