One of the best things about the online sewing community is the range of talents and skills that your friends have, and sometimes you can do a skills trade to get something that might have otherwise been out of reach.  Fellow Brit Bee Trudi does the most fabulous feather quilting, which I really wanted on my Brit Bee Retro Flowers quilt (without me trying and messing it up!), and handily, Trudi wanted one of my wee bears, so it was a perfect trade off.

At our get together last November I took a whole assortment of mohair and mini fabrics for Trudi to choose from, and after that it was up to me as long as he was small, because, if you know Trudi, she is a little vertically challenged and she wanted him to fit in ;o)

So here he is, all 7″ of him, and named Thrifty already by his new mum:  (Perhaps I should have made her choose a fur that was easier to photograph ;o) )

And today he got to leap into Trudi’s arms for a big mini hug.

Once my Retro Flowers is bound, I’ll share what I received on my side of the trade :o)