The Unexpected Gift...

Karen's Sewing Organizer

 The guild Christmas party was so much fun Tuesday night. Good

friends, tasty food and laughter filled the room. The final event of the 

evening was our gift exchange. Remember, we were asked to make a

handcrafted gift, and every single quilter delivered a fabulous creation.

 I don't know exactly what our exchange is called, but each person gets

 a number and chooses a gift in number order. They have the option to

choose something from the gift table, or "steal" an already-opened gift

that they prefer - from someone who already has one. The catch is that

a gift can only be "stolen" once. My friend, Karen chose the organiser

I made and managed to hold on to it nearly to the end. I could tell she

was disappointed when someone else stole the organizer from her.

Organizer interior

Karen and her friend, Jettie, are actually the two women (along with Kathy

and Nora) who asked me to join this quilt guild. Because of them, I have this 

talented group of friends...and I've learned techniques I never dreamed even

existed. I'm so grateful to both of them. Last year, Jettie got the pincushion I 

made, but Karen didn't get to take home the organizer. I knew then that I'd 

make another one just for her, adding a few things to improve on the original.

A sewing machine charm on the zipper pull is the finishing touch.

I woke up yesterday morning and got busy. I used the same fabric lines, but 

I added another aspect to the project...I photographed each step so that I could

write a pattern for it. I finished sewing it before the end of the day, downloaded

all the photographs into my laptop and posted a sneak peek for Karen to see.

I'll be writing the pattern today and then upload it to my Craftsy shop,

so anyone who wants to make one themselves can do so. I did fine-tune it

from the first one I made and I think it's cool that it can be stitched up

quickly. That's bonus for me. Anything that can be made as a last-minute

gift rates high on my list. I know that I'll make a few more for Christmas.

Who knows? I may even make custom pieces to sell in my Etsy shop in '14.

Now that my unexpected gift is complete, on to the next project...

Grammie's Jammies our three grandchildren for 2013!

What are you working on right now?