September finish! Bonus gifts

As I Spy quilts are my current quilting obsession and have been for over two years, I occasionally host I Spy swaps. I'm just wrapping up my 5^th. During the 4^th, there was a shipping mishap. Two of the ladies affected by the mishap chose to stay in my current swap, even though the problem was completely my fault. I decided to make them each something extra to ship with their swap #5 goodies. I am pleased to say that in both cases, their lost packages did eventually arrive, but I am going to send them the extras anyway, mostly to show my appreciate in their sticking with me.

 I have had more communication with one lady (Colorado) than the other (Nebraska). Colorado is also very active on Flickr and does a lot of swaps, so I've seen several of her inspiration boards and have a bit of an idea of what she likes. Since I know she likes seasonal stuff and has a sense of whimsy, I made her this mini. It's from a pattern by Juliet of The Tartan Kiwi. I love it, and I plan to make one very similar for myself. The fabric is a little too directional for someone fairly new to paper piecing like me, but I'm pleased with it just the same.

I have very little information about Nebraska. Her flickr posts are only what she is submitting for I Spy swaps, and we've only communicated a little. So I made her a pouch. I figured pouches were fairly safe and liked by most people. This one is a boxy pouch from a youtube tutorial by The Crafty Gemini.

Finishing these bonus gifts was my mystery goal for September's A Lovely Year of Finishes. (I was number 78.)

Finished! I Spy Strip Quilt

While most of my I Spy obsession has gone into 5” squares, I cut a 2 ½ inch strip when I have just a little bit of leftover.  I’ve done a few Jelly Roll Race quilts with these leftover bits, but I’ve been looking for other options.  I saw a jelly roll quilt on display at one of my local quilt shops, and I sketched out a variation that I thought would work out for I Spy strips.

This is what I ended up with.  The solids are Kona Pond and Kona Pool. (That they are both water-related words was just a fun coincidence!)  This is an instance where I liked what was in my head better than what I produced, but I’m hoping it will make some kid happy. 

As a side note, I took this project with me in the piecing stages to a recent Project Linus meeting. There was a new participant there that night who had her 2 daughters with her—about to enter 1^st and 5^th grades (I think).  The girls, Samantha and Summer, came over to watch what I was doing and I had them tell me which strip to add next, so much of the order was decided by them. 

This was on my Q3 list for the Finish Along hosted by Adrianne.  Original project name was “2 ½ inch strip I Spy Quilt.”  Original goal list here.  

September Goal--It's a Mystery!

I am currently hosting an I Spy Strip swap, and several of my participants have done previous swaps with me.  In the last swap, I had a bit of a snafu.  I want to send something extra to the 2 ladies affected by the snafu. 

One of them I know a little better, so I'm making her a mini quilt.  I don't know the preferences of the other lady as well, so I'm thinking pouches, as they seem safe.  My September goal is to finish these extras.  I should be mailing about the end of September, so I should be able to post photos of the finished projects.

Linking up with Shanna and Melissa for A Lovely Year of Finishes.