Time to sign up for our 23rd swap!
SWAP IN DUE IN MY HANDS NO
LATER THAN SEPTEMBER 10, 2016
Our three themes are:
*Stashbusters (see guidelines below)
*Shades of Blues (see guidelines below)
*Goop Mélange Squares (see guidelines below)
<<36 SET MINIMUM-99 SET
MAXIMUM PER THEME>>
In collaboration with the
great ladies at Paperpieces.com (see their contact information at the end of
this post), we will offer you the opportunity to join our 22nd swap with other
quilters and save 20% not only on your precut shapes of English paper
pieces, but for all other merchandise on their website! Please note this
discount doesn’t include the shipping charges. They offer an extensive
collection of hexagon books to spark your interest and I especially recommend
“Piecing It All Together” and “English Paper Piecing”.
The Paperpieces.com code
number will be emailed to you once you officially sign up at 2013hexagonswap@gmail.com with your full real name,
address and phone number and the swap(s) themes you be joining in. Paperpieces
will do their best to get your shipment out ASAP so you will have plenty of
time to work on your sets! I will do my best not to send you back any
duplicates.
Below you will find what
seems like a copy of “War and Peace”, but I run my swaps with open
communication so there are no surprises and complete consistency from all
swappers. Follow the guidelines? Great! Don’t follow the guidelines? Your swap
will be returned. I need to be fair to
all swappers who play. And I know what you are thinking and yes, I am a type-A
personality!
We will be swapping
1”hexagons (Paperpieces item # HEX100). Please note that these measure 1” on
each side. Each “set” will be of six of the same fabric with the papers left
inside. This will allow you to make the outside edges of a flower and use your
own center fabric to bring consistency to your finished project. Please do not
use any glue to hold down the paper piece on the fabric. You will be sewing
through the paper and be sure to check the blog for the details. See the
tutorial on how to make hexies for this swap on the blog under favorites.
Check out the right side of the hexie blog for photos of suitable
fabrics for the above themes. Remember, you can only send in a
maximum of ten sets (60 hexies) of the same
print. And no, you cannot duplicate or use the same fabric for another theme
(such a sending in a Shades of Blue and also including it into the Stashbusters
theme).
**Remember, NO large prints or novelty prints.
We are getting many of these sent in and I just have to return them back to
you**
Here are our three themes:
>Stashbusters:
Use the guidelines below for selecting fabrics and check out the blog: http://hexagonswap.blogspot.com/2012/12/basics-for-hexagon-swap.html
>Goop Mélange Fabric Swap: Many have asked for a certain color hexie when swapping out, but
since they are already bagged, I'm not taking the time to sort them out. By
swapping out the squares, I can ask for your favorites
when swapping out and I will try to accommodate them (such as
darks, brights, lights, only florals, reds, etc.). These are for fillers for
your larger open area projects. Questions? Just ask!
What will it be like? Washed 2 ½” to 3” squares that meet the Stashbusters
guidelines; no more than 12 pieces of the same print will be a set. If you don't
have enough of one print to make 12 piece set, use another print, but you cannot
use the second print in another set. This is great way to clean out your odds
and ends!
No minimum to join, but a maximum of 10 sets
(120 pieces). Just a reminder that we
are looking for SMALL prints—larger prints will be returned. And yes,
you read this correctly—not finished hexies, just the fabric. Let me also know when you sign up what you are looking
for in return and I will do my best for you! J
*PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES
CAREFULLY BEFORE COMMITTING TO THE SWAP OR CUTTING YOUR FABRICS. IF YOU HAVE
ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE ASK!* As always, if you send in hexies using fabrics not
allowed in the swap, they will be returned.
*Use only 100% cotton washed fabric.
*NO solids (unless noted in swap
guidelines), homespun, glitter, batiks, novelty prints—this includes holiday
prints (unless noted in swap guidelines) and children prints, flannels, thin or
plastic-feeling fabrics. Please do not send in any WOW (white on white), COC
(cream on cream), etc. They really don’t make a colorful flower. Just remember we want each flower to stand out—and
not become a wallflower in your
finished project!
*NO large prints—be sure your fabrics selected
are to the 1” hexagon scale! Leave
your open background and large prints for other projects—use smaller prints
that fill in your hexie! If you have a question on a fabric, please do not
hesitate to contact me at 2013hexagonswap@gmail.com
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, ALSO PLACE A 1”
HEXAGON PAPER ON THE QUESTIONABLE PRINT SO I CAN SEE THE SCALE.
*Be sure when cutting
directional fabrics they do not end up looking off-bias or wonky once the
hexagon flowers is put together.
*Be sure to REMOVE your
selvedges (and pin marks) BEFORE cutting
your fabrics. Check fabric for flaws, such as runs or stains. Since the sets
will be stacked and tacked by a thread, I will not be able to double check your
work. Remember the golden rule of
swapping—do not send anything in that you
wouldn’t want to receive in return.
*PLEASE SHIP IN PLENTY OF
TIME AS ANY LATE PACKAGES WILL BE RETURNED BACK TO YOU UNSWAPPED AT YOUR
EXPENSE!* I will be sending out a “gentle reminder” notice two weeks before the
swap is due. THIS WILL BE strictly INFORCED! If shipping parcel post, plan on two week shipping
time. For international shipments, please plan on at least three weeks to
arrive in time to swap out.
While I advocate using
Paperpieces papers (#HEX100), you can also take lightweight card stock and cut
your own. You cannot use regular
computer paper or cardboard for this swap as they are subsequently too light
and too heavy ensure a sharp point when turning corners and will be returned!
If you do use your own inserts, be sure they are consistent while cutting. I
will be doing a spot check to be sure they are not too small or too large and
that once you sew down the corners they are not pulling up the tips. Check out
the blog for a tutorial as to how we would like the hexies made. Please do not
use any glue or adhesive to hold down the hexie paper to the fabric. Please use
a straight stitch, not a whip stitch
for easy paper removal.
Your swap guidelines on how
to make of the hexagons will be posted on the blog. Please DRY press your
hexagons when finished. Be careful NOT to use steam if using printed inserts as
the dyes may come off on the fabrics! Yes, we will be sewing through the paper,
but as you see in the tutorial, it will be easy to remove the papers for reuse
once you sew your hexagons together and remove the basting stitch.
As mentioned before, each set
will be six-1” finished hexagons of the SAME print with a knotted basting
stitched (PLEASE USE THE SMALLEST NEEDLE POSSIBLE TO AVOID HOLES!) down the
middle and back up to the top to hold each set together (with papers left
inside each piece). You can only send in 10 sets of the SAME print! (Total of
60 hexagons of the SAME print) to ensure a nice variety of prints. I found
cutting 2 ½”strips of fabric and sub cutting them into 2 ½” squares work
PERFECT for this project.
NOTE: I know life sometimes throws you
curve balls, but it has happened that people get excited and want to play, only
to wait two months later when the swap is due in a day or so to say they didn't
have time. By that time you should have already been ready to mail the package.
That leaves me hanging to replace your swap with my stash and totally unfair IF
you know you cannot make the deadline to begin with. I give you ample notice so
you have plenty of time to make an informed decision. Also, another player may
liked to play in your place. Be honest with me up front, or a repeat offender might not be able to play in the future. The success of this swap depends on
your ability follow through your commitment to our group of players. Thank you
for your understanding!
By all of us being honest and
accountable, I'm sure we will have a great 2016 swapping year! I really do
enjoy hostessing and want to continue to enjoy it, so by coming up front with
any issues is not really a complaint, but a way to correct it so my frustration
level (and blood pressure!) stays at an even keel. Probably the MOST important
thing I can say about a successful swap is the high level of communication
between all parties. Without that, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Be
prepared for me to contact you several times during the swap for an update on
your progress and invite pictures of your hexies to share with other swappers!
**I’m allergic to pet dander
and scents, so please do what you can to control the fur. Some packages come in
with so much pet hair that they look like they need to be brushed! For health
reasons, I cannot handle them and they will be returned untouched at YOUR
expense. My health depends on it and I thank you in advance for your
understanding.
PACKING YOUR SHIPMENT-We found that using dollar store
sandwich Ziploc-style bags package nine sets nicely and make it easier to swap
out. If you “burp” the air out of the baggies before you seal them they pretty
much stay in place during shipping. Also, please ID each baggie with your name
and state so that the other swappers can know where their hexies come from!
Some swappers like to use those address labels they get in the mail. You can
put all your separated themes in a larger Ziploc-style bag with your COF board
name (if you have one!), real name and address, phone number and number of sets
in the main bag AND a separate piece of paper with your mailing address in case
the package is damaged in shipment so the post office can still return it to
you.
POSTAGE or POSTAGE money must
be included in your package. Be sure to add a stamp or two to your stamped
envelopes if not going priority mail flat rate boxes. They also seem to weigh
more returning than coming in! If you are a frequent swapper, you can also send
in $20 or so and I can keep it on “account” and deduct your postage from it.
This was worked nicely with some swappers in the past and that way you don’t
have to worry about sending in money each time. Once the swap is complete, I
will PM you your postage balance on account for your records. If you wish your
extra postage money returned, I can certainly do that also (minus the stamp
money for return postage).
If you wish to include a
self-addressed mailer for the return trip back to you, remember NO metered
postage or ACP postage on the return mailer. Stamps only. Our post office will
not allow more than a 13 oz. pre-stamped mailer in any mailboxes nor can mail
carriers accept them (since 9/11 our East coast mail guidelines have been
modified). While your local p.o. may say it is okay to use metered or ACP
postage, our p.o. will NOT accept anything that has been pre-dated. I’m just
trying to make it as easy as possible for all concerned. If you have any
questions, please do not hesitate to ask!
For Priority mail packages, I
have plenty of mailing envelopes and boxes here so there is no need to send a
new one. I do, however, try to recycle the boxes if possible. IF
YOU ARE SENDING YOUR SWAP IN A MANILLA ENVELOPE OR PADDED MAILER, YOU ARE
RESPONSIBLE
TO SEND IN A RETURN ENVELOPE. Remember, I am not responsible for the
packages once they are mailed back to you.
>>NOTE: Some of your
local post offices allow you to pack a flat rate envelope or legal size envelope
to the bulging point, but mine won’t accept them as they are intended for FLAT
items only. So, if you can get away with it on your end-fine-just be aware they
may not be returned the same way.
Paper Pieces:
http://www.paperpieces.com/
(Use the search box to find
the HEX100)
Email: paperpieces@paperpieces.com
Call toll free in the US:
1-800-337-1537
Hexagon Swap blog:
http://hexagonswap.blogspot.com/
