Cottages & Frames

Finally.

Last week I go my cottage blocks back in the mail. If you are just joining,some of us have been participating in a swap over at Freda's Hive using Nanette's cute Christmas Cottage block tutorial.

(I notice that some of these look cut off on the blog page, but they seem to be showing up fine in the reader. I wish I knew how to make my margins wider..)

We were to send out 11 blocks and get 11 in return. However. I made a few extra.. some to keep for myself because I just love them and couldn't stop making just 12. And then some I used in trade for some blocks outside of the swap. Two of these were from Jane and Betsy.

I just loved the roof and house fabric that Jane used.. very 30's which are my favorite, and Betsy's paisley house.. isn't that adorable? I went ahead and added some white ric rac around the windows..(hope you don't mind Betsy!).. so that it would highlight the little teddy and gingerbread man in the windows. Little did I realize when I put it on that the ric rac glows in the dark. I think that is very cool. Thank you both for adding your houses to my neighborhood.

The next two houses weren't extras, but they happened to be captured in the picture so I left them there. Stephanie's pink 1950's house and Kathy's wonderful handstitched vintage trim are very special..

And the extras are from Belinda and Nanette. Belinda and I did a separate swap of just some fabric and made our own houses. She gave me that wonderful house and the vintage windows. And well.. Nanette is just a sweet friend to so many of us.. but I know she must have been thinking of me when she chose these fabrics that make this block. :-) Hers is the one with the little santa stocking pinned to it.

Carrie and I also did a private swap.. I just had to have one of her famous appliquéd snowmen!

And Elaine doesn't have a blog, but I wanted to say thank you Elaine for your adorable cottage. I love the wreaths in the windows.

So I have 20 houses all together. Thank you ALL. I have not decided how to put them together yet. If I space them apart, it will make a huge quilt. Or maybe I will make two. Not sure yet. I'm looking forward to seeing what other do. I'm thinking I would like to somehow put everyone's name on their block so I can always think of them when looking at it.

But for now I want to get my pinwheel top in the frame. ugh. That means I need to clear off the top of it. It has been a wonderful place to pile the haul of scraps and remnants and yardage that I found last week at the rummage sale... that still needs sorted.. and I still wanted to show you some of up close..

UNLESS...

I decide to use this. It is a big hoop frame that I picked up at the thrift shop a few weeks back. I never used one of these before.. have you? Maybe I'll give it a try.

Well I hate to leave you with that messy photo. So here are some posies. Even though we have had 27 degree mornings and a little bit of snow, some of my flowers are still pretty in the rock bed. They must like the dryer vent.

Hope you are all having a creative week.. Christmas is around the corner..