Mini quilt mania pt. 2 (in which I receive an amazing gift!)

I've written before about participating in the Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap (here and here). And today, I got my package in the mail from my partner! And her name is Laura too!

So exciting!  And in pretty good shape considering it was opened and inspected by customs!

I was so excited to open it, I rushed through putting away the groceries so I could dig right in. I am so glad it arrived on a day I had off of work, because I was able to really take my time opening and enjoying and appreciating all the love and care that went into this package. 

First off, the quilt. 

The front

That's right, it's a cat quilt! I seriously love cats so much. This is perfect. And the colours are so beautiful, and I love quilts that have bright patches of colour on a white background. It looks so clean, and it really makes the fabrics pop. 

Awwww!

And the quilting is so perfect, just look at the cute little face! The quilting echoes out from this cat through the rest of the quilt, and it looks amazing. 

The back

Then the back has the nice stripey print and a label in the shape of a cat! I love how it echoes the front so nicely. 

The label

I love this quilt. I feel like this is already one of my treasured possessions, and I have had it for less than an hour! It is going to fit in so well in my sewing room. And lucky partner that I am, Laura also sent me a bunch of special-for-me treats! 

So generous and tailored perfectly to my tastes!

She made me a mugrug from some Tula fabric, and put together a little mini charm pack from all the fabrics she used to make the quilt. Since I love knitting, she sent some stitch markers that are like little rainbow balls of yarn (so cute). She sent washi tape as well, which I am actually super stoked about, because I have never owned any before, and it is so much cuter than boring old masking tape. For a tasty treat, she included some cookie butter, which is like peanut butter, but made of cookies. And the best part of all, she passed along a recipe for her family's favourite cookies to include in my #15cookiesin2015 intention. Trust me, those are definitely up next!! 

So hands down, I can most definitely say I love my package, and that this swap was a roaring success! I had so much fun making for my partner Laurie, and I feel so special that my partner Laura took the time to get to know me so well and put together such an amazing gift for me. 

Thank you to Schnitzel and Boo for hosting, and thank you to my fabulous partners for being such great participators! I can't wait till the next one! 

And speaking of which, I have signed up for two more Instagram swaps happening soon. One is Charley Harper themed (so obviously I would participate in that!), and the other is Cotton and Steel themed, which gave me the perfect excuse to finally sign up for the Pink Castle Cotton and Steel Monthly Club. So I can't wait to get my first package from them and get started on these new swaps!

Mini quilt mania!

I have completed my first swap via Instagram, and so far, I have loved the process! I signed up for the Schnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap in November, and was assigned a partner. The whole thing is a secret swap, so your partner doesn't know that you have them, and you don't know who has you. Then, you get to know your partner by reading their signup questionnaire, following them on Instagram, looking at their Pinterest pages, or reading their blog (if applicable). Once you have a feel for their design esthetic, favourite designers/colours, and personality, you make a mini quilt to send to them (and some fun extras as well).  It can be a little stressful at times making something for someone in secret, especially someone you don't actually know, but it is quite a lot of fun. You take a little of them, and a little of you, and hope for the best! 

I decided to make a mini quilt using a couple panels from Alison Glass's Feathers pattern. She said she likes bright colours on dark backgrounds, so I chose a dark charcoal grey for the background and a mix of prints in greens and blues. I used a yellow print for the binding. This was my first time foundation paper piecing, and it was so much fun. You can't argue with that kind of precision! 

The front all finished

I did straight line quilting a quarter inch apart to fill in the spaces between and around the feathers. I didn't quilt over the feathers, because I wanted them to really pop. I am often terrified to quilt. I am scared that the quilting will ruin the quilt, and that all the hard work piecing will be a waste. In this case though, I think it only enhanced the piecing! 

Love the quilting

Detail shot

Close up

The label on the back

With the mini done, I turned my attention to some fun extras. I chose some scrapbooking papers and stickers because she likes to scrapbook, some pencil crayons because the packaging remained me of the quilt, some Himalayan rock salt, because those crazy pink crystals make me grin every time I see them, some cozy socks because cozy socks are great, and some candies from a local company (Morden's of Winnipeg-try their Russian Mints!). 

The whole package

I packaged everything up in a cardboard box and decorated it with a quilt block from Tula Pink's 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. 

The packaging

This I wrapped in brown paper, addressed, and sent it on it's way! My partner received it and had only good things to say, which is so nice! 

I really enjoyed the whole process of this swap. It was exciting meeting so many new people with similar interests through Instagram, and their feeds are constant sources of awe and inspiration. I loved the "stalking" portion of the game, getting to know a person you have never met, and making them something you hope they like, without being able to get their feedback. The whole swap community was so helpful, supportive, and encouraging from start to finish. I can't wait to see what is in the mail for me!! 

Feelin Good on a Wednesday: Mini Quilts

I recently signed up for a mini quilt swap on Instagram hosted by Schnitzel & Boo! 

This is a fun project where you are assigned a secret partner, and someone else is secretly assigned to you. You get to know your partner from their sign-up questionnaire, their Instagram feed, and any other social media they may participate in (such as Pinterest). Then, using your new-found knowledge, you make a quilt for them and send it to them by mail! So far, I have been having a lot of fun getting to know my partner, and thinking about what to make for them.  

Here is some of my inspiration:

Feathers by Alison Glass

Arcadia Avenue by Sassafras Lane

Woodcut quilt by Bijou Lovely

These are all large quilts, so I would do a smaller version, or just a single block in the case of the Sassafras Lane quilt. These quilts are all foundation paper pieced, which means I would have to learn a new technique. But that has never stopped me before! For colours, I was thinking blues, greens, and greys, like this colour palette:

{leeked tones}

I found this fabric bundle of solid colours that I think would be perfect (less the purple)!

Winter bundle from Pink Door Fabrics

I do like the idea of having some patterns mixed in as well though, so I may want to add in some other fabrics. So while I'm enjoying Hawaii, I am going to be percolating on what to do, and what fabrics to use. Also, checking out the Hawaiian quilt shops for some inspiration!