Modern Christmas Table Runner swap package - done!

It's a lovely feeling, having your swap package done. Finished in perfect time, and feeling pretty happy with it too. It's always when I'm packing my package up to post off that I remember that I am going to get a package in return from a secret partner...I know that we all comment in the Flickr group and are watching each other's creations but somehow, it never seems real that one of them might be coming to me until I have upheld my part of the bargain!

So, without further ado, here it is, my little Christmas swap package for my secret partner.

I got the quilting finished up after putting the backing on. The long strip is from the fabric I bought for Emily's Christmas charm swap - a happy accident that this fell out of my sewing basket when I was trying to figure out what to do for the back as I had forgotten I had it. The blue fabric is also a Christmas fabric and I think they are good together.

I auditioned a few different fabrics for the binding and did wonder about my red choice as it really brings the red up in the runner. But I hope my partner likes it!

So here it is in all its finished glory - and thank you to everyone for all the lovely comments on in during the making of it. I really like the combination of handquilting and dense machine quilting in the negative space and I hope that my partner does too.

I know some people have asked for a tute for this one, but, honestly, the triangles were an experimental kind of process and I didn't find them easy. With everything going on at the moment in the run up to Christmas, I just don't have the time or the patience to figure them all out again. Nor could I put my family through a 2nd bout of the swearing that accompanied them!! But I will try and do a tute in the New Year for it, as I think it would work really well in non- seasonal fabrics too.

Once I finished hand sewing the binding on last night (yes, handsewing my binding, you read that right, I always handsew for swaps even though I usually machine my quilts) my thoughts turned to my ornament. I had pinned about 20 different inspiration ideas on my Christmas Pinterest board and the one in the top left corner really appealed to me - particularly as it tied in with the trees on the runner.

                                                                       Source: megatropolis.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

So, I had a little fun running it up. I added some stars at the tops of the trees, and handstitched them down with perle cotton rather than doing it with the machine. I think its pretty and must do a couple for the house here before Christmas - I can see a row of them hanging on my wall! 

I also made my partner a super simple little heart to hang on her tree - I have a few of these on my tree every year and just love them.

So, it is ready for the post office which unfortunately I don't think I will get to tomorrow as I have to travel for work and have to leave earlier than expected in the morning. But it will be there first thing Tuesday and from there it will be a mystery as to how long it takes to get to its destination!

I want to say a huge thanks to Susan who has been a fab and totally inspiring swap mama and has run a brilliant swap. She gathered a great and incredibly talented group of ladies so I really can't wait to see which of the fab runners arrives at my house.

And finally - thanks to everyone for the congratulations on reaching 1000 followers on Google Friend Connect, I'm totally thrilled!! I seem to have roughly the same again through Reader and other feeds. It's still quite amazing to me that so many people like to pop by and look at what I'm making and read my ramblings, but I just love that you do, and I adore when you're interested in chatting too :-) So, well, what else can I say other than I am organising a little giveaway to celebrate so stay tuned in the next couple of weeks!

Also, don't forget to pop by for my block tutorial on Wednesday for the 12 Days of Christmas Sampler QuiltAlong - even if you're not taking part I think it would make a nice little doll quilt type wall hanging or table topper and I promise - it's easy peasy and fun!!

Ok, so I'm linking up as always to some of my absolute favourite linky gatherings - {Sew} Modern Monday, Manic Monday and Fabric Tuesday. Go have a peek for some great inspiration! I'm also entering the runner in this month's Celebrate Colour pool:

Last of the Goodie Swap Sewing

 

This morning I finished up the last items for Cindy's Goodie Swap. What a great swap this has been, so much fun! I just loved having 2 partners and had 2 great ones at that - both really active and easy to make for. I'll be putting all the lovely bits into the post tomorrow morning and crossing my fingers that the do not take as long as my last swap package to arrive!

So, partner no 2's items are all done now. I had a little debate with myself this morning as to whether to keep these as secret or whether to reveal all now. In the end, because I think there are 4 or 5 people who think that they are my partner no 2 (the colours seem very much in a lot of people's list) I decided I would reveal all and leave the prospective partners sweat it out to see whose it really is. Sorry girls!!

Last week you'll remember I started out with this little zip pouch for Partner no 2.

During the week I added this (ever so slightly wonky) mug rug to it - it has actually grown on me quite a bit the last few days and I think this is a mug rug for a serious tea or coffee drinker!

 

Then I decided to add a little something else to the mix - and covered some little buttons. Pretty, aren't they? (Please note that I know my floor looks dirty, its NOT, its just the way the light is hitting the scrapes from the kids toys. Seriously, lol!)

But then last night I was putting away the scraps and wanted a little hand sewing to do while I was watching a film, so I started messing around with them and this is what I ended up with! A little hand stitched hoop, along the lines of the circles mug rug I made for Felicity from Rachel's great tute. I used fusible woven interfacing on the back of the Kona Ash to give it a bit of stability and stitched away to my hearts content (while watching a film with my lovely hubbie after a lovely rosemantic dinner and a bottle of champagne to celebrate us meeting 12 years ago this weekend. Susan you would have been proud of me, I even managed to do potato gratin with the steak instead of chips!) Now, you might see a few wobbles in the stitching up close partner, but when you hang it on the wall, I think it will look quite pretty!

So partner no 2, here's your little package. I hope that you like it and I know you have suspicions but you'll just have to wait till the postman arrives to see if they are confirmed or not! Cindy, thanks for organising a great swap! After visiting the post office in the morning to see these off, I'll be watching every day to see what arrives for me!

PS. Ladies, I'll be posting the Summer Sewing wrap up post during the week (it got delayed due to all the QAL and swap stuff) so start getting your posts ready to link up!) I'm also linking this up to: