Candy Kisses by Sandy Gervais

Goodbye 2008, hello 2009! We hope you all had a cozy New Year, and now our next holiday of Love is approaching. Sandy Gervais has just the right new line, called Candy Kisses, to get us in the mood! Cute hearts, candies, dots, stripes and floral berries adorn this line in true reds, bright pinks, and light creams, accompanied by two panels. We've got it in Charm Packs, Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls, Kits, and Charming Jelly Cakes! What do you fancy Candy Kisses will inspire you to make?

As a child Valentine’s Day was always a favorite holiday of mine. Not because I received valentines with a stick of gum inside, but because I loved making the valentines and “The Box”. This was typically made from an old shoebox. I would first cover it with construction paper. I would then cut out as many construction paper hearts, in all shapes and sizes, as I could possibly fit on the box. Lastly, a slit was made on the top of the box for receiving the Valentines.

Back in my day we did not have “scrapbooking” stores that had endless amounts of papers, doodads, glitters, stamps, markers, punches, etc. We were pretty much limited to red, pink and white construction paper, a pair of scissors and that awful Elmer’s school paste. Remember this? It came in a jar with a stiff plastic wand, for spreading the pasty white stuff. Remember how you usually ended up just spreading it around with your fingers?

Every year I also made Valentine people. They too where cut from construction paper with their head/body (it was all one) being a big heart and their legs and arms skinny strips of construction paper accordion folded and attached to the head/body with gold brads. Eyes and a big smile where added with crayons. I usually added a big construction bow at the “imaginary” neck. Do you suppose kids these days even make these characters? – I’m sure not. Can they even take Valentines to school anymore? – Probably not.

My Valentine’s line of fabric is always a relatively easy line for me to design. The colors and motifs are pretty much predetermined – mostly hearts of reds, pinks, and creams. Although this line has plenty of hearts it also features some great no-nothing prints, dots and stripes that can be used any time of the year.

The popularity of Moda’s pre-cuts, aka Charm Packs™ Jelly Rolls™, Layer Cakes™, Honey Buns™ and Turnovers™, made me think of cakes and cupcakes. Large heart-shaped boxes filled with candy are also a big part of Valentine’s Day. With these ingredients I had the beginnings of the panel, which is the first part of the fabric line that I paint, followed by the painting of the companion prints and stripes.

I have designed a pattern for the panel and one for each of the Moda pre-cuts. Using the pre-cuts you can whip up all of these projects in very little time. (Almost like using a cake mix.) My favorite is the pattern using the Charm Pack™ called This Takes the Cake. This pattern features a cake with rick-rack for the filling. The rick rack is included in the pattern. You can purchase this pattern and the kit to make it here at Fat Quarter Shop as well as other pre-cuts and any yardage your heart desires.

I hope you enjoy making the projects using this fabric as much as I enjoyed designing the fabric.

Now I must go. I suddenly have a craving for cake.

From My Heart,
Sandy Gervais
Pieces From My Heart

P.S. Moda will be introducing a new pre-cut this coming spring. They will be called Dessert Rolls™ and consist of ten 5” x WOF strips. Look for these in my Christmas line Crazy Eight due out in May 2009.

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