I've been lurking for a while and have really enjoyed all that I've learned from you guys.
My questions are about swaps. I've never participated in one and don't know how they work or how to find one. What are some of the swaps you guys participate in? How does the block of the month swap work and how do I sign up?
The BOM is not a swap. The patterns are offered for us to make for ourselves. Now and then swaps are offered here on RCTQ or sometimes they are offered privately.
I mailed my blocks for a swap last month (starry starry night) and there is another going (Halloween). I think Teri does hers by private invitation now.
The RCTQ BOM is not actually a swap. The current block is posted the 1st of each month by our wonderful hostess Danielle. You do not have to sign up, you can work at your own speed, you chose your colors. You do not send anything to anyone.....your blocks are yours.
Swaps are posted by the " swap hostess", she usually will post first inquiring if there is any interest. If enough people are interested then it becomes final. The swap hostess determines the size, theme, color, amount and date due. You then make the required number of blocks, mail them to the hostess and then hopefully, if everyone has come through, you will get the same number of blocks in return. Sometimes the swap will be for fabric, usually a set theme or color. It's a great way to add to your stash.
The reason why I don't host as many as it was getting to be such a pain with the people that flaked out. 99% of the people did a great job, but one or two people who don't follow through wreck it and cause a lot of bad feelings. So now I only offer centralized swaps, and have also started offering them locally with my guild.
The other reason I haven't hosted one is I am so overrun now myself. Can't have a deadbeat hostess!! I vowed I wouldn't host another until I KNEW i was free and clear to do so.
The 'Europeon' block swap is drawing to a close, and it has been fun. I was a little nervous to start with, but that soon fell away. I will miss the plop of someone else's fabric dropping through the letter box, and deciding what sort of block to make with it, and which of my stash to choose. It really is good to be stretched by using someone else's choice of focus fabric.
When it was time for the blocks people had made with my fabric to come back it really was exciting - such lovely blocks, and of course everyone chooses different fabrics to tone in with the focus one, and uses the focus in completely different ways. Now I just have to make one or two more blocks for my quilt (I only have 10 and need 12) and then put it together.
We had a little Yahoo Group so we could chat about what we were doing, and post pictures. So now I have 9 new friends.
Just one more block to make when the fabric arrives, and the Swap will be over. I'll miss it.
"Melissa in NJ" wrote in news:DpydnUgPzrO_95DYnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
I think centralized swaps are better because there is no possiblility of flakes. No send? No get! But of course they are much more difficult to organize, so less common.
Maybe I'll organize one in the winter since I have some extra time these days... hum....
I hosted a swap for "candy jar" fabrics not too long ago. I want to make (it's still not done... but on the TO DO list... The problem is ... you need a wide variety of specialized fabrics (candy type) but only SMALL pieces of each one. Even less than a fat quarter! So by doing a swap -- I got
15 - 20 people who each found ONE candy fabric... cut it up in to squares (I think they were 8 inches by 10 inches) and they all mailed them to me. Then I dealt them out like cards... and we still all paid only for " 1 yard" -- but that one year was comprised of 15 - 20 different fabrics!
That is a "centralized" swap -- where everybody sends their stuff to one person who shuffles it up and returns it to the participants. Each person sends a preaddressed -
-prepostaged return envelope. That way the hostess isn't out any additional cost -- only her time. I frequently -- generous swappers include a nice little thank you gift for taking the time and trouble to coordinate the swap.
Does that make sense? I've never done a swap that wasn't "centralized". And I'm actually thinking of doing another one soon... this one for "BUG JAR" fabrics.!!! I will if there is at least a dozen people who would want to participate. Another one I want to do is "bird seed" fabrics -- anything that looks like it could be bird seed -- that one may be harder to come up with fabrics... I need to do a little homework to see how many different fabrics like that there are out there.
Hi & Welcome, I have hosted numerous swaps here & ALWAYS post them here on the RCTQ before each swap starts up. I have a dots fabric swap (blocks made with only dots fabrics) planned for the next one. I am nearing time to host that one very soon. I had 3 breast cancer quilts I wanted to get done before I commit myself to hosting a new swap (and a few other projects)....but it looks like my plate is getting clean!!!!. I also host a YOUR PICK swap, where everyone makes blocks out of your fabric & sends you the blocks....it is a super fun swap....I think this current group is ending sometime around January or so...so, keep an eye out for my posts, would love to have you join in! Teri
If you have DGSs into that sort of thing I have the most wonderful design for a red back spider (Black Widow) from a Jillian Sawyer stained glass book. I have always dreamed of sewing it about five feet high with a dark background and the black spider with a red satin patch on the back, and silver quilting. But my friends all say that NO-ONE could possibly sleep under such a quilt.
I've never tried to make a quilt from bugs before, and would be interested to see how you get them under the presser foot. Do you have to have an extremely small needle and very fine thread for those tiny bugs?
So many intriquing questions are popping into my mind!
Dannielle (if you are going to throw something at me, make it fabric please!)
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