I had a hard week and needed something to cheer me up. It came in my Inbox right on the hardest day - a Doll Quilt Swap confirmation. Yay!!! I am in! Sadly, it was not enough to make up for the hard time, but was a lovely, wonderful surprise... I had forgotten about the sign up timing at all... It might seem way too strange to be happy and announce it as news about something as simple as a swap... I know! But Doll Quilt Swap is so much than a swap and I am so happy, I am taking part in its tenth round! I need to make a mosaic, do some research, make some choices, make a quilt and than send it a stranger... And it is magical in every little detail. I felt a little nervous about this round - the 10th and the chances not to get in. It is crazy as I am too busy to make it... Yet, not making it in would feel not really good. Planning a mosaic now...

I am so happy, I can now call a fabulous event done and this pincushion public. It was an adventure to make it go to the other side of the Atlantic, but it is now done. Yay! Тwo attempts and a month the second time, but all done! I was longing to make a big one for this special lovely event and I new it will be somehow appreciated, that the scale does matter with all the pins we all keep around the machine... Its diameter is approximately 20 cm /8 "/ and yes, this is correct and big! I think I will make some more big, pin cushions for me and for presents pretty soon - maybe January LOL.

I tried to write something but it really did not feel right to steal even a single bit of the attention the pincushions, I received deserved... So here it is. Started from a sketch - lots of options, one pincushion to make... decided something special about it and had to choose one design... So after leaving it for a week or a few weeks to settle - I chose and started. It all happened pretty quickly and I had an almost ready pincushion before I was sure it is the right design... Took a picture or two... and I think it is the right design... So much my style - kind of signature pincushion. And my partner has almost my style... Will see how it will be accepted... Sewing more pincushions in the meantime...

I was procrastinating the blog post about the pincushion I am making... and it turns out I am to write of the one I received first. Yay, I did receive my pincushionS! Yay! Two! How generous is this? And how beautiful? Just imagine beauty multiplied by two! A craft paper package graced by Her Majesty's profiles... package coming from The UK looks interesting enough itself... Now imagine a few turquoise little packages in side... and two pincushions plus flat-headed pins... But wait! Mini, tiny, perfect hexies... feeling so spoiled... And did you notice the owls? On the chocolate buttons and the pincushion?  Oh, and they are both reversible! Happy me :) Well, the hexagons are unreal... OK. Now for what I have made. I sketched a few designs, choose one, started and almost finished the "top" side... and just need to back it and make it all 3D, soft and pin-inviting... I will not actually show it here... feels like stealing part of the attention the package I received deserves... These beauties were made by Isisjem. Thank you!

Here it is in its full glory. Yay, I love it. Have to make one for me. What I really love about this is, I made it using many first ideas and my DH quilting idea. Perfect combo. LOL It was pleasure to make it. I now do hope it will be liked when it arrives where it is expected to be in a week or so... Now something about the process as I have taken a pledge. It was supposed to be all solids quilt, but I added some prints to spice it up. It was supposed to be a modern take of a classic pattern - I think it is. I was about to add curly, feathery quilting but went for a spider web quilting /DH idea!/ and I think it made it sing. At least to me. Who supposed these things mentioned anove?... me..  at first. The pattern itself was the decision that took me most of the "making" time. Thought about a spider web, but they seemed to be so popular this round, it was kind of expected... It is funny my partner was to make a spider web for me and changed it seeing I was to make one... Some part of me regrets, I showed the plan, as I am sure the web would be lovely.. the other is sooo happy with the one I got! The label is not a label actually I just embroidered all the info in a sort of circle around the web. And added a sun/flower-like spider with mother-of-pearl button to add interest. The binding was the most obvious choice to me - the perfect turquoise to match the top and the sky, the web should be surrounded by...

Well, it grows in the getting more finished sense, not in size. Getting the edges sewn together and the blocks ready, makes it all so clean and ordered. Looking forward to putting the whole top together this afternoon to enjoy an even cleaner look. Spider web blocks were expected to accumulate lots of seam allowances bulk along the seams, so I am fixing this on the way. Will see how much fixing will help me quilt it smoothly. Hopefully it will make quilting way easier.

Just a few days before the deadline... it is about to appear. I do like how it is going now. By this time the top is almost finished. I am using the the very first idea, the first colours I thought about... It is a little planned, a little impulsive and looks as expected. I am not happy, I am almost late. I hope the quilt be loved though. Doll Quilt Swap emotions! More pictures on Flick in the Pool.

It is so fresh, it makes me smile! Here it is in its cheerful glory! Showing it all as I promised. Lovely prints, simplest design you could think of. But still with its special style. It is not simple squares, though the prints are gorgeous enough to make it this way juts a perfect quilt. The added cream corner adds something really special. And if you are not careful enough, you can miss the corner thing - it is so perfectly made. Being in Bulgaria and being more conservative, that I would like to be with overseas fabric purchases... I am absolutely happy to have the designer mix in this quilt on my wall. This could not be more perfect! Each little square is gorgeous! I loved the ducks, the moment I saw them, when they started popping on the blogs. The aqua flower is one of my faves, the apples are just gorgeous and I have just received a pincushion in another shade few weeks ago, the tweets.. I am still not sure what I love best of this collection.. Well, the rest is lovely too. The ones I mentioned are just the ones this some more personal story behind... And the Midwest /if I am not wrong with all the excitement... / have not noticed the yellow /I am more in orange/pink. green/brown there/ and it is lovely! Did I mention how perfect the binding is?! I realize now I have no back picture... Will fix this tomorrow. The quilt is on display now. The firs thing I see every morning heading to a big cup of tea. Thank you Linda!

When I got a call yesterday, I had a package waiting for me in the post office, I though it will be a fabrics one. Well, I found out today it was... but some of the fabrics were sewn into a lovely quilt, as I has received my Doll Quilt Swap package! It was wrapped in the most beautiful blue paper, so Dutch in style you can not mistake where it was coming from.. and checked inside! in red and white! The content itself was even more amazing, just as expected - a lovely modern quilt in great prints, lovely design and fantastic IKEA backing. I also received the cutest little chocolate. It did not make it to the picture but not because it was eaten...  I suppose it will never be... it just over the size of an SD card.. and I touched Japanese woven ribbons for the first time! I have not taken picture of the quilt itself displayed yet, as I have something on the display spot now. Will take one tomorrow. I will blog a little more about it then. It is a very, very, beautiful quilt! I am so happy to be its recipient. Thank you, Linda! I love every detail in it! The place is occupied by a cute dress I made last week for a special lady. Sorry for the blurred picture. It is partly due to insufficient light, partly due to me felling not just right to show it yet. It is not exactly Doll Quilt Swap info you might think. Actually it is - this is the reason I was not piecing and quilting on my DQS quilt last week. Starting my quilt today!

It started few weeks ago and looks like one of the most beautiful rounds... As always! I was quite unsure what to make, choosing design, pattern, fabrics, quilting type... whether to make it by hand, or machine piece and quilt it... All of these decisions are interesting, but I tend to be slow here. Especially if it is a swap thing. If it was for me, I would just grab the fabrics and start... So after a month or so of falling in love with an idea and than new ideas for something quite different... I decided to give a try to something, I wished for for quite a long time - spider web. Then I saw some webs in the pool... Any way I am finally going for a spider web - the original plan. First choices usually work. Will see how it will be now... Jumping in the Doll Quilt Swap making magic now!