I mentioned last week that I'd signed up for a Mug Rug swap on Flickr. You're assigned a secret partner to make a mini quilt for (no larger than 8 by 10, just large enough for a cup of coffee). Everyone posts an inspiration mosaic to the Flickr group. You are supposed to check out your partner's favorites and Flickr profile for clues to her likes and dislikes and try and make her a mug rug she will love. You can post progress photos for people to comment on to see if you are on the right track. I put up a picture of the fabrics I planned to use and got a fair number of responses.
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| My inspiration mosaic - visit the Flickr page for details on each item. |
The thing is, I'm finding the whole experience a tad stressful. I really want my partner to like what I make her. But what if she doesn't?! What if I have it completely wrong? I read somewhere that she loves coffee and it also looks like she's a fan of paper piecing so I bought a pattern from RightPatterns, picked fabrics I thought she'd like and got to work. Here's what I have done so far.
I'm planning
to add a rectangular block to the left of the bodum and applique a
little coffee mug made from the Flea Market Fancy print and maybe hand
stitch some steam coming from the mug. What do you think? Would you like
to receive something like it in a swap?
I've finally gotten going on my Sew Intertwined QAL quilt. This jumble of fabric is actually the beginning of my dresden plate block. I'm several weeks behind on this and the whole point (for me) of participating in a quilt-a-long is to complete a quilt top in a reasonable amount of time so I need to get going and quick!
Finally, for those of you who missed Monday's post, I finished my Tied Picnic Blanket quilt in record time! Choosing to tie the quilt instead of quilt it made all the difference. I created a very "mini" tutorial by outlining my process so please pop on back to the post to see more pictures and read all about this quilt. We've already used the blanket and it's serving is purpose wonderfully.
Here are my stats for this week:
In Progress
Mug Rug Swap - well underway
Picnic blanket - DONE!
Curious Nature quilt - still cutting templates
Sew Intertwined quilt - working on my Dresden plates
Liberty Wiksten tank - on a break
La Dee Da skirt - no progress
Flora Charm Quilt - no progress
Farmer's Wife QAL - no progress
We Bee Learning Bee/Levi's Bed Quilt - June is my month and I've received 9 out of 10 blocks received so far
Farmer's Wife QAL - no progress
We Bee Learning Bee/Levi's Bed Quilt - June is my month and I've received 9 out of 10 blocks received so far
Hibernating projects
Levi's Growth Chart - no progress
NY Beauty QAL - no progress
In the Queue
Kona Sea Bundle quilt
August We Bee Learning bee block for Rita - it's a postage stamp block and should be good fun.
Please take some time to check out everyone else's WIP's on Freshly Pieced and the Canadian Needle and Thread Network. And now, back to my dresdens!
I think we're twin souls in the secret swap department! I did one last summer and overall I would say it was an odd combination of fun and stressful! I think most people will love what you send them just because you took so much time to think about what they would like and make something special for them...and if they don't love it, tell them to send it to me!!! Not only is your block AWESOME, but we actually have a Bodum just like that!
ReplyDeleteI think she will be pleased. You have a great start on it. I like the colours in your Dresden plate.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lot of work!
ReplyDeleteI have been in quite a few swaps and I find that if you send something that you yourself would be happy to recieve (quality wise) your swap partner is generally thrilled with the choices. Love the simplicity of the picnic blanket, every family needs one, or two...
ReplyDeleteI like it. I've only been in one swap, and the only instructions I got was that my recipient's favourite colour was green. I made her a cathedral windows table runner, and she loved it.
ReplyDeleteI love the mug rug, it's really cute and the fabric works well with the design. Loving the picnic blanket, patchwork is a definite favorite of mine!
ReplyDeleteI've been in many of these swaps and I can say that most participants will love what you make for them - I sure would love to get this one you're working on! Susan Being Snippy has it right send something that you'de be happy to get and everyone will be thrilled!
ReplyDeleteGreat picnic blanket, too.