New quilting friends, projects and a swap
I just finished teaching a lovely group of eight ladies how to quilt. Over the course of five sessions, we cut, stitched and pressed fabric; followed by borders, basting, quilting and binding! At the last class, I took a picture of each student and their quilt. We now have new quilting friends:
We’re missing Celeste, but she had machine issues so she had to transfer to a different class. It’s so much fun introducing the art of quilting to new people. It is one of my favorite “jobs”! I use the book, Start Quilting with Alex Anderson
for my class. The quilt we make is called The Double Nine-patch. It’s a great size to start with and I love 9-patch blocks!
I’ve been busy teaching classes, and I’ve been busy creating other things at home. I made two cards recently. Another favorite hobby of mine!
This is going to a quilter, so I added buttons:
and I adore this scissors and thread stamp:
I made one more for another quilting and blogging friend:
The first card accompanied the package that I sent to my Skinny Pincushion swap partner. This swap was organized by Amy at Amy Made That! and it was so much fun! I was given a picture (from my swap partner via Amy) for color inspiration.
Isn’t that an awesome sewing cabinet! Well, those colors are right up my alley, so I pulled out some red and aqua fabric and got to work. This is what my skinny pincushion looks like:
I stuffed mine with crushed walnut shells and I added a little ric rak for pizazz. And I couldn’t make just one; so there are two. One for my swap partner and one for someone else who has been very thoughtful to me:
I included some other goodies in my package. I made this Quilter’s Notebook to keep all of those quilting ideas in one place. I fused Heat ‘n Bond to the back of the left-over pincushion fabric and cut out the letters using my Cuttlebug Embosser and Die Cutter. I pressed them onto the cover of the notebook and then applied Mod Podge to secure it all. I also added some stitching detail with a fine Sharpie marker and the ric rak, again, was a must:
I love the inside of this notebook because it has lined paper as well as graph paper, plus a little pocket to hold scraps of paper or fabric. (The scissors were handy to show where the pocket was located):
And then some chocolate, of course, because…. well it needs no justification. It’s just pure indulgence and makes for a “sweet” presentation!
If you ever have the chance to join a swap, you should go for it! Thank you, Amy, for organizing such a great swap (my first)!
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Just love it! So crafty and lovely.
Very nice quilts, I love how each one has a different feel and look by using different fabrics.
Julie, what an amazing give you gave your class…Teaching the fisherman to fish….. sorta… they have a gift for a lifetime..They are all lovely quilts.. but the best part is their smiles and pride in their projects.
So love the cards you made… and your swap is a HIT for sure 🙂 So glad you have such proud quilting students… as they should be with such a great start to a wonderful hobby… or as it is for me a full time deal 🙂 Thanks for blogging! Kathi
Beautiful quilts made by your new friends!! And your cards and Skinny Pinny and notebook are all very lovely!
Looks like your students learned a lot from you. I hope they go on to make lots more.
The gifts you made for your partner showed wonderful caring, and nurture.
linsquilts.blogspot.com
You idea is clever and so kind and thoughtful. Keep up the great job.
Wow! The quilts are all so pretty! You did an excellent teaching job! The pincushions are so cute, and such a great idea with the journal!
Cute pincushions. It is obvious from your posts that your are a great teacher and your students are proof of it for sure. Great job! The quilts are phenomenal.
Congratulation for your new quilt friends. Well done Julie! You are gifted to teach. Your cards are lovely, in the topic. The skinny pincushion will be a delight for your swap partner.
I love how everyone’s quilts turned out! I know everyone used the same pattern but that first one looks different from the rest. I spent a lot of time studying it to be sure it was the same pattern. Amazing how choice and placement of fabric can change things up!
You are sew welcome, Julie, and I’m delighted that you joined my first-ever-swap-I-hosted! You were my celebrity swapper! Your partner will be so excited to see your creations in her lovely sewing room. A.Dor.A.Ble!!!
Your swap partner is one lucky quilter!! 🙂 Wow, that was a jewel! I was going to ask too!! I just bought some graph paper but having both in one notebook – genius!
Love your pincushions and what a great swap idea. Bet these are enjoyed by all the people who do this. Also love your cards…very cheery!
The items that you put in your swap box were so cute. I think I will try making a sewing journal, in case I ever run across one of these swaps. Hint Hint. I really liked the idea of it being SIMPLE and thoughtful. Thanks for sharing this.
Oh too cute and sweet! Your partner will love her skinny pinny and quilt book and chocolate!
I would like info on the notebook source. I think this would made a good door prize for our next retreat.
I, too, would like to know the source for the little notebook….graph paper that size would be a wonderful thing!
Thanks for posting such wonderful ideas.
I believe I picked it up at Target in their clearance section! It was one of those times when I didn’t realize the “jewel” I had come across until it was too late! It was only a month ago, so maybe they can still be found. I would love to have one for myself as well!