I'll begin with the main gift and that is the hanging art quilt that she made. She describes the process of making a quilt as painting with fabric and her quilt really is like looking at a painting.
I love the design Miriam chose. Her family comes from Iowa farmland so the Fall harvest time has always been an important part of her life and she has beautifully captured her love of the harvest in this piece.
There is so much that went into making this quilt that you really need to read her description of the process in her own words which you can find here. Even though quilting is the quintessential American art form, it's something I know very little about.
But I do know that I love looking at this picture. I haven't quite settled on it's permanent home. Right now I'm just enjoying trying it in different places.
This was a very loosely structured swap and the only guidance that I gave to Miriam is that I love Fall and for me Halloween is a whimsical time. As you can see she incorporated both of these themes into her gift with the quilt representing our mutual love of Fall and these little fellows representing the more whimsical side to Halloween.....
Both the ghost and pumpkin are crocheted. So cute. Mr Puffy loves this ghost. He says it reminds him of that great Halloween classic, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Mr Puffy would love to be a movie star just like Snoopy and has written to him asking the name of his agent. He's hoping to have a role in next year's Thanksgiving Special.
But of course it wouldn't be Halloween without out some CANDY! Which came in it's own special felt pouch! This is just too cute and may serve as my private candy stash bag all year long!
Didn't I have the best swap partner ever! It was a very eclectic group that participated in this swap. You will have fun looking at all the Halloween swapping and get some cute Halloween decorating ideas if you head on over to the blog of our lovely hostess, Heidi, at Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly who has links to all the participants in this A Very Vintage Halloween Swap!
So how will I celebrate Halloween this year. Thinking about the cooler days and looking at my cute little ghost put me in mind of how I shall enjoy the holiday. This Halloween in addition to watching a scary movie (link to Halloween Classics) I'm going to pour myself a nice glass of port wine. I will savor the sweetness of it with Stilton cheese, nuts, and maybe some pear slices while I reflect on the changing seasons and how important it is to make each day count.
