Monday, May 05, 2008

When it Rains it Pours!

We did get a little rain today - good for getting back to work, but the real downpour was of swap quilts in my mailbox!

The first from Eggmoney as part of the Doll Quilt Swap III. (See more photos of the swap here and the one I sent here.) The hand quilting is fabulous and this is definitely a block I need to play around with myself in the future! Thanks so much!

The second from Floribunda as part of the spring round of the Four Seasons Swap. (See more photos here and the one I sent here.) The colors are wild and I love the appliqued flowers that look like they were cut from one of the fabrics. It already has a place on my sewing room wall. Thanks so much for this one, too!

I am working on two more small swap quilts - just cut up some thrifted butterfly curtains tonight for one. Photos to come.

This last photo is of a Marimekko pillow I bought while my weekend visitor from Moscow was doing some serious damage buying gifts for his mom and sister in the US. I've been admiring this Mökki pattern since last summer when a huge piece of the red version was hanging in the shop window in Vaasa. I think the green looks good with my couch and the quilt hanging above it. (Note the sun reflecting off the water at 9 something this evening in the background! I might have to start posting more middle of the night photos again soon!)

Just remembered one thing to add to this post - before I left for England, I sent off this little gift to a friend for her birthday, but I didn't want to post a photo before she got it. There's a long (and not so interesting) story behind my need to make her a bathmat (I have no idea if she needed or wanted a bathmat) to do with a failed Martha Stewart craft project many moons ago. Anyway, her cat, Sisu (a good Finnish cat living in Washington, DC), seems to have bonded with this bathmat made of vintage Finnish terrycloth samples. It matches the one I made for myself last year.

10 comments:

Nines said...

Love the bathmat- what a cool idea. I'll need to try that. John thanks you for the kind comment! We had a little geography lesson on where, exactly, Finland is to be found!

I just love your flower pots!!! I am going to go out to the quilting room, right now and see if I can't come up with something similiar! Thanks for the inspiration!

Kate North said...

Well, what a nice collection of pieces today - both given and received. Looking forward to seeing pics of the other little quilts you are working on!

Tonya Ricucci said...

both those little quilts are marvelous - very fun. your living room is beautiful - that pillow is marvelous. oooh, Sisu, darling kitty.

Clare said...

I love love the second one and that house fabric. I wonder????????

jovaliquilts said...

Such wonderful stuff! Wow! Floribunda's quilt is great, and the house pillow is awesome. I have a thing for houses, and that is just wonderful. What a delightful apartment you must have!

Anonymous said...

Love Floribunda's quilt, although she got as good as she gave. Where can I sign up for the quilt swop, I'd love to be a part of it.

Rosalyn Manesse said...

I love the pillow, especially.

sewkalico said...

Lovely cushion, gorgeous cat, fantastic mail and even better views from your window!

Mary Johnson said...

These are so cute and make me want to do another doll quilt myself.

The pillow is just perfect!

Unknown said...

That pillow is beautiful.