cozy gingerbread house…. the sewn side

And now the fleece flip side… a view from one who is actually handy with needle and thread (those hairdo hats! I love ’em):

Hey Everyone! I’m Cheryl from Sew Can Do.

I am super excited to be guest posting here at The Decorated Cookie. I’m a crafty mom who like making fun stuff. I’ve made a few edible projects in my day, like my modeling chocolate flower cakes:

But fabric is where a lot of my ideas come to life. Like my Hairdo Hats:

And my sewn and no-sewFelt Playhouses:

Meaghan and I discovered each others blogs and wanted to come up with a fun idea we could share between our blogs for the holidays. Gingerbread houses mixed with some sewing seemed like the ideal choice. So here’s my take on our theme this week.

I’ve always loved gingerbread houses. They look so tasty and magical this time of year. But every time I’ve made one, it has not looked all that tasty. Mostly sad. And sloppy. And nothing like what I’d pictured in my mind while making it. I’m pretty good at sewing, but as far as tasty treats go….I’m better at eating them than making them. So I figured this was the best way to combine my two loves: a Fleece Gingerbread House. But it had to look like the real thing. So come and see how I faux food-ed it.

I “frosted” it with ruffles of fluffy, white fleece:

Added some dolled up gingerbread men:

And some yummy “lollipops” made from beads and cotton cording:

Decorated it with “candies” made from frosted beads and decorative pins to look like hard candies and shaped sprinkles:

Added a little sparkle with silver embroidery floss:

And some “gum drop” buttons for the roof:

Oh, and some shiny heart beads that looked like tasty sweet tarts. Can you ever have too much candy on a gingerbread house?!? I say no.

The entire thing is made from just two pieces of fabric and involved a mix of machine and hand sewing. I didn’t do a full tutorial, but figured I’d share some tips on making one. The bonus of this kind of gingerbread house is the kitchen will not get messy and it will look just as fresh and tasty when displayed again next year.

For the “cookie” part, I cut a piece that had the peaked ends, sides and bottom. I cut another piece that matched the length of the sides and the height of the peaks for the roof. I added a 1/2inch seam allowance to all sides and notched the corners, so it would make it easy to stitch them all together.

I tried to lay out and machine stitch on as many elements as possible before stitching up the house. Here’s how I started that:

To make the frosting, I cut strips of white fleecebetween 1/2 and 3/4 inches wide and and double the length of the areas I wanted to “frost”. Baste stitching them down the middle andpulling the bobbin threads made it easy to get the piped look. I pinned looped and straight rows on the roof and machine stitched them on. I hand stitched ones on the edges once the house was sewn up and stuffed.

I also machine stitched on the gingerbread men. I hand stitched the beads, so all the knots would be hidden on the inside. I had a tub of assorted craft beads that were full of all kinds of candy-like colors and shapes, plus a great stash of old buttons and pins to embellish with.

After getting most of those doodads sewn on, with right sides together, I stitched the tops of the sides to the sides of the roof piece and then stitched the peaked sides. Then I sewed together the open sides so the house shape was all in place and then sewed the bottom edges onto the sides, but left a 3 inch gap to turn it right side out. I then stuffed it, ladder stitched the gap closed and hand stitched the frosting on the edges of the roof and sides.

I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out and hearing my kids and husband say they wanted to eat it told me my mission was accomplished. Thanks for having my “treat” over here today Meaghan!

XOXO,