Ho Ho Ho! Shipshewana Time!

It's time to pack up and go to Shipshewana, Indiana for the annual fall retreat with the Dear Jane quilting group.  I can't wait!  What to pack?

First, let me tell you I just got back home.  Yesterday we arrived at the cabin from a week long trip to see Michigan State's basketball team play Navy, and their football team play Maryland on the east coast.  The highlight of the trip for me, was seeing the Naval Academy and all of the midshipmen there.  What a beautiful place, and it's filled with our nation's finest young men and women.

An unplanned serendipity on the trip was that one night's hotel stay was in College Park, Maryland in a hotel located practically in the parking lot of an Ikea store!!! Since our football game wasn't until night, hubby was watching other football games at the nearby Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant.  Guess where I was? I was in the Ikea store, shopping!  I bought a storage unit for my fat quarters and a chair for my new home quilt room in Grand Rapids, MI, and several smaller items.  I love that store!

Anyway, back to packing for Shipshewana - last night by the cozy fire, while it snowed outside - I took out some Christmas fabric to pack for the retreat to make a doll quilt with HO, HO, HO spelled out on it.  While I had the fabric out, I just cut it up a little bit and see what it would look like.....and then I put one row out to see....and then another......

It went together so fast, and was so much fun that I have it about half finished.  
The pieces are all from strips cut at 1.5 inches and was really easy to assemble. One assembly strip is of 3 fabrics (candy cane with white on each side) and another assembly strip is of two fabrics (white and candy cane).  Then I cut the 3 fabric strip into 1.5 inch wide pieces and cut the 2 fabric strip into 3.5 inch pieces.  The row is made up of alternating these two strip pieces.  The very end of each row has a single piece of fabric that is 1.5 by 3.5, and is either candy cane fabric or white fabric, white for even rows, candy cane fabric for odd rows. The 2 fabric strip is flipped upside down every other time it is used.

Here's a picture of the start of the first row (It is blurry - I need a tripod).

The quilt will be seven rows when finished.  While starting it last night, I thought you could even make this smaller - it is so easy to assemble!  Maybe starting with 1 inch strips?  Hmmmmm.

I saw this small quilt on the internet somewhere - I don't remember where, so I can't give credit for it.  I wish I could remember where I saw it.  It will make a nice table topper for this December.  If you know - please let me know and I will give credit.

I'm linking up with "Design Wall Monday" over at Judy Liquidara's blog, even though it is Tuesday morning.  Hop on over there and see what other projects are in the works.  Link is (Here)