Saturday, December 31, 2016

It isn't always easy

finding something different for the decoration each year that I give to the family.  This year I discovered a little something over on Pinterest and I saved it!
These are actually made from felt, but I'm not a felt lover.  I printed off the original pattern
and kept shrinking it until I was happy with the size.  I can resize anything with my computer and my printer.  I ended up with a gnome that measures 4 1/2" x 3 1/4".   It was a bit too big.  So I resized again.  Now he is tiny which in my opinion is just perfect.  I may regret this size when I start to stitch as it will be tiny!
He is now the grand size of 2 3/4" x nearly 2".
No I can't give it to you, it's not my design.  Sorry and I don't have a link either.  
I need evening work to do.  I'm not good at sitting in front of a television with my hands empty and I've played solitaire so many times, I'm done with it.
An hour's work -- or maybe a bit more -- and I had one stitched out.  The evening hadn't even begun.
I went back downstairs and traced two more.  This guy isn't quite centered so I was a bit more careful doing the next ones.
The strip of fabric I had only yielded me 5 squares so the purchase of more fabric sent me into a fabric store!  Oh gosh, darn!  AND I only walked out with the piece of fabric -- well, okay and two bundles of fat quarters.  I was not going to admit to that.
I wanted to make sure that I had the gnome centered on the square before I sandwiched it, so I made a "frame" out of cardboard.  The outside dimension is 4 1/2" with a 1/4" seam allowance and then an opening of 4"
 I placed it on the fabric after the stitching was done to make sure the gnome was pretty much in the middle.
 I held it in place with my 6" ruler and trimmed away.
Then I sandwiched and finished them off.  All eleven of them are done and packed away in the tote with the Advent Calendar.  I will mark it on my calendar I have them completed too so I don't go making more.  The backing was a piece of left over fabric from a quilt I made a few years ago.  



If anyone is interested, Fat Cat Patterns are offering a quilt designed for the man who loves to fish.  It is a free block of the month and will run for 2017 starting on January 1st.

All the best to all of you for 2017.  May you be healthy because if you are healthy you have everything.....well just about.





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