Gingerbread House

    I burned the midnight (actually 11pm oil) on Friday night finishing this as a Christmas gift for my youngest daughter.  We had our family Christmas on the Saturday of Christmas week-end.  I'm glad we did, because of the snow we received on Christmas Eve morning.

Gingerbread House Pillow

     This was a free pattern in the November/December issue of Rug Hooking magazine by Sharon A. Smith.  I love her designs and to have a free one to use was too good to pass up.  A 15 cent enlargement and a little tracing and I was ready to go.  The brown wool was from my walnut hull dyeing last month.

From this.....

To this..... one fine November afternoon.  

(We won't mention the terrible smell in the kitchen while I boiled the walnut hulls.) 

  

The gumdrops are hooked with sari silk from the workshop with said Sharon A. Smith a couple of years ago.  The yellow in the lollipop is also from some of my wool dyeing episodes.  

     This was really fun to hook and small enough to finish in a week.  I love to work on seasonal things, no matter which season it is.  I already have my big Christmas project for next year and I have a bunny design to hook in the spring.  I recently joined the Pattern of the Month Club with Deanne Fitzpatrick and the first pattern was roses.  I'm thinking that will be a good February project.  

   Those of you who have followed my blog for quilting conversations are probably wondering if I have given it up.  Do not despair, we will still be quilting in this house for some time to come.  (You don't want to see my quilting stash).  I am not a fan of television, so rug hooking and wool applique fill my evenings while my husband watches sports and news.  One of us has to stay in the great room to let the cat in and out, so he watches TV in the den while I hook in the great room.  It works for us.  I sew most afternoons in my sewing room, so that's when the quilting activities take place.  

     So quilters, don't give up on me, I plan to 

Keep on Stitchin',

     Judy