Back in September I participated in a few mini quilt swaps. You guys know how much I love those! They were all super strict and themed, and I loved making each and every piece. Sometimes guidelines are just what I need.

The first of the mini quilt swaps due that month was one where you were only to use Heather Ross fabric. My partner just happened to be one of the other Sewing Party quilting contributors and friend, Christopher (the Tattooed Quilter). This made it way more fun!!

I knew he liked triangles and flying geese, so I designed a quilt that featured numerous sized flying geese and allowed to do some fussy cutting.

I had to get a bunch of fabric printed off Spoonflower using Heather Ross’ print book because I only had pink and yellow prints and I needed more blues. Using the book allowed me to scale some of the designs to fit the triangles perfect. Others I left be just because I don’t believe everything should be perfect and center ALL the time.

I may have gone a little photo crazy with this one! I just couldn’t stop taking photos.

I always like to add a few little extra’s here and there when I send my mini’s off. I prefer handmade little somethings over store bought ones just because that’s who I am.

This time I went a whole extra step and designed Christopher an embroidered zipper pouch using his logo as the centerpiece! I believe this is my favorite extra to date!

I also took a few photos of this because I was just so excited about it!

The package has since arrived (like two months ago) and it seemed like the recipient was just as excited about it, which made it all worth it!!

So of course when a certain friend of mine who really loves Halloween suggested I host a Halloween swap, I said “GREAT IDEA!”

We called it the Trick or Treat Mini Quilt Swap, and had around 108 participants sign up in only 12 hours! Crazy, right? I had to turn off the submission form because I didn’t want to overwhelm myself the first time hosting one of these.

Something different I tried out with this swap was taking on brand new swappers! I thought everyone should have a chance to do a swap, and I didn’t mind helping everyone along.

That brings me to today’s tutorial. It’s a bit different than most of my sewing tutorials, since there isn’t any sewing involved, but I promise it’s useful!

How to Make a Square Photo Mosaic Specifically for Viewing on Instagram:

A lot of swaps require a mosaic of your favorite quilts or projects. Usually they include around 2-6 photos and they are meant to help your partner design something for you. Without a mosaic, they may make you something that just isn’t “you”. No one wants that.

First step is to actually find the photo’s you like! I like searching the hashtags #miniquilt #quilts #patchwork #quilting #miniquiltswap etc etc etc. You can also search more specific types of quilts like #halloweenquilt or #hexagonquilt or #trianglequilt. It all depends on what you are looking for!

Now if you are searching on Flickr, Pinterest or Blogs you can easily right click and save a photo. If I do this, I also write down the person who made the quilt so I can give credit later!

Things gets a little trickier on Instagram. There is no right click function. The way to capture a photo on IG is to “screen shot” it. Its where you basically take a photo of whatever is on your phones screen at that exact moment. Each phone is different and I wont get in to it with each model. I will tell you how to screen shot on an iPhone and a Samsung Galaxy S6, since we have those in the house. (Apple vs. Android is a an ongoing joke around here btw) It seems both are the same process: Hold down the home button/middle button and the lock button at the same time. Your screen should flash and if your sound is on, you will hear a clicking sound. The photo will automatically save in your camera roll.

These photo will still be in their raw form and have all the words, time, battery life, etc all around it. There is no need to edit them though, the next step should do it for you!

For the actual mosaic positioning I like to use the app Diptic. I’ve tried loads of apps, and this one just seems to work the way I need it to. It comes with a whole pile of different layouts that you can edit, AND allows you to slightly edit the photos so they all look nice together. So it’s like a two in one deal. However there may be another one out there that fits your taste better. I’m sorry I can’t cover all of them…

I start by opening the app and choosing the layout I like.

Double click on a the box you want to fill first. This should bring you to your camera roll and photos. Choose the photo you like and zoom in until all you see is the quilt or project you want to include.

Repeat this step for all the empty boxes. Double clicking on each one.

Now if you need to slightly edit a photo, this is the time to do so! just tap on a photo and the edit function will pop up. As you can see, there are many options here.

Once you are happy with your layout, hit the Publish button in the top right corner. Choose the size you would like (For this I choose the largest, so it doesn’t degrade everyone’s beautiful work)

Now you would just upload it to InstaGram the exact same way you would any other photo. Make sure to give credit to any photos you use! A lot of quilters sell their patterns or have tutorials on their blogs. So this way anyone who sees your mosaic, especially your partner,will know exactly how to make each piece. If you forgot who made what, go back to your camera roll and look at the screen shots!!

This is also the right place to tag your Swap Mama or use the hashtag that goes along with your swap. It helps everyone keep track of everything this way!

This was tutorial was a new concept to me, so if I missed anything, or you have more questions, just comment below or email me.

Happy Swapping Everyone!

However, I couldn’t say no to this one! It was a themed mini quilt swap where you were to use mostly Alison Glass fabric. Of course I couldn’t say no, I have a lot of her fabric on hand. Easy Peasy.

The mini itself was mostly hand sewn using custom hexagon pieces I designed. There are several sizes and even though this layout wasn’t my original plan, it still came out really neat. I used fabric from numerous Alison Glass lines along with black chambray for the binding and backing (don’t worry, I’m almost out of that stuff, so you wont see it AS much soon). I also tried out some hand quilting details around the hexagon edges. It’s not perfect, but I am getting more comfortable with the process.

For extra goodies I went mostly handmade this time. I made two zipper pouches that matched the mini quilt using leftover fabric and, you guessed it, more black chambray.

I also stitched up a little fabric hexagon bowl. It’s my new favorite thing to make and I plan on adding it to every swap I do from now on. Fabric bowls are useful! Where else will you put your spare change? or bobbins? or rings? or anything else tiny you like to move around? I wish I had taken a better photo of it though!! I guess I’ll just have to wait to share a photo of the next bowl, for the next swap, which is due this week…

As with all the other swaps I do, this was a lot of fun! I love love making stuff for others, and it’s even more fun when the surprise aspect is added.

Oh and I’ll share the package I received later this week!

This one was called the Nerds Craft it Better Swap / #nerdscraftitbetter, and it was a crafty swap, not just a mini quilt swap. My partner had a bunch of similar taste in nerdy stuff, so it wasn’t too hard to figure out what to make.

I hand pieced a simple Thor using one of Crafty Geeks epp patterns. I went subtle with the fabrics for a slightly different look. The end piece measured around 7″x8″ because I cut wrong the first time I was squaring it up. I think the slightly rectangular shape makes it look more like a framed portrait!

My partner likes to knit, so I made her three different nerdy project bags using In Color Order’s Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial. It’s seriously one of my go to patterns now.

The first one was made using some Marvel themed fabric I bought at Joann Fabrics. My partner liked Thor best, so I made sure to put him front and center.

The second bag was Harry Potter themed and showcased an appliqued Deathly Hallows symbol on top of some black chambray.

The last bag was Sherlock themed! I used some Sherlock inspired wallpaper I bought from pennydesign’s Spoonflower shop. It was the perfect scale for this pouch and the plain design allowed me to hand paint the big yellow smiley face

In true swap fashion, I also included some extras! Just a few because I am so picky and can never pick out what to send!! There was the Game of Thrones puzzle and some Harry Potter themed gummies. Man, I really need to get better at picking out these goodies!!!

My partner has already received the package, and it seems like she loved it! It was a lot of fun to make, and I can’t wait for the next swap!!

This last one was a Studio Ghibli themed craft swap. So it wasn’t just quilts, it was any type of craft. Well, almost any. The partner you are assigned does have a preference. I’m lucky mine likes mini quilts. If you are unfamiliar with anything Ghibli, then I recommend reading up on it a bit. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation film studio that has some of the best animated films out there (in my personal opinion, and apparently many others too). They created such films as Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, etc etc. I 100% recommend you go and watch every single film they’ve made, if you havent already.

Anyway, for this swap I focused mainly on the film My Neighbor Totoro. My partner listed it as one they loved, and it fit best with their favorite fabrics and colors. Even though this should have been an easy make for me, I struggled. I couldn’t pin down just one idea. I had TOO MANY IDEAS! I put off working on the quilt until I made up my mind. In the meantime I made a little soot sprite brooch that you can read about a few posts back. So I wasn’t slacking completely.

I went out of town twice late Feb and early March, and then came home to the entire family being sick. So there was no time for any making for three whole weeks. Once everything got back to normal I went into panic mode and quickly picked out one of the designs I had come up with. It was a simple applique design of leaves around a hole that Totoro could peek out of.

To accomplish this look, I drew all the leaves by hand in a 5″ square. I then scanned in the doodle and enlarged it to 18″ square in illustrator. I also did a quick outline of Totoro and divided up all the pieces I’d need. I did this early in the morning before CT woke up, so instead of using my Silhouette CAMEO like usual, I decided to iron on the double sided fusible interfacing, print out templates, trace everything and cut out all the fabric by hand quietly. I miss doing that sometimes (not TOO often though).

The first part I pieced together was Totoro since that’s basically the bottom layer. I used a Corelle plate and traced a circle on the black and white fabric as my circle guide. I then did a reverse applique to get that perfect circle cut out (detailed instructions will have to wait until a later date) I made another circle 1/2″ bigger and attached my totoro applique to that. I then glue basted the two pieces together just so I could get a feel for the whole thing.

I pretty much just eyeballed the placement of the leaves, using my original sketch as a guide. I ironed them on in quadrants. Once they were all secured I attempted to hand embroider around all the edges. Lets just say it was the worst idea Ive had in a long time!! After a bunch of cussing and pulling out thread, I decided to do a machine blanket stitch around each piece using a dark mustard thread. Even though it was faster than by hand, it still took me a few hours to finish (broken up in two days of course).

Once all of the applique work was finished, I quilted it up using invisible thread on the front and the same mustard thread on the back. I did 45 degree angled stitches on each corner, so it overlapped on the middle sides. I then did a simple straight line stitch in the circle and then around the applique to permanently secure it. Can I just say how much I’m loving invisible thread for these projects? In certain light you can hardly see any stitches at all!! It’s awesome.

To finish the piece off I bound it in some black chambray and hand painted the eyes, whiskers and mouth (using fabric safe paint of course).

Since it was a swap, and all, I also added a few goodies in the package! A beautiful card I picked up at Disney World that would make a great framed print, the Soot Sprite brooch I made, some japanese sweets and a pile of Lizzy House fabric scraps (some from the new and yet to be released line).

I really loved working on this piece, and it really made me realize I LOVE making themed quilts. LOVE IT! If I sign up for anymore swaps (in addition to the other two im working on), they are going to be themed, period.

Whew, I think thats it! Everything was sent out two days ago, and it doesn’t look like my partner has received it yet. I’ll let you know what he/she thinks once they receive it. I also haven’t received my package yet, so expect another post talking all about that!!!!

My partner, who was also named Jessica, received her package this past weekend and by the comments she left on my instagram account, it seemed like she LOVED it! It was completely out of my comfort zone since her favorite fabrics and colors are not something I normally buy. I didn’t mind that though, since it forced me to step out my comfort zone. How else am I to grow creatively if I just keep making the same thing over and over again?

I had the flu and then pneumonia during the time I was supposed to be working on this, so I decided to go the hand sewn route as much as I could so I could rest AND work at the same time.

I went with a simple hexagon cluster using 2″ hexies (that means one side is 2″) and hand stitched them all together. The fabric I used was the line Miss Kate by my partner’s favorite designer Bonnie and Camille (for Moda Fabrics). Then I went through my fabric stash and picked out all the white and light beige neutrals I could find to piece together the background. I could have just used a fat quarter, but I thought it needed more texture than that.

I used an invisible thread to applique the hexagon cluster to the background and then straight line stitched the entire thing with beige thread.

It’s funny to say, but my absolute favorite part of this project was the binding. I loved how a random scrap piece I threw in just happened to end up right at the corner! A happy little accident.

As with every swap I do, I added in a few little handmade extras. This time I included all of the leftover scraps from the Miss Kate fabric, plus some coordinating pieces. Then I made a marine grade vinyl pouch with a cute little hexagon flower appliqued on. Lastly I added some handmade quilt inspired jewelry and accessories.

It all went over very well, and as Ive said before these swaps just make me want to sign up for a whole bunch more!

Luckily I’m not too crazy and I’ve only signed up for three due in the next four months. I have some trips coming up, plus projects for Silhouette (and some other companies), and a few other obligations. So I knew my limit. Keep an eye out here if your interested in seeing what I make!!!

If you are unsure of what I’m talking about then let me explain. I signed up for this swap back in November i believe, possibly October. I filled out a form with all my information (name, address, email, social networking names, etc) and a list of what I like, dislike, allergies and more. Then Kristi goes through everyones applications and tries to match them with someone who has sort of similar taste. I then get sent a email with my secret partners name and all of her information from the form. The partner I receive is not the one who will be making a quilt for me, that way its all secret like. Then you have two-three months to stalk your partner and make them something you think they will love! It’s a lot of fun, in my opinion.

If you like the idea of this too, let me know. I can post a list of interesting swaps on the blog here every so often!

Anyway…

The quilt I made hasn’t been delivered yet. I had to wait until last minute to send it due to the flu, pneumonia (again) and icy roads. I’ll share photos after its been received though!

However I received my package from Jess P., of Sew Jess Handmade a few days ago (she was so on the ball) She was super awesome and sent me TWO mini quilts!! how sweet is that? TWO! She used my list of likes and dislikes to design these two pieces (hint: I really really dislike the color red!). Jess also made CT an adorable little zipper pouch, which she grabbed and ran off with. CT looks forward to these swap packages as much as I do these days.

Jess also included a nice pile of scraps that included some prints that I’ve been looking for, a mini charm pack of black and white fabric and matching post it note pads.

As always I am blown away by the work that goes into the pieces I receive. Every quilt swap I do makes me want to do several more! It’s been great meeting new quilters, networking with other swap members, and it helps me step outside my comfort zone (which you will see when I post the mini I made!!)

Thank you again Jess!!!!

I wanted to try something new and different for this swap, because you know, I HAD to! I’ve seen many Doctor Who inspired quilts and I really wanted my partner to have something a little different. So I opened up EQ7 and designed a ROUND mini quilt. It was a bit different AND it helped feed my urge to sew more curved seams.

I printed out my pattern as a template, which was a first for me. I’ve never pieced using a bunch of separate templates. I’m use to paper piecing or basic shape piecing. I loved the outcome, but I’m not sure if I’m sold on the technique yet. I’ll keep trying though, because maybe the timing just wasn’t right. haha.

Anyway, back to the mini quilt… It is 16″ across and I used fabrics found in my stash, with the exception of the Tardis. I had to order some Kona Cotton in Royal for that piece. I used my Silhouette Cameo and some Sewable Interfacing to make the applique, and some Dark Fabric Tshirt Heat Transfer for the Police Box sign. I am in love with the way the Tardis came out!

I wanted to go the next step and personalize the quilt with my partners name in Gallifreyan (the language of the Time Lords/The Doctor). I downloaded a “translator” and uploaded the image into my embroidery software. I then embroidered it onto the quilt at a random spot on the bottom left corner. I was so excited about this part, well, until I posted about it on Instagram and was kindly told it wasn’t written correctly!!!! It was embroidered with several layers of lines so removing it would most likely ruin that section of the quilt. I was upset, but figured it would make for a funny story when I wrote this blog post! I even wrote my swap partner a little note explaining it all.

After the embroidery fiasco, I went ahead and quilted it all just using straight lines that radiate from the “name” using the same thread.

I then bound the entire piece using bias cut binding, that was hand sewn on the back. It’s the same binding I used on the Quilted Table Topper from last week. I just loved it on that piece so much, I had to use it again. It’s perfect!

I felt awful about the incorrect name on the quilt, so I went ahead and tried another a more reputable translator and went through the process again. This time I just made a super mini quilt and bound it like any other piece. I’m still not sure if the name is right, but I figured the effort would be well received? maybe?

I also included a Tardis pin, a Tardis topped pen and a  reversible Weeping Angels Necklace I found online. The necklace is super neat! One side is the angel covering it’s eyes, the other side is all evil like. Ugh, I am not a fan of those angels!

My partner received her package over the weekend, and it seems like she really loved it! It was so much fun to make and I love any reason to step outside my creative comfort zone. If another one of these swaps ever comes up again, I’m totally signing up ASAP!

The super awesome Rae of Rae’s Making It organized this brilliant swap, and lucky me, she was also the one who got my name!!!

I received a package in the mail this past Saturday STUFFED with what you see above and more.

First there was the AMAZING mini quilt that featured the very memorable scene from the “Silence in the Library” episode. She free hand appliqued the loose skull in the astronauts outfit, AND to top it off she free motion quilted “Who turned off the lights?” over and over again in the background. It’s so well done, I’m beyond impressed.

On the question-ere, I mentioned that I my favorite Doctor Who villain is the Daleks. I have a Dalek toy army I’ve been collecting for almost a decade now. It use to be harder to find the toys, but because of the shows growing popularity, I’m able to buy them more often. Rae ran with this and made me my own unique watercolor and embroidered Dalek to add to my collection. I had watched her make it through Instagram and was so happy its now mine!

Also included in the package was a one of a kind watercolor done by Rae placed in a super cute metal frame. It’s already sitting with my Tardis collection! (yes, I know, I have too many collections!) There was also a Cyberman bust that included a tiny book (that will go great with my tiny Tardis book), a comic book inspired Doctor Who mug, a nice pile of cute fabric and a paint your own nutcracker kit for CT (that she ran off with right away).

I am beyond grateful for everything that was in the box. This was such a neat swap and I would totally do it again.

Oh and I’ll totally share what I made for my partner once she receives it. I was a few days late mailing it, so I may have to wait until next week.

It’s very “ME”. She used all of my favorite fabrics and used my favorite colors. There’s no red in sight too!! (I’m not very fond of red for some reason) Karla also included so many super awesome goodies! There was extra fabric from the quilt by my favorite designer, plus a charm pack of Kona cotton (another favorite)! There was a lanyard with tiny scissors, perfect for clipping tiny threads. There was a handmade apple pincushion, that CT is trying to steal becauses shes not convinced its actually a pincushion. She believes its a “snow white toy apple”. Then there is the two drawstring bags that WERE made for CT! She took them right after I shot this photo and filled them up right away with Lalaloopsies. She has also commissioned me to make “A LOT MORE!”

I feel spoiled. This has been my favorite swap to date and I will totally be signing up for the next one. Actually it’s made me want to sign up for loads of different swaps. It’s a fun new experience of making stuff for a specific person, not making something, adding it to the shop and crossing your fingers someone will want it.

Next up, a kids bow swap, because a 4 year old girl can never have too many bows.