It's time to sign up for the 2025, 2.5” Birthday Candy Swap! Join our group by January 1 for a year of birthday celebrations and swapping of 2.5” squares, AKA “birthday candies”. Who doesn't like to give and receive birthday presents?

What is a 2.5” Birthday Candy Swap?

Each participant in the swap will send a package of fifty (50) different 2.5” squares to each member in the swap on their birthday. This swap is a is a year-long commitment to send each member of the group “birthday candies” on or before their birthday. On the 20th of each month, I will send a Private Message (PM) with the birth date and mailing information for the upcoming month’s birthday swapper(s) Swappers then will mail fifty (50) 2.5” squares to that month’s birthday swap member(s). This swap started about 12 years ago and has continued each year celebrating each other's birthdays. Let's keep the swap going!

Candy squares must be an accurate 2.5" square of 100% cotton fabric that you would be happy to put in your own quilt. Swap from your stash or cut from your scraps and please remove salvages.

The cost to mail an envelope is generally less than $1 per envelope. Tips and cues to mail efficiently will be posted in the thread by returning swap members.

A wonderful benefit of the swap is neighborly sharing photos of quilts and projects, large and small, made of 2.5” squares. These can be photos of quilts we made ourselves or photos and links to other quilts or projects that use 2.5” squares. Our eyes just seem to find ways to use these little fabric squares everywhere. We also post progress on how we are using our 2.5’s on the 25th of each month.

Join us and wait for your mailbox to fill with little envelopes and joyful greetings from your Birthday Swap friends on your birthday.

Steps to join in our fun:

1. I will limit our swap to the first 30 people and only addresses in the USA (Because of postage’s sake, Sorry!)

2. Send a Private Message (PM) to me, WMUTeach, with your 1.) name, 2.) address, 3.) your birthday (month and day), 4.) and your phone number. Your personal information will not be shared but it allows me to contact you should it be necessary.

3. Newbies (new to this swap) I ask for a recommendation from a hostess of another swap or from anyone that was in a previous birthday swap. We want to be assured our new birthday swappers have been faithful swappers before being added to the 2025 swap. You must have swapped with or know the person giving the recommendation. Recommendations can be sent to me by PM also. We have had nearly perfect swapping for several years! No dropouts and faithful swappers all. Yeah! If the recommendation is the only stumbling block to your participation, contact me by PM. We can talk it through.

Now the Birthday Swap Begins

4. After you have been added to the 2025 Birthday Swap, you can begin to search your stash and prepare your packages of 50 (All different) 2.5" candy squares to be mailed. I will post the total number of swappers on January 2. Previous swappers will show some of the best ways to package the squares, so they are safe in the mail and how to keep the cost of postage down to less than a dollar.

5. I will send out the birthday information on January 2 for any January birthday(s). After that you will receive a list of who is celebrating a birthday on the 20th of each month via PM. Have your envelopes ready so you can drop them in the mail quickly!

6. Birthday Swapper, Post the screen name of those who sent you a package on our thread as the envelopes arrive to your home. I will keep track also. You can open your packages as they arrive or wait until your birthday. It is up to you and how long you can resist tearing open the envelopes full of beautiful surprises.

Sender, Post on the thread when you mail your birthday package. It helps me and our birthday folks know your package is “on the way”. Anticipation of an envelope in your mailbox is all part of the fun. This is important for keeping track of wayward envelopes too.

7. Contests will be part of the swap again this year about every other month or so. Answer a question, solve a puzzle or just be an active participant. Feel free to participate in the contests or not with just one rule: you must be a swapper “in good standing” to win, meaning all your packages have been arriving on time!

8. More than three "Late" packages will disqualify any one from participating in future birthday swaps. Occasionally, life will side track us and I will consider that if a swapper is consistently late.

9. Odds and Ends. Although there is no “required” amount of participation in the thread, it sure is fun to get to know one another through conversations about life and sharing ideas from our sewing rooms. I will nudge you if we do not hear from you every few weeks. Please post your swap questions, large or small, in the 2025 Birthday Swap thread. Someone else probably had the same question and will have the answer for you.

I am looking forward to swapping with "old friends" and "new friends" this year. Send that PM and start cutting 2.5s.


The general swap rules apply: Rules For Swaps And Similar Activities – Updated December 2010

Here is our list of Birthday Swappers for 2025. Would you like to see your name on the list too? Just refer to the first message above and let's get you started on a year of swapping fun and ideas to use 2.5" squares.

Pamelor
Janice McC
Logcabin82
NZquilter
Gaijin
Redpurselady
Patrick's Mom
Crispy_Frog
Terriamn
Have4boys
Quossum
Travelinggrammma
ibex94
JENER8R
Brenda W
happylab
Heathermom2opmc
WMUTeach

Already looking forward to 2025’s Candy Swap!

2025 Birthday Swappers, don't forget to bookmark the new thread for the 2025 swapping year.

I'm looking forward to joining in this coming years swap!

Any January bdays, yet?

My University is about to get majorly restructured. Our enrollment cliff has arrived (no students due to fewer kids). I suspect I'll be job hunting soon. If so, maybe more time for quilting??? Always look on the bright side!

I’m a February birthday so that’s not too far off. Way to go Looking on the positive side of an unhappy situation.

Yes, we have one January birthday and it is relatively early. She already knows some packages may be arriving late simply because swappers Have until January 1 to join the group. Current swappers, get ready. I will send out info on the 20th as usuall but will give those who join us late more time.

Come join us! We're fun!

NZQ, just went to your profile and looked at your albums. You have made some beautiful quilts. Love your candy squares quilts! Stunning work. *smiling broadly*