Baskets By Barb

Look at this beauty. I love those little baskets.
 
This is Barb's half of our swap, and it arrived at my home Wednesday. Sorry I have been slow to get it posted.  






It is beautifully hand quilted, too. If you follow Barb (and if you don't, you should), you know Baptist Fans are her signature quilting pattern. I am so honored to have this in my home! 

Not too long ago I won a giveaway on Barb's blog, so I know she does a package up right. This is what I found when I opened the box in which this quilt was sent.  The quilt was wrapped up in that wonderful beehive/bee fabric (I do live in the beehive state). 

The pink bag contained this yummy treat from Barb's recent trip to the South.








The yellow tissue paper enclosed this great selection of CW charms.





                                                 And finally, there was this panel of vintage-style  designs to use in friendship/signature quilts.

But there was a scary side to this swap. I sent my quilt to Barb on Tuesday of last week, and she had it by Thursday. Barb sent this to me on Wednesday of last week--we both used Priority Mail, but as of Monday of this week I had still not received her package. After being held hostage by the USPS for six days, when the little quilt was released, it could not seem to relax and lay flat.

What I do when this occurs is just lay the  quilt on a flat, waterproof surface (like a kitchen counter), and give it a spraying of water--but don't soak it. This will relax the fibers and then as it dries, it tightens back up just a bit and lays nice and flat.
Thank you, Barb, for a most delightful and "Fun with Barb" swap!

Just want to share one other "little" thing. I've had a clip on a stand for a little while now, for displaying mini quilts. It comes in two sizes, and I had considered buying the smaller size to use for smaller quilts, but never actually did it.
Just last week, while spending way too much money in a bookstore, I found this in their gift section--on clearance, at half price! How long do you think I had to ponder that purchase? It is even smaller than the one I didn't buy at the quilt shop. Here is the new one holding a 4" quilt.










And here you see the two side-by-side.
 


























That is it for now. Until next time,
Janet O.