Stawell Quilters Fat Quarter Swap 2019 - Part 2...

Of course I had a surprise back to me from the fabric I'd put in for the Fat Quarte Swap.

Typically I'd completely forgotten what fabric I'd put in - makes it a real surprise when I open the parcel on all levels, the item and reminding me what my fabric was!

It turns out I'd put in a Tilda fabric and I was gifted with a little travel stitching roll...

A lovely use of my fabric and matched beautifully by my secret maker, love the red spotty binding - who also included important touches in a reel of thread, a small pair of scissors and a good chocolate supply!! ha ha ha.

I'm sure I'll get use out of my gift.

Happy Stitching...

Stawell Quilters Christmas Fat Quarter Swap 2019 (Part 1)...

Stawell Quilters held the Christmas Fat Quarter Swap*(explanation at end of post) again this year.  The fabric in the paper bag I was given was this...

Mmmm, that is interesting and not at all what I'd have expected from the person I was making for. Coincidentally, just that week, I was in the local habby and she had a bundle of fat quarters that I really liked but couldn't justify and that bundle immediately sprung to mind as appropriate colours for this piece of fabric...what a shame I was forced to go and buy that bundle - he he he.  And then when I was in the ACT I found the perfect perle cotton at Crafty Frog in Kambah - the shopping gods were smiling on me with this fabric which I had initially thought would be impossible to match.

Instead of a fat quarter the recipient had put in a half metre of her fabric so that was plenty to play with. I had the idea to make a bag that could be used for transporting knitting but couldn't find a pattern to fit the picture in my head so used a pattern for an all-purpose bag I have made before and found useful myself. I used a mix of the "True Friends Tote Bag" from Natalie Bird's book Red Home with a stitchery pattern from Anni Downs' book The Simple Life, then when being totally flummoxed about what fabric to use for handles I found resin handles that I felt matched perfectly. I had just enough of her fabric left to make the handle hinges.  I hand quilted with big stitches in the variegated perle thread I'd bought home from the ACT.

 Front

 Back

 Handles

 Front up close

 Stitchery detail

 Interior

Quilting detail on back

I think I may have missed the mark with the person particularly liking it but hopefully she'll get some use out of it.

Happy Stitching...

*A fat quarter is put in a paper bag with your name on it and handed in to the Group.  The paper bags are put into a basket and randomly distributed to the participants.  You make something using the fat quarter in the paper bag you are given for the person whose fabric it is.  The fabric the person puts in is the only guide the rest is up to the maker.

Stawell Quilters Fat Quarter Christmas Challenge...Received...

I bought a fat quarter when we went to Geelong early in the year for the Stawell Quilters Fat Quarter Christmas swap...I liked the colour and thought there was a good mix of other colours in the pattern for someone to run with and be able to put other fabrics with it without it being too restrictive.  From this...

I received this... 

Isn't it fabulous! A giant hexie (my favourite shape) and the lovely lady who made it for me included perfect complimentary fabrics to the one I put in the paper bag, she picked up the colours in the pattern perfectly.  The small centre hexie is held in with a magnetic bag closer so the scissors can be removed for use

and then the hexie clipped back on with the scissors tucked into their holder on the side...clever...

The presents swapped were all so imaginative and well thought out but I think I scored the best of all...

Happy Stitching...

Stawell Quilters Fat Quarter Christmas Present Swap...Made and Given...

Again this year I played in the Stawell Quilters fat quarter swap for the Christmas dinner.  A fat quarter is given in a brown paper bag with your name on earlier in the year, the bags are put in a basket and randomly distributed to each player and a present is made for the person whose name is on the brown paper bag with/incorporating their contributed fat quarter.  I got someone I didn't know "HS" who had put in an interesting piece of fabric and was relying on my friend's knowledge of her likes.  Then I met her briefly at the Quilt Show and took particular notice of the quilts she had hanging (and her challenge piece).  My first thought at the start was to make a block keeper and I wavered back and forth and mucked about with patterns and ideas and in the end came back to my original - and made a block keeper.  I had found a watercolour type fabric in Spotlight not long after the paper bags were distributed which had exactly the right colours in it but I struggled with how to re-imagine the given fabric...which I really liked by the way...

Then inspiration struck and I came up with a dresden plate...

(I had to pinch a picture from the Group as I forgot to take one of it finished)

I was happy with how it turned out...not so much the project pocket that was to go with it that we won't discuss (it is still on the sewing table thinking about its bad behaviour!)...and HS said she didn't have a block keeper and was happy with it...she likes circles which I'd forgotten about from the Club challenge but which must have been there in the sub-conscious!!

While a little stressful thinking what to make I do like this swap and hope the Group continues with it...if you are on the BookFace and search Stawell Quilters Inc all the lovelies that were made from the fat quarters are on the Christmas Dinner post, I have no idea how to link to that particular post and BookFace is tiresome so I'm not going to even try.

Happy Stitching...