Not Everything Was Christmassy

We aim to have a variety of seasonal items on the Holly Bazaar tables so I made a few additional runners and potholders that didn't say Christmas.

The check of browns and oranges that I used for the border seemed like a suitable fit for a collection of leaf blocks that I had made. The hint of green that runs throughout gives it a nice autumn feel.

It's called Hello Autumn,

and someone had fun designing the selvage for it.

A mottled brown binding finshed things off nicely.

I love the acorn panto that Roberta quilted it with. It's a little tough to see at first, but these gorgeous little acorns are scattered in amongst a frilly leaf pattern.

And then there was this pretty yellow braid all trimmed up with a soft green. This one really felt like spring to me. Unfortunately, the lighting on this photo is not great but you will have to take my word for it, it was very pretty and light.

You can get a better sense of its true colours in this photo. The green and white Spring Chicken check that I used for the backing and binding had a fun selvage, too.

My niece Julia crocheted these beautiful cotton dishcloths that we sold in pairs. The stitch that she used is so interesting - it looks more like knitting than crochet to me. Almost too pretty for washing dishes...

And she also crocheted a bundle of these chunky star tree decos hung from a bit of twine. So, at the end of the day there was a very healthy bag of goodies to drop off for the gals at the craft table....M

A Few Bits from the Holly Bazaar

Though it seems like the Holly Bazaar was ages ago, its just been a few weeks but prep for it kept me even busier this year because I was asked to co-convene it. I was patting myself on the back for having started my sewing early because something would have had to give if I had left it all to the last minute.

This is one of the holiday-themed runners that I made. It's a Kim Deihl pattern called Double Dipped and was lots of fun to make; I particularly like the little red pin dot background with all of those Christmas prints. 

Roberta quilted it with a swoon-worthy holly and berry panto.

It looked great as a runner, but the blocks could have been a little bit smaller if it were for my table. That said, someone bought it so it obviously works for their table. 

It has a lovely argyle feel to it and is scrappy to boot; the pattern would make up into a beautiful throw.

I got all five Christmas stockings finished...

And remember these placemats that I'd found on 'the chair'? (I made a set last year from remnant HSTs.)

With so many prints in the HSTs I opted for a subtle red check for the binding so that it didn't compete for attention.

And they are quilted in the same beautiful holly and berry panto that Roberta used for the runner above. It would be great to use the reverse side of them sometimes so that you could enjoy that quilting to the fullest.

I really debated giving these away but fear not, my partner in crime came to the rescue. When they proved to also be a favourite of The Official Cookie Tester's, he bought them. They never made it to the craft table 😉.

There were still plenty of Christmassy HSTs left to play with so I whipped up a pair of cute potholders  - love that candy cane binding - and managed to give them to the cause. I can't keep everything!....M

The Last Little Details

Seven more sleeps and the Holly Bazaar will be here so I'm putting the finishing touches on a few smaller projects, mostly hand stitching bindings.

My runners have been finished for a while but I also like to donate a variety of potholders as smaller items that our guests can look forward to picking up from the craft table. This floral fabric sort of fell into my hands as one that I'd like to try and use up and it worked up nicely.

And my binding remnants revealed this gingham. It's not a choice that I would have thought of initially but when I put the two together it proved to be a good match.

My niece Julia makes these darling little crocheted stockings so I've been filling them will sweets for the bake table. It was the perfect excuse to use this cute little gnome ribbon. Lots of little details for our guests to browse and enjoy...M 

Sidestepping the Turkeys

I dropped a few items off to Roberta this week for quilting and she happened to mention a backing that she is anxious to find a use for so I brought a small piece home to play with. 

Not sure what the print is called, but I've taken to calling it Turkey Talk because of this little guy who is scattered throughout, along with a pumpkin and a green squirrel. I've got lots of the orange check for the backing and binding so I landed on green for the star, but not this one.

This one either, though I think that any of the three would work.

Initially, I was looking for quilt patterns where a fairly large square could be incorporated but when I came across a set of star potholders that have been sitting in a drawer I shifted gears and downsized my initial plan. They can always use potholders for the craft table at the Holly Bazaar and it would scratch my itch to do something with this print.

I downsized the Flying Geese just a little so that each potholder will be about 7" square.

The turkey ended up being a little awkward to fit into the star. Ideally, the pumpkin would go with him but the centre square just wasn't large enough to accommodate both, and he looks a little clunky on his own.

After a little bit of playing with it I decided to sidestep him this time around because of the size of the block and just focus on the foliage bits. It feels like a completely different print when the turkey isn't the focus and I love the airiness of it.

I've got them quilted and the binding sewn on so this will be today's hand stitching. There lots more fabric so I wouldn't be surprised if another set comes to life soon. This was a helpful exercise in terms of trying to figure out a pattern that works well with this print - more thinking to do!....M

Need a Last Minute Stocking Stuffer?

After the larger items are finished for the Holly Bazaar I always like to try and make a few potholders and these are the batch I made for this year's bazaar. They are a fun way to use orphan blocks or to try your hand at a new block and play with different fabrics. A speedy little project, they sell well; I think that many people buy them for stocking stuffers.

First up was a pair made from some of the leaf blocks that I had played with a month earlier. 

When I found this green in my stash I did a little happy dance - it goes so nicely with the oranges and yellows and the fabric was a dream to work with.

They aren't identical, but then, which two leaves in nature are?

This basket block showed up in my Pinterest feed and has been one that I've been looking to try, so why not?

Making eight HSTs at a time gave me enough for a pair.

There wasn't much trimming to do, but I do like to have all the pieces trimmed to size as it makes for such a nice finish.

Really love the fabrics in this one.

Having had luck with the first set I tried a second combo. I think that my HSTs could have been a little stronger, but it's sweet none the less.

Simple quilting gets them ready for binding in short order.

All of these potholders were 7" square but another time I think I might go a bit larger. I know some feel that's moving into trivet territory, but I like good coverage when I use a potholder. There's still about a week to go before Santa arrives. Maybe you need to whip up a few to tuck into stockings that you are filling?....M

It's Not All Christmas

It might be called the Holly Bazaar, and it definitely has a Christmas theme, but the gals who run the craft table also welcome items that can be used year round rather than just during the holiday season, so I like to try and ensure that they get a bit of variety.

Several years ago I made journal covers and a set of placemats for the bazaar, so I got to rummaging in my batik stash (it's actually just a tray of fabrics that I have somehow kept to a manageable level).

As I was playing with a few ideas I came across several strip sets, remnants from a project I had tried and abandoned.

Leaf-shaped potholders, to be exact. My sister, Dori, had made a lovely pair so I decided to give them a try. I wasn't as taken with mine as I was with hers so they never got bound, left to a life of limbo in the batik cubby.

Anyway, back the the remnants. There were four strips, which was perfect, so I trimmed them to a three-inch width and tucked them into a blue floral batik. Too easy!

A little straight-line quilting and I had a set of placemats ready to bind. I've just put the last stitches in the binding - a creamy beige - so there's now a set of four to add to the Holly Bazaar goodie pile.

The backing is a mottled tan with several colours running through it which works well with the binding and I think they could easily be used either side up. The photo is a tad on the dark side but the print is warm shades of brown.

In addition, I've got the last five I'll Be Gnome for Christmas potholders prepped and will spend the day hand stitching them down because there's no time to dilly dally.

Roberta has already quilted all of the goodies that I dropped off for her last weekend so this bundle of joy is now waiting for bindings. Not surprisingly, she has done just a superb job on them; I'll have more to share as they reach the finish line. Who knows? I might even decide to bind those leaf potholders and see if they appeal to anyone....M  

I'll Be Gnome For Christmas

It's been a little herky jerky, but there has been some Holly Bazaar sewing happening over the last couple of weeks, starting with these happy little gnome potholders (I decided to actually look at all of the ideas that I've pinned and try a couple of new projects 😏).

This idea and tutorial came from The Crafty Quilter and was designed as a mug rug, but at 6.5" I think they will work nicely as potholders too. They come together quite quickly and consist of a couple of flying geese and a few extra bits. 

I had a bit of a challenge getting the noses to look nice, primarily because my nose fabric was so light and similar to the white. I followed her suggestion for the first pair and did straight stitching to attach it. Meh. It was passable, but looked like it could be improved.

So I tried using a blanket stitch and a slightly pinker fabric on the next pair. I think I could have gone darker still with the nose but there was nothing in the stash that suited. The tight cornering and light fabrics still made for a challenge, but I managed to finish up all eight.

Two are now bound (I was anxious to see what the candy cane binding was going to look like - fun!) and I still need to attach the binding to the remaining six, which will make for some good handwork to do while watching TV at night.

The big question will be whether or not folks know that they are supposed to be gnomes! When I showed them to the Official Cookie Tester I had to spell it out for him. Maybe I'll attach a little tag so that they know what what they are. Either way, I think they're cute....M