Friday, July 1, 2016

Gwennie Inspired Medallion QAL - Childhood Border

 Gwennie Inspired Medallion QAL #1

 Basket was the theme for the center block and childhood was the theme for the first border. 
Cookies at Christmas is what I chose for my second border.  My husband and I, our kids and our grandkids all have memories centered around Christmas cookie baking so I made up a few Happy Blocks with Christmas cookies in them for my border and then appliqued recipes and "cookies" here and there. 




I traced around the old recipe cards from my husband's mom's recipe card file and wrote those out in ultra fine sharpie on muslin I had soaked in homemade bubble jet set.   I also copied recipes from my mom's old Cooky Book that is falling apart.  I especially remember her snickerdoodles and thumbprint cookies.  The Magic Cookie Bar recipe I cut from a magazine years ago. The reason I included that recipe is because our family has called those cookies Windowsill Hiders (not Magic Cookie bars) for a long time. My oldest son (now 42), when he was around 11, had a bedroom downstairs and everyone else slept upstairs. One morning I woke him up to get ready for school and found a bunch of those Magic Cookie bars hiding behind the curtains on his windowsill. 

I also traced around the cookie cutters to make my applique shapes. The metal ones came from my husband's family and I just had to include Scooby because he's good for all seasons of sugar cookie making.  That was always the favorite cookie cutter of my kids and now of my grandkids.  (Maybe because it makes the biggest cookies?) 

My husband still makes his favorite gumdrop cookies every Christmas but has left the Hard Tack behind. His parents used to make that every year and store it in old cookie tins wrapped in waxed paper.  He and his siblings (all 7 of them) used to call that cookie Heart Attack instead of Hard Tack. 




Gwennie Inspired Medallion #2

Weaving

From the time I was very little I loved crafts. My sisters loved dolls. I loved crafts. If I played with any dolls it was paper dolls - and that is because I would trace around them and make my own paper doll clothes. 



Weaving was one of the crafts I have enjoyed over the years. 
I started out with one of those potholder looms. I made potholders of every design I could think of. Of course those darned things were so small and did not server well as a potholder but I kept on making them for everyone I knew. I was always going to try making them all into a rug but never got to that point.   My loom was made of metal. The looms my daughter (now almost 40) had (and I still have as seen above) were made of hard plastic.  I looked around for my real and very small loom so I could include what I moved on to next but it's probably thrown up in the attic somewhere. I found the instructions for the loom in my old dusty weaving book.  I made belts for everyone with it. I have a pic somewhere of me wearing one but also couldn't find it.  If I remember correctly I used crochet thread to make them.  And finally there's the circular looms that make nice stocking caps that look like they were knitted.  My granddaughters said they wanted to learn to make some so they might be using those next.  (They weren't interested in making any potholders, thank goodness). 


I can tell you that it's not as easy to simulate weaving in quilting as it is to actually weave!

Childhood for the theme was Cynthia's (of Wabi-Sabi Quilts) idea so she's hosting the link up this month.   It will be fun to see how everyone interprets the theme. 

23 comments:

Béa said...

Wow a lot of beautiful work for your two versions !

Cynthia@wabi-sabi-quilts said...

Oh, my goodness! I love your quilts, both of them, but especially the first - perhaps because I can really relate. I grew up with those exact metal cookie cutters. What a delightful border and all the memories behind it! So cute and funny about the windowsill cookies! Perfectly fits with your sweets filled baskets. You definitely achieved a woven look on your second equally wonderful medallion.

Quiltdivajulie said...

The cookie cutters resonate with me, too -- we had some that looked just like yours and we used them each holiday season to create what we thought were beautifully decorated cookies. I have several of my grandmother's hand written recipe cards -- your idea for including fabric versions on your quilt is grand! And you absolutely DID succeed with the weaving theme on your second quilt project. Wow!

Cathy said...

What a great memory. I think that is one we all have. Love making Christmas cookies. Hugs

Cathy said...

What a great post! Your quilts are darling, but I especially love the stories that accompany the borders!! You have so many wonderful memories, and you're apparently a pro at saving meaningful things.

Lori said...

We had that same cooky book and I LOVE the addition of the recipe cards!!
The weaving looks tricky but you've done it very well!!

Magpie Sue said...

Oh, excellent work! And what a lot of it! I love the recipes and cookie cutters on the treat baskets quilt. The woven border on the second lot of baskets sets them off very well. Good job all around!

Angie in SoCal said...

What a fun border!

Wendy Caton Reed said...

Oh my, you have brought back so many memories for me too. I love both and the stories that go with them. I can barely get one done, I can't believe you are making two!

Lamasure said...

Good idea...Need time to read all the recipe ;-)
You make me to be very hungry...
Véronique

Vic in NH said...

Wonderful cookie quilt made of scrumptious memories, thanks for sharing it here!

Robin said...

Absolutely delightful - both of them!!
My DIL bought me a new Cooky Book when they reprinted it a few years ago but I can't convince myself to throw the old one away with all it's stains and wrinkled pages. Too many memories~

Anonymous said...

What fun! Your creative spirit really shines with these two quilts.

Sandi said...

You've been busy, that second quilt is going to be huge once all the rounds are finished. Great memories.

Karen in Breezy Point said...

I have the Cooky Book too--love how you've added it to your quilt-- very creative and fun!

gayle said...

I already loved your cookie baskets - adding recipes and cookie cutters makes them even better! (I think my mom had that cooky book when I was a kid. I wonder what happened to it...)
Your weaving border also works perfectly! Well done!

Rebecca in AK said...

Both quilts are fabulous! You are so creative! Love the addition of the recipes and your woven border looks complicated.

Nancy said...

I used to make potholders, too, and still have the loom. They are my favorite kind of potholder. You came up with ideas for your borders that never crossed my mind. I love your interpretation of both and am very impressed by your woven borders. It looks so simple but I can imagine the difficulty of creating those squares to look like weaving. Well done on both your quilts!
--Nancy. (ndmessier @ aol.com, joyforgrace.blogspot.com)

Sharon said...

Oh, wonderful addition to your "sweet" baskets! I and my kids have lots of memories of making cookies, Christmas and otherwise. Both boys still make cookies all the time! And I love your story of "windowsill hiders"!! I think you did an awesome job of the weaving on your 2nd quilt. It looks perfect to me.

Kaja said...

Oh my goodness, I love what you are doing with these. The first one especially is just inspired.

Deb said...

Oh this post brought back many fond memories of my own cookie baking and potholder weaving. I love how you included those old cherished cookie recipes into your quilt, those recipes card resemble my own and my Cooky book is falling apart too. A few years ago I came across a metal potholder loom at a thrift shop and bought it just to have.

Karen said...

Who doesn't like cookies and donuts!

Debra @ Life is a Stitch said...

Love both of your versions! I love how you incorporated your recipes!