CLOSED!

Ok, folks - that's it. There are now 70 people signed up for this swap and frankly, that's enough. There will be 13 swappers in the art group, which should work just fine - and that makes 57 people in the traditional section. Including - not to go on about this TOO much, but I think it's kinda cool - THREE guys (yes, "guys" in the sense of male quilters). But don't get me wrong - I'm delighted to have all you ladies, as well.

Here's the geographical breakdown (because I like these sorts of things):

• 38 quilters from the US
• 8 quilters from the UK
• 10 quilters from Australia
• 4 quilters from Canada
• 2 quilters from the Netherlands
• and one each from: France, Turkey, Germany, Lithuania, Norway, Luzembourg, Italy and Chile

It will take me about a week to work out who partners whom; emails will go out once I've worked it all out. For the time being, if I have received an email from you asking to be included in the swap, I have responded and listed your name in the sidebar.

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.

SIGNUPS NOW CLOSED!

Well, we now have 41 players signed up, so I am closing the swap. I know I said 40, but I just took all the signups that were in my email box when I got home today (took the kids out and about, ending up at the seaside - a little chilly, but lovely sunny day all day!) - it seemed a little unfair to say no to the last person, who had only emailed an hour later than the previous one... And anyway, 40 was an arbitrary number I chose myself for no real reason, so 41 is no problem - since we aren't doing a direct swap (i.e. A sends to B and B sends to A) it doesn't matter that it's an odd number.

There is every likelihood I will run another round of this swap with an autumn mailing deadline, so if you didn't get signed up in time this time around, feel free to send me an email expressing interest in future swaps (no committments, of course) and I'll be happy to email you when the next round is launched - unless things go pear-shaped and I decide not to do it.

I need one or two more sets of preferences and details; once those are in, I will start matching up partners - I expect to email you all by Monday at the absolute latest, probably it will be sooner. I will post a message here when I have emailed the partner info out so you can check on progress.

Just in case you are interested, here's how international this swap is - I think we did very well!

Australia (3)
Finland (1)
France (1)
Ireland (2)
Lithuania (1)
Luxembourg (1)
the Netherlands (1)
Turkey (1)
United Kingdom (5 England, 2 Wales and 1 from the Isle of Man)
United States (22 - states represented are AR, CO, CT, IA, ID, IL, IN. MD, ME, MI, NC, NE, NJ, PA, VT & WA)


Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against Americans (as many of you know, I actually am one, though I've lived here 15+ years now), but I do really like to see the fact that in this swap, nearly half of our swappers are NOT from the US. Just goes to show how much quilting is spreading around the globe, which can only be a good thing, right? Right!

Signups - update

Hello all - I now have 37 people signed up for this swap, and have received details from nearly all of you - if your name is on the sidebar on the right hand side, I have received your email about signing up - if you have sent me an email asking to sign up and your name is NOT in that sidebar, I probably didn't get it and you should please try again. [This includes emails received up to about 7.30am London time on Thursday]

I have decided I will keep the swap open until we reach 40 signups - I don't want my first one of these swaps to be too big and unmanageable. At the current rate, I'd guess that means no longer than the end of this week, so if you are still considering, don't leave it too late to make your mind up. Assuming things carry on at the current rate, I'd guess I can get partner info out by early next week, rather than the 1st of May, which means, you'll have 2 more weeks than originally thought to plan and work on your little quiltie.

Thanks for all the interest, and any questions, just ask!

Announcing...another little quilt swap

Yes, it's another little quilt swap. I know there are a bunch of them around, but I love making and swapping these little quilts, and I know that many of you do, too - at least if the speed they fill up at is anything to go by!

This little swap will be similar to some of the ones I have participated in before - for instance, the Four Seasons Quilt Swap or Toni's Miniature Booty Swap. 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. Because these are small quilts intended for display rather than use, you may include 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).

Any technique or style is allowed, including wholecloth quilts or art quilts - and traditional quilts are welcome as well - so if you have a dislike of a particular style, be sure to note it when signing up.

This will not be a straight swap - that is, it's possible that the person you send to will also send to you, but then again, they might not (it will all depend on no's 6&7 below, and on who signs up).

At the moment I am planning to take 25-30 signups for this swap; it's possible that will change if I get a huge response (edited to say: I got 15 people in the first 24 hours - if that's a trend, I think I will certainly let it go up to at least 40 people - I hate to disappoint - but assuming all goes well, I will run another one later in the year). I am hoping to get partners assigned and sent out by the 1st of May; you must post your quilt to the recipient by the 1st of July. I may be able to get partners assigned sooner if signups go quickly - which they are, at the moment - who knows, if things continue at this rate, I'll be able to get partners out next week!

If you are interested in playing, you should send me an email (to katelnorth@yahoo.com, with ALQS or Another Little Quilt Swap in the subject line) with the information below included. I will respond to all emails to acknowledge them, so if you do not hear from me within 48 hours, you should either try again or leave a message here (though obviously not with your details in it)...

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 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. any dislikes in terms of colour, fabric style or theme?
6. any particular favourite colours or styles?
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.
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.