One of the great things about Instagram is that you can find out about lots of sewing swaps and, even though I'm not a quilter generally, I enjoy making minis for other people and stretching my skills. Most recently I finished a mini quilt for the Rainbow Mini Quilt Swap (Round 2). Among other things, my partner said she likes flying geese, so I chose that as my theme. I sewed together lots of flying geese using gray for the geese and rainbow-colored fabrics for the backgrounds. I made up my own design, arranging the smaller geese in a sort of curve around strips of the larger geese. I was going for a gradient effect and I thing it turned out pretty well.
I went simple for the quilting, but with a contrasting light gray thread, which adds just the right amount of brightness to the darker colors. The stitching for the small geese follows along with the direction of the geese to evoke a flight plan of sorts. The stitching for the larger geese goes along the top sides of the "wings" with a connecting line to one side. On the back it looks like a chevron pattern.
I went above and beyond for the backing, especially considering it isn't usually the displayed side. I carved my own rubber stamps (you can find out more about how I learned here). One is a flying goose and the other reads "flying geese" and is written in a text that reminds me of feathers and flying. The label was made on my sewing machine (I love that it can do text!). You can see the chevron quilting better here, too. Since the mini is mostly solid fabric, I decided to go with a fancier print for the binding. It's a two-tone magenta that provides a nice contrasting border but still matches the simple colors theme.
Of course, I sent some extras along with my mini. I made a stitched mini paper banner with the word "STITCH", picked a fat quarter of fabric that I thought my partner would like, bought some adorable tiny clothespins in rainbow colors, and added some Starburst candies in rainbow colors. My partner received it all and loved it! It's fun to make these minis, but it's even better to make something for someone else and have them appreciate it.
A few days after my partner got her package, I received mine from the person assigned my name. I was so excited to open it! Inside was a rainbow cross-stitch design in a hoop, a lined notebook, a tape dispenser (because you can never have too much tape), moisturizer, dark chocolate candy, and the mini quilt. My favorite part of the mini is the matchstick quilting in rainbow colors. It must have taken forever, there is so much of it!
I can't wait for the next mini swap! I've got a pouch swap I'm supposed to be working on, so you can look forward to seeing that soon. I'll also be working on lots of English Paper Piecing, which you see my day by day progress for on Instagram. I'd love to see what you're working on, too, so leave a link in the comments if you'd like to share.
