BOO!
Oh, I hope I didn't scare you.
Welcome to Melva Loves Scraps and the Out of the Dark Halloween Blog Hop.
Halloween has never been my favorite holiday... I'm more of a fall season girl with a love for cinnamon and spices and all of the nice-ness and the warmth that come with them... from late August to the end of November... with apples and pumpkins and the delicious goodies that can come from them.
I have seen the book The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt for a few years and have considered buying it for the granddaughters, but it was always too late. This year I started doing some early Christmas shopping and grabbed it. No... it is NOT Christmas, but I decided to send it to them for Halloween.
As I read through the book, I thought it would be fun to make some placemats that matched the book... something they could use all month leading up to Halloween.
I pulled out my scrap bins (Unmade Quilt bins) I started pulling fabrics that were similar to those used in the quilt that was a ghost. I used the inside of the book as inspiration.
With one laid out, Dave suggested that each of the placemats be a different color. I selected three other colors. We have a grandson as well as the 3 girls, but he is a 16-year old now and probably not really interested in the book, but he can have a placemat, so he is included. ;) I used 2-1/2" squares, BTW, making the placemats finish at 12x18. A perfect size for a placemat!
I sewed the blocks together to make rows and then used quilt as you go to join the rows together... I quilted the vertical lines and then added the faces.
Here's the book description...
Ghosts are supposed to be sheets, light as air and able to whirl and twirl and float and soar. But the little ghost who is a quilt can't whirl or twirl at all, and when he flies, he gets very hot.
He doesn't know why he's a quilt. His parents are both sheets, and so are all of his friends. (His great-grandmother was a lace curtain, but that doesn't really help cheer him up.) He feels sad and left out when his friends are zooming around and he can't keep up.
But one Halloween, everything changes. The little ghost who was a quilt has an experience that no other ghost could have, an experience that only happens because he's a quilt . . . and he realizes that it's OK to be different.
The author has a new book about the little ghost quilt... The Little Ghost Quilt's Winter Surprise. Yep! I bought it too. The youngest of the girls will be receiving a book collection as her Christmas gift and this will be in her gift, along with the Woman Who Swallowed a Fly. I love the classic children's books, and I have made certain that the grands have a good collection of them.
If I had to choose a completely different career... I'd like to be a librarian in the children's department. I loved taking my own girls to Storytime at the library and the fun crafts and activities that went along with the stories. Ok... now I am getting weepy and nostalgic, so I better go.
But before you go... Tell me...
Do you have a favorite Halloween storybook?
What is your favorite children's story?
I'd love to hear from you!
Be sure to visit the rest of the bloggers that hopping with me. The full list is below.
Keep Piecing & Happy Fall Y'all!
Melva
Linking with:
m
Monday Oct 20
Tuesday
Oct 21
Wednesday
Oct 22
Quilting Between the
Rails (on Facebook)
Thursday
Oct 23
What sweet placemats! I have seen this book but never bought it. Now it's on my list. The story sounds delightful. Your placemats are so cute. I like that you made them different colors, and their expressions are so cute. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI have 2 favorite Halloween children's books: "Room on the Broom" by Julia Donaldson and "Old Black Witch" by Wende and Harry Devlin.
My favorite children's book is the "Eloise" series by Kay Thompson.
Adorable ghost mats; really fun!
ReplyDeleteMelva the placemats to match the book is such a great idea! They turned out so cute, especially with the faces. That sounds like such a cute book, I'll have to look for it. Hope your grands enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI wish often that I had gotten a degree in Library Science (but also in Meteorology!) My first summer "job" was a volunteer job in our little library helping the librarian, who was a dear woman who belonged to our church. To this day I like to "face" books, which is what she called straightening them on the shelves so that they were all at the same level facing out.
My favorite children's book is Cross Country Cat by Mary Calhoun, published in the 1970s. I bought it to display at Christmas, and my kids (now 55 and 50) and I fell in love with it.
Melva, I love the placemats, whether one is four or forty, a placemat with a story can make the day. Although i'd never considered making a story line with them, it's a great idea. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWhen my children were small, they loved The Little Old Lady That Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams. It's a really fun book!
ReplyDeleteI love your placemats. And I agree about buying books for grandkids. My favorite book as a child was Little Witch which I remember was a paperback through Scholastic Book Fair. Kathy
ReplyDeleteCute idea to make the placemats be the ghost. I loved reading The Cat in the Hat to my kids.
ReplyDeleteI love those placemats--very clever!! The eyes and mouths are wonderful! I really like the Little Ghost book for Halloween and plan to buy the 2nd one. My favorite children's stories are all the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how many times, I have threatened to make a little ghost quilt. I saw that book this fall at a quilt show and almost bought it...now I'm kicking myself for not. No more putting it off. Next stop Amazon to see if I can find it and the new Winter Surprise book. Thanks for the sharing the information on that. You're grandies are sure to enjoy their new placemats and books.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a cute project, Melva! I haven't read that book, but have heard of it, and the placemats look perfect to go with it. Your grands are going to love these! I don't have a favorite Halloween book, but my favorite children's book is Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak.
ReplyDeleteGreat placemats. I bought that book as soon as it came out. I need to look for the Winter Surprise book. Thanks for the information and inspiration. I need to make the quilt for a future grandbaby.
ReplyDeleteSo cute
ReplyDeleteYour placemats are super cute! I don't have a favorite Halloween story or book. Did you know that Riel Nason, the author, has written other books including one using selvages? Ah. . .to be able to create like her!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteThe place mats are adorable! My favorite children's books are Dr. Suess's books, like "Cat in the Hat" and "Green Eggs and Ham". I used to read them so often when my boys were small that I had them memorized.
ReplyDeleteSo cute! Placemats are adorable. Laura
ReplyDeleteOh my, I've never heard of this book but it sounds wonderful. Your placemats would be terrific even if they weren't made in honor of a special ghost. I don't remember my very early books. My memory for reading starts with the Bobbsie Twins and then on to Nancy Drew.
ReplyDelete