Why did I not think of this before?

Have you ever had one of those " how could I have missed this idea before?" moments? I recently had one. I have always had so many novelty fabrics because I fussy cut for all of my villages. Until two weeks ago that is really all I did with those fabrics. I was preparing for a visit to my sweet granddaughter and thinking of something that I could make for her. I love to bring her things that I have made that are not quilts because she already has three or four of those. 

Her favorite holiday right now is Halloween so I went to my novelty Halloween fabric stash. This is a large pile! Her favorite game is Memory! Instead of cardboard  cards, I used my fabrics. I chose a fun spotty fabric for the flip side of the "cards" and all of the fun Halloween prints. I used spiders, pumpkins, candy corn, witch hats, etc. I was careful to use only the most whimsical designs because I did not want to use scary fabrics. 

My granddaughter is only two years old so I thought 12 card pairs would be appropriate. Was I ever wrong! She completed my memory game pretty fast. Anyway...

I chose 12 4-inch squares and 12 backing fabrics of the same size. I was careful to use the same area of the fabrics so that they would be easily matched. All over patterned fabrics make it easier and there is less fabric waste.
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I used the second group of 12 squares to make a mat. That way she could match the different squares. I sewed those twelve squares together into the mat and layered a piece of two-sided fusible fleece and the backing together. I sewed them together with a cross-hatch pattern and all around the edge. I then used my pinking shears around the outside edge. 

I did the same with the squares and pinked them as well. Then I put them in my bag to go to her house. She was delighted to see all of the different items on the fabric. She matched the fabric "cards" so fast! BUT...

Her imagination immediately created another game that she continued to play even after we left. She pretended that Nana and Pop Pop and she were going trick or treating. Each square was a different treat. She asked us which "treat" we would like each time. Chocolate spiders, candy corn, etc. Pop Pop told her he loved the spiders, but they were crunchy and got stuck in his teeth! LOL So she went to get her dentist kit so that she could brush his teeth! What an imagination!

After that, I went back to my novelty fabrics and made her a much larger grouping of matching cards. I did 17 card sets this time with mostly foods and a few other common items as well. This time it took a little more time because the pictures were a bit more challenging. 

Have you ever created a game for a child from your fabric stash? I would love to know what ideas struck you. Drop me a line and share your ideas so that I might share with others. As quilters and crafters, we have so much to share. Let's keep it going!

Until next time,

Trisha