Janice McC

Answers to the“easy” FAQs:

Who will lead this group? I will.

Will we have group leaders who will be responsible for each group? No, not this time around. Although I find this to be a possible solution to a very large sign-up group, how can I delegate a job I haven’t done yet? Each day I find there’s more I needto do and think about and I cannot possibly shift that responsibility when even I don’t fully understand the scope of the job myself; it would be irresponsible. Therefore, Boom 11 will be run entirely by me. On the admin side, the buck stops here.

You mean that all our eggs will be in one basket? Yup, this time around they will be. I understand that some may be uncomfortable with this scenario so I’ll understand if anyone who’s already signed up wishes to withdraw.

What happens if you kick the bucket or otherwise becomes incapacitated? Both my sister and my husband have instructions to gather each group’s F8s, blocks, envelopes, basically whatever I have from each of you, into one package per group. The package will also contain a back-up disk or flash drive with that group’s Xcel spreadsheet that I will update frequently. They will then mail each group’s package (at my expense) to the group’s “Alternate Host”.

What’s an alternate host? That’s the person I’ll assign (with their permission of course) in each group who has agreed to act as a replacement for me, should I need one, to complete your swap. If no such person can be found within a group, I’ll look outside the group but within the swap.
Who are the alternate hosts? Can I volunteer? The alternate hosts haven’t been selected yet but I’m looking for candidates right now. I would prefer someone with Boom Swap experience. If you are interested, send me an email at [email protected].

May I join the swap if I have outstanding obligations from previous Booms? No. However, if you deliver your blocks before sign-ups close, I will admit you unless there is a clear pattern of tardiness on your part. I will determine what is and is not a “clear pattern”.

What happens if I’m not entirely forthright and I sign up still owing blocks elsewhere? If I find out, I will remove you from the group immediately regardless, REGARDLESS, of where we are in Boom 11. When I post names for groups, I can practically guarantee that if you owe blocks to someone, I’ll be notified. If I have your F8s, I will return them to you. If the F8’s are in the hands of the group members, I will send an email to stop work on them and return them to me at the end of the swap with their other completed blocks. Your fabric will then be returned to you in whatever shape it is in.

Are side swaps permitted? Side swaps are NOT part of Boom 11 however I know plenty have been arranged in the Boom forums in the past. Please wait until after this Boom is established and running before advertising for side swaps. As I have no control or responsibility for them, I prefer that they be handled entirely outside of this forum once your original contact has been made.

What is the time frame of the swap? The slow group will run for 4 months and the fast group for 2 months.

Does the clock start running when F8s are sent to you or when they are received by us? Originally, I planned to make it from the time F8s are sent however, I’m rethinking that now as I’ve had a number of comments about the upcoming holidays and mail delays (even Priority can be delayed). I will take opinions by email from those who have already signed up. Put “TIMELINE” in your email to me at [email protected]. I welcome all of your comments but I will make the final decision.

Is communication necessary or can I just make my blocks and do my thing on my own? Yes, communication with the group and with me is necessary. I want everyone to post at least once a week just to let your fellow group members know you’re out there! You can post everyday if you’d like but please don’t just fade off into the sunset for 4months and then mail your blocks in. You’d miss out on a lot of the enjoyment of the quilting chat and simply being part of a group. If you plan to be out of touch for a while, simply let me know so I won’t worry we lost you!

May I post pix online or must they be kept secret until the end? It’s your swap and we’ve all had enough changes that I’m not deciding this one. I suggest you all do what you want to do!

How do I prepare my fabric for mailing? All fabric should be selvage-free, prewashed, dried, pressed, and cut into Fat Eighths, which are 18” x 11” inch pieces (not 9” x 22”). There should be one per group member. Wrap each individual F8 in a plastic wrap like Saran or place it into its own plastic baggie. Put all of your F8s into a package and mail them with Priority shipping to me at the address I will provide upon the start of the group. (I would not recommend putting the F8s in plain envelopes before placing in your package unless your outside package is completely waterproof. Flat rate Priority Envelopes are not waterproof.)

What if I have special requirements for my F8? If you have special instructions, please attach a label to the outside of EVERY F8with brief instructions. Remember to limit your instructions to color choices. Please allow each member to be creative when it comes to what block they’d like to make for you.

What if I am in two groups? If you are in multiple groups, please package each group’s separately wrapped or bagged F8’s in 2 different bags inside your mailing envelope, being sure to mark which fabric is for which group. If you have the same fabric for both groups, this step won’t be necessary. You may also send each group’s F8s in two separate packages but both must be Priority.

May I mail my F8s and completed blocks separately to members instead of mailing to you? No.

Even if I do so with tracking? No. This round will run exactly the same for everyone, no
exceptions.

May I mail my F8s or blocks to you without tracking? No.

May I use a tracking method other than USPS Priority shipping? No. USPS Priority provides point-to-point tracking; some other suggested methods are only delivery certifications, providing proof of delivery, not proof of mailing. Since my post office assures me that Priority is the only point-to-point tracking method, I’ll have to accept their word on this for now. If you want to participate, Priority shipping with tracking is required.

Do I have to provide you with the Priority tracking number? Yes, the same day you ship both your F8s and your completed blocks later on.

Will you provide Priority shipping info to me? Yes, I will provide you with a tracking number within 24 hours after I send your group’s F8s and return your blocks to you.

What happens if a group member is late mailing their F8s to you? They will be dropped from the group.

What if tracking proves the package has been shipped before the shipping deadline? I will hold off shipping the rest of the group’s F8s for a reasonable period of time. (I will determine the length of a“reasonable” time.) If the package appears lost, I will ship the remaining group’s F8s to them and hope the missing package eventually turns up. If it does,I will contact the member and see how they would like it handled.

Will you pay to mail the previously missing F8s to the group members? No. Mailing costs are the responsibility of each member. I will return the package to its owner at their expense if no other workable solution is devised.

NOW see next post, Part 2

Janice McC

Part 2

NOW the not so easy FAQs:

What happens if one member of a group is tardy in making and mailing blocks? Will the group have to wait for that one person in order to get all of our “squishies” back? This is where it starts getting tough. If the delay is going to be just a few days to a week, I’d prefer to hold everyone’s blocks for the missing ones. If the delay is going to be a month or more, I will send your completed blocks to you. However, if the delay looks to fall somewhere between a week and a month I believe I’d want to poll the whole group and the majority wins. Another option is that I can send to those who do not want to wait and hold for those who do. They’re your blocks so I think you all should decide. If a consensus cannot be amicably reached, I will make the decision about what to do.

Will you cap the number of participants? I’m beginning to think the answer is yes. Due to the complications associated with the new rules, and all of your comments about how much work I will have, I’d like to cap the number of people who enroll to not more than 50. That’s approximately three small groups or one large and one small. Right now, the vast majority of folks are asking for small groups so we’ll have to see how it works out, numbers-wise.

Will you have a waiting list? In the event we reach our max and people still wish to sign up, yes, I will have a waiting list. If it looks like a waiting list will be necessary, I will forewarn by a note on the sign-up post. The person at the top will have the opportunity to join first should there be a last minute drop out. People will be taken in the order in which they contact me.

Can international members join? What about tracking? I don’t know. My next job before the coming holiday weekend is to review the rules about shipping internationally. Anyone with reliable experience on international shipping this is welcome (greatly encouraged!) to email me with “International Shipping” in the subject line. When I have info, I’ll post it.

What is the cost of mailing my F8’s? This is still in question and will obviously depend upon how many you are mailing and the weight of your package. However, if yourF8s can be carefully squeezed into a letter size Flat Rate USPS Priority envelope, it costs $5.60 to mail. A legal sized Flat Rate USPS Priority envelope is $5.75 to mail. If your F8s won’t fit in either of these sizes, then costs will increase. (I’d planned to have experimented with F8s by now to determine how much would fit in a Flat rate envelope, but I’ve been to darned busy to do it yet. As soon as I do, I will let you know the results. This will help determine the amount you will need to send to me in order to pay for the return shipment of F8s. Obviously, it will be approximately the same as the amount you will pay to ship to me.)

I've signed up and am not sure if I want to participate. Am I committed? You may with draw from the group at any time prior to the close of sign-ups. Any later than that will jeopardize the balance established between the groups but if you must withdraw late, you must. I’d like to go into this with members who feel positive, or are at the least willing to give the new rules a try. Frankly, if you don’t have a gut feeling about whether to participate or not after reading all of this, maybe you should hold out for another swap at a later date.


I hope this answers the majority of questions you have. I will work hard (believe me, I already am) to make this a good experience for everyone. I guarantee you we will stumble through with a few bumps but we'll work it out. I hope you now have enough information to make your decision to join or wait for another round.

Have a great evening. I’m taking the rest of mine off. I will answer any sign-up emails tomorrow.

deltadawn

Hi All , I am interested in taking part again - my last Boom was number 6 . Whether I acn remains to be seen as I am in England , but will email and wait to see. I recognise some names here !

urgodschild2

Well I am ok with the new rules. This last boom was the first time that I did not get all my blocks back. Missing three and that is disappointing but who knows, maybe those individuals have a very good excuse. That said.......I like this new idea to send it to all one place and then that person sends it out. I don't understand how some think that it cuts down on the time you have to make the block. We had three weeks before to send out our fabric so you lost those three weeks anyways. I know some people sent theirs immediately and so one could start right away. I think that the only ones who would be effected by it would be the fast group as that would only give them a month to finish their blocks. That might be a crunch for them. I also like the F8 being defined. I hated getting the smaller fabric. It limited what I could make for that person. It is so strange how the post office has gotten so weird on how much they charge us all.......all the different prices is mind boggling. Mailing to a foreign county is not good for tracking. My daughter lives in Australia and to track a letter or package slows down the deliver of the item. The way it explained to me was that each stop the letter or parcel went to there was a delay while they did the tracking info. So say it takes 2 weeks for a package to go to Australia....it would be longer if I track. So I just say a little prayer and off it goes. And the last two times, my parcels arrived in 3 - 5 days. Maybe I have my own delivery...who knows. Even my daughter is baffled by that.

urgodschild2

OH here is another suggestion. When I have done the other swaps where you make 12 blocks all the same and then send to the moderator and she swaps them out with the other in the swap. We put them in the flat rate envelop and also include a flatrate envelop with the stamps on it addressed to ourselves and then the person in charge just has to put the 12 squares that are selected to be sent back and put them in your envelop and mail it back. I have done this many times and it all fits. Maybe that would work?????

urgodschild2

Janice, I sent a note to the email address and I hope you got it.

Difergie

Sending the return envelope w/prepaid postage does work well and I would suggest you staple a piece of your fabric to the envelope (to be removed before mailing back)...the only hazard is to remember the pieced blocks will weigh more then the fat eights so put on additional postage...a thought

Country1

I am getting excited! I love doing the swaps. I am thankful Janice has stepped up to the plate, I think all will work out fine. I think we all are creatures of habit and not all are comfortable with change. I say let's try something new, if it works better, than we have a new system. If for some reason there is unforeseen problems, than we try changing things around some next time. We all need to be willing to adapt, besides that is what us quilters do best go with the flow and change what needs to be!
Penny

Libster

Well said, Country 1. I agree. Let's "don't knock it before we try it"!

Bee Beatty

That's a "ditto" for me Country 1. I have grown to love quilters! I have found them to be fun-spirited and great at finding a better way of doing things. My first Boom, this one! Looking so forward to it!