I’ve been MIA a lot lately and it’s mostly due to having a small human by my side all the time and also because of the Doll Quilt Swap over on Flickr. I read about the swap on the Fat Quarterly blog and I couldn’t resist joining. Little did I know that it was an entire community of amazingly talented and hilariously witty quilters.
200 people joined the swap and so many amazing little quilts were created. It was a secret swap, so no one knew which quilt would eventually be theirs and the suspense was half the fun!
I think for me the appeal to doing a swap like this was several reasons:
1. I got to push myself and try techniques I had never done before.
2. I was able to use some else’s “likes” for inspiration. I also tend to take more care when making something for someone else, than for myself.
3. I don’t have a lot of time to quilt and I am also an instant gratification type of person. Being able to make a small scale quilt was so satisfying, because I actually got to finish a project with a minimal amount of time spent and yet it was small enough that I could really take my time on it and make it perfect.
4. I just love making tiny things!
I created this quilt for my swap partner, Courtney:
Courtney said she likes “clothesline” quilts and she had several saved to her flickr favorites. I had never seen one before and they are just the cutest things!
I also tried handquilting for the first time.
First time making a label. I used a micron pen and traced lettering I had printed onto paper. I then set it with my iron. I really want to learn to embroider and do my labels that way.
The very same day I mailed my partner’s quilt out, I returned home to find a quilt waiting for me from my other partner!
Dolores created this wonderfully happy quilt for me:
Orange and lime green are my favorite colors and I am really loving them with the aqua. It makes the quilt so fresh and modern.
The embroidery and handquilting in the center is simply precious and the farm is so perfect, since I recently moved to the Butter ‘n’ Eggs capital.
The label is so special, too! Again, I MUST learn to embroider!!
Plus Dolores sent me SO many great extras:
Tons of fabric for Liam’s I-spy quilt, some extra “Meadow Sweet” fabric and a bookmark!
I had such a wonderful time and I am sad to see the swap coming to an end (especially since the next one probably won’t be until January). I have already joined a couple of other smaller swaps, so stay tuned for more teeny-tiny quilts.
You are incredibly talented!
You lucky girl! I love that doll quilt!! The one you made is great too!
am dying at the cuteness of the clothesline!
Those are so cute! I love your pieced sky and grass, too – that adds so much dimension.
I know what you mean about having little one(s) and limited sewing time. I’ve been making a ton of baby quilts for pregnant friends and it’s so nice to make something small that comes together quickly.
I also started embroidering this summer. I used the new Martha Stewart book. It has some great instructions and it’s super relaxing and can be done anywhere (my first label was done sitting under the redwoods at a campground!). I highly recommend that book if you want to learn – it’s a great resource.
Your clothesline quilt is stunning! I absolutely LOVE it! Great job!
Thanks, Jodie! I’m going to put that book on my wish list!
Thanks for all the positive feedback, everyone:)
I love your clothesline quilt! 🙂 I agree with everything you said about the swap. It was my first time too and I felt like the community and the talent of that group really made me grow in my ability as a quilter!
These are really great!! I feel like I could look at them for hours… It’s like there’s a story in each one! 🙂
Both of those quilts are adorable! I had to laugh at your Butter n Eggs comment. I’m a Santa Rosa girl so I’m very familiar with “Pet a llama”. 😉 I also just tried hand embroidery for the first time this week for a wedding quilt I’m doing. It’s actually pretty fun and nice for when little ones are falling asleep! You should give it a try!
I love, love, LOVE my clothesline quilt! It’s absolutely perfect. Thank you 🙂
I’m incredibly crafty and know how to do many things that are craftastical, however I have not the faintest idea as to how to quilt and I yearn to learn one day. So while I have no witty banter about how you pieced your glorious masterpiece together, I am writing to say that I too share your love of favorite colors – I’m a lime green and orange girl myself, to the the extent that my kitchen is lime green (http://heatherizedhome.blogspot.com/2006/08/bpoh-bitchin-kitchen.html) and my two year old daughters “haven’t yet spent a night in it” bedroom is lime green and orange. Yes, I know the love. Just had to drop by and let you know that there is now at least two people in the Universe who have those colors as their fav’s 🙂