Swap, swapity, swap, swap, swap

So I decided to dust off the old blog today and wax on about swaps.

Hello! My name is Giedra and I think I may just be addicted to swaps. My first swap was the Schnitzel & Boo mini swap round 2 and man I LOVED it and was sad when I packed that mini up and sent it off. Sad to be done creating and IG stalking.

It's an extraordinary thing that all these people all over  the world, the whole world,  are creating for people they have never and may never meet. I poured my best efforts and heart into that little quilt. Was it perfect, Oh NO, far from it! In fact I have learned so much from taking part in all these swaps. That's the reason I even started signing up. I really wanted to push myself to learn but without a cause I was sort of aimless and kinda timid to sew for myself. Mini's seemed like just the right start!

My first mini!

 With my first swap I wanted to test out an idea I had for a larger quilt and with it I learned:

1. How to quilt, yup it was my first real machine quilted quilt
2. Bias binding and hand finishing. I used only cheater binding before (shh don't tell)
3. Glue Basting. I think its not totally for me but it's good for some things.
4. First ever lined zipper pouch (as an extra). I am now pouch obsessed.

I also learned that I still work my best when I have a deadline to meet. In collage I was never late handing in anything but I did pull a LOT of last minute night before all nighters. I'm better now but I still drag my feet on getting started and the finishing. With this in mind I signed up for not one, not two but FOUR swaps all due Dec.1st. That's right crazy lady right here.

Here is what I learned in the four swaps I just compleated:

1. I can totally bring a drawing to life!

IG mini swap

2. Hand Quilting

3. Free motion quilting

2. Flatter is awesome, mini irons not so much

3.Don't fight the machine let it work for you not you for it, seriously my quilting has grown by leaps and bounds when I figured this out.

4. Paper piecing! I love it, it's kinda like paint by numbers for fabric.

Little Quilt Swap. Cocktail Shakers pattern from the book Little Quilts by Sarah Fielke and Amy Lobsiger

5.  Sewing circles is super time consuming but not as much as tying off all the thread you get when sewing them.

Jolly Swap

It was super windy during the photo shoot

Lastly you get way better pictures on a sunny day. My only regret in not taking more photos of my IGmini swap quilt (the pink one) when it was sunny!

Now that I feel confidant to cut into some of my stash for my own quilt I swore that I was off swaps for a while but then, THEN, another Schnitzel and boo swap came up so what did I do ..yup signed up for a 6th swap without batting an eyelash. Why, Why, Why did I do that?  Well because I still have stuff to learn...and I was inspired to finally join our local Modern Quilt Guild so you know I need more project to show off there!