This cookie 'thing' has been going on for several weeks now.
Three weeks ago, I took aim at a stack of scrappy four-patches. The following week, an adorable cookie border stripe print inspired a holiday cookie mat. And last week, a few more four-patches and one last bit of the border print sent me on a new journey with less-than-pleasing (to me, anyway) results.
By the end of my sewing session, I had a light bulb moment and promised to share the results this week.
The problem was that green and white check seemed to 'need' something else.
In the far reaches of my mind, I recall having a roll of printed fusible interfacing with holly leaves and berries - Zig-Zapps by Quiltsmart.
Yet another stash-diving adventure turned up the very roll!
One panel will do. . .
I cut two 2" strips for the binding for this last installment of the Great Cookie Mat Caper . . and had just a skonch left for red berries.
Another stash-dive turned up a just-enough chunk of green.
I rough-cut the interfacing. . I'm opting for the larger of the two holly leaf shapes . .. and cut a slit in the middle of each interfacing shape to use for turning later.
Then placed the interfacing bumpy side facing right side of the fabric.
I fussy-placed the berry circles over the snowflake icing motifs.
Then sewed on the solid lines of the interfacing. . .
. . . .and trimmed on the dotted line.
Turned the fabric right side out (the bumpy fusible side is on the back.
Time to head to the ironing board with my in-the-ditch quilted cookie mat (second in the series).
Then arranged and fused the holly shapes.
Then blanket stitched around the edge with bright red fabric to off-set the green checkers.
And added a bit of free motion swish for the holly leaf veins.
Wa-la!
Ready for cookies.
Or gifting!
I'll tell you one thing, I'm ready for a new project (or an old one) that doesn't involve four-patches!
Happy Stitching!
Joan
Last week, I started with the statement that 'some projects are meant to be.' This week, I hafta say, that sentiment continues.
You may recall that two weeks ago, I was lamenting the stack of scrappy four-patch blocks in hibernation on the small table next to my sewing cabinet. The four-patches were, for the most part, intended to be made into puffy, scrappy pin cushions.
Within the stack, also lived nine matching holiday-print four-patches.
Last week, I took notice of those, and made a small (maybe about 15" square) cookie mat from nine four-patches and some 'found' cookie-themed border stripe fabric in my stash.
At the end of the article last week, I took aim at this short stack of 20 matching green and white four-patches.
I was away on business for the last part of last week, and I sat down at the sewing machine on Monday with a sideways glance to the green-and-white stack.
Plus, there was one last strip of cookie stripe leftover from last-weeks cookie mat.
I laid out the checkerboard four-patches at the top and bottom of the last bit of stripe . . .
Sewed two rows of five four-patches into a panel, pressed, then added the trimmed stripe to the long edge of the piecing.
Then, I trimmed the edge of the stripe so I didn't have to guess where to place the second checkerboard panel.
"Wa-la"!"
Cookie Mat, Second in the Series, is nearly complete!
Back to stash-diving to unearth a couple chunks of holiday prints and one last itty-bitty strip of the stripe - you should try saying that.
Stripe strips! Strip stripe!
It works both ways and it's kinda fun to say. . .
(Okay, I'm weird)
Moving on. . . .
I layered with batting then ran out of sewing time for the day.
Only thing that bugs me is that the checkerboard is kinda plain against the stripe strip *a-hem*.
It's a little stark and it needs something else. But what? . . . stitching? a fussy quilting pattern? hand quilting? . . . What?
And then it dawned on me! I have it! But I'm outta sewing time!
That means, you'll have to wait for next week's installment to see if my light-bulb moment worked. I think it's going to be sweet and very festive!
And this added bonus . . . Look at my stack of scrappy four-patches!
Two weeks ago, the four-patches were flirting with the top edge of the storage box!
With 29 four-patches re-purposed (or almost) into finished 'somethings,' my four-patch pin cushioning project is looking a lot lighter.
I'm on a roll. If you're a four-patch, watch out!
Happy Stitching!
Joan
Some projects are just meant to be.
I mentioned this stack of four-patches sitting next to my sewing machine last week. Most of the 3-1/2" four patch blocks are in wait-mode to become pin cushions.
Some, as it turned out this week, have a different destiny.
As I thumbed through the stack selecting my next pin cushion target, I spotted exactly nine similar four-patches. Solid green, plus candy canes and boughs on cream. Holiday themed.
They seemed to tell me they wanted to be one project, so I sewed them together. No idea where this was going.
The four-patch seams were already furled (or rotated) on the wrong side of the block. . . .
I simply continued the furling as the blocks were sewn into rows.
Makes for a flat, lump-less checkerboard center.
Now what?
The search was on for coordinates.
Down to the fabric storage in the basement (AKA the Ford Underground). I was hoping for some solid reds and greens, but what I found was an adorable Christmas cookie border stripe fabric illustrated by Janet Wecker-Frisch. Several years old. I had 1/2 yard of the border stripe, and 1/2 yard of the deep red with white cookie icing.
Once I found the fabric (buried in a box full of larger, set aside pieces) it was clear what this was going to be . . . a holiday cookie tray mat! Perfect!
Cutting carefully, I had just enough fabric for a small border of red, then the lightly iced row of cookies from the border print.
I mitered the corners on the top and had just enough of the border fabric to make the backing.
You know how the rest of this goes.
Prep for quilting.
I layered backing, batting, and the cookie mat top, and pin basted.
Quilting.
Binding.
DONE!
Ready for a quick photo (along with a couple elf models I made from a Heidi Boyd pattern).
And, of course, a holiday cookie tray. But that'll have to wait a little while longer. Thanksgiving, first, then cookies!
Nonetheless, I'm ready when the cookies are.
Even the back is cute with the red/icing fabric in between three of the alternate stripes.
This little project took a grand total of about 2 hours of sewing time - start to finish, including quilting and binding.
And a lot of luck. I'd bet that the right fabric is always right there in your stash, the luck comes when you put your hands on the right fabric at just the right moment.
Now . . .
These 20 green and cream four-patches could use a little Christmas magic, too!
Alternatively, I'd settle for some Thanksgiving magic. Jus' sayn!
Happy Stitching!
Joan
