When I started having stalls at craft fairs around ten years ago I began to realise that the other stallholders were up to something. Alongside the chatting, cake-eating and tea-drinking behind the tables, mysterious paper bags and packages were being passed to and fro.There was a gleeful feel to these exchanges and I was keen to find out what they were up to.
They were craft swapping, of course, something that has been going on in the land of handmade blog since the days of yore ( well, around 2005 anyway) and in the real life world for a very long time indeed. There's such a satisfying feeling about it. It's not just that no pennies change hands, it is the exchange of two really wonderful presents.
When I spotted the little prairie dresses that Lola Nova made recently I realised that I knew someone who would absolutely adore one (a pinkish one). The combination of vintage florals, (some from Lola's very own Granny) and doilies had me smitten and I immediately emailed her to suggest one of those gleeful swaps I love so much. Joyfully she agreed, so we both got to work.
Her request was for a little silver pail for wearing tiny flowers around her neck. It's one of my favourite things to make and takes me right back to my ceramics evening classes when I used to hand build pots in clay. It's the same process only in teeny tiny miniature. I was determined that her tiny pail would hold a spot of oasis and water so I was completely delighted when I saw this picture in Lola's lovely blogpost about our swap:
I can safely say that the other swap recipient is in seventh dress heaven. An awful lot of scooting, petal-gathering, woodland adventuring and daisychain-making goes on around here. This dress is PERFECT for all these things and eldest and I have delighted in the detail on her prairie dress. Vintage buttons, pink florals, lace, doilies and appliqued ribbon are the stuff that dress dreams are made of. Frankly I wish I were six-and-a-half. Secretly I want this dress.
This has confirmed that swapping is one of the very best things to do. Thankyou so so much Lola. If you haven't popped over to her blog before then I highly recommend it. This beautiful dress is enough reason to visit but Lola has also written very own actual sewing book and several of her stitchy creations have been featured in the wonderful Mollie Makes Magazine.
