One of the ways
our guild has tried to stay connected during this stay-home time - in addition to our online meetings and sew-ins, and our group hashtag,
#seattlemqgsewathome - is with
a swap! The basic rules were to use supplies you had at home, and to make whatever YOU wanted to make. Then, of course, your swap gift would be sent off to your assigned (secret) recipient.
It took me SO long to decide what to make my secret swap partner,
David Owen Hasting, our guild president. Talk about pressure! David is a very gifted contemporary print + textile artist, and I must say making something for him was a tad intimidating. And unfortunately, handmade guy gifts aren't my forte. But after a while it came to me that David's passion for all things Japanese might lend a cue and I settled on making him a
Modern Japanese Rice Bag using the pattern by
@kzstevens.
The bag could be made with one piece of fabric, but I of course, chose to piece the front with a variety of fabrics and substrates, and in looking through my stash for a suitable lining, I happened upon a lovely piece by
Yoshiko Jinzenji,
Rose Petals - neutrals on gray, and it immediately helped solidify my vision for the project.
Dare I say, this was really fun - first pulling together fabrics, and then adding two small patches and stitching with #8 perle cotton. I made the original version of the pattern, which basically is a 6" cube. That doesn't sound very big, but it's actually a really nice, practical size.
I used some cording that I had on hand for the handles. I love that the view from each side of the bag is a little different, showing off the various fabrics and stitching details.
So swaps can be a little stressful, with trying to make something your partner will really like, but I think I did ok this time - once I decided what to make! And I'm glad to have finally tried this pattern. I already have some ideas for another.
