Sunday, August 23, 2015

Swap Block

Tessa over at Half Square Quilts is hosting a monthly 18-inch finished block swap.  I have seen many online swaps and thought I'd give it a try.

My partner for the month of August is from Texas, and she requested reds and golds for her fabric choices.


She asked for one of these block designs:



Here are the colours I chose to make a Churn Dash block:


It took a long time to find an online pattern/tutorial that had the measurements for an 18-inch finished block, but I finally found it over at Delaware Quilts.

And the finished block.



I've decided not to continue with this swap as the expectation is that your partner shows you the fabrics she has chosen to make your block and the pattern she will be using.  And you receive a photo of the finished block before you actual receive it.  I don't see the fun in that.  If I'm choosing the fabrics and the pattern and then I see the block before it arrives, then I might as well have made the block myself.  Where's the surprise?

Maybe I'll try a different swap in the future.  I'll definitely ensure that I understand the expectations before signing up.

Have you tried a swap?  What was your experience?

3 comments:

  1. While I have not tried a block swap, I have participated in various knitting swaps. My experiences were not pleasant. My expectation was that the other participant would choose to make their item out of high quality goods where the knitting was as well executed as I'd make for a loved one. After all, making a practical thing of beauty was the goal. In all instances, I received blanket blocks/socks/mittens and so on that I'd have a hard time putting in the charity box let alone swapping with a peer. It was worth the experiment, and I am sure there are swaps out there where the participants play nicely.

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  2. I can see what you mean - half the fun in swaps is the surprise when you open the package!

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  3. I started to sign up for this swap (I've never done a swap before either) but decided to wait a bit to see how it was going. I was too afraid my partner would ask for something beyond my piecing skill level. Your block turned out quite lovely, though.

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