Friendship Bag Swap

When I saw the photo of this bag, I knew that I had to make one. When I saw that this is also a swap, well, I signed up immediately.

This bag is for the Friendship Bag Swap, hosted by the Quilting Gallery.

Here's the run-down,

• Sign ups are going on now and end August 20th.
• You receive your partner's information August 25th. It is a secret swap, so no telling who your partner is.
• People from around the globe are participating, but you have the option if you want to ship internationally or not.
• There is a simple online form to complete to sign up.
• There is an optional Flickr group that you can join to share your journey.
• The instructions are simple to follow with a lot of pictures.
• As of now here are the stats: 221 participants, 23 countries, 6 provinces, and 39 states.
  

Something that is not listed on the swap site, but I found when I looked at the Flickr site - people are filling the bags with goodies for their secret friend. I do not know if there is a dollar limit or any other restrictions. Once my registration is accepted, I intend to ask. -- UPDATE -- See Mishka's comment below. Goodies are optional in the swap.

Even if you do not join the swap, consider making these simple little bags to hold gifts for family and friends. Autumn weddings are starting and the holidays are closer than you think!

Have fun!

2009 Dear Jane Siggie Swap

I received my blocks from the 2009 Dear Jane Siggie Swap. If you don't know what a siggie swap is, it is a signature block swap. Each person sews a specified block for each person that signed up for the swap. For this one, I made 79 of the same block. I then signed the center block with my name, city, state, and country. The blocks are mailed to the swap hostess. After receiving blocks from everyone, she sorts them so everyone receives one block created by each person.

I love receiving the package in the mail and then looking and touching each one. You cannot look at a block without wondering about the person that created it.

I received blocks from as close as the next city over and as far away as Australia. The creativity in these simple blocks is astounding. My favorites where the ones the used a stamp that represented their state. Such a simple idea, but so effective.

If you have never participated in a quilt block swap, I recommend that you do. Do a little research to make sure that the organizer has done a swap with success in the past. Do not hesitate to email the organizer and ask how many swaps they have organized. Remember, organizing and participating in are very different.

Also, have patience. It always takes longer to receive the packages than what is stated in the swap instructions, but life happens. Sometimes the hostess decides to wait for a few people that are late in sending their blocks. Sometimes the turn-around is too ambitious. Sorting all of the blocks is a very time consuming process and then you have to package and mail. Don't even get me started on shipping international. The hostess deserves all the respect in the world! (Thank you giggles2. I hope you know how much your work is appreciated!)

I am working on a map that marks the location of everyone that participated in the swap. I am halfway done. When I complete it, I'll post the link. It is interesting how a swap can cross seas and bridge language barriers. (Okay, that was a bit sappy, but it is neat!)