Christmas Crackers -- A Preview

For the first time, I am participating in the Christmas Cracker swap in the Crazy Quilting International group. Today, I pieced two blocks and filled two cardboard tubes with fabric, buttons, threads and beads to stitch a crazy quilt block. Then I went to the post office and mailed them off to my mystery recipients (hint: they went overseas).

They are not allowed to open them until Christmas so, I'm sorry, but I can't show you all the goodies inside until after they've opened them. After all, I can't give away the surprise. Though I'd love to see if they could guess...

Let's see, I put them together based on the likes/dislikes of the receivers. Here's another hint...

One was a garden/pansy theme...

click on pic to enlarge

And the other was a shabby chic, sea and sky theme.

click on pic to enlarge

I just used 7" of a cardboard paper towel roll and wrapped it with a pieced block to embellish. Then covered the whole thing with toile and tied up the ends with ribbons and old millinery flowers. I just loved doing this -- it was very fun to make a block based on someone else's theme.

Check out what Yuken Teruya made with an old toilet paper roll {via Oh Joy!}...I've always loved papercutting but don't you wonder how it's done on a flimsy toilet paper roll? Too cool.


And Jack just picked the winner of the Lucky Spider kit from my lucky day last week...


Debra of Debra's Design Studio! Debra, I am so delighted to think that one of my lucky spider's might go live on one of your quilts some day!