Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Bartering Is GOOD!

Early last spring I was going through some of my quilting UFO's and found a quilt that I had started hand quilting and it was about 25% finished. It had been sitting at that point of completion for at least 7-8 years. I knew the chances of finishing it myself were pretty slim, and it just didn't seem right to take it to a machine quilter to get the job finished after it had been started by hand. I was thinking out loud at one of my rug hooking meetings - saying how perfect it would be if I could find someone to finish the hand quilting for me - and in return I could hook them a rug. Michelle piped up and said she thought she knew just the person to do exactly that for me! I was excited! She introduced me to Sharon and we made the arrangements - I told her there was absolutely no hurry - it had been waiting for years so what did more time matter in the long run? I received my finished quilt in early December - beautifully quilted! I got the binding on and washed it right up and I love it!




I know it's not the most spectacular quilt that I've ever pieced, but it's a simple graphic design. And scrappy of course - my favorite kind. If I made this quilt today I would have thrown in several more colors to make it more interesting, but all-in-all it's still a nice one. It's a smallish queen sized quilt - I wish now that I'd added borders when I was piecing it.







I made this lighthouse rug in return - a pattern that Sharon found on the cover of an old issue of Create & Decorate. The rug measures about 24" square. I put lots of swirls in the background of this rug to make it more interesting while hooking it, and also more interesting to look at when it was finished. 

I think we're both very pleased with our new projects.

11 comments:

Cheryl said...

Now that was a great exchange of talents. Her quilting is lovely and the rug you made her is very nice. What a great way to get a UFO finished!

Rugs and Pugs said...

Gayle ~
I am so happy it worked out so well for you!
The quilt is wonderful ~ so is your rug. I do love the background!!!
Happy New Year!
Hugs :)
Lauren

~Madalynne~ said...

Oh my, that quilt is gorgeous! She did a nice job finishing it up for you. And the rug turned out great! Such a wonderful trade between two talented ladies.

Barb said...

Now that is a great way to get things finished.....love both projects.

Wendie Scott Davis said...

This is definitely a life lesson in Win Win. You both got something to love, but more than that, you created a connection through appreciation of one another's talents. That's wonderful. And both pieces are truly amazing!

Cathy G. said...

What a happy ending for both of you! You each have a cherished item that is complete! That adds to the special story behind the rug and quilt!
Congrats on finding each other and now being able to enjoy such beautiful pieces!
Cathy G

woolwoman said...

That quilt is beautiful - just love the scrappy look - so glad you found someone to trade skills with - the lighthouse rug you made was neat too. many happy stitches in the new year - melody

Lori said...

What a wonderful barter! The quilt is fantastic and the rug is to-die-for!!! Love the swirlies in the background.

Michelle~Sugar House Creations said...

Wow, what a great turn out for both of you! I like how the tan color grounds it. I love the scrappy quilt look as well, and was just flipping through that very issue of C&D just yesterday. :)

Angie Berry ~ Berry Homespun Primitives said...

Well how awesome is that! I love both pieces. The quilt has a beautiful pattern to it and I love the colors that you used. The lighthouse rug is beautiful too. I love the way you added the swirls to it, definitely adds visual interest. Great swap for both of you!

Joanne said...

Wow - what a wonderful barter! Love that - Hey Gayle - that lighthouse rug would be perfect for a friend of mine for her birthday - could you let me know which issue it's in - I looked thru mine and can't find anything with a lighthouse on the cover - would love to order a backorder! Thanks - Joanne