The point of my comments were:
Guidelines are set down at the beginning of a swap.
I think it's helpful when the participants follow them. Sometimes it appears that the participants either did not read them or chose to ignore them.
How many newbies are going to know to measure a block before using and some of the ways of making different size blocks work together? (I know there are tutorials and illustrations, but as a newbie - how would I know I should know that?)
I'm also very tired of people slamming WalMart and JoAnn fabrics. Yes, there are sleazy ones available at both places. There are (were, in the case of WalMart) decent ones available, also.
If, say the blocks are supposed to be turquoise and purple, and I get one back that's black and white (lovely as it may or may not be) -
To me, that's like going to a restaurant and I'm expecting to be served a beef steak - and the waitperson brings out a chicken breast. Probably nothing wrong with the chicken, but that wasn't what I was expecting to get.