ALQS - Round 2 now open

The second round of this swap is now open. The swap is a little different this time - for those of you who are interested, there will be the option to take part in an art quilt swap, instead of the more traditional type of quilts we've been swapping to this point. The sizes will remain similar, and the administration of the swap in terms of partner matching, deadlines, and so on will remain the same, but those who choose "art" over "traditional" will have a lot more freedom in terms of materials, technique, style and so on. Here are the general guidelines:

• You should receive your swap partners within a week of the signups closing (barring catastrophe); I anticipate it only taking a few days for signups to finish after the swap is published on the blog.
• The due date for mailing your quilts will be 10 November 2008, so you will have nearly 3 months to work on your quilt.
• There will be no theme for this swap, though I do ask you try to bear in mind the preferences of the partner you are assigned. Also, please try to keep away from themes that may not be appropriate to other swappers - for instance, religious, holiday or patriotic themes (unless specified under likes, of course).
• Quilts should be 12" square minimum and 20" square maximum. They do not have to be square, of course. All quilts should be finished (that is, quilted and bound) and should include a label on the reverse with your name, location, date and your partner's name, as well as the name of this swap. You may include other information if you like, such as a message or a quote. You should also include some sort of facility for your partner to hang your quilt - hanging tabs, a sleeve, corners, etc. (unless they specifically say not to)
• Because these are small quilts intended for display rather than use, and therefore shouldn't need to be washed, you may include some surface embellishment techniques such as beading, embroidery, fabric painting and so on, but please ensure any technique you use is durable (though washability is not required). And of course, bear in mind the preferences of your partner.
• In the traditional section, your quilt should be mainly a quilt - that is, the focus should be on fabric, piecing or applique, and so on, with some embellishment added to enhance (or not, as you wish). In the traditional section, you should stick to mainly cotton fabrics for your construction, though use of a small amount of other materials is permitted. In the art quilt section, pretty much anything goes, though as this is still a "quilt" swap, your piece should resemble a quilt in that it should have three layers (top, batting, backing) and be constructed at least partly of fabric.
• This will not be a straight swap - that is, it's possible that the person you send to will also send to you, but it's unlikely.

If you are interested in playing, you should send me email to katelnorth@yahoo.com with the subject ALQS2 and including the information below. I will respond to all emails to acknowledge them, so if you do not hear from me within 48 hours, you should try again or leave a message here on the swap blog - though please do not leave your details there.

1. Full name
2. postal address
3. email address
4. blog/flickr address, etc (this is not required to play, though I do prefer it; if you don't have a regularly updated blog (etc)and I don't know you from other swapping forums, I may ask for a reference from someone who has swapped with you before)
5. art quilt or traditional?
6. please note a FEW preferences (if you want to) such as one or two favourite colours and/or styles as well as one or two dislikes. If there is anything you'd really dislike in your quilt (for instance, if you hate Sunbonnet Sue or the colour yellow or birds) please mention that. Likewise, if you would like to be able to hang your quilt in a specific place and would like to mention ideal size, shape or what colour your wall is, you may mention this and your partner will try to take it into account. You may also provide one or two links to quilts or quilt artists you particularly like - though you don't have to. DO NOT list too many preferences or specifics or I will edit them, perhaps randomly!
7. international posting - unless you have strong objections, I will assume everyone is willing to post internationally. If this is a serious issue for you, please let me know and I will do my best to assign you a partner within your own country - obviously this depends on who signs up, so I can't guarantee it for all countries, but it should be okay within the US and probably the UK and Australia.
8. partner preferences - again, I can't guarantee specific partners as I don't know who will sign up, but if there is someone you would particularly like to make a quilt for or someone you have just made a quilt for in another swap and would therefore rather not make another quilt for right away, please let me know and I'll do the best I can to juggle the partners to fit. You may not mention who you would like to receive a quilt FROM. If you took part in the previous round of this swap, you will not be assigned the same partner as the first time.