Thursday, December 3, 2020

Virtual Cookie Exchange and Gnomies for the Holidays!

Gnomies Pincushions and Soft Ginger Cookies

It's my turn to highlight some of my favorite Christmas Cookies on Carol's annual Virtual Cookie Exchange!


 

Carol@JustLetMeQuilt has rounded up a delightful assortment of hoppers exchanging recipes, quilts, gifts and traditions. This fun exchange is in its 7th year!

This hop came at just the right time!  My longarm guild had a virtual meeting last Saturday, including a pincushion exchange!  I woke up at about 4:00 am that morning with an idea in my head.  I tried a couple of things and it eventually evolved into this little gem!


Ooooh, he just tickles me!  I had to call my friend Debbie to come over to make one herself and watch our Longarm guild Zoom meeting.  We hand-stitched our little Gnomies in time for "Sew 'n' Tell" at the end of the meeting.  And to make it festive, the ginger cookies were baking at the same time!  Nothing like the smell of ginger to make it smell like Christmas!  Mmmmm.  


These cookies are crispy outside and soft and chewy inside.  Delightful and delicious! Click below for the recipe, over at my family blog, 3rDegreeBakery!


At the end of the guild meeting and realized we would have to give our little Gnomies away, so we each made another for ourselves.  Then one of my sisters  brought me some faux fur and the Gnomies multiplied!  



Then I tried a couple of little minis for ornaments, and I've got a long list of friends and neighbors I think would like one too.  I think I'm hooked!  The best part?  I cut out everything on my AccuQuilt Go! die cutter, using the Drunkard's Path and Circle dies.  Who knew?!

Here's a quick tutorial:
CUT LIST:
Large Drunkard's Path wedge for Gnomie body
Small wedge to trace line for the hat  (cereal box)
3" Circle for the beard (cotton fabric, faux fur, minky, terry cloth, etc.)
2" Circles for the nose, body base and batting
1-1/4" Circle for the body base (cereal box)

SUPPLIES:
Trim for hat band:  Yarn, rick-rack, bias tape, etc.
1/8 yard of 1/8" ribbon for ornament
Filler:  Polyester fiberfill, ground walnut shells, silica sand, rice, etc.
1-1/2" button for base (optional)
Washable Glue Stick, needle and matching thread
Hot-Glue Gun and supplies
Helpful Tool:  Clover extra-small yo-yo-maker


INSTRUCTIONS
1)   Trace line for hat brim.


2)  Embellish:  
  a)  Center and stitch on beard below the line.  If using faux fur, make sure the nap is going from top to bottom. 
  b)  Stitch trim (I crocheted a line of chunky yarn for this one), centering on the drawn line.  It should cross over the top of the beard a little.  
  c)  Make a little yo-yo and stuff with fiberfill to make the nose.  Use the same thread to stitch on top of the beard below the hat band.


Note:  If you want to make it an ornament, knot a loop of ribbon and insert at the top prior to sewing the back seam.


3)  Sew.  Fold Gnomie in half with right sides together, and stitch the back seam to make a cone.  Use 1/4" seam allowance.  Trim the top corner, then turn right side out.

4)  Filler.  Stuff the hat with fiberfill.  Use a chopstick to get the batting all the way to the tip of the hat. 


Double-thread a needle and gather the opening.  Fill the remainder of the Gnomie with your choice of filler.  Use the 2" batting disc to seal off the filler if necessary, then gather as tightly as possible.  Take a few stitches back and forth across the opening to secure.  


5)  Finish.  Glue the remaining 2" circle of fabric to the small cardboard disc and cover the edges.  Hand-stitch or hot-glue to cover the opening at the bottom and your little Gnomie is done!  If you have a large button, skip the previous instructions and Hot-Glue a button to the bottom of your Gnomie instead.

OR

This flower button looks like feet!

And there you have it - Gnomies for the Holidays!   He can serve as a pincushion or a little plush pal for my sewing room, or an ornament on the tree.  Or, all of the above. 

Would you like to make your own Gnomie?  If you don't have an AccuQuilt system or the Drunkard's Path dies, Here's what you can do.  From now through Saturday, Dec 5th, you can find the free templates on my longarm website's Tutorial page, >> QUILTSCAPES Quilting Services.  Scroll down to find the templates, then come back for the tutorial.  I also have a KIT made up for a random winner which I'll draw from comments Saturday.  Afterward, the full pattern will be available at my ETSY SHOP.


Big thanks to Carol for hosting this fun hop!  Be sure to check out her PINTEREST page for the full collection of recipes and projects featured on this hop.  And here's the complete list:


Happy Holidays, and Happy Sewing!



22 comments:

  1. Oh!! I love your gnomies, they are so darn cute!

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  2. Your gnome is so cute. He would be right at home with my little Stuffed Santa's. Thanks so much for sharing and for the cookie recipe. Both look like winners.

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  3. Those gnomes are so cute! Thanks for the tutorial and for the cookie recipe.

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  4. Oh my goodness, those little gnomes! They are so cute. I love gingersnap cookies, they are one of my favorites!

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  5. Deonn, you always make me smile with all that creativity. Your gnomes are adorable! Thanks for the recipe too!

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  6. These gnomes are super cute! And I love gingersnaps and was really disappointed how mine turned out last year. Time to try a new recipe, thanks for sharing yours.

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  7. Love those gnomes, they are adorable. The ginger cookies look delicious too! Thanks so much for sharing!

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  8. Those gnomes are so cute! I hope to make some if I can get out for some supplies.

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  9. Gnomes you say? Well I just happen to be crazy about them this year so this definitely rings my bell...so cute! Ginger cookies are among my favorites so you must have made this whole post for me. LOL I miss your face and hope someday to randomly (or on purpose) run into each other again. Thanks for sharing! xo

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  10. Those gnomes are just sew cute. Thank you for the tutorial, and templates. And those cookies sound delicious.

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  11. How cute are those gnomes and what a great way to cut them out. Gnomes and gingerbread! Yummmy!

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  12. I love soft ginger cookies. Yummy with a cup of coffee. Thanks, Deonn.

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  13. Awww - those wee gnomes are SOOOOOO cute! I'm sure anybody would be thrilled to have one playing at their house. And those cookies look so good too - I don't think I've had a ginger cookie in years and years.

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  14. Hi Deonn! Oh gosh, these gnomes are so darn cute. How clever you are! Thank you so much for sharing how to make them. The cookies look delicious, too. I could go for one right this minute! ~smile~ Roseanne

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  15. They are so so so adorable. Thanks so much for the tutorial and all the templates. Oh yeah this a cookie posting. They look wonderful too.

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  16. What a fun pincushion and perfect with those ginger cookies.

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  17. Thank you for sharing your process, the are so cute.

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  18. Wonderful recipe for your family ginger cookies. Thanks for sharing. Your Gnomie is just the cutest little project. I’m going to have to make some. I just happen to have some raw fleece that will make the idea beard 😉

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  19. You're little gnomes are just too cute!

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  20. These are the cutest things ever. I hope to get one ....or two or three....made for stocking stuffers!!!Thanks for sharing.

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  21. Thank you for the cute gnomes! Being of Danish heritage, I'd call it a "nisse", and I need to make some. Dot

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  22. Cute, cute, cute! I love the gnomes! The cookies look great too. Merry Christmas!

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So happy you stopped by for a visit! Thank you!