For the Love

I have gingerly dipped my toe back into the world of swaps, and this month was the completion of the For the Love of Solids Swap (round 2). I love working with solid fabrics, and it was a great challenge to create something with no prints at all.

The guidelines for this swap were to make one large item (mini quilt, bag, placemats, sewing machine cover, etc.), and also send a small item (handmade or not). Even better was the degree to which input was encouraged, even though partner assignments were secret. So it was a lot of fun responding to different discussion threads and looking for my partner’s responses to try and get a clear idea of what she wanted.

I settled on my design fairly quickly. My partner and I had both favorited/pinned this great yellow and gray transparency quilt. She also mentioned a love of pink and a preference for bright colors on a dark background, and listed the dimensions of her sewing machine, so this machine cover was born.

(Looking kind of lumpy because I had to stuff it with pillows to take a picture…)

They’re all Kona solids. The background is medium gray, and the pink squares are Bright Pink, Carnation, and Peony.  I quilted the whole thing in closely-spaced vertical lines in gray thread.

The lining is Kona Ash, with a little label sewn inside. I do love my pinking shears…

For my small item, I used an extra transparency block and made an oversized pincushion. It’s got batting on either side, quilted with variegated thread, and filled with crushed walnut shells. Nice and weighty.

I sent it all off, and I am thrilled to say that Eva Marie of Bijoux Baby Crafts was super happy with it, and it even fits her machine! Hooray!

Oh, and for me? Oh, was I a lucky one. I got this spectacular mini quilt, along with some awesome coasters (or, as she said, indoor frisbees for the kids) and pincushion from the delightful Linda at Surrounded by Scraps. Aren’t they awesome?