Stitching, Sewing, and Celebrating

Last Friday, I was blessed to spend an afternoon with my dear friends Mary and Kimber...it was a friendship Friday birthday celebration! Both Kimber and Mary celebrate a birthday in August, so it was the perfect excuse to have lunch and catch-up. Spending a few hours with Mary and Kimber is incredibly good for my soul...and even more special when we are celebrating! We had lunch at a local Italian restaurant and enjoyed great food and extremely fun conversation...is there any better way to spend an afternoon?! It was delightful putting together birthday gifts for my friends...they truly appreciate handmade gifts and really notice personal touches and details...and now that they have received everything, I can share the treasures I created with you...

I decided to make each of them a small tote/purse/bag and place small wrapped packages inside. These are Mini Charmer Totes (pattern by Quiltsillustrated designed by Penny Sturges) - the lighter colored bag in pinks and grays (Puttin on the Ritz by Bunny Hill Designs for Moda) was made especially for Kimber...and the brighter bag (kitted fabrics, not certain of the designer) was made especially for Mary.

I tucked an assortment of small gifts inside each bag, including: a floral pen set, a little owl notebook, special hand cream, and a small cross stitched pincushion/bowl filler. The pincushions were stitched from an old Eye & Eye & Friends pattern (Petite Exemplary 2) - I changed several floss colors and added to the border...plus I decided to stitch them on Graziano Soft Rose/White Gingham Linen. I backed each one with polka dot fabric and filled them with crushed walnut shells...then added several cute pins.

I don't know what was more fun - putting together these birthday bags...or watching my friends open each of their gifts...it made my heart happy. To have many of the important people in my life spread across the country, what a joy it is to have two wonderful friends just a few miles away - I always look forward to our special outings!