Easy Swap UK - What I made

After joining in with my first sewing swap earlier this year, I jumped straight in when Nina of BossyOz opened a swap for not just mini quilts. You could pick out of three items (mini quilt, pouch or tote bag) what you would like to have made for you and it was all UK based, which helps massively with the postage, both in times and prices!

So, way back in July we were given our partners and I did a bit of stalking and was lucky enough that I had met my partner Alice on a class in January at The Village Haberdashery, but with the summer holidays I didn't actually get any ideas about what to make.
Jump forward to the end of September and I realised my sewjo need a kick up the backside and I had a swap item to make. I had seen my partner liked triangles and using her mosaic as colour inspiration I set to work, on chopping up a lot of 3" squares to make 126 2.5" HST's. It was so much trimming that my rotary cutter died during it!
As I wanted to make a tote that I had made myself, so I knew the main mechanics of making it I knew just the pattern to use.

The Molly Market Tote.

I used lots of scraps and then added quite a bit of Cotton + Steel, Karen Lewis Textiles and the very new Carkai range by Caroline Friedlander for the front and back panels.  Then once they were made I just quilted them horizontally with Aurifil.

The handles, base and bias binding are all Essex Yarn Dyed in with Charcoal or black (I can't remember which one I picked from Annie at The Knitting & Stitching show!)

Inside was bike paths, with a lucien dot and one of my favourite Alexander Henry fabrics as the pockets.

The Molly Market Tote I made myself last year is really sturdy, still looking great and very useful size bag. 

As my extra item I made Alice a pouch to match, 

and as she is an avid knitter I added a little hand stitching to it. 

She received it today and I hope she likes it as it was very hard to part with and I think if your making something for a swap, the proof should be in the not wanting to part with it!!!! 

Just need to stalk the post for my parcel now........and say a MASSIVE thanks to Nina for organising and my swap mumma Amanda for cheering/kicking us all along. 

Blogger's Quilt Festival - My Mini!!

It is that time of the year to show off your favourite makes to the lovely Amy who holds the Bloggers Quilt Market Festival to coincide with Quilt Market.  

Earlier in the year I signed up for the UK Mini Swap, was given a partner and then I started to worry. My partner was a modern loving lady and although I love a fresh modern quilt, I wasn't sure I could produce one! I'm (was) a bit of a whole fabric range, traditional quilt maker!
So, setting my brain to overdrive, wasting hours on Pinterest and arguing with Touch Draw I produced this..................

It measures 19"x19" and was inspired by the Cotton + Steel pattern Good Fortune by Rashida Coleman Hale. But the block were way too big, so I down scaled it on Touch Draw.
I used a massive range of fabrics, mostly from my scraps and a charm pack from Karen Lewis to create it.

I sent it off to the lovely Anna Marie back in April. I can honestly say I didn't want to part with it, but thankfully she loved it...........or I would have asked for it back!!

Hop on over and please vote for your favourite quilt in each category, especially if its mine!!!