Sewn Spaces Swap I Completed!!!

I can finally write about the sewing machine cover I made for my partner, Stephanie Ruyle.  After I received my cover from Stephanie, I discovered that we were each others partner and that we were both Stalking the others blog.  ooops!!!  She was surprised I was the first to comment on her the pictures she posted as a tease on Flickr.  I had seen the cover she was making a few days earlier on her blog and was wondering why she hadn't posted it to Flickr.   When I saw the cover she was making I thought, "That looks like it was made for me."   I also thought it couldn't be because she was my partner, I couldn't be hers.  Wrong, wrong, wrong!!!  I was her partner and she was mine.  The swap Mama's (persons administering the swap) were being sneaky.  I then became very careful what I would share here.  She was probably reading it. LOL

So here is the front of the cover I made for Stephanie.  Boy, it was a challenge.  I thought I would make a cover with applique flowers or something.  After stalking her and reading her likes and dislikes sheet, I was in a quandry.  She stated she likes things that are linear.  I had to look that one up!!  LOL  I also found out she liked anothers foundation pieced fox.  My BFF from TX told me to design my own foundation pieced pattern.  I told her, "I don't think that way."  She contiued to encourage me, so I gave it the old college try.  Stephanie likes wild critters so I decided to try a raccoon.  Posted a tease from that design from EQ7, she loved it.  Then what to do.  I couldn't put it in the center and call it quits.  I hate centered, I like off centered.  So I designed the tree.  Now what to do with the back.  Hmmm!

What about another tree for fall, and some birds.  I don't like brown so they had to be blue birds.  This way she could place the cover either side forward.  After piecing both sides I stopped.  I was going to do pieced trees on each side, but the key to designing and to getting done on time is knowing when to stop.  Time to stop.  This is quilted using a running stitch on my Bernina.  I adjust the stitch length and just put the pedal to the metal and sewed.  Great way to get a wavy quilting line.  Now what to do for extras?  I live on a limited income so purchising something was out of the question.  There must be something I could make to send with this cover.....

How about a pincushion to match and a scissors fob made with a  raccoon bead I already had.  The bead is from a website that makes and sells hand blown glass beads.

I shipped everything to Stephanie in the box she had sent mine in on Friday.  She received it last night and immediately sent me a Thank You.  I had posted a picture as a tease on the Sew Spaces Swap photostream and she was the first to post a comment.  She wished it could be for her.  She was thinking like me, that she couldn't be my partner because I was her's.  LOL  You can read about her response and see more pictures on her blog.  Swaps are great fun, they feed the ego and you get great stuff!!  They also make you stretch you skills and keep you interested!!!