The gift!

Three things to be happy about:
(1) people applauding you
(2) the arrival of Christmas cards
(3) gingerbread muffins

At the Giant supermarket yesterday I noticed gingerbread muffins in the bakery case and thought I'd try one - it was delicious!  I didn't know such goodness existed!  ;o)

So here's another chapter in my Christmas quilt story - the last block, the gift! 

When I got all the pieces for the lower part of the quilt put together, I had a hole about "so" big and didn't have a block that would fit.  I wanted to keep it simple, and what could be simpler than cutting a square of fabric and appliqueing a doo-dad on top - instant gift!

There were a few blocks I didn't get a chance to make, and a couple I made and didn't get a chance to use.  Perhaps I'll do a smaller version of this monster and make a point of including them ... someday.

I think the gift looks great combined with the peace deer and cup-o-cider; this photo was taken before I added a small red piece beneath the gift because the panel was a half inch too short. 

I needed another 3 inches or so to make my 66" width so I put a strip on the right side of the panel.  I don't know what it was, but for some reason I couldn't make my mind wrap around some of the measurements! 

I didn't post any new progress yesterday because I had to put this aside for awhile, I was dealing with sizes in 1/4 or 3/4"; I'm used to thinking in 1/2" increments but those fractions - 31-3/4 + 10-1/2 + 22-1/2 minus seams... eeeeyah!  They don't come together when you're distracted by something else. 

So, below is the quilt except for the borders:

After all the measuring and converting of fractions, I was hoping the width would come out perfectly... sure enough, it's 1/2" too wide!  I'll have to un-sew the red strip and remove 1/2", then I can make the borders.

That's it for the Christmas quilt - next time you see it, it'll be all quilted and ready for my bed!

Sew forth and sew on...