Secret Santa Swap!

I've been sidelined by a nasty cold and case of pink eye for the past week, but managed to eek out my Secret Santa Swap item just in the nick of time for the December 1st deadline. Now I can only hope Canada Post is speedy in delivering my package.

My swap partner is a brilliant quilter, so crafting something for her was intimidating to say the least! I wanted to make something festive, but not so Christmas-y that it couldn't be used at other times of the year. I finally decided on a quilted pillow cover using scraps from the stockings I made a while back and some plain white cotton.

The details don't show well in this photo, but the centre is a cathedral window quilt block adorned with white piping and red beads. The outside has simple diagonal quilting, and the back is a simple pocket fold made from a sturdy but unknown fabric from Switzerland. I added an ornament and card to the package, which is hopefully nearing Texas by now.

The only other non-work project I've touched in the last week is whipping up another tie t-shirt for my oldest -- his request! He managed to get ketchup on it before I snapped the photo, but I this is what is known in blogland as keepin' it real! I bought a six-pack of plain white tees and we've had a lot of fun decorating them with applique and fabric paint. Will have to dig a few of the others out of the laundry to post later.