Swap-CHOO! Results

I am fairly certain my hankie has landed in Vancouver, so I'm going to unveil what I sent for our Swap-CHOO handmade hankie swap. It was such a fun exchange, and I loved thinking about the 14 of us stitching up a tiny and sweet handmade item. A hankie seems both practical and romantic, and I'm hard-pressed to come up with another item you can say that about.

I embroidered a dandy red bike on it for my swap partner, Holly, who I learned from her blog has a lovely red bike that gets her all around. And, of course, the fabric came from Alewives (check out their site, because it's all redone and so beautiful!)

On the poem front, I considered ignoring the fact that I write poetry because I felt sort of shy about it. When it came time to put pen to paper, it felt super genuine to go ahead. I chose one from last year, one I wrote for a Valentine's Day poetry contest here in Belfast which landed me 3rd prize.

Check out our Swap-CHOO! Flickr pool for pictures of all the great hankies swapped so far.

Last Day to Sign Up for Swap--CHOO!

We've got a healthy crop of swappers, but you can still sign up today if you want to join us and create a hand rolled hem hankie! We'll be organizing the swap pairs tonight and sending email out on Thursday.
This swap honors spring sneezes, the beauty of a handcrafted item, simpler times, romance, allergies and long goodbyes at the train station.

Leave a comment here or at Iris' blog, Creative Endeavors in a Busy Life. More details here. 

Swap-CHOO!

I'm excited to announce my first collaborative swap for all of you with a scrap of pretty fabric, a needle and spool of thread and an hour to make something beautiful. The first ever Hankie Swap, Swap-CHOO!, presented to you by me (Peggy) and Iris at Creative Endeavors in a Busy Life. 

This swap honors spring sneezes, the beauty of a handcrafted item, simpler times, romance, allergies and long goodbyes at the train station. 

Hand rolled hems are not hard, though they are somewhat time consuming as compared to running them through the machine. But they turn out beautifully and whether you've tried this technique before, or are terrified of the pressure of a swap I hope you'll give it a whirl.

As a bonus, April is  National Poetry Month, and for this we've added some extra fun. We'd love you to include with your hankie a poem, handwritten by you for added loveliness. This does not need to be one of your own making. A old favorite, or a new one would be really dandy.

We'll match you with a partner, and you'll have three weeks to make a hankie and write out a poem of your choice and get them in the mail. Anything else you choose to send is up to you and is by no means required. Simply post a comment here or on Iris' blog with your email so we can add to to the list. 

Feel free to use the swap button on your blog if you like, and we have also set up a flickr group for the hankies to be uploaded to, so we can all see the amazing results.

Easy, well-photographed and clear step-by-steps can be found at Purl Bee. You can also check out Iris' post on her first attempt, and mine, for more tips and inspiration. 

• For some poetry inspiration here are some links here, here and here.
  
• For some hankie'spiration, beauties to be found here, here and here.