Last night was the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild holiday party, and part of that was the Zippered Pouch Swap. We were assigned a fellow guild member to make a zippered pouch for back in October, and we received a list of the kinds of fabrics they like and ideas for a few small gifts to put in the zippered pouch.

I was to make a pouch for Natalie, who said she likes “bright colors, some Moda Christmas, Cotton + Steel, and Riley Blake.” She also likes Russell Stover Chocolate Marshmallow Santas.

So I picked up some Cotton + Steel Christmas fabric at Fiberge and used the Noodlehead Gathered Clutch tutorial. The band is an older Amy Bulter fabric from my stash that I thought added a bit of festivity to the pouch. I packed the pouch with a seam ripper, a fancy chocolate bar, a fat quarter, and of course, a Russell Stover Chocolate Marshmallow Santa (which has already been consumed as of this writing).

In return, I received a pouch and goodies from Abby. Poor Abby saw my post about selling zippered pouches, and I think she may have felt backed into a corner as to what style pouch to make for me (sorry about that, Abby).

She made a super cute Petal Pouch, also a Noodlehead pattern, and included pins, lip balm (which is propping up the pouch in this photo) and some great items for my hexie obsession. The pre-cut fabric squares are just the right size for my 1-inch hexie templates. And the fabric glue pen will make basting a snap. Neither of these handy items ever occurred to me, so thank you, Abby!

Here’s a close-up of the pouch. I love the metal zipper and the classy leather strip she added as a pull. The purse that I’m working on for winter doesn’t have as many zippered pockets as I’m used to, so this little guy is going to be perfect.

The party was a potluck, and I brought my favorite Texas Caviar, which has an unusual, sweet dressing. Here’s the recipe for Annie and anyone else who may be interested.

Texas Caviar

2 cans shoepeg corn, drained

1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed

1 can sliced olives, drained

2 cups chopped bell peppers, mix of red, yellow, and green

1 cup chopped green onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup apple cider vinegar

Combine vegetable oil, sugar, and vinegar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Let cool.

Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl. Add cooled dressing mixture and marinate overnight.

Drain dressing mixture and serve with Frito scoops.

Recipe courtesy of Corrie, a former co-worker