The first official round of the Itty Bitty Beginner Swap just ended. The bootcamp round was just a fat quarter bundle swap. This time each person made and mailed a pincushion to their swap partner. I chose this mouse pincushion pattern on the Bustle and Sew blog. I changed it up just a bit and added a few details. The body is made from linen and the contrast fabric from quilting cotton. I made little felt feet, cut a belly shape out of the accent fabric, and stitched the ears on with a fold to give them more dimension. I think those added details are what make something really special and let people know you went the extra mile just for them. The eyes and nose are embroidered in dark gray floss, which I like better than black for this color scheme. The head is stuffed with poly-fil and the rest with pellets to make it hefty and less likely to tip over. As an "extra" (which, it seems, are pretty standard in swaps), I included a box of pins. Pincushion, pins. Right? Anyway. The mouse arrived at its new home where it is loved and appreciated by its owner. I love the way it turned out so much that I'm making a few more to sell in my Etsy shop. It's a little empty right now, but check back, cause there will be some of these coming very soon. I did the photo shoot for this little guy right before going to the post office to send it to my swap partner. The lighting was just perfect on our front deck and the mouse so photogenic! I think I went a little overboard with picture-taking. Here are just a few of the many (many, many) that I snapped that day.
Now that I have shown my creation from every angle (isn't it just adorable?), I'll show you what I got in the mail yesterday. The person assigned my name sent an awesome combination pincushion and sewing kit. There is a little pocket with scissors and another with thread and there's a built-in needle holder, too. The applique on the front is attached with the most delicate little stitches I've ever seen, and I just love the blue felt ball at the top that adds a festive touch. Along with the pincushion, she sent a bag of dark chocolate, some paper straws, two sets of gift tags, and a stack of 2.5 inch pre-cut quilting squares as extras (I think I'm going to have to step it up a bit on the extras I send next time or I'll just end up feeling guilty). I've got my new pincushion sitting on my sewing table now with plenty of pins sticking into it within easy reach. So cute!
Oh, and signups for the second round of the Itty Bitty Beginner Swap have been delayed until the end of March, but, if you are interested, contact Jayme over at Finding Sweet Land to see if you can get in on the action. Maybe you will end up being my swap partner!
