February 2024 I Spy Charm Square Swap
When you decide to join us on this fun little game, PM me (bkay) and tell me you want to join and how many bags you intend to swap. I need your real name and address. I will respond to you with my mailing address for you to mail your swaps to me.
Swaps need to be in my hands by February 23, 2024, so mail early enough to allow shipping time,
Choosing your Charms/cutting Info: Send what you would like to receive, quality-wise. Send only 100% cotton quilting fabric. Please do not send thin or loosely woven fabrics. If it has to be starched to be acceptable, it's probably not a good fabric for this swap. Remember that children's quilts get frequent washing.
Please select prints that would be acceptable in a child's quilt. No flowers, lines, stars, geometrics or batiks. Please limit licensed prints and/or holiday prints to 1 per baggie. Make sure your objects are recognizable. If I find unusable fabrics in your baggies, I will return all to you unswapped. Each charm should have at least one total "picture" in it; that means 1/2 of a dinosaur on your square is
not acceptable. Please cut so the child will see a whole dinosaur.
Please cut carefully so that each square is exactly 5". This is very important.
All fabrics need to be pre-washed.
Packaging/ numbers Info: We will be sending 10 different fabrics in each bag we swap. All your bags can have the same mixture in them, or different, but you cannot repeat fabrics in any one bag. We will be swapping bag for bag, so there must be 10 different fabrics in each bag. Please put your board name on every bag you are swapping. For instance, "bkay" for mine.
You may swap in groups of 8 baggies. You may swap as many sets of 8 bags as you choose, but each set must use a different set of 10 fabrics. You will get 8 - 5" squares in one width of fabric, providing your print does not require fussy cutting. If it does, you may get fewer cuts out of your yardage. Please fussy cut if your print requires it. Send the kind of nice squares you hope to receive.. Depending on participation, you may receive duplicate bags. I try to do my best to eliminate them, but it may happen. It appears, at this time, that we will have enough swappers that duplicates won't be necessary.
Put all your swap baggies (sandwich size) in one big
ziplock with your name and mailing address. That will keep them together in your package. If it happens to get torn open in shipment, your address will be there for the P.O. to return to you. If you choose to use a method other than Priority mail, please use a Tyvek or similar indestructible outer envelope. Label each baggie with your board name. If you are swapping more than one set, please label them set 1, set 2, etc.
Postage/ Mailing: QB rules require that all packages must be sent by a trackable method. Previously, We've used priority Mail, usually using the Padded Flat Rate envelopes. The advantage is insurance, tracking, the envelope and 3 day delivery is included in the price.. Not many PO's carry the padded envelopes in stock. However, they are free to order online at.
USPS.com.Order now to receive them in time for shipping. It now costs $10.40 postage for the padded flat rate Priority Mail envelope, plus the same for the return envelope.
Now, all packages shipped by USPS are trackable. If you want to use an alternative USPS shipping method, you may do so. (It may be less expensive, I don't know.) You will have to supply your own mailing envelope (preferably a sturdy one). The SASE envelope you include for your return package should be the same size, type and have the same amount of postage as the one you send to me. Also, know that it may take longer than 3 days to arrive, so please ship early to compensate.
Remember to send in what you would like to receive back.
Let’s have tons of fun, and of course you have to follow all the basic QB swap rules, found here:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-20154-1.htm
Edited and reposted.
Questions? feel free to ask.