One of the reasons I do so many swaps is to motivate and challenge me to try new things. A lot of the cross stitch patterns in my shop came about because of swaps and lately I have been using it to push myself more with sewing.
CraftingCon is a sewing based competition with different nerdy themes. There was a swap on the Facebook group and I couldn’t resist signing up. My partner loves Alice in Wonderland and I was right in the middle of my Tsum Tsum cross stitch madness and decided to make an Alice pattern. I wasn’t sure what to make, but when Faith from Sarana Ave posted a tutorial on making a little notebook cover I decided to try that out. Faith actually lives nearby and our kids played and she helped me with the pockets and with putting in the snaps.
I included a Moleskein notebook and a Pilot FriXion pen*. FriXion pens are erasable, but they’re thermo-sensitive ink so it’s perfect for sewing. You can mark on fabric and then the heat of the iron removes the marks, it’s magic!
I also included yet another hexagon needlebook, I just can’t stop. A few years ago I got an adorable Japanese cross stitch book from Mitsuwa, a Japanese marketplace nearby. There are a few different Alice in Wonderland patterns that are tiny and perfect for a needlebook! I stitched up the White Rabbit, I love little projects like this because they go so fast.
My partner was Courtney from the Wholesome Mama and she absolutely knocked it out of the park with her package, I love it all. I had no idea what to expect because I gave such an incredibly long list of nerdy things that I like. She picked out this super adorable Marvel superhero pattern and made a clutch, needlebook, and sandwich wraps. The fabric is amazing, I love little angry Hulk.
I have vowed to take a break from swaps for awhile and focus on projects for myself and the girls, (I’m currently making them quilts after I abandoned Evie’s previous blanket I was working on) but getting packages like this reminds me while I love swaps so much!
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