I've got about five minutes before I gotta leave to pick my little guy and my husband up from the park, so I'm gonna make this quick. Another swap I signed up for that recently ended was the Around the World Craft Swap. I'd heard from people that craft swaps aren't always the best for sewists to sign up for, but, luckily, I had a really good experience with this one.
I decided to make something useful to send to my partner, so I made a Sew Together Bag (you can read more about what I thought of the pattern here). My partners favorite place is London, so my package had a London theme. In addition to the bag, I included an "I Love London" key chain, a leather scissors case, a special little wood doll (not pictured here, but you can scroll down to see her), and a postcard from a place I like to visit in Southern California (where I grew up).
I decided to make something useful to send to my partner, so I made a Sew Together Bag (you can read more about what I thought of the pattern here). My partners favorite place is London, so my package had a London theme. In addition to the bag, I included an "I Love London" key chain, a leather scissors case, a special little wood doll (not pictured here, but you can scroll down to see her), and a postcard from a place I like to visit in Southern California (where I grew up).
The front of the bag is hand-embroidered with a line drawing of famous London sights. I used my sewing machine to add the name "London" underneath in red thread. I think it looks so cool against the navy blue background.
The back of the bag has a whole line of "London"s from top to bottom. My machine did these so fast, but it really adds a neat detail.
On the inside I used some "I Love London" fabric I got from Hawthorne Threads. For the zipper pockets I used three different colors: dark blue, light blue, and white. I like the idea of being able to keep track of what is in each pocket this way.
As a last-minute addition, I made a little wooden doll of the Queen of England. I modeled her outfit on this picture here. She's got a partial crossover dress with buttons at the side, black gloves, and a simplified pill-box-style hat made from wool felt. It's a simple doll, but the perfect way to round out the extras for a London theme.
I finished my swap package a while ago, but put off sending it for so long that I received my own package first. When I signed up for the swap, I put that Australia is my number one favorite place (though of course I've never been). Here is what my partner sent me with that in mind.
In the package was a foundation paper pieced mini quilt of a koala (my most favorite animal ever, though she didn't know it), a zippered pouch, Australian-style licorice, and even a book and animal figurines for my little guy (which reminds me. My five minutes are up). The details are amazing, but, since I'm out of time, I'll have to let the pictures speak for themselves. So take a look.
