The Wonder Swap!

Well I knew Helen was really a wonder person after all she is mum to Archie the Wonder Dog and I guess that sort of rubs off on one!

What I didn't know was that she is also a wonder maker - well actually I  strongly suspected it so when we talked way back last year at the time of the Brit Bee Pillow Fight Swap about a one-on-one swap I quite frankly jumped at the chance and very nearly bit her hand off in the process.  Poor girl!

Anyway we eventually decided on making each other a cushion cover and a couple of extras - though she has cheated and snuck in a few more!

Without further ado this is what I have been truly blessed to receive....


First of all the cushion cover....

Isn't it absolutely fantastic!  I absolutely love it!   The colour, the shape, the precision in each of these 64 - yes 64 teeny weeny logcabins and did I mention there are 64 of them - all different!  


Is she mad ?  I do fear so!  But each one is perfect and for the clear sighted of you they are made with batik fabric!  Eeek!  I hear you exclaim but I do believe that Helen is on a one woman mission to convert us all into batik lovers -  she started with Trudy in the Brit Bee Swap and now this....

AWESOME!

I do believe that there is no bad fabric - well apart from some of the stuff in Lucy's Fugly fabric party and I have to say I have seen some stinkers in the nicest possible way!  : )   But I think a lot depends on what you do with it.  And Helen has triumphed here!  I love these batiks!  I think even Hadley would??

Now don't forget the back of the cushion - am loving those buttons which co-ordinate beautifully with those fabrics on the front...

Next up the extras .....A little pincushion to match big mama cushion!  Cute or what?  I can strap it to my wrist - so no excuse for being without pins or someplace to put them!  It is so comfortable I shall be wearing it round the supermarket and on the school run - perhaps even to bed!  Ouch!!

And two beautiful wonky house blocks for my wonky quilt, with siggy block!   But not only did she make the blocks - she also had stories relating to them...and I quote...

...one family have built an eco friendly house with a sedum roof, ground source heating (so no chimney) and have just started a mushroom farm.  

The funny thing is we considered the first two when building an extension to our house!  Her stalking is really good as I haven't blogged about that!  Has she been hacking into the local planning department?  And we had mushroom compost to improve the soil when we first moved here so for a while we did grow mushrooms...  Don't know who the monkey is supposed to be??

The other family live on an island in the Thames Estuary and have declared it an outpost of Scotland but couldn't get planning permission for tartan patterned stones so they went for a royal/peacock inspired look...The locals aren't sure about it but regard the family with fondness and so put up with it!

Personally I think they decorated with a nod to Liberty - which I approve of wholeheartedly!  And Sheila and Katy do you see that Saltire fluttering from the battlements!

There was also some Green & Black chocolate ....though that seems to have gone somewhere else now....!  Oh yes I remember - my tummy  mmmmm!  We have similar tastes...it seems!

Now what did I send Helen?....I have posted a few sneeky peeks for you but she got the short end of the straw although she seems pretty pleased so maybe I got away with it...and she is easily satisfied!

The cushion cover was made to go with the cushion she got in the Brit Bee Swap - so I took the colours from there!  The design came out of my head sadly - haha - but was inspired by the spool blocks I was working on at the time!  I ended up paperpiecing this - not my favourite technique but I couldn't get the corners right otherwise.

The back was inspired by Helen's mosaic from the pillow fight - some string spools - yes there is a theme here  !  I love strings and scraps so I managed to weave that in. (Well if Helen can get away with batiks I think it is only fair that I dump some scraps on her don't you?)  I also like Free Motion stitching - so a bit of writing and some scissors, a needle and thread followed on the back!

The extras - one bone pincushion - not really for Archie!  Sorry boy!  But he did get some treats of his own though I don't have a photo of either of those!




And either a banner/wallhanging or tablerunner thing with Helen's blog name....and a paw and pic of Archie in his wonder cape and t-shirt!

It was great fun stitching him (not the real one) by machine - wasn't sure I could but I sketched it from a photo on Helen's blog - you may be able to work out which one Archie fans!  Strangely enough I cannot find a photo of the final thing - this is one taken before the finish.  You will have to visit Helen to see what it looks like - oops!

Anyway I think she likes it, but poor girl I got the better deal by far!  Not just because of the bigger bar of chocolate.... 

Still singing, squealing and dancing round the house!   And will be for some time to come!  Cloud nine - here I come!

New pincushion and pencil case!?

I love Karen's screen print fabrics ...

I also love what she makes with them....have a look here!

Now I love my new pincushion using a circle of her scrappy daisy fabric, some blue linen, some toy stuffing and stitching in my lovely Aurifil thread!   I have to confess the original idea is Karen's but I have added my own little twist!

I echoed Karen's daisy design in a contrasting thread, made a stem and some leaves.  Then I decided to finish the edge off the edge with the word flower and some simple flower designs and just to break the monotony I stitched a and the word buzz!   The edge has been left raw - so no turning inside out and no hand stitched closure - all done by machine which was a little bit tricky at the end!

Loving it though and thinking of stitching more words in future projects!  Funny thing is I seem to write better with a sewing machine than pen or pencil!   But it would be a bit hard to carry my Bernina around to produce my signature....hehe!


My second little project was this little pencil case.... using Karen's triangle fabric!  I was surprised at how small this is and would use it more as a little change purse rather than a pencil case.   

But I have now bought Amy's hexiecase pattern so that will provide a bit more room for that sort of thing!

  

Just one more thing!

I have packed one mugrug and goodies package off to Partner 1.  Bye bye little Hoo - have a safe journey and settle down in your new home!


Still wanted a little extra for Partner 2 - so I thought I'd make a little pincushion...


She didn't ask for one I know but I've already made a pouch so just wanted something to go inside.  First of all I made an attempt to make something like a cupcake pincushion...

Didn't quite like it enough so I get to keep that one and soldier on.  I looked for inspiration and it came to me....

I love it and would happily have it back if Partner 2 doesn't like it!  May have to make another one if she does.  Little applique on the front and some of my Dan Stiles fabric ( from the Across the Seas baby quilt ) at the back!  Added a bit of Dan Stiles selvedge as a little label and think it looks cute!


The mugrug and goodies are all parceled up so it is good to post on Monday!

Then all I have to do is wait until they arrive....! Oh and maybe open a parcel or two myself!  Excitement level?  Sky high!