NEW NEW NEW quilt block swap

[SusieQ]

Munchkinmaker, I think your block is lovely and not "too plain" If everybody else thinks its too plain maybe I am out of my league here. I like it. I am so excited to get started. There are 7 days of school left until summer vacation. I have to wait until then to get started I have lots of ideas spinning around in my head already.

[MaryEHenry]

Thanks for the info everyone. I would really love to do it but I am scared that I wouldn't get them done in time. They would havve to be fairly simple too so I don't know if people would want that??

[Roxanne]

This is not a good time for me to join....maybe next Christmas. I have two queens and a baby quilt to complete. But I LOVE the idea.

[quilt-silly]

I am only speaking for myself, but in my opinion, if you want to play in the swap, you absolutely should. No concerns for how your blocks will stack up against the others - we're all in this to learn. My blocks aren't the best ones in the bunch, but I learned a lot and had a great time doing it. If other people in the swap don't like my blocks or don't want to use them in a quilt, that's up to them - I did my part by showing up and doing the best I could do and what happens to them now is none of my business.

Even the newbiest newb should never worry about how her blocks compare - I know the temptation is strong, but don't do it. People expect a wide variety of techniques, colors, patterns, skill levels in a swap and we're prepared to deal with it.

Bottom line: if this sounds like fun to you and you want to sign up then you should, by all means! Then jump in with both feet and do the best you can do.

And if that doesn't work, well then.... I double-dog dare ya.

[artist_bre]

I have to agree with Elizabeth and all that she said.

I was a newbie along with lot of the others in our last swap and I thought the same thing that my blocks wouldn't be good enough but I tried my best and made them anyway. When I got all he blocks from the other ladies and saw what they had done, I learned so much from theirs. Mine weren't the best in the bunch but they were as good as a lot of the others just different is all.

So please join us and have some fun making some beautiful blocks for your next quilt.

Mary
As far as getting them done in time; we have 5 months to make them and thats a ton of time. The last swap we only had a little over a month to make them and I couldn't start mine until 2 and a half weeks before they were due and I still finished them, and we made 2 blocks for each person in the last swap. So if you want to join us do so you should have plenty of time.
Happy quilting
Bre

[SusieQ]

I will also try to lend a note of encouragement. If it sounds like fun-go ahead and sign up; it will be fun and you will get alot of encouragement, support, and ideas every step of the way. And make friends. Come on along!

[gollygeequilter]

You can do all of them alike or all of them different - as long as it meets the few requirements:

12½" square
Winter holiday theme

Labels are optional.

We don't know how many we'll be making until mid-September, when the deadline for signing up rolls around. Then we'll know how many swappers there will be and Deb can decide if we're making single blocks for everyone, or a pair of blocks for everyone.

If you start making blocks now and only make 4 or 5 every week, you will have wayyyy more than you need on the mail-by deadline. Enough left over to make a second top or to make the back side of your swap quilt a pieced one.

Would I be out of line if I suggested that each of us used 100% cotton and a fairly reasonable quality fabric. It is hard to mix the fabrics when putting a quilt together. Don't get me wrong, the non-cotton blocks are just as lovely as the cotton ones. Just a suggestion folks.
Darlene

[teddy_rn]

Hi, I am in the process of putting together my quilt top from the last block swap. I am still impressed and amazed over the variety of styles we each brought to the swap!!

We are all completely different people with different tastes and styles and it reflects in our blocks. These are a testament to our creativity and love of our craft.

I for one am very happy that our blocks are so different because if I wanted a 'standard' quilt top I would have done it all be myself and not gone to this much effort!! I can hardly wait to complete the top, it will be done within a few hours and I will post a picture to share the extent of our pleasure so that you can all see how different we all are.

[munchkinmaker]

Yay, I cant wait to see the top!!

[quilt-silly]

Darlene, I second the motion - it is hard to mix fabric types.

Deb, you're going for the prize for the first finished project, aren't you!? I'm so happy to hear that you're having fun with this.

[bluebird]

What are the rules for this? Sorry, maybe I missed them or overlooked them.
Bluebird

[quilt-silly]

Just look four posts up - #87 - they're quoted in there.

The deadline for signing up is sometime in September, so we don't know how many we'll be making yet. Deb will let us know after the signup deadline.

[artist_bre]

Deb
I am putting mine together also and it looks just beautiful. I decided to make a small quilt for the sofa with my blocks.

Just checking in to say hi all.

Guess what I just bought? I just got some of he prettyest, sooo pretty Christmas fabrics for our new blocks I cant believe it!!! You all' will love them. I am going to do all different blocks this time around applique and all kinds of pieced blocks. I can't wait for my new fabric to arrive.

If anyone is looking for holiday fabrics heres a link that had the prettiest fabrics and the best prices too. http://www.fatquartershop.com/?gclid...FQNbxwodPigozg

Check them out you all'. I want more of there fabrics so I joined a Christmas fat quarter club and will be getting fabrics every month with holiday fabrics until Dec. I joined the Vintage monthly club too it starts in July and goes until April, and you get all the stuff you need to make the quilt with except the backing but they sell that too.
I am so excited I can't wait until Tuesday or Wed for my material to arrive so I can make more blocks. I already made 2 applique blocks.
Happy quilting
Bre

[dforrest60]

Please count me in too. Thanks,

[teddy_rn]

CONGRATS to you DForest!! and WELCOME aboard!


Our list so far:

1. Quiltsilly
2. Artist Bree
3. tndenim
4. TeddyRN
5. klarina
6. Munchkinmaker
7. Naturechick
8. DollyJ
9. srobins96
10.susieQ
11.boblynn55
12.stripe
13.Mrs. Buckeye!!!
14.DForest60

This is a sample of the blocks from our last swap, I made my own blocks for the outer blocks. I went with a king size quilt, 5 blocks across and 7 blocks down. Hubbs wants a 6" border added to the sides, the length is all good.

[teddy_rn]

Deb, you're going for the prize for the first finished project, aren't you!? I'm so happy to hear that you're having fun with this.

YEP!! I get the prize! It is so beautiful! I separated the blocks in 1/2 and put one of each pair in a different row; example I put one of Bree's in the top left and the bottom right and continued my pattern like that. I made all of my own blocks (14) for the left and right sides. Only took about 7-8 hours from making sure all of the blocks were exactly 12.5" to cutting miles of border, makeing 8 more blocks with embroidery to having the top done. Just living for next week when my long arm quilter and frame arrive

Elizabeth, put a disc in your camera, go to menu and move the pictures from internal memory to the disc. Have had to do this several times when I forgot a disc

[munchkinmaker]

Wow, beautiful quilt!! I was so excited that you were going to post the pictures I actually went to bed last night and had a dream that I was looking at them !!! LOL The real thing turned out more beautiful than I imagined. That makes me feel a lot better about my winter block, thank you soo much for posting them.
You definitely get Rep points for being the first one done with the quilt and post pics of it

[quilt-silly]

That turned out so nicely, Deborah! I like the color that you used for the sashing - it seems to go well with everything. That's a real challenge when the blocks are as varied as that, but you did great!

[teddy_rn]

That turned out so nicely, Deborah! I like the color that you used for the sashing - it seems to go well with everything. That's a real challenge when the blocks are as varied as that, but you did great!

THANK YOU for ALL of your encouragement and the phone visit while you listened to me babble during the last block exchange! You have created a monster in serious training! Hubbs has NO hobbies at all and this is really making him do something that he seems to really like.

I bet I looked at hundreds of fabrics when this cinnamon/nutmeg color jumped out. I didn't want another burgundy or rose because I was afraid that it would get lost and not make all of our blocks pop and shine! I did sew all of the the quilt labels on the blocks which made hubbs think I had lost my mind but I want to honor everyone's hard work. I fully intend to show my treasure off to everyone who vistis!

[artist_bre]

Hello fellow quilters
I got my new Janome quilting machine yesterday and it sews like a dream, I love it. It has the duel feed and a 1/4" foot with a material guide, not to mention I can wind a bobbin at the sme time as I am sewing. I have nver had a machine like that and I am so happy.

I was up until 4 am playing with it last night, I feel like a kids at Christmas. hehe I even got 6 blocks made with it so far.

Heres a couple of pictures of it.
Happy quilting
Bre