Ready for another one! Here is the link to the activities board and don't forget to PM me.

http://www.quiltingboard.com/group_a...jsp?gracnum=98

PM'd you! Definitely in for another round!

PM'd you. Can't wait!

Yay! Got my squishy but haven't had time to really look through them. I may save them as a Christmas present to me! Yes, definitely sign me up for the next one. I will PM you.

Yup I pm'd you! I noticed in the swap listing you mentioned something about short counts. I've been throwing in about 5 extra in each set just to cover miscounts (yeah it is hard to count to 50 sometimes LOL) and cuts that may be a little off--somedays the ruler slips!

I LOVE Swaps, but IDK if I can cut 1.5" perfectly. That's so small, it scares me a little. I'll have to practice and get back to you LOL

I'll do at least 10 sets ... more if I have time. :) I'll PM you shortly.

Hi Angela,

I found it easier to cut 1.5" strips first then line up the 1.5" square to cut them. I hope to get AccuQuilt one day!

Mary B MS

I'm going to practice, I just wouldn't want anyone to be disappointed with what I sent. Thanks for sharing, that does sound easier. I'm confident in my cutting for most other sizes, my scraps are usually cut into 2.5" or larger. You wouldn't think that 1" would make that much of a difference but it does. I would also like to have the accuquilt :)

Hooked ya did we? Glad you joined! :)

Yep, I'm in and loving it. I'm tossing around a lot of ideas in my head as to how to lay these out. But I'd like to participate in a few more of these swaps to have enough to make a large quilt with. I've signed up for 20 sets this time.

;)

I sent you a PM for the March swap. I'm patiently waiting for my current swap to arrive. . . . well maybe not so patiently. My DH is tired of me asking for a squishy when he walks in the door with the mail!

Pretty soon I will have to decide on a layout for these.

I am new to this so I would like to clarify something. If I send you a set, is all the fabric the same and then you swap all the fabrics so each bag returned would have 50 different fabrics or for each bag I send the squares are all different in that bag and then you are just swaping the bags?

Welcome to our crazy swap group! It is the latter. Each bag has 50 different squares and the bags are swapped. 50 different fabs sounds like a lot until you get started cutting and then you are amazed at how many different fabrics you have! I, as many of us have, have started a container just for this swap. When we have a scrap it gets cut and put in the 1.5 swap container. By the time March rolls around you start counting and bagging. The little snack ziplocks work well for sorting and sending your 50 squares.

Thanks oksewglad! That answers my question too! Poor Missi just got another PM from me asking if we need to sew the 50 one & 1/2 inch squares together before we send them (lol)... I've not done one of these swaps before...I, like Angela don't want to goof up and waste time, fabric and $$. But I surely am looking forward to doing this one! Wonder how many of us will participate when it's all said and done?

You are welcome. OBTW 18 signed up so far and there were 49 for the fall one!

Hey Missi!
Thank you again for hosting the last swap. I am definitely in for this one too.

I have a suggestion. How about if everyone also lists the state they are from on their packets. I think it's fun to see where the different fabrics come from. :D

Great idea - I will add that to the "rules" on the sign up board and hopefully everyone will see this post.

PLEASE LABEL YOUR SETS WITH YOUR BOARD NAME AND STATE!

We have 22 swappers already!!!!!!

PM'd you for the join in. I've been saving since I wanted to join the last one in the fall, but with all my holiday sewing commitments, I had to pass. I was hoping another one would be held and here it is. I'm definetly in!

I want to join but I do have one question first.....If I sign up for 10 sets, can the 10 sets have the same 50 fabrics or do they need to be different?

Each set has 50 different fabrics but you can have 10 sets of 50. When I straighten my fabric for a clean cut, I add 1.5" to the edge. Much easier for me than cutting scraps piece by piece.

I just sent a PM to get myself signed up!! I understand that some like fabric pre-washed and some don't. Is there a preference for this swap?

I myself like to work with pre-washed fabric. That way I'm pretty sure none of the pieces will shrink once my project is finished causing a bit of a problem. I don't know if there is a preference here or not...hope not...as all of my fabric in my stash has been washed before it ever became "stash".

I always prewash too. But I recall a comment about this on the sign-up thread for fall. Someone said that at this size, shrinkage shouldn't be a problem so prewashed or not didn't matter.

I pre-wash everything but my pre-cuts. So I imagine that most if not all mine will be pre-washed. I need to start cutting! I signed up for 10 that is 500 squares!!

Happy Wednesday Fellow Swappers! Are we doing siggie blocks to send in with our sets?

Oh boy. I had my 20 piles laid out in my sewing area, adding to each pile sequentially as I cut more strips.

DH knocked the piles off onto the floor while looking for something. He cannot understand why this is upsetting. Other than the fact that whatever I'm doing is not considered worthy of being careful of.

How aggravating. Before I had 20 piles that I KNEW didn't have duplicates. All I had to do was be sure there were 50 in each pile. Now I have to sort the whole mess into like fabrics, and re-sort into 20 piles. Arghhh!!!!

Guess it will be good after Christmas project.

I am an avid prewasher so many of my squares are prewashed. I saw many of them because I have a quilter friend who has given me scraps by the pound and she doesn't prewash. I can't believe what she will toss, I started to keep the 2.5" stuff separate cause I can do a different scrap quilt with them. I saw last night I need to get some drawers so I can start to sort by color cause the large rubbermaid I started with is full - ack!

Nanax4 I know your aggravation my helper aka the cat resorted my piles the first time I was swapping. I now keep them stacked with straight pins through them. If the set is done it goes in a baggie.

Missi - good idea with the straight pin. I did the re-sorting last night and realized that I could put the completed sets into their baggies. Brilliant minds think alike, eh?

I no longer have a cat in the house and DH never sets foot in my sewing area. I scatter those squares all on my own! Why haven't I thought doing it this way before!

Well, you all make this swap sound like alot of fun, so I decided to give it a try.

Uh-Oh...I was in the last swap. I don't remember what fabrics I sent. :shock:

Hopefully, I'll get a different group of swappers this time around.

I am curious, How many actually put their blocks into a home made quilt? I may be wayyyyy wrong. I would think the cut would be easier than the sewing lol..... I have no idea really, have never does this. Does sound fun.

I have been in 3 of these swaps plus a couple with other board members and have swapped out close to 1500 squares and the number of duplicates may be 15-20 in all! The different fabrics out there is truly amazing and diverse.

Personally, my scraps are the same for the last couple of swaps, so mine might duplicate as well but when you're talking thousands of squares, it makes for a fun seek and find when the quilt is put together!

Oh GREAT! Something for me to do to take my mind off things.

I'm signing up for 10...but it will almost certainly go to 20.

OK this is what I understand so far. (1) pre wash is better for most of us? (2) If I do 10 sets, each set can have the same 50 fabrics as long as EACH set has 50 different fabrics? (3) Write name, and state on each baggie? (4) how many SETS does it table to actually make a quilt? yes I'm a green horn. (5) how many times a year do they have the 1.5" swap? Please someone help me? Thanks and have a blessed day.

Ladies, I forgot to ask one more question. DO YOU USE GOOD QUILTING MATERIALS or the VERY cheap materials one can buy at Joann's for abt 3.00 yd not on sale. I'm curious as what to expect and what to send? I have both type of materials. Some I bought a few years ago and it feels very weak after washing, (smile) Oh well, You all probably think I'm very silly. I want to be sure to do my part well. Thanks

(2) If I do 10 sets, each set can have the same 50 fabrics as long as EACH set has 50 different fabrics?

Huh? Not understanding this...ok...you mean...each baggie will contain 50 blocks...and each of those blocks need to be of a different fabric color, print, etc....all you need to do is cut 10 1.5 inch blocks from one piece of fabric...then another 10 of another piece of fabric...and so on and so on till you have 500 total blocks (50 sets)...then...take 1 of each stack of 10 and put it in a baggie...continue doing this till all the stacks have been depleted and all the baggies have 50 blocks in each one.

Cheryl...just caught your last post...cheap, expensive who cares? Not me! Hint: I spray starch my fabric before cutting...it takes the "limp" factor out of it and is easier for me to cut...

Glad to have you joining us!

Does that help? Hope so!