Life's Rich Pattern: Summer Swaps

We're well in to September now but over the summer I was lucky enough to be involved in a couple of swaps as well as being the recipient of incredible generosity from wonderful women all over the world.

It seems ages ago now but the good ladies of do.Good Stitches took the month of July off and enjoyed swaps within each circle. I was lucky enough to make for Dolores who wanted a library tote and her favourite colours were pink and purple. From her inspiration mosaic I could see she liked zig zags and so I made her a zig zag tote using some pomegranite and pink solids as well as some Silent Cinema. For the lining I used some lovely Denise Schmidt fabric and added some pockets. Being a numptee, I didn't take a full shot of it but you can see it on Dolores' flickr stream here.

I completely lucked out with my partner as Karen was making for me and this is what I got!

Rather like myself these days, it's looking a little plumpcious as it is full of my hexie flowers and scraps for my aqua, orange and grey granny flowers. I love everything about it! Karen gave it a little 'extra padding' so that I could carry my camera in it. It has beautiful detail including a key fob and interior pocket...

...and is so beautifully made with the most gorgeous fabrics. It has featured in a couple of the mosaics for Mouthy Stitches 2 and that makes me very happy. So a huge thank you to Karen!

I also want to say a very belated thank you to the wonderful ladies who kindly sent me the most beautiful scraps for my hexies. I was completely taken aback by the amazing generosity of Susan, Katy, Mary, Jenelle, Di (with 2 'n's) and Di. Added to my own they look amazing and nearly cover our coffee table - I still have lots more to baste and sew and I'm loving it.

As well as making gorgeous quilts, Di with one 'n' has a wonderful garden in sunny California, which produces sun ripened all sorts. Now there's only so much that she and her husband can eat, the surplus of which she turns in to jams and relishes, which always makes me think of that '80s film Baby Boom. A few weeks ago I dropped a pretty hefty hint about how I had loved her tomato jam last year, and luckily for me Di picked up on it and said, "Would I like some?" Ummm...yes??? She had already said she would send me some scraps for my hexie quilt and this is what she sent as well.

Don't you love those labels? Tomato jam (which has a gorgeous kick), salsa and fig jam! A little taste of sunny California! Thank you Di!

Now I'm not a total scrounger. In exchange I sent her a little something from England - a very simple cushion cover, a mug and some Green & Black chocolate.