Boomerang Friendship Swap 5.0- EAST group
Mailing deadline to have all blocks completed and home by is September 4, 2011

Hello and welcome to the Boomerang Friendship Swap. This thread is for the EAST group to post on :-) This swap is about a great opportunity to get a large number of blocks from all over the world made by our online quilting friends.

How it works:
1) You will select a fabric or selection of fabrics from your stash (or you can buy new-up to you) and cut them in to Fat Eighths (18 x 11).
2) You will send each member in the swap one F8 to work with. The person who receives the fabric will make you a block with your fabric in it.
3) You may advise the person of colors you would prefer they use or not use but please do not request specific blocks. This is meant to be a “friendship” swap where your friends pick, design and create a beautiful 12.5” unfinished block for you based on the fabric you send them.
4) In turn you will receive an F8 from each member in the swap and have to make them a block.

Rules/Guidelines:
(please make sure to also refer to the basic policies that apply to all swaps announced through the board: http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-20154-1.htm )
1) Please make sure all fabric is prewashed prior to making the block and sending it home.
2) When sending your fabric please make sure it is in some kind of sealed item (Ziploc baggy, saran wrap) with a piece of paper or even a peel-off label with your name, address and quilt board name so that the items are protected and won’t get mixed up. Please do this when returning blocks as well. (This way if for some unhuman reason the PO mangles a package the plastic has a chance at saving the work and with an address visible it just might make it home)
3) Please mail your F8 within three weeks of receiving the address list. This helps ensure we all have ample time to work on everyone's blocks.
4) Please handle all fabric received with the utmost care and place it somewhere where it won’t be lost or forgotten about.
5) In order to help keep track of the blocks sent and received I will be emailing out a chart to all members who participate so that you may fill it in as we go.
6) All blocks should be 12.5” unfinished. They can be regular pieced, paper-pieced, appliquéd-whatever the quilter decides to do. It is up to each individual. Again the feeling is to get a true friendship quilt out of this.
7). Please remember to trim your threads, cut your dog ears...in essence remove any excess work from the back of your block that the receiver should not have to worry about. We do not want to have any extra bulk in these blocks that are not needed (harder to quilt them :-) )
8) You may sign the back of the block if you wish to or perhaps pin a small muslin square with your name, where you live and what the name of the block is.
9) Please measure your block before mailing it. We all started somewhere but it is nice to be able to get all the blocks back measuring the same size so the quilt can go together nicely.
10) Please make a block that you yourself would be happy and proud to call your own.
11) This is a one block per swapper swap. You will have to make 35 blocks per group (If you wish to do two groups please be aware this means you will have to mail 70 F8s and make 70 blocks). Please be aware of this before you commit yourself if you do not think you would be comfortable making 35 blocks in 4 months. (70 for 2 groups)
12) Please be courteous to our swappers and post when you receive either someone's fabric or a completed block. This helps us to know the postal gremlins are not at work lol If for some reason you cannot get on the board to post please let me know and I will let the members know. We appreciate interaction with all of our swappers.
13) Have FUN!!! This swap will let you explore your creativity as you do not have to make the same block for everyone. You can try that block you always wanted to. Try new fabrics, new colors...step outside of your comfort zone in to a different box

PLEASE DO NOT SEND FABRICS/BLOCKS WITH PERFUME OR OVERWHELMING FRAGRANCES ON THEM DUE TO ALLERGIES. THERE MAY BE MEMBERS OR FAMILY MEMBERS WHO HAVE SEVERE ALLERGIES TO CERTAIN THINGS SO PLEASE TRY YOUR BEST TO NOT SEND ANYTHING THAT COULD CAUSE AN ATTACK

Also please remember when posting on the board to use members board names or just first names and not their full names. This is a courtesy to our members as the information here can be seen publicly and we do not want anyone to have that private info.

Please, NO public complaints or criticisms of other swappers, items received, or other type for any reason. ALL complaints must be addressed by Private Message (pm) to me. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE!!!!!

Just one more friendly reminder-please make sure your packages have proper postage on them-if you are unsure either take them to the PO or throw another stamp on. We do not want anyone to have to incur any extra expense during this fun time. Also be aware postage could run high on this swap so if you think that may be an issue you may not like this swap.

I think you will find yourself enjoying the blocks because you can work at your pace as they come in as long as they are all out by the established deadline once the swap is closed.

As always please feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns-I am always happy to help

Hugs
April

Good, have my fabric now and will cut up and send off tomorrow.

Didn't make it for mail man today, so mine will go out in am. Can't wait to start getting squishies in the mail

I'm in the easties group too.... Totally new to this endeavor.

Waiting for my fabric to be mailed to me that I just purchased today from on QB....

Got labels printed and listing ready so ... ready to start.

Crossing fingers and eyes.


Oh...are we to put pictures of our fabrics here for a "heads up"?

Absolutely you can-we love to get glimpses of what is going out :-)
Hugs
April

Here is a sneak peak of my fabric, Have fun with it

Try again

I know I have fabric that will go with that. Mine is a Seattle Seahawk color. I want my blocks to be manly so I can make my brother-in-law his college graduation gift but not have to make it commercialized and he can take it with him when he moves out of Moms house and on his own. That way if he does get married, wife won't mind it.

This is great! Can't wait to get started

I agree. This will be an adventure for all of us newbies.

I've got everything cut and stuffed. Just waiting on more postage funds ;)

I have cut pressed need to start stuffing. Mine will all go out fri.

In the mail tomorrow(WED) are F8's for:

brenda5
carsey
janecat
KathyN
Navarre2011
NurseBonnie
OkDarla

Hi All,

I played along in the Boomerang 3 group. I just today finished getting all those blocks together for a king sized quilt. Yeah ! it can go to the long arm quilter soon.

I got my Boom 5 labels printed today... and, darn, I'm going to have to go fabric shopping in the next few days to pick out my Boom 5 piece! lol

Boom 3 was so much fun... I loved getting squishy mail nearly every day! I can hardly wait for this one to get moving along.

hugs, Jupiter

Ohh... thats a pretty one, Shays...

hugs, Jup

I was going to send them in a long white envelope is that ok or do they need to be in the yellow ones?

I will pay someone to print me out 2 sets of labels! (broken printer/computer handicapped)

No need to pay anyone for these. I will gladly mail you some. I am always willing to help with labels if anyone wants just let me know :-)
Hugs
April

Thanks lovingIzzy, never mind my request everyone else!

I am out of town at a confernce in Chicago this week. All of the fabric should be mailed out by Tuesday.

I'm psyched!

In the mail today squishies went to:
brenda 5
carsey
Kathy N
Nurse Bonnie
Poker Diva
Hope to have all others out tomorrow!!!

I missed OK Darla!!! Yours went out today as well:)

Well, was cutting my fabric into the f8s, and cut some wrong. Was sleeping I guess or the drugs. Cut them into 11" squares, so I have a few that are of a different fabric because i purchased the last of the one bolt as it was. Then so excited to get mailed, have labels done, and then get to work to slap the labels on envelopes, and forgot to pack my envelopes. I will have to do tomorrow I guess. What was I thinking comes to mind.

Almost had a stroke when I went to post office and mailed my F8's! I had put them in a legal envelope, inside a baggy and the post office said it was 84 cents a piece to mail! I asked why so much and he said it was over an ounce so would be 64 cents but since it was bulky I should pay the extra 20 cents and tell them NOT to run it thru the machine to save possibility of ripping the envelope! Oh well...it was worth it. ALL my east partners material is in the mail!

Joan

Not sure what kind of baggy you used but if you use one with a zipper lock cut it off and tape the baggy shut. The zippers cause the bulk and they make the envelopes get eaten. I have had several experiences where even though you pay extra for them to be hand canceled a lot will get run through the machine anyway.
Hugs
April

In Boom 3 I used the long white envelopes. I didn't use ziplock bags, as the zip made it lumpy. I used Saran Wrap... cheap and very effective. Squish the air out so it will lay flat... under 1/4" thick. It usually cost 64 cents to mail a block that way... but have the post office guy weigh it, just incase. Don't want it to come back for insufficient postage.

hugs, Jupiter

Just for everyone new, when you mail out your fabrics or blocks, it is not the weight of the envelope that kills us at the post office, but mostly how thick it is. Anything thicker than their little slot gets charged the rate for a package.

I'll be getting mine out in the next day or two.

Judy

Hello fellow quilters! I am picking out fabric this evening and will start cutting away. :0) Will be going to post office on Saturday to get lots of stamps.

Okay ladies,
No posting of anything unhappy here but I will probably be away for a couple of days. If you want to know why you can see my PDA:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-29288-49.htm
I will answer any and all questions as soon as I can.
Keep up the great work.
Hugs
April

All of my F8's are in the mail!!!! Be on the look out...... :lol:

Please let me know when you receive them. I like to keep my records straight!!

Have a blessed day!!!! :thumbup:

Carole

I mailed mine in the long white envelopes. They were .84 per piece to mail. (.64 + .20 because the have to be non-machined).

Do we have any special allergies in this group?

I do have cats --

I used the zipper bags and removed the zipper. The post office did not give me a choice, they said it still had to be hand cancelled and charged me the extra .20.

I watched him hand stamp ALL of them...just to make sure he didnt run them thru the machine! Hopefully they will all arrive in good shape. Ill try the Saran Wrap next time or the peel and stick wrap. Thanks for the tips!

Ok, as you can tell from my previous posts, my F8's are all in the mail. Please let me know when you receive them so I can keep my spreadsheet up to date. I can't wait to start getting all of yours in the mail!!!

I have asthma and allergies. I find a lint roller works well to remove cat hair, so don't worry about that. I keep one in my sewing stuff. A bigger trigger for me is the chemical factor (ie. starches, perfumes, etc.). Thanks for asking! :-D

Mine are all packed and ready to go I'm sending them out tomorrow. I will post pics of the fabric tomorrow too.

Sorry to hear of your allergies....how do you get your seams / fabric crisp to work with?

This will be a great new learning experience for all of us. I'm sure it will be healthier for gift giving in the future too to not use sprays.

Anyone else with special needs please be sure to let us know how to make it easier for you also. (other than shaving my cats :) kidding here about shaving cats) :-P

I'm confused. Am I east or south? Lol. It's been a LONG semester.

You are on the East list.