I now have a clear plan for all the swaps. And no time to make it. I will be hardly able to work on them in the next 10 days. The good thing is I will probably be fast in the making as I have them all ready in my mind, including the package, which will be similar to the one on the picture.

I pieced a small quilt top today and I am happy I did. My machine is happy too as it got a nice massage before I started using it today. She deserves some spa from time to time. And I am anxious to start working on my swap creations but I had to sew some other things first.

My customers sent me this marvelous picture of the wedding quilt they ordered few months ago. We came up with the design together. They knew what they want. I have not met them or the wedding couple and enjoyed the prоcess a lot. It was all made with great care and packed and sent just in time for the wediing. I knew it was well received. But when I received this picture and have a look at it now, with the lady wearing natural colours and really great soxs … It all looks so warm and natural. The quilt has a life of its own. And I am happy I was part of its very beginning.

The machine applique acts as quilt-as-you-go here and since I finished applique, approximately two years ago, this little quilt was stored. I decided to try hand quilting this summer and quilted the blue curves. I changed my needle somewhen in the middle and it turned out the first one was absolutely wrong choice. The new one allowed much more stitches per inch. This makes the whole quilting very “unique” as the stitches density is quite variable and getting higher. I even tried variegated thread, which also adds “uniqueness”. Well, I like it and this is all that matters now. Hopefully it will be ready for Christmas.

I have finally picked up the pattern for the Doll Quilt Swap yesterday evening! This is a huge step as I was very uncertain what would be the best choice for my partner’s tastes. Hopefully I have guested something. At least I picked up a pattern I have wanted to make since I first saw it. So I will enjoy making it and this will result in a nice quilt.

The Secret Santa Swap is a different story… I was about to start five times … or more. But never felt the choice was really appropriate. Yesterday an unexpected idea hit me. So I will give it a try. I have almost no time left…

I am really anxious to start cutting and making blocks, assembling tops, quilting and packing…. I have so many ideas and patterns listed already. However, I have to make the swap entries first. And they might not be two quilts. I wll not ruine the Secret Santa surprise by telling you what it will be!

27 nice persons wrote something nice to me to make 31 entries in the drawing. Thank you! I spent great time visiting your blogs and reading part of your previous posts. I read 100+ blogs /when I have the time/, so adding new blogs to my daily reads was quite time consuming, but it was so interesting… I wish I could send a card to each of you. But hopefully I will organize new giveaway soon.

Thank you all for the kind words and comments! I was really in need for some advice regarding the two languages here. I will keep it this way. Usually I do not blog exactly the same content on both languages, so both languages in a post is not my thing for now. Thank you Chookyblue for suggesting it! Thank you for inviting so many people here too!!!

I keep a feng shui and patchwork essentials posts in Bulgarian, and swap posts in English. These things are not being translated to the other language.

Congratulations Nihal! I need your envelope colour preference and address to send the cards.

We have e proverb here: “The last ones will be first”. It happened this way - the last comment /though not the last entry/ won.

It is a strange proverb you may think, but think of all the technology and knowledge related upgrades, the less equipped get the best equipment as soon they get new one. If you knew nothing you I would learn straight from the top achievements /unlike the ones that explored the same topic 20 years earlier/. In the begging of the 20th century the newly independent Bulgaria was a rural country and a poor one. In 30 years it made up for both. Then other things happened… I have to write something about my country and my city soon I think…

Note: I will try to explain I generally like, but I do not stick to this only. All of following things here are just some vague ideas to help you find a starting point for your creativity.

USE & WASHING:

The quilt will be used for display for now, but I prefer it to be washable if possible /it may find a doll later on/. However, if you thought of something artistic with felts, etc, why not? I want you being happy while making the quilt. This matters and makes difference to the final result.

COLOURS:

I like bright colours, full of energy, as well as subtle elegant tones. I like orange, lapis blue and grass green, soft blues, sky blue and dark chocolate brown combination, pink and brown combination, generally prefer ecru /instead of white/, like all natural tones - unbleached cotton, natural linen, etc /preferably with a fresh colour  accent/. I am not a black and white person, I think of this more like a salt and pepper - some may help, too many will ruin. Like the modern designer fabrics prints, Japanese or Japan inspired prints, dots, stripes, solids, large florals, repros.

PATTERN AND QUILTING:

I like authentic looking quilts, that have handmade feel - may be wonky, puckery, traditional, simple, modern.. or not, pieced or appliqued… I like both machine and hand quilting, straight lines, free motion by machine, free hand quilting. You see, I like almost everything. But I do not muddy colours.

HANGING:

I will hang it so some hanging aid will help. Never though about this part until I received my quilt from the previous round. If you add something for hanging consider either triangles or a divided hanging sleeve please. I will either cut /which i doubt/ or not use a one-piece hanging sleeve. However you may add no hanging aid and I will still hang it.

I  doubt this may help you, as I really like and love all sorts of beauties. Hopefully you will find something useful though. If not take, a look at the beauties of the previous round on Flickr group, or check some my favorite quilts form this swap.

The beautiful doll quilts you see in this post are from my favourites in Flickr. If you need details on them and their authors, go and check my Flickr or ask me here. Most of them were created for the Doll Quilt Swap, but not all of them.

PS I have just noticed that I have on of the beauties included in both pictures. You can see now how difficult the choosing process was!

First of all, a big “Thank you!” to all of you, who commented on my #100 give away post - you are all so kind! I will reply and show all the cards later today!

Back to the swap now. I was quite vague in my likes & dislikes in the sign up message. I would like a quilt that is made with enthusiasm, care and love. So I thought I will not specify what I like /and I hardly can do this/ but give my partner absolute creative freedom instead.

However it may be difficult to start sometimes, so following a Flickr discussion idea, I am showing you here some of my favourites from the previous rounds.   These are only 36 as this is the maximum I could include. This is the only reason! They are all soo beautiful!

You can click on the button on the side bar to visit the Doll Quilt Swap blog. I modified it a bit.

And here you can check more on each of the beautiful quilts below.

1. dqs4 top, 2. finished Doll quilt!, 3. DQS4 for Ezri_B, 4. DQS4 - it arrived!!!!!!!!, 5. DQS4 In the mail today!, 6. breaking free, 7. dqs4_15, 8. DQS4 - Finished!!, 9. doll quilt came home, 10. DQS4 Petite Bento Box, 11. she made this with all vintage fabrics, 12. Dresden Mod doll quilt, 13. Received from ezri_b!, 14. Journey to Mama Sugar’s House, 15. DQS4 Apple Tree Quilt, 16. Completed doll quilt: Strawberry-Rhubarb Πr2, 17. cartwheels on the line, 18. DQSII Tropical Flower Log Cabin, 19. Peachy Keen, 20. finished doll quilt, 21. jelly beans complete, 22. bad lighting, 23. Doll Quilt Swap 3, 24. The front of doll quilt for swap III, 25. A little birdie told me…, 26. DSC_0156, 27. catquilt 66 - Jasmine, 28. Doll Quilt Swap 3, 29. doll quilt, 30. Doll Quilt Swap 4 FINISHED!, 31. Alphabet Quilt, finished, 32. Dotty Finished, 33. DQS4 In the mail today!, 34. DQS4 Quilt Received, 35. DQS4 received!, 36. DQS4 Received

Back to crafting now - this quilt is a customer order. The design is based on stickers design. I used their shape as a starting point as this quilt will complement the stickers placed on the wall. This was a nice one to work with - bright colours and clean look. I enjoyed the applique process and could not stand the embellishment options, so I added a bit of embroidery design on a flower and a little cute lady bug flying around the flowers.

This quilt make me whip some similar doll quilt to hang on my wall. Maybe, some day after the holiday season I will. I can write it down in my list now - it is too long already.

My first swap was amazing! I really enjoyed Doll Quilt Swap 4 and I learned a lot with all these fantastic quilts and talented quilters there - gorgeous quilt, brilliant ideas, interesting techniques.

I signed for the next round too!!! You can hardly imaginе how happy I am - check here to see why.

It will be a fast swap with little time for preparing and sending the quilt, but I am sure it will be a fun one again.

I have a week to work on other projects before I start working on this swap. Plus I have two other swaps waiting and a lot of Christmas and gifts sewing meanwhile. I do have e long list of waiting projects. Hopefully they will in the completed projects list soon and I will be able to post some pictures here.

This quilt is a wedding one too. It was a custom order wedding gift.

Piecing the bright top was a real pleasure. I was lucky to have all this colours around me in a dark week, which was quite stressful too. I had to design and make it in a hurry so I proposed a simple layout. The customers had clear idea of the desired style and look, so it was great to work on this project and I did feel lucky to work on such a bright and almost provocative quilt.

I like the mix of small scale, large scale prints, solids and abstract prints. I think it turned out quite cheerful and warm quilt. It was supposed to be full of colours energy and joy, and I think it is. Hopefully the recipients feel the same way.