Quick, Fun Gifts

Having only recently returned to quilting with some semi-regularity, and with plenty of UFOs awaiting my attention, needless to say, I had nothing quilty prepared for Christmas.  A Jeep repair took me to the other side of town a couple of weeks back, and with a quilter on my shopping list, I took the opportunity to check out a quilt store that was new to me, Hen Feathers.  (Cute name!) I was prepared to use my fall back plan - fat quarters.  I mean what quilter doesn't like squishies in the mail?  But instead, I was presented with an idea.  Not particularly quilty, but at least something that allowed me to feel I'd put a little extra effort into the gift:

The shop had a nice selection of tea towels and pre-cut border fabric for easy mixing and matching.  

I ended up making two more:

The towels are quick and fun to make up.  The all sport a little quilting, but I didn't do anything overly fancy. I think next time instead of using the pre-cut borders, I'll just pick through my stash.  :)  I may make up a few to just have on hand.

The Dresden Wall-hanging - Need Suggestions.

In May of 2010, P. at The Way I Sew It, gave me the lovely Dresden center below.  She'd been on some kind of Dresden spree and had an extra.  Lucky me!  It took some time to figure out how to best showcase it, but I finally decided to mount it on the black fabric with the ribbon border.

Forgive Max.  He takes his QI duties very seriously.

Then life changed very drastically and I have only recently found a somewhat settled place.  (P. probably thought I'd forgotten about it or lost it since I've made so many moves.)  I began working on it again.  The center is quilted in a spiral and the plate itself is merely outlined so it will pop.  I began quilting the black fabric outside of the Dresden, and decided I didn't like it. No worries, I'd just rip out the quilting in that one corner (the one without pins) and start again.

Except....!  I put a hole in it with the seam ripper.  I am just so not happy about that.

Now, I am left with two choices:  take it apart and try to put it back together with an un-holed piece of black, or applique something on top of the hole.  I am loathe to do either.  I have discovered that dismantling and reassembling rarely results in a satisfactory outcome.  However, I am afraid any applique I could add would take away from the Dresden I was trying so hard to perfectly showcase.

Anyway, quilters, I am open to suggestions.