Swapaholics Retreat :: The Secret Sister Gifts I Made

You saw my amazing gifts from my secret sister, and now I’m excited to share what I made my secret sister, Tiffany @loisanddot. First, I’m going to show you the Sadie tote {PDF pattern available here}. I have been wanting to remake this pattern for a long time, and since Tiffany wanted a simpler tote bag, with lots of pockets, it was perfect.

One of my favorite features to add to bags are adjustable sides. The original Sadie tote had D-rings, but I thought some cute bows would be perfect for this version. The print is Maker by Art Gallery Fabrics, and I used it for the lining too {it may be my new favorite low volume…and I might have a few more yards on the way!}.

I also found this cute New York charm at Hobby Lobby, since Tiffany lives in Florida, I thought it would be neat to have a bit of NY in her bag!

And here’s a closeup of the front too. I moved the zipper from the original pattern to give it a bright detail and I love it! I really want to make one just like this for me next!

I also did a little embroidery hoop for Tiffany because she’s recently got a job as an art teacher! I had a lot of fun stitching up her name on some white linen.

I finished the hoop like I usually do {find the tutorial here}, but since it was a bit too tall for the easel, I added a dowel across the back so it would have somewhere to rest.

Since Tiffany loves tea, I also made her a little mug rug using some Liberty of London fabrics, of course, this is the one thing I forgot to take a full picutre of. But I had a great time hand quilting it!

I also gave her the Curvy Top Pencil Pouch I made {free pattern here!} a couple weeks ago. Again, since she loves art and drawing, it was the perfect addition to some colored pencils!

And then, you’ve already seen the wonky star pincushion I made her. I actually had initially planned to give this to her last, so I showed a photo of it on Instagram, forgot about it, and gave it to her first! So, I kind of revealed myself right away. But Tiffany was a good sport and kept the secret. I am glad though, that I didn’t show everything else I made on Instagram, so at least her gifts were a surprise, even if she did know they were from me!

I must say that Secret Sister was one of my favorite things about Swapaholics Retreat because it kept people connecting. Although I ended up sitting next to Stacy, who was giving gifts to me, I was all the way across the room from Tiffany, and we might not have gotten to connect had it not been prearranged. While I didn’t get a chance to talk to every single person, I came really close!

I’m planning one more post on the rest of the swaps that happened during the weekend, but again, I echo the sentiment, if you have a chance to go to a quilting retreat, do it! It may be a once in a lifetime event, but it will be worth it. The amazing community that exists between quilters on blogs and Instagram is something that has really enriched my life! I hope you feel the same way!