I love the Secret Pal swap. I have learned a lot about other swappers. We only spend $10. Many make hand made items for their partners. It is so much fun.

swap are only as good as the host.

it is up to the host to properly swap out the blocks, coordinate the people in the swap, and make sure everyone follows the rules.

i've been in some great swaps and i'll always join anything she wishes to host and i've been in some terrible swaps and i'll never work with that host again.

Let's see...The BOM's are fun because the Host posts the block you are to make and it's for yourself....
I joined the Boomerang with 35 other ladies where you swap fabric with them and each of us makes a block out of their fabric...My first 20 blocks I did for others was fun but I think I burnt myself out on the last 15...so it will be awhile for a re join on that one.
My favorite is Doll Quilts been doing that every mth since Feb.
Themed block sets are fun...I've joined Sunbonnet Sue, Funky Chicken, Funky Cats and recently Painted/printed loved that one since it was so diff...
So ck each one out and see what looks interesting and come join in...I'd recommend DollQuilt...

They are lots of fun. And you get to 'meet' lots of fun new quilting friends. Plus you get a treasure to keep.

Not sure I understand that comment. How can a host guarantee that the rules are followed?

I have participated in a few swaps and enjoyed most. However, it is amazing how the rules seem to be interpreted by some participants. Prewashing fabric, size of block, craftsmanship.... AND I am NOT talking about a newbie who is trying her best. In this example, I am talking about someone who whacked off a few hunks of fabric and slapped them together. I was surprised she used thread and not staples. The rules state that we cannot make negative comments in a swap - so at the time, I just took note to never work with that person again. In general, I think the swaps are fun. You tend to get a lot of nice blocks.

As for Robins, I've been in a row robin and a round robin.

On both robins, it was a good challenge because it made me broaden my horizon. The row robin is a little easier because you always work with the same size block (word of advice: always measure the row first!)

The round robin grows as you work on each one in succession. I was in a great group. Everyone did wonderful work and I am soooooo pleased with my top. Other groups were not so lucky for a variety of reasons.
One thing I learned for me: Never send out a center for a robin that you are emotionally attached to. If someone messes up or if your top gets lost, you will be heartbroken.

I love the doll quilt swap and it is not difficult to finish or to become overwhelmed. I am in a boomerang for the first time and am in the small group of only 16. I am really enjoying it to the max, but probably will only do small ones each time as I don't like feeling pressed to finish so many blocks and like to make something special for each swap partner. I am intrigued with the row robins-they look marvelous!

I forgot. Took part in the Boomerang last year and it was so much fun. It takes a bit more fabric in the beginning but it is fun to see what everyone makes with your fabric.

I have participated in quite a few doll quilt swaps, and I have some real treasures hanging in my sewing space. It's fun for me to try new techniques on a smaller scale and I love getting a surprise in the mail. They have been great fun

I love the monthly Secret Pal swaps. I have participated in it for several months and it's like Christmas every month!

I've only done one and I didn't enjoy it at all. And I'm still waiting on 2 blocks that were supposed to be in the mail by Sept. 4. I wasn't happy with the quality of some of the blocks and, thankfully, I have enough of the fabric I sent out to make enough replacement blocks to make a decent sized quilt. I won't do another one. I was really excited at the beginning of the swap but it went rapidly downhill after that.