Received my tracking info. Thanks so much Janice for , well for everything.
Thanks and hugs to all the 18 Boomers, for your welcome to a newbie, encouragement, wisdom and sharing.
I loved being part of this Boom, It helped, ya'l will never know how much.
Due to health and family issues I wasn't able to go see and be with my brother in his last days, his memorial is this Saturday.
It was a comfort and relief to be able to stop in here and enjoy ya'ls banter and pic posts, And for me to remind myself I had to keep my act together because I had blocks to finish for you wonderful ladies.
Can't wait to receive my wonderful beautiful blocks!!
I hope my blocks for ya'l are ok and not any kind of disappointment , I'm sure I was one Janice wanted to tsk tsk and set in the corner :D. I tried.
Anyways back to the business of dealing with life. Hugs

Marietta -- I'm so sorry to hear that you have lost your brother. You have been a joy in the BOOM and your blocks are lovely. Pushing yourself to try new things is part of the fun of this BOOM. If this BOOM helped you with your grief in any way, I am glad for that. Piecing helps me while my emotions are in upheaval. I am sending you prayers and hugs in this time of sadness for you and your family. RIP brother of yours.

Marietta. I too thought it was me so I asked Janice to check my blocks and she did and said my blocks were fine, so I bet there are several boomers who think it might be them. If I could have redone Molly's block I would have. Molly I promise your next block will be better! I was satisfied with the other blocks, even happy with some of them. I learned a lot. And my next blocks will be better. That's all us newbies can ask for. Next time we'll know! The other boomers seem very forgiving.

It it was wonderful being a newbie in this boom with you. I didn't feel so stupid asking questions, as I thought, maybe Marietta needs to know that too. I for one, enjoyed your comments and I loved the guitar block you made for me.

After the boom was over I bought a Craftsy class, piece like a pro, that I think will bring my piecing to the next level. It talks about half square triangles and quarter square triangles and when you use them and 1/4 inch seams and how to figure out if you're actually doing a quarter inch seam. This class made me realize that I didnt know what I didn't know����. Of course wouldn't it be nice to live next door to one of these amazing boomers and be able to get help?

great boom. Thanks everyone for your patience with us newbies.

Boomers, I'm not going to out anyone on here and you all don't need to either. This boom is done but I ask again that in the future, three things happen for EVERY block:

Sew with about 12 stitches per inch, certainly not under 10
Sew 1/4 inch seams
Measure so your blocks come to 12 1/2 inches square, or as close as you can reasonably get

These are basic good construction techniques everyone needs in order to make blocks that come up to size and will not fall apart. Newbies to piecing need to learn these things and experienced quilters can occasionally use a refresher as can everyone in between. We welcome all skill levels in this swap and we will continue to but blocks must hold together and come as close to 12 1/2 inches as possible. Blocks made with a basting stitch won't hold together. Blocks made with perfectly cut pieces will not come out to 12 1/2 inches if you use a half inch seam or an eighth inch seam. Can't happen. I ask that everyone who doesn't measure start measuring. If you aren't great at 1/4 inch seams, practice. Go online and search for basic piecing techniques. You'll find many resources; something will surely work for you.

Through the years, I've been accused of requiring perfection and told that I expect too much. Nope. I do expect every boomer to strive for good construction and sizing. Everyone, everyone, who has been in this swap since I took it over has had all the basics to make blocks but they all haven't practiced a few skills to translate those basics into 12 1/2 inch blocks that will hold together. If you can adjust your machine, you can instantly solve the stitch length problem. If you can sew a half inch seam, you can learn to sew it at a quarter inch. And if you will use a ruler to check sizing after sewing two pieces of fabric together, you'll know if you need to make a change to your technique.

Boomers, past, present and future...you CAN do it. I have absolute confidence in that.

Marietta, I'm so sorry you have lost your brother. Big hugs and prayers. Thank you for the beautiful blocks you made for us. I love the one you made for me. I hope you will 'play' again next time. It just gets better and better.

Janice, thanks so much for running another successful swap! And thanks for keeping us all on our toes and helping us to be better block makers. Kudos to you, my friend! :hug:

Blocks are arriving today, or at least most of them are. :) Woo hoo! The vast majority of the blocks I saw were wonderful. I hope you will like them. If you have the time and wish to, I'd love to see pix of your blocks all together. I'm sure others would too.

I'll be leaving feedback on the QB next week. Any of you can do so too. And don't forget I'm happy to take any comments about any aspect of the swap by email.

Signups for Boom 19 will start in late June. For those who asked, color "requests" will remain requests. I will ask that they be taken into consideration but boomers need to be prepared that some people will go their own way regardless of the requests. It happens every single round and I'm just not going to stress about it anymore. My focus will remain on the construction side, not the creative side.

I'll be off line line for a few days starting this afternoon so I'll reply to any emails next week. I'm going down to my sewing room for a few days and don't plan to poke my head out until something, ANYTHING! is done. I've got a mini that has been this close to being done for months so maybe today is the day.

Boomers, enjoy the blocks!

My blocks will be here late today and with luck I'll find time to get them up on my design board sometime this weekend.

Janice thank you for all the work you put into making this a successful swap I have enjoyed every one that I have been in. Also Thank you to all the swappers newbies and old pro's alike the time spent on the boards and sharing our lives the good, the bad, and the funny makes every one of my blocks that much more special.

Ladies just got my blocks from both groups! I want to thank you all so much. My blocks are all Beautiful this quilt will be wonderful!!! Great swap until next boom!

I got my blocks today too. I love every single one of them. Thank all of you, Ladies, for such pretty work. I know my Sara is going to love this quilt. Hope to see you all again in the next Boom.

Woo Hoo just walked in the door w/ my squishy!!! Haven't even had a chance to look yet so exciting! Thanks everyone