Check these out too...

Monday, December 15, 2014

Gift exchange -- stuff you can use


My local fiber and textile art group has an annual holiday party in December, with a gift exchange as the highlight of the evening.  When I first joined the group more than a decade ago, the rules were to spend about $5 on a gift, supposedly fiber-related in some way, and the gifts were predictably minimal.  The worst one I remember was a package of rubber shapes to glue onto your bathtub to minimize slipping -- "fiber-related" because they were called "shower appliques."  Appliques, get it?

After a few years I joined the board and one of my early suggestions was that since we were all allegedly fiber artists, we should all be able to come up with a handmade gift for the party.  To my surprise, my snarky observation was endorsed by everybody else and we changed the rules.  Now you must make a gift, one that would sell in the vicinity of $20-25 retail.

And the holiday party has become a lot more fun!  Last week was perhaps the best one I can recall, with a huge variety of gifts.  Here are some of the functional ones:

Bags:

Scarves:

Jewelry:


Books and notecards:


Even bowls:
 Now don't you wish you were at this party?

5 comments:

  1. I'd like to get the first scarf! How about the maker become a guest writer on your blog and give a description - ...? Or is it top secret, or does she have a blog already?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That scarf was made by Pamela Mattei

      http://dyesignsbypamelainc.com/

      She buys the scarf blanks with the devore pattern already made, then dyes them. The two different fabrics take the dye differently, so you get the two tone effect. They're fabulous!

      Delete
  2. Hi Kathy ... speaking of gifts!! I received your card in the mail with the beautiful ornament from your online post. LOVE IT! Very Happily on the tree. Thanks so very much!
    This post is so reminiscent of the gifts that sem to appear at our Guild gift exchanges - always so beautifully created by fibre arts friends.
    Bethany in Kingston, ON

    ReplyDelete
  3. That must have been a great party!!

    ReplyDelete