I love when I love the things I make

I got together with some of my craft swap buddies Wednesday night to do a yankee swap.  I have no idea why it is called a yankee swap, but basically we all agreed to make one big(ger than normal) item instead of the standard 5 people, make 4 things.  We drew numbers and the (un)lucky number 1 opened a gift.  Number 2 could steal the item number 1 opened or open another package.  And so on. And so on.  (Remember those shampoo commercials?).

I was very excited for this swap.  I have so many ideas that I want to try out, but most of them are not realistic when I am making 10 or so items on a budget.  Other than the fact that I started and finished my craft Wednesday (those gifts for the nephews had to go in the mail!), this was a perfect swap for me.

My most favorite thing I have made since my patchwork bag is this blanket.  Really.  Truly.  I had a hard time giving it up.  It came out exactly how I envisioned it in my mind.

I was completely inspired by this gorgeous blanket on the Purl Bee.  Of course, I put my own twist on it.  I bought the dark charcoal gray wool at my local fabric store (on sale!) and then made a patchwork binding out of fabric from the stash.  This bugger was hard to photograph - and it was about 6 p.m. and dark at the time - so I don't think its true beauty comes across.  But trust me, it is luxurious.

It measures about 60" square and the binding is 1 inch wide on each side.  And it was fast to make (about 4 hours including 1 1/2 hours of hand sewing)!  The hardest part was figuring out how to balance the patchwork pieces - I am a bit nutty about scale and color.  That's probably why I have never tackled a real quilt.  But I digress.  The second hardest part was the hand sewing of the binding.  I rushed this bit - you can see the slip stitch - if I could have taken my time, the stitches would have been more uniform and less visible, I am sure.  I don't think it matters.  It went to a great home.

In case you were wondering, I did buy enough wool to make two.  I had a feeling I might need one, too.

Comments

[Sarah Jackson]

That is just beautiful Erin! What a lovely swap gift. I have the same trouble with patchwork pieces. I feel like I fuss with them for hours.

[Tricia]

Don't worry about the light-it's true beauty is DEFINITELY coming through!
If I didn't have a ton of cats and dogs, I'd whip me up a beautiful dark blanket,too!

[Alicia A.]

Ooooo. Cozy throw meets casual elegance. Gorgeous!

[Knitterella]

Awesome!! Love it! (might have to make one myself)

I love that you do a swap with your crafty friends. That's a great idea to just make one gift rather than I bunch of little ones. I want a crafty group to do this with - I make a ton of handmade gifts but don't get enough/if any for me

[Kristy]

I love it! I just picked up a couple of vintage wool blankets that could do with some edging like that.Another project for my to-do list! x

[emily]

erin, it's fantastic! beautiful, and so cozy looking, too. and i can "hear" your excitement about it in your words. glad you bought enough to make one for yourself.

[beki]

That's really pretty Erin! So, what did you get?

[planetjune]

I love it! The patchwork binding is inspired - it adds so much life and fun to the blanket without overpowering it. Beautiful.

[liz]

it's beautiful - i love it!!
it's so great when things come together so perfectly. great job!

[Beth]

It's just beautiful, Erin. I've been contemplating a patchwork binding and now you've sold me on it. Fantastic!

[Amy Hodge]

I have been admiring that project on the Purl Bee as well and wondering if it was possible to find quality wool a little more cheaply (what they used is a bit out of my budget). Mind telling me what you bought? I think your patchwork binding is absolutely brilliant, by the way. Like having a patchwork quilt, but a whole lot easier! And a great way to get to use and enjoy all your favorite fabrics all the time. I love when I love what you make, too! :)

[Amy]

This is so beutiful and WILL be going into my list of to makes...thanks so much for sharing!

[Ursa]

I love it. Could I do a craft swap with you? :) I saw the post on Purl Bee too, but it is out of my budget. I think I am going to have to wait a little bit longer to try and tackle it. Maybe make a hint for a birthday gift. Really breathtaking gift.

[leslie]

really beautiful erin! so happy that you will have one for yourself!
yep, adding this to my list.

[Courtney]

Gorgeous Erin...I just bought some gorgeous wool to make a dressy sling for me and my babe. It was supposed to be for the holidays, but alas, I have not made it. Maybe I'll sneak it in next week as a gift to myself. I thought of binding it like this...

[Cindy]

The blanket is lovely. we always called that swap "The Dirty Santa Swap." Since you might be stealing it seemed to fit.

[Rachel]

Oh Erin, this is amazing! I agree, would you mind sharing what type of wool you bought and where? I have had a hard time finding quality wool around here.

[amy]

how absolutely fabulous! I must make one for my couch!!!

[Stephanie]

Love it! I also bought some charcoal wool (50% off!) and some Mustard Wallflower in hopes to make one for myself. I was actually inspired by a children's blanket in the Land of Nod catalog before the Purl Bee tutorial even came out!

Now I can't wait to make mine!

[Beth]

Oh! I just want to curl up in that! Maybe a Shawl would fit the pieces of wool I have in my stash...

[kate]

Oh my, this is so, so beautiful!! Really. Amazing.

I'm terrified of binding but I might have to overcome that fear in order to try this....

[kathryn]

I love it Erin--just gorgeous!

I had been wanting to try the pattern on Purl Bee, but put it off until I could try to find some inexpensive wool. Yours is such inspiration that I'm on a mission now!

[Anina]

Wow! What a great idea. Don't you just love those swaps where you can "steal"? Funny enough nobody stole my block-a-day calendar at our gift exchange.

[shannon]

These are gorgeous. Those wool blankets at Purl caught my eye too. I love your version of it.

[liz elayne]

this is gorgeous! your recipient was so lucky!!!!

(patchworked binding...that just might be THE thing that gets me to try to make my own and then use it...love it!!)

[julie]

Oh, the blanket is gorgeous... and I love how you created muslin bags to wrap your big soft gifts!
Merry Christmas!

[Amber]

It looks wonderful! I just love bindings----they really make all the difference. I also enjoy handsewing that edge. Your blanket really shows off the binding and it's a great look. Good for you in buying enough to make another!!

[katie]

what a great idea! i love the patchwork binding. what a great gift, and super fast too!

[amandajean]

beautiful, erin! you should make one for you to keep.

[leslie]

okay. you definitely need one.
and another thing to add to my list of things to make.
lovely. absolutely lovely.

[mariarrosa]

It is so beautiful!!!!!! I need one also.

[kelly]

Oh this looks beautiful, a great idea for a quick project as well. -kb

[laurie]

It's so beautiful. I'm sure the person who got this is VERY happy! I know I would be.

[Ravenhill]

One would feel so luxuriously pampered to curl up into such a stunningly beautiful blanket as this! I can see a new craze starting...

[jen b]

wow that is just lovely. oh and of course you need one too, no question.

[Dawn]

Wow!!! This is super duper gorgeous....I don't think I could have given it up :)xo

[Sonya]

So stunning Erin. I love that feeling too - just bliss.

[Stacey]

That's absolutely beautiful, The colors wit ht he gray are perfect.

[kaetlyn]

they are so lovely! i hope the yankee swappers love them!

[Robyn]

I really like it! Looks nice and warm.

[Kirsten]

Wonderful blanket - great idea! Sounds like a fun party. Happy Holidays!

[Mary Beth]

Erin, you blanket is just gorgeous! I love your combination of fabrics--you are so good at that. My bakery twine arrived just in time for Christmas wrapping, by the way. Thanks again for your help with the source. Merry Christmas!

[Shannon]

Very beautiful!

[heidi]

oh i love that blanket! happy holidays dear sweet friend!

[sulu-design]

This is gorgeous. The gray wool is so classy and understated, and the patchwork binding is a great pop of color and fun. I'm anxious to see what you received from the swap, too,
but for now, enjoy your blog break!

[suzanne]

oh, its luxurious alright ... i got to enjoy it for about 5 minutes before it got taken away! i knew it wouldn't be mine for long ... fun swap. i do hope you make one for yourself!!!

[charlotte]

Did I tell you already how much i love this too!

I am off to find those red and white dots. And I keep on seeing that black and white kind of circle-hexagon pattern too.

Yummy! All of it!!