Placemat Quilt Swap and other fun things

My latest fun project is a placemat quilt swap on flickr.  Swaps are so fun! You get to meet new people and make something for somebody you otherwise wouldn't have been in contact with. The last swap partner I had was in England and she sent some British treats along with her placemat. Treats with chocolate!   It's so fun to make a gift for somebody else- even if you don't know the person. I tend to be a lot more motivated to make things for other people than for myself- hence the reason that after a couple years of quilting I don't have any of the quilts I've made. I should probably change that this year at some point. :)   Anyway, I digress.  Back to the quilt swap. :)

This was the inspiration fabric for my placemat quilt swap

This is the current state of the first placemat.  I'm making two matching ones and so far I have all the pieces cut out. I'm a little unsure about what I'm going to use for the binding, but that should be remedied after I've had some more time to think about it. 

I also sent off one of my favorite baby quilts this week because someone purchased it in my Etsy shop.  I had such a good time packaging it up and imagining someone across the country being able to enjoy it.  A lot of what quilting is about is the community aspect of it, isn't it?

 Here's a picture of the quilt before I boxed it up and bid it adieu.