a happy treat to share . . .

I am living in the land of candy corn goodness.

I did it!! I was so enchanted by the thought of a candy corn table topper using the same process that I used for the Leaves & Acorn Table Runner, that I just did it!

Voila!!

I think it's really cute -- but then I have a thing for candy corn!

Do you remember that it started here, with me playing with my food?

I went to Microsoft Publisher, found a clip art that suited me best, and turned it into a template.

I printed it out, measured it, and figured out what fabric I needed (including 1/4" seam allowances).

Then I traced my candy corn onto my template material and cut it out, making sure the horizontal lines were in place.

Those horizontal lines are important for lining up the template to the fabric.

Next, I cut six strips of three different colors . . . yellow, orange, and white. I suppose if you wanted to make Autumn Corn, you could substitute brown for the yellow. It tastes better, but it's not as pretty. LOL!

The yellow rectangles were 3-3/4" by 7-1/2"; the orange rectangles were 3" by 7"; and the white rectangles were 4" by 6".

Then, I lined up a yellow and orange rectangle, right sides together, with the orange base centered on the yellow base.

Pin and stitch with a 1/4" seam.

I pressed the seam towards the yellow. I know, normally, you want to press your seam toward the darker color, but in this case, press it towards the yellow.

It helps give the appearance of fullness. You'll see!

Next, line up a white rectangle to the base of your orange rectangle, centered. Again, right sides together.

And pin and stitch, with a 1/4" seam.

This time you'll press your seam up to the orange fabric.

Flip it over . . .

Are you starting to see candy corn?!?

Now you're ready for your candy corn template.

On the back or seam side of the piece, line the top horizontal line of your template with the thread line of the yellow/orange seam. Make sure it's even all the way across. The bottom line on your template should be close to the orange/white seam. It may not be exactly on it -- this is OKAY!

Holding the template still, trace your candy corn onto the fabric. Make sure your line is visible -- this is your sewing line.

Remove your template and make sure your line is sewable.

Next, you'll need six pieces of fabric for backing, cut into approximately 8" by 10" rectangles. You'll need the same number of rectangles in of batting, the same size.

I chose an autumn corn fabric for the backing, and used a really light weight batting. I had scraps I'd saved from an larger project. Use whatever batting scraps you have on hand!

Next, you're going to layer your candy corn piece; on top will be your pieced fabrics. Make sure your sew line is facing up. Then your backing fabric (right sides together).

Last, your batting goes on the bottom. Pin into place

I know it's sandwiched a little oddly, but trust me, this is the way to do it!

Now, starting on a straight line on the side of the candy corn, straight stitch along your sew-line.

Leave an opening large enough for you to turn the candy corn inside-out. I left openings approximately 1-1/4" long. It's very important that you back stitch both at the beginning and the end. This will help keep your opening from not pulling wider.

When you've finish stitching, cut away the excess fabric from your stitch line.

I cut down to just over 1/16" of an inch, leaving a little extra fabric at the opening (see the left hand side of the orange).

Now you're ready to pull your candy corn shape inside out!

I used blunt-nosed scissors to push out the curves and the point of my candy corn. Once it's all turned out, press down the open seam. Iron your candy corn flat, and hand stitch the opening, closed (I used tiny stitches, almost like I was appliqueing).

Then, repeat the process five more times!

Note: with six candy corns you can make the topper as I have. Add a seventh and you can make your circle a little bigger, with your candy corns touching all the way down the sides, instead of just at the base.

Next, you'll want to quilt your candy corn pieces.

I simply stitched-in-the-ditch along my two seams. Again, this helped give dimension to my little candies!

Finally, from the back side, lay out your candy corn pieces and arrange them in the manner you want. The points need to be touching the pieces on either side of them.

Pin them together, then hand stitch them, using tiny stitches.

Now flip and showoff and enjoy your darling candy corn without the worry of addiction or calories!

Mine is already on display, of course!

Candy corn makes me smile almost as much as . . .

. . . my Sawyer-boo! 'Cept he's definitely cuter!

More on his first trip to the Pumpkin Patch tomorrow.

For now, enjoy the candy corn goodness. And since this is the first time I've ever tried to tutorialize something I created, please feel free to comment or e-mail me if instructions aren't clear. Also, I'd be happy to share the .pdf of the candy corn for the template!

:)