My First Swaps of 2010

My Quilted Table Yahoo Group is having it's first swap of the new year--a candle mat swap with a St. Patrick's Day theme! Can't wait to get my swap partner and get started on this one. Every swap I've done with them, I've received beautifully made gifts for my table, and some little extras, too. Plus, every month on the Group, a free pattern is posted and members are "Challenged" to make it up. By the end of the year, we should have 12 gifts already made for holiday giving. Great idea, eh?

Kathleen at Welcome to My World is hosting a fun swap. This is a new idea to me and I love it--The swap is called “The No Sew Block Swap”. You pick a 12-inch block from Quilter's Cache; cut it the out nine times-once for each member of your group, send them off to Kathleen, she swaps them out, and you receive 9 different blocks back. Then YOU do all the sewing. That way all your seam allowances will be the same and you can put the 9 blocks together any way you like. What a great idea! Stop in and check it out. She has 2 colorations going. I chose the Pink/Green/White Swap.

On another note, have you visited with Karen over at Sew Many Ways? She posts a tip every Tuesday on how we can use ordinary hardware store items in our quilting and crafting. Instead of buying some of the expensive tools that we crafters think we need, she shows us how to use realtively inexpensive items from hubby's toolkit (or our fav hardware store) to do the same thing for lots less! She has wonderful ideas, so it's worth your time to check out her archives.

I stopped over at Bunny Hill Designs today, and Anne has a new BOM for us this year called Snowbound. It looks like it will be as charming as last year's BOM, with more great snowmen to applique or embroider.

Bird Brain Designs has posted their last Freebie Tea Towel for the series of 12 for 2009....they started with a February Valentine's design. So far I've saved them all, but only have July done. Enjoy this cute little snowman to cheer up the long winter days! Plus they're having a huge sale on retired patterns--and they have some lovely ones that will tempt you, for sure.

Until next time....
Happy Quilting from Sharon and Katie