Challenge Answered!

Last December when my Local Quilt Guild had the holiday party, we were issued a challenge.

We had played a game where everyone put a half yard of nice fabric into a brown paper bag, we played the game, and everyone who brought a piece took home a piece of quilt shop quality cotton fabric.

Our vice president challenged us to bring it back made into something.  Anything.  Whatever we wanted to make, but it had to have our Christmas fabric in it.

I ended up with a lovely holly print on a beige background. Not everyone had a Christmas print.  There were some lovely batiks, a fair number of floral prints and a few plaids and solids.

We had until the April meeting, and we always meet on the second Tuesday of the month.  So really, we had three months to come up with a project, find any coordinates, and make out item.  Small, large or in between, whatever was wanted.

About 50-60 people come to our meeting every month.  We figured at least half would participate, but you never know.  The problem with gifted fabric is that unless the person knows you pretty well and knows your taste, you can end up with a mis-match.  For example I love bright colors and all kinds of prints but I'm not so sold on the 1930s prints except in certain situations. So if someone gave me a 1930s reproduction print, I might have a hard time coming up with coordinating fabrics.

And the point of the exercise was to Use Your Stash, not make more stash!

I consider myself lucky with what I got.  I love green.  I love Christmas fabric.  I have a good sized bin of Christmas fabric.  I could make a couple of queen sized Christmas quilts if I were so inclined!

I even have two Christmas UFOs...  but that's another story.

I started with a pattern I picked up at Patched Works in Elm Grove.  I made the blocks, and they turned out very well if I do say so myself.  But halfway through I started thinking how this quilt was not going to do well in my blue bedroom, and I didn't want to give it away.

My thoughts went like this:

I love my blue bedroom.  I don't want to make a queen sized quilt.  My hubby likes to decorate the whole house for Christmas.  I have a quilt for the back of the sofa, and he has one for his chair.  I don't have enough blocks for a twin quilt for the guest room.  Hey, don't they make those small skinny bed runner things? They look so cool on beds in hotels.  I know!  I'll make a bed runner that will be decorative and functional.

Problem solved.

The top is done.  Now to the layering and quilting.  But hey, I have until December to finish!!

Sew on...