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Lots of quilters enjoy participating in a swap. The main aim of a swap is to get more of the particular object that you are swapping. Considering we are talking to quilters here, the things that they like to swap include, charm squares, completed blocks or pieces of fabric.
To organise a swap you’ll need participants firstly. These are easily recruited through your own quilt groups. You must have a theme to the swap that entices more people to join. Keep the rules simple so that people understand what they are doing.
Rules for swaps include the size, shape, design or colour of the fabric/block to be swapped. For instance, you could organise a swap of blue and white, 6.5" nine patches. You find out how many people are interested in participating, and that’s how many blocks each person makes. One for themselves, and one for everyone else. Set a deadline for the swap to be finished and that’s about it.
Other things to consider are these.
Is this a centralised swap or not? A centralised swap is where the swap hostess collects all of the items on the due date, swaps them all about, and redistributes them to the participants so each person has one of everything. The hostess needs to be organised and not mind spending a lot of time sorting it out. A non-centralised swap is where each individual sends/gives each other person involved in the swap their own item. If you are posting, this can become costly. If there is a person who drops out and doesn’t contribute, then you don’t always get the same amount back that you sent.
Are you swapping blocks?
Give a good description of the block that everyone is making. Include instructions. Make sure that it is within every ones sewing ability. Be very clear on the colours to use, if this is important. Be clear on what the finished measurements of the block should be. Be prepared to accept blocks that might not be sewn well, remember that there are all levels of ability out there, and we should encourage more quilters to join these activities.
Variations on a block swap.
Have the same block every month but change the colour scheme. Change the fabric every month to relate to a social calendar ie, Christmas fabric for December, hearts for February. Give each person the choice of block that they would like, and give them their blocks on their birthday. Choose a theme for the blocks such as hearts, stars etc.
Are you swapping fabrics?
Decide on what size the fabric should be. Fat quarters are nice, but you may want to take into account peoples finances. Choose a colour scheme for the swap. Often it’s hard to find a particular colour, so if everyone in the swap provides 8 FQ’s of one yellow fabric, and there are 8 people in the swap, everyone should end up with 8 different yellow fabrics. An excellent way to increase those bare spots in the stash. Rules for this sort of swap need to specify quality of fabric, to pre-wash or not, and believe it or not, some people are allergic to cat hair and cigarette smoke and we all know that these permeate the fabrics.
Are you swapping Charm Squares?
This is a great way to get lots of fabrics for those quilts that just need scraps. Decide how many different fabrics should be in each pack. Then you provide one pack for each participant. If there are twenty 10" squares per pack, and 10 people in the swap, each person will end up with 200 different fabrics. Excellent. Rules for this swap are similar to fabric swaps. You’ll need to be exact with the cutting measurements, just in case people want to sew the squares together as is. A good way to use up the fabrics in your stash that you may not wish to keep anymore.
Other things that you can swap include buttons, signature squares, or hand made items such as pincushions, Christmas ornaments and place mats. The variations on a swap are endless. Just be prepared to join in, accept what you receive in the spirit it is sent and you’ll have loads of fun, and make new friends too.
About the Author
Manager - Patchwork Interactive
www.patchworkinteractive.com.au
Author: Michelle Steel
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Timely help for quilt shops classes retreats
About Quilting Floating Nine Patch is a baby quilt sewn from a combination of Snowball and Nine Patch quilt blocks. Blocks are placed on point, with patchwork setting and corner triangles filling in the gaps at the ends of diagonal rows. I wanted the nine patches to pop out just a bit, but you could either make them pop even more, or put focus on other elements -- it's all about your color and color value choices. Floating Nine Patch Baby Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Monday, May 21st, 2012 at 12:55:50. Permalink | Comment | Email this Antique Tile Quilt Block Pattern The Antique Tile quilt block pattern is an easy block to cut and sew, with patch edges that are all cut on the fabric's straight grain. The instructions show you how to strip piece two of the units, but include cutting specs for those of you who prefer to make the block one piece at a time. Antique Tile Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Saturday, May 19th, 2012 at 21:20:26. Permalink | Comment | Email this Album Star Quilt Block Pattern Album Star was one of the patchwork quilt blocks used in the Scrap Happy Sampler quilt. I love the many possibilities this design offers for color placement, and more importantly, color value variations. I've included a 'blank' schematic of the block on page 3 of the pattern, so if you aren't sure which colors and values you'll like best, print it out and play around with the layout. You might even end up making an entire batch of these blocks. Album Star Quilt Block Pattern Album Star Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 at 06:00:00. Permalink | Comment | Email this Picnic Time Quilt Block Pattern Picnic Time is based on a traditional quilt block that's very pretty, but has lots of set-in seams that make it more suitable for hand piecing than for assembly with rotary cutting techniques. I divided a couple of the original block's patchwork areas to make this new version a cinch to sew. You can dramatically change the looks of this quilt block by altering color value within its patches. It's a good choice for a scrap quilt, but works as well when all blocks are identical. If you don't want to make a large quilt, try using Picnic Time to sew a table runner and sew them in pairs to create placemats. The block finishes at 14" x 14". Picnic Time Quilt Block Pattern Janet Wickell Picnic Time Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Monday, May 14th, 2012 at 07:30:38. Permalink | Comment | Email this Patchwork Table Runner Pattern This colorful table runner is made from four 10" square blocks placed on point and surrounded by setting and corner triangles. Two borders finish the layout, one cut from narrow green strips and the other from wider pieces of a floral -- both areas repeat fabrics used in the quilt blocks. The runner finishes at about 22-1/2" x 65", but you can easily change its length or width. The table runner shown was designed with a Christmas theme -- just choose different fabrics to change its appearance. © Janet Wickell Patchwork Table Runner Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 at 06:00:36. Permalink | Comment | Email this Flying Dutchman Quilt Block with No-Waste Flying Geese Make the Flying Dutchman quilt block with any combination of fabrics you desire. Try holiday prints, and sew a group of four or six blocks to make a wallhanging. Or sew a string of them together to create a quick table runner. We'll use a simple no-waste Flying Geese method to construct the block. Flying Dutchman Quilt Block with No-Waste Flying Geese originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 at 08:48:46. Permalink | Comment | Email this Which Way Do We Go? a Strippy Set Quilt Pattern I designed this quilt to work with a brightly colored Alexander Henry border print that was passed along to me after the death of my sister, Carol. It took me awhile to decide how to use the print, but this strippy-set quilt seemed to do the trick -- and it's a quilt that most everyone has enjoyed. Read through the pattern a few times before you begin making the quilt, just to make sure you understand the steps, and assemble a few of the Winged Square blocks before you make the units for all of them -- in case you need to make sewing adjustments... Which Way Do We Go? pattern PS - If you like the Winged Square blocks used in the quilt, be sure to take a look at one of my Table Runner patterns. It's made with a larger version of the same block. Photo © Janet Wickell Which Way Do We Go? a Strippy Set Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Sunday, May 6th, 2012 at 05:00:00. Permalink | Comment | Email this Missouri Puzzle Quilt Pattern I'm from Missouri, so I wanted to write a pattern that shows off one of the blocks named to commemorate the state. The Missouri Puzzle quilt is square, with sashing and cornerstones between blocks. The blocks finish at 11-1/4" square and the quilt itself is about 66" x 66". Change the layout to suit your needs by making more quilt blocks or turning the layout into a rectangle. Or how about putting four blocks together for a matching throw pillow cover? Missouri Puzzle Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Saturday, May 5th, 2012 at 07:46:25. Permalink | Comment | Email this Twinkling Star Quilt Block Pattern The Twinkling Star quilt block finishes at 12-inches square. There are lots and lots of little half square triangle units in the design -- just take it slowly and follow my advice on assembling them oversize and then cutting back to the exact dimensions. The little units provide the perfect opportunity to use your smaller leftover pieces of fabric (and for going super scrappy with this quilt block). The block was one of twelve used in the Scrap Happy Sampler quilt. Twinkling Star Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 at 05:00:58. Permalink | Comment | Email this Watercolor Quilt Pattern The three kitty cats in this quilt are peering through watercolor-style floral windows, and you can bet they're keeping an eye on the butterflies flying around the garden. This quilt pattern has been a popular pattern with readers, and although it does have set-in seams at the mitered frames, it is not difficult to assemble. If you're not a feline fan, place something else on the windowsills. Photo © Janet Wickell Watercolor Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012 at 05:00:04. Permalink | Comment | Email this Newsfeed display by CaRP |
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