There are some swaps you just can’t resist.
Instagram mini swaps have really taken off this year. I’ve seen the Disney Swap, the Unicorn Swap, a hundred general swaps, a rainbow swap (that was tempting) and I think I remember a kitty swap.
I try to not overburden my sewing list, but I had to join the Doctor Who swap.
Rae from Rae’s Making It organized it and I think it had something like 77 swappers. If you’re on Instagram (which you should be, it’s not all selfies and food porn) look up the hashtag #makeadalekmakeafriend to check out all of the awesome results.
I pretty much knew what I wanted to do right away, I was just hoping my partner’s interests matched it. I bought an LED light kit from Cheryl Sleboda at Muppin.com a loooong time ago and never got around to using it because I was too scared. My idea was to make a quilted sonic screwdriver that actually lit up. Luckily, my partner’s favorite Doctor was Ten, and my light was blue. (My favorite Doctor is Ten as well.)
I’ll spare you the progress pictures. They’re not that fascinating. Here’s the finished product.
It says ”Allons-y” for those of you who can’t read Gallifreyan. And ”allons-y” means ”Let’s go” for those of you who don’t speak French. It’s the Tenth Doctor’s catchphrase.
The hand quilting was done with metallic thread, which was a real pain in the ass, especially since I doubled it. The sonic was traced from the vinyl cut out I have on my machine (from this shop) and fused onto the background. Oh, and there’s a piece missing from it, but I bet you didn’t notice.
The LED light was actually way easier to install than what I had imagined. Cheryl provides clear instructions when you purchase her kit.
I had a lot of fun with this, and if I ever come up with a weird idea for a project that needs to be lit up, I won’t wait a year between purchasing the light and actually getting around to it.
And if you’re wondering what I got, here’s my new Dalek friend, from my Instagram feed.
I just love the idea of a Dalek wanting to be someone’s friend. It’s just so hilarious. His name is Dalek Bubbles. (I just now came up with that, btw, but it fits so well.)
The amazing Cath from Wombat Quilts made him.
Molto Bene!
-Melissa
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