Sewtopia Orlando--Part Four

 Sewtopia has a secret swap for those who wish to participate.  I made a pin and clip cushion for the handmade part, and included some patterns, thread, and a needle book in a Snap Bag. 

I found this pattern on thesewingdirectory.co.uk.  I liked the applied fabric strips for clip portion, but felt it might be too flimsy with just folded fabric. 

I stuffed mine with scraps of batting--this was the sturdy kind you can use for potholders. My sister wants one for clips only--she hates pins.  I received a beautiful handmade bag--it was so professional, I was looking for a label!

Jennifer included lots of great little sewing items, chocolate, and stickers.  Very happy to have received such a fine swap gift.  We learned on the last day of Sewtopia that next year's event will move back to November--and it will be in Palm Springs, California.  That will be a great money saver for my sister and me, with only a 3.5 hour or so drive from home!  

Sewtopia ended at noon, so there was a lot of cleanup and packing of all the projects.  Many folks had left mid morning to catch flights home.  My sister and I were staying over another night.  We were hanging out in our top floor room when suddenly the power went out and the fire alarms started blaring.  Kathy began throwing her stuff into suitcases. I had already packed up most of my belongings.   The fire alarm soon went off, but there was still no power.  Kathy became concerned about the power outage and our morning flight and we decided to change to a hotel closer to the airport about 30 minutes away. It was not much fun dragging two suitcases each down 5 flights of stairs, but we did it.  We later learned the power came back on within a couple of hours at the original hotel.  Upon reaching the airport the next morning, there was a major glitch.  My sister's plane ticket I had somehow booked in her maiden name, which did not match her ID.  Security in Los Angeles had missed this, and neither Kathy nor I had noticed my error!  Orlando  ticketing agents finally let us through, though later in Security it was pointed out to me that I needed to sign my passport...sheesh. 

We flew Delta back and once again the flight was completely full, but people were better behaved.  I worked on a cross-stitch and played a few games on the airplane video screens. We caught the shuttle back to pick our car at the hotel parking, and luckily got out of LA before rush hour traffic picked up.  

I laid out all the loot on the cutting table for a picture.  Lots of fabric to find a place to store!  We will look forward to next year's event and hope lots more folks will be able to come.