Patterns to Try | Treasure Pouch || Bee

If you saw my posts with all the items in my Dropcloth Samplers @dropcloth Advent calendar, you may remember that I received five exclusive embroidery samplers. I already shared about my word of the year sampler, and next up was the little bee.

Of course it was a fun little (3") one to stitch, but I'm also super pleased with how it turned out. Sharing that I was debating what to do with it, my friend Yvonne @quiltingjetgirl suggested something honey-related, like a little bag to hold thread conditioner for my embroidery. I'm not a super consistent user of thread conditioner, but I liked the idea of a little bag very much, use TBD.

Though I'd made my share of drawstring bags in the past, I was drawn to the shape and size of the Treasure Pouch by Larisa Shurupov @stitchingnotes, so purchased the pattern. I ended up scaling the template to 110% to allow for seam allowances around the embroidery.

Using a pretty little floral fabric from Folk Song by Anna Maria Horner (now Parry) for the exterior back, lining, and casing, the tiny pouch measured just 3" wide by 4" tall, including casing. I'm thinking it will hold my thread conditioner and thimble (and needles?) in my embroidery pouch, and that's about it. 

Maybe I should have used the full size of the sampler for my pouch, but then again, it's pretty darn cute the way it is.

So that was a super satisfying little make, finished off with a bit of hand-stitched top-stitching. And it's given me the idea that I may be able to use other of my smaller samplers to make treasure bags. Time will tell.

Quilt-Alongs, Swaps, & Bees

One of the main reasons I started blogging was to join the online quilting community in a fuller sense. Right away, I jumped in quilt-along-ing with Block-a-palooza, Socken, and later, Supernova, which in itself was a profound quilting experience. Now, I am eager to start Kaleidoscope next week, with prints from my stash.

Mostly Denyse Schmidt Fairground, with a Katie Jump Rope plaid,
Amy Butler Lotus dots, Michael Miller Ta Dot, & Cloud Nine Nature Walk.
A prized piece of Flea Market Fancy Green Dot is on its way to round out the collection.

I ventured into the swap arena with safe, low-commitment SewSara's Scrap Swap and  A Little Fabric, A Little Chocolate {Swap!}. They were fun, and gave me the confidence to join Gen X Quilters' Spoonflower Swap, with its slighty higher {read: custom fabric} stakes, and flickr's Scrapbuster Swap, where we'll swap modern Scrappy Depression blocks like these . . .

photo credit: JulieFrick on Flickr

And I confess, when I started blogging, I had high hopes to eventually join a quilting bee. And that I have, just this week! The [3 X 6] Sampler Quilt Mini Bee seems a perfect 'first bee.' I can hardly wait to be assigned to a hive next week.

So. Progress is being made. Quilts are being created. Community is being built. Fun is being had. I've made some bloggy friends, who I enjoy sharing progress and ideas {and life} with. I find great inspiration in seeing the work of my fellow quilters, and I'm learning some things. All in all, it's a good thing.