giving and receiving the studio ghibli swap

Have you ever participated in an online craft swap? There are always tons of them going on Instagram, and I always think they look like so much fun! I rarely do them though, because in order to make something special takes time that I don't always have.

But when the Studio Ghibli Swap was announce, I knew that I HAD to be part of it. I love My Neighbor Totoro, and lots of other Studio Ghibli films, so this swap had the potential to be amazing.

My partner Julia liked Howl's Moving Castle (especially Calcifer!) and Totoro and Soot Sprites, so I focused on those things. The little stuffed Calcifer was made using a tutorial I found, but changing it up a little to make it a "Wild Olive" Calcifer.

For "extras" I made a triangle zip pouch, and included some socks and nail polish in colors to match the main project. Oh, and some caramel lip balm! I lucked out, because Julia likes caramel, and I didn't even know that!

The main project I sent was a mini quilt that I designed to look like Totoro, but only give the essence of him. My partner said she like hexagons, and that played to my strengths! I drew the design, and HOPED it would work as I thought it would. The results aren't perfect, but thankfully those curves didn't drive me too crazy!

Totoro's spots are embroidered, and some Soot Sprites are on there too. Magic. If you look closely at the whole quilt, you'll see that I "signed" it with a little face, too.

And then, this is what came my way! This swap was set up so you were making for someone different than you were receiving from. Amy made this fantastic mini quilt for me, and sent along some delightful extras. Just look at that Totoro! And Cat Bus socks! And lots of other goodies too.

Yes, I did go a little crazy as I was trying to finish my project in the midst of other things I was working on, but I'm so glad that I participated in the swap. Not only was it fun to design something and receive something, but thinking about another person and seeing what everyone was working on made this a really great experience!

You can see pictures from everyone in the swap on Instagram. Just search #studioghibliswap