misfits hoop swap

I don't know about you - but I'm addicted to swaps. Have you ever participated in one? The first few I was in were block swaps, which are fun, but I'm now into what I like to call "finished product" swaps.

About a month ago, I found the Misfit Quilters website, and they were just starting an Embroidery Swap and, seeing how I had just started with embroidery, I decided to give it a go.  I lucked up and got someone I already knew for a partner, so it was double fun.

In the intro e-mail, Katherine said she was, "dreaming of a bike...maybe with a flower basket, or a wagon, or a tricycle, or an umbrella...Something sweet and cheerful, and something with blue and red."  So, this is what I came up with...





Katherine and I have been friends on twitter for a while and she's been in three other swaps with me (two of which she's been the mama for!) and so she knows my, um, dislike for the Pips.  (Please don't shoot!!).  She, on the otherhand, loves them, and the instant I saw her name, I knew my hoop would somehow involve Sherbet Pips despite the fact that I owned not one stitch.

Thanks to the generosity of my other twitter friends Carolyn and Selina, I didn't have to buy any fabric.  They both sent me more than enough Pips scraps to get this done.  The bike is a freebie embroidery pattern from Early Bird Special that I downloaded and then I matched up my threads to the colors in the Pips line.  And of course, one of the scraps was perfect for a little hexie, so I couldn't resist adding it.  :)

As fate would have it, Katherine had drawn my name, too.  I had asked for something whimsical and bright, and this was her take on that, with lots of fun extras.




How darling is this??  Katherine drew the design herself and included extra floss, and some neat little gadgets.  I'm particularly excited about the "Jean-a-ma-jig" as I'm hoping to do a half-square triangle quilt soon and this will help me get over those stubborn, thick seams.  That, and I didn't even know such a thing existed.  Very cool.

I have a couple more swaps in the works.  I was in a post-Sewing Summit pouch/mini swap which was mailed off on Monday and we're exchanging pot-holders at the Triad MQG meeting tonight.  I'm lucky enough to know my partner in that one, too.  Heehee!!