Swap mania

I recently joined a mini quilt swap on Instagram and immediately my mind started racing with ideas for what to make for my partner. No sooner did I seem settled, then I scrapped the idea and had a new one. I bought a bundle of Anna Maria Horner FQs, but it just wasn't bright enough. Then I kept waffling on the pattern.

Finally I am certain with this:

I picked out vibrant pink and purple prints, which I'll combine with this striking black crosshatch. They'll all go into a classic Jacob's Ladder block, which jumped out at me while looking at the guide to local barn quilts trails. I think it's gonna look awesome!

As part of the swap, we were supposed to make a mosaic of inspiration for our partners to post on IG. Here's mine with lots of bright colours and bold patterns. There are even a few of my past, present and future quilts in there (Sea Breeze mini done, Tula's 100 Blocks in progress, and Park Bench on my to-do list), and some of my stashed fabric (Cotton + Steel, Meadow).

It's lots of fun to follow the swap on IG, seeing people's mosaics and the ideas they're playing with for their mini. Because it's a secret swap, nobody knows who's making a mini for them so it will be a big surprise at the end. I was super excited when this swap came up because there are so many on IG and as only a recent IGer I have been jealously following all the posts when people's packages arrive. So many amazing creations! I jumped at the chance to get in on this one, along with 559 other people. It's big! Although I've got lots on the go, including a few projects with firm deadlines which makes me feel a bit squirrely, this is nothing but fun. Now that I have the pattern and fabric, I can't wait to get started.