Making lemonade

Have you seen the Bottled Rainbows quilt-along over at Stitched in Color? While I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to a whole quilt in this style, I really love the look of these colorful blocks. And it inspired me to try some ticker tape quilting.

I was in a purple mood, so that's what I went with. It was actually quite fun arranging my scraps into a pleasing grouping! Once I sewed everything down I was really loving how it came out. So much so that I was tempted to make more of these guys. But in the end I decided to stick with the original plan of making a little mug rug. Got everything all sandwiched, quilted, and bound. And then I did a dumb thing. I decided to wash it. What was I thinking? There's no real need to wash a mini quilt, right? But I had some other mug rugs to clean and some new fabric I wanted to wash. So I threw it in. And it brought out a flaw in my stitching. Eek!

What would you have done at this point? Take it apart? Applique right through to the backing? Try to hand stitch it back on? Throw it away in disgust? I considered all these things. And in the end I had a happy thought: my sewing labels are just about the size of the little rectangle that got messed up... and they're purple! So I pulled out the offending scrap and ironed on the label. I do miss the extra pop of turquoise in that corner, but overall I think it was a good and simple fix for me. And next time I'll be more careful with my zigzags!

Swap Round Up

Recently I completed a couple of swaps and I wanted to post some pictures of what I sent and received.

First, for round 3 of the Scrappy Mug Rug swap group on flickr, I made this Dresden mug rug for my partner (with Innocent Crush, of course):

  

I also added in a pincushion made from hand-stitched hexagons, and a few shrinky dink pins!

And this is the mug rug package I received. Isn't the embroidery great?

 

I also shared in the {Urban} HOME Goods swap.

 

One of the things on my partner's wishlist was a Kitchenaid mixer cover. I was nervous to make it since I don't have one myself to test it on, but I found this tutorial and went from there and it seems to fit! I used my partner's favorite green and gray colorscheme with some stripes for fun.

 
 

I also included a couple of potholders, another partner request.

  

What I was really hoping to get was something I've been meaning to make myself but haven't gotten around to, and the sewing machine cover I received really fit that bill! I love the Hope Valley fabric and colors. And the inside is corduroy! I also got this super cute raccoon needle book. So sweet!

 

Here's the cover on my machine in my teeny-tiny sewing corner.

Swapping can be a lot of fun: getting inspired seeing what everyone is creating in a group, trying to guess what you will be getting, stalking your partner and trying to come up with something perfect for them. But it's also a bit stressful: working on a deadline, hoping your partner will be happy with what you create, hoping you'll like what you get. While I think my swaps have gone pretty well, I think I'm taking a little break from swaps for a bit. Maybe it was just doing two at once wearing me out, or the nagging feeling that I should be working on my project list first!

What about ya'll, do you swap? I'd love to hear your best (or worst) swap stories!

Mug Rugs Sent and Received

Round 2 of the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap has been completed! (For me and my partners, anyway.) Just wanted to post pics of the completed mug rugs, sent and received.

This is what I came up with for my partner. From her inspiration mosaic and her emailed information, I knew she loved bright colors, coffee, and Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy. (A word on FMF: I had not really used it before, and I ended up doing a little splurge and getting some to use for my partner to be sure she'd like her mug rug. AND I ended up a FMF fan as well. Look out!)

The mug in the middle is from some Heidi Kenney Spoonflower fabric which I think is just too cute! I also added in a FMF coffee cozy (and I love how my partner yarntini is using it!) and some bonus recipe cards.

And check out what I got! This was made by grant_and_kelly. I love the Far Far Away fabric she chose and how it looks almost like you are peeking through a window at the owl and the pussycat. The big hexes are great and I love the quilting too.

Know what else is cool? The mug rug is totally reversible, with a cute Rapunzel on the back (and what looks to me like another window). (Am I window obsessed?)

She sent some great extras, too. Those cookies are like Thin Mints on steroids. Yum.

This swap was a lot of fun, maybe I'll try and get in for round 3, too! 

Mug Rug Swap

So I signed up for the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap. I watched as it unfolded last round and so wanted in! Fortunately I got accepted to be part of the second group. It's a blind swap, so I know who I'm creating for but not who's making for me! Partners create a mosaic for inspiration. I'm hoping mine will like what I come up with. (I'm planning on getting some Flea Market Fancy in there, so that should help.)

This is what I've got so far. I was totally playing around with my fabrics and improvised this. I love the little mug in the middle, it's from some Heidi Kenney Spoonflower fabric. You may also notice some Meadowsweet 2, some Amy Butler, and my new obsession: Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush! I'll be posting the finished product before long, so stay tuned.