Bright mini from Oz

Here's another gorgeous finished quilt, this one from Lorraine in Australia - I like this one a lot a lot (I know, I say that all the time) - but this one really fits into my taste in composition - love those pointy suns/circles. Anyway. Someone is going to be very lucky to receive this one - I have to say, I'm very pleased with the overall calibre of quilts so far - keep up the good work, folks!

Little hearts

This one is made by Anne B, in black and brights. Another one I wish was my own... It will be on the way to...someone...very soon!

Pinwheels

Here's another finished piece - Amy's pinwheel quilt - which will be making its way around the world somewhere very shortly... The quilts are being finished left right and centre now - if you haven't started on yours yet, don't forget, it's due to be mailed out by 1 July.

Mini sampler

Here's Lisa's finished quilt - I cropped the photo from one on her blog which had it laid out against a textured background, so pay no attention to the fact that the edges look a little wonky - that's only me, not the quilt. Isn't it nice? It's on it's way to...someone!

Little houses

And here's another finished quilt - this one made by Linda K for...someone. I like this one a lot too (well, I've liked them all so far) - I especially like the shape of this one - I am a bit partial to rectangles (not that I hate squares or anything, don't get me wrong). Anyway, isn't it cute? Such a lot of really nice quilts are coming from this swap - thank you all for taking time and effort with them. Some of them are more simple than others, but they all show that time, care and thought went into them, and that's what this is all about, after all.

Sailboat for Lisa Jo

This lovely little boat quilt was made for Lisa Jo by Loulee - isn't it sweet and summery? I love the simplicity of this image and how the boat floats in the background sea. Another great quilt - keep 'em coming, ladies (and John!)...

Mini pineapple!

Here's another finished quilt - isn't this fabulous? It's Andrea's quilt for... someone! Someone is sure lucky.

An Apple a Day...

Here's another finished quilt - this sweet little apple themed quilt made by Jovita for her partner, who it will be on the way to somewhere in the world, before long. And I know Loulee has also finished her quilt, and I have seen a photo, although I won't be posting it here until her partner has received it - I can say, because she did on her own blog, that it's on the way to the US. Can't wait to see some more!

Welcome home, new quiltie!

Here's the little mini which Annette made for Loulee - there are a few more photos of it over on Loulee's blog. And I know of at least one more quilt which is on its way to a new home... Don't forget to let me know when you mail your quiltlet off, or when you receive one!

Another finish!

Here's the latest (that I've seen, at any rate) of the finished quilts for this little swap - this is Ramona's quilt for...someone (not going to catch me out like that!), which has gone into the post today. Isn't it sweet? I like the movement of colours across the quilt...

Frog in a Blender

Margaret has finished her quilt as well - I wish this one were for me (yeah, I know, I say that about all of them!) - she's blogged lots more pictures and descriptions over on her own blog - so go have a look. One of you will be lucky enough to receive this gem! (I'm not saying who, but don't assume it's not you just because you don't get it in the post in a week's time - she's going to wait a while to mail it, as the deadline is still so far away...)

More progress

Hi all - I've decided I'm only going to post pictures of finished quilts here, but many of you are working on your quilts, so do take a chance to browse through the blog list in the sidebar and see who's doing what - I'm trying to visit myself when I get a chance, and haven't made it to everyone's blog yet in the last few days, but I know that Loulee, LisaJo, John and Linda K have all posted about their little quilts - some of them are only posting about fabric choices, but that can be fun, too. (Oh, and if you need a cute fix, John is getting a puppy soon and has pictures and Linda has a new niece - both are really sweet!) If you've blogged about your quilt and I haven't mentioned it, don't worry, it's nothing personal, I just can't quite keep up with everyone...

Don't worry!

Just wanted to post a note to say to everyone, please don't worry that the type of quilt you are planning to make is not like the two shown so far (though those two are totally different anyway), or that you are "way behind".

First of all, in a swap like this, we are all going to produce different sorts of quilts - especially because I have not set a theme or any stylistic guidelines. Some quilts will be very traditional, pieced quilts, some may be very arty (for instance, have a look at some of the things Lynda is thinking about for this swap) - and some will fall in the middle.

All of these options are ok (though if your partner says s/he particularly likes or dislikes something, I hope you will all take that into account) - and more than being ok, that's part of the joy of one of these swaps - that we will all produce different things and that you will get something you like, but which is NOT just like something you would make yourself. After all, if you wanted something just like something you'd make yourself, you could make it yourself!

A case in point is the lovely quilt I received from the Spring Four Seasons Swap, which is not something I'd pick to make for myself - the colours are more pastel than I tend to buy and I am terrible at embroidery, so I'd never put words on a quilt in that way (it says "watch your garden grow" on the flower pots) - but it matches my family room walls perfectly and is a lovely, bright cheerful spring quilt, which I'm really pleased to own.






And while I will take the chance here to give you all a gentle reminder that you might want to be thinking about this swap, the due date for mailing your quilt to your partner is not until 1 July, so you don't have to panic if you haven't finished - or if you (like me) haven't started yet! It would be great if we didn't all wait until 1 July to send them, but there is still a lot of time to make this quilt, so please don't feel guilty.

I have shared these two finished quilts here because I myself like to have a look at what other people are doing because a)I'm nosy (and of course, being the organiser, I know who is getting what, so it's even more fun) and b)seeing what other people are working on often inspires me - sometimes it inspires me for an unrelated project, but hey, inspiration is a good thing and I don't knock it when it comes, whatever form it's in. I'm sure others are working on their quilts and talking about them on their blogs, so do have a trawl through the blog list on the side and see what they are up to.


And finally, while I don't know all the swap participants, and therefore can't always say what I think their individual taste is like (that's why we had the little questionaires), if you are worried about whether what you are making is suitable for the swap and want to ask my opinion - please do. Though I'll say here and now that if you have put thought and effort into it and are taking time and care with making it, it is suitable. I'm always interested in seeing people's thought processes, so I'm glad to have a look.

More on customs & duty for international posting

And, as promised before, some more on mailing your quilt - now that we have some completed ones, I thought it was time for this!

You are not required to send any extras with your quilt, but if you do, please bear in mind customs issues if posting internationally. As mentioned before, some countries are stricter than others about what can safely pass through customs - this is particularly true with food and agricultural materials. Usually a bar of chocolate or a box of tea is ok, but just worth being careful if you are not sure - for instance, whatever you do, don't send any plant material or seeds to Australia, or your partner might never get her quilt!

And another note for those sending internationally, many countries have limits as to the value of items that people can receive as a gift before having to pay a customs charge on the item - for instance, in the UK, anything which is valued at more than £17 (which is about $35US at the moment) will incur VAT & customs and a postal surcharge. So while I know your work is valuable, unless you are actually paying to insure your item in the post, it's worth keeping the value a little low on the customs tag so the recipient doesn't have to pay a charge. I'd also be wary of using the word "quilt" on a customs tag as sometimes things marked "quilt" tend to walk away - I tend to describe things I send as "fabric wallhanging" or "textile picture" or something obscure (but still true) like that.

Any other customs questions, just ask and I will either answer them myself, google them or ask the relevant person what's best for their country. I know some of you don't do much international swapping - those of us outside the US tend to do more international swapping and may therefore be a little more experienced with the joys of international post, as so many of the quilters in the world are in the US! But I know that also there are several Yanks on this list who have organised big swaps themselves, and are probably much more knowledgeable than I am.

Wherever you are posting, you may wish to send your quilt registered or signature required - that's up to you; I don't want anyone to bankrupt themselves on postage, but personally, I do usually pay the little bit extra to send things like this "international signed for" - I think here it costs about £3 extra to require a signature at the other end - just makes me feel safer. In the US, I think the priority mail service is pretty good, and not hugely more expensive than first class post - it's been a long time since I posted anything in the US on a regular basis, so I'm not an expert, but again, I'm sure if you have questions, someone on the swap will know the answers.

As always, the best policy is, if you are unsure, just ask.