Time for a Swap Sabbatical?

I think I've become a swap addict.

Goodies received

I mean, who doesn't want a mini full of pink Heather Ross gnomes?

The Instagram community is a wonderful place for sewers, quilters, and fiber artists alike, as people talk fabric, share helpful tips and tricks, and exchange lots of goodies in the form of mini quilt swaps.

Goodies sent

I had signed up for another two exchanges months ago, much to my husband's dismay, as he knows I wait until the last minute for everything, and then become crazy for a few days trying to meet a deadline.  But I love working under pressure, provided I have plenty of coffee on hand.

And another on its way to Canada

I somehow managed to get both minis done by their respective deadlines, and I was excited to try something new for each.

The first was hosted by Sarah Fielke for her new book Little Quilts.  We were required to make a mini from the book, so I selected Drawn Together because I had never done paper piecing, aside from a pin cushion years ago.

I struggled to get all the points to match in the middle.

But it was rewarding to see it all come together.

I mixed both orange and pink stripes for the scrappy binding.

Decisions, decisions

But, due to a lack of both time and experience, I avoided hand quilting for this one and did a simple outline with my machine around all the edges.  I plan to practice my hand quilting for next time.

The second quilt was for the IG mini swap, which was international and included around 1,000 participants.

A very merry Lone Starburst in progress

I was excited to try the Lone Starburst for the first time to send to my swap partner in Canada.

I wanted it to look like the top of a Christmas tree, so I needed to add a border.  Again, I received lots of help from the IG community to successfully do this.

For now I'm on a swap sabbatical, but I have a feeling once Christmas is over, I'll be back to it.  It's hard to stay away and so fun to participate!