the legend is that girls would collect/trade 99 different fabrics and the 100th one was a duplicate. Then -- the first unmarried man walking by was going to be her husband.
Someone started the Y2K swap -- 25 or 30 squares + a signature square would fit into a first class envelope. I was the only quilter online back in the 90s. You were to get squares from every state, province, and country. I did hundreds of swaps. I have made 6 quilts and still have piles of squares.
I met lots of wonderful quilters and later backpacked in many countries meeting them. It was a fantastic experience. Some came here to Maine for a visit and others I visited in their countries.