This swap is not for beginners. If you want to sew for Valentine's Day but aren't quite confident in your skills yet, consider checking out the January block lotto instead. Teresa is also doing a Valentine theme and she says the lotto is a great place to practice those skills.
LIMIT: 20 swappers
SIGN-UPS: until JAN 15th
MAIL BY: MAR 10th
Blocks are to be 12-1/2". MEASURE THEM! If they are short, please redo them. Because I will measure and if they are not up to size, they will be returned to you, using your postage, and it will count as a strike against you.
**FABRICS: no muslin. Use only good, quilt shop quality, PRE-WASHED 100% cotton, please. Some metallic is OK and even a tiny bit of glitter IF it's not the falling off kind of glitter. Traditional Valentine colors: white, red, pink, lavender, purple, etc. No creams or beige, please. You can use solids, prints, batiks, TOT's, WOW's, etc. There can even be a bit of another color, i,e., conversation hearts, green leaves if you use a floral, etc., but prints must be predominantly traditional Valentine colors and have white background - no cream or beige. But they don't have to be specifically Valentine prints if you are piecing or appliqueing hearts.
Each block must have at least one heart on it - it can be pieced, appliqued, or in the print of a fabric used to piece a traditional block. No machine embroidery.
Please watch your seams and make sure they are all scant 1/4". If you don't have a 1/4" foot, use a piece of tape to mark a scant 1/4" seam allowance on your machine. Press seams carefully so they don't cross on the back.
If you choose to applique, you must completely remove stabilizers if you use them, and all applique must be sewn down securely by hand or machine.
Do not add any embellishments that you wouldn't want to sew over with your own machine. Lace, ribbon, rick-rack are all OK. Buttons and beads are not.
Attach your name to the front of each block and place them all in one large ziplock bag.
DO NOT square up your blocks!
THE FINE PRINT - please read carefully:
*Chriss, Tina, Vinae, Izzy and I are acting as one hostess. We are sharing information. If you bail out on any of our swaps after signing up, it will be 1 strike against you on all of our swaps.
To join you must be a posting member of this forum for at least three months and be familiar with the way WE run our swaps….
If you sign up and fail to follow through on this swap you won’t be able to sign up for the next swap any of us host that you ask to join. If, after sitting out a swap, you fail to follow through again you won’t be able to sign up for any swap that WE host. If you take a spot in this swap it is a commitment and must be met. We run tight, drama-free swaps... we can "what if" till the cows come home but in the end it's an obligation and it needs to be taken seriously.
*If you are a person who can't send on time or if you think our rules are too strict please don't sign up for one of our swaps.
*If you send incomplete blocks or your blocks are not the required size and of the required fabric or not sewn securely they will be returned to you using your postage.
*Be sure to use priority mail and keep your postal receipt. It will have your tracking number on it. In the event your blocks don’t show up and you don’t have this number you won’t be able to sign up for our next swap. If you do have this number we will be able to track your package it will be located and included. I will provide return envelopes. Postage in 2018 will be $7.25. Please include that full amount, in cash, with your blocks.
**Communication and follow-through are key. If you have any questions please ask prior to taking a spot in this swap. If you have any problems or concerns, PM me and we can take care of it in private so it doesn’t cause problems on the forum. If you join, you must comment in the swap thread once a week or email me or PM me at least until I have your blocks, especially during the last month of the swap if I still don't have your blocks.
*Be sure to check in often to see how things are moving along…
*and finally, I'm sorry, but, while I have finally mastered the new method of posting my own photos, I haven't, so far, been able to post photos for others. So I won't be able to post a picture of your block for you. However, you can text or e-mail me your photo. I will try to post it, though no guarantees.
Below are two photos: One is the block I plan to do and the other is simply an array of the sorts of fabrics I am looking for. Sorry they aren't bigger. I thought they were when I sized them.
Thank you for joining my first swap! I think we'll all have some fun!
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#1 - Chriss (Marilynsgrammy) - Received - Arrived
#2 - Mary Z (Purrfect Lady) - Received - Arrived
#3 - Vinae (Javin22) - Received - Arrived
#4 - Carolyn (cupcake) - Received - Arrived
#5 - Denise (doucefleur1) - Received - Arrived
#6 - Mary Q (maryq) - Received - Arrived
#7 - Chickie (farmchick) - Received - Arrived
#8 - Teresa (TeresaK) - Received - Arrived
#9 - Mary Rose (Rosebud3) - Received - Arrived
#10- Mary Z (Purrfect Lady) - Received - Arrived
#11- Bev (Muse & Sew) - Received - Arrived
#12- Vinae (Javin 22) - Received - Arrived
#13- Mary Rose (rosebud) - Received - Arrived
REMINDER: When you are choosing your fabrics, please read color requirements carefully. Pink, red, lavender, purple, with white (not cream) for background. A TINY bit of another color in a print is OK, but fabrics must 'read' as one of those traditional Valentine colors.
I am excited for a Valentine quilt.
))