Funky Halloween Swap ^^._.^^ Sign Ups close June 30, 2012
 

It has been a while since I hosted a swap, but I felt the mood strike me this week, so here I am!! I love that the tradition of the "funky" swap has been carried on, for me it all started with Pat's Funky Chicken Swap. Then I hosted a Funky Neighborhood swap, and now I would love to have my fellow quilters join me in a Funky Halloween swap!!

Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. I already have one Halloween quilt and I would love to add another to the mix. The fun thing is, Halloween is not hard to get funky with!! Halloween is such a fun and off kilter holiday as it stands, so the doors are wide open for your blocks with this one. All I ask is for you to use your creativity to make all our quilts come alive.

There are too many ideas to list for this swap. Do a funky pieced block using some great Halloween fabrics, make a funky haunted house, applique some witches feet. Piece some scary words like hiss, boo, or eeeeek! How about some candy corn? Or a werewolf? Or something just batty? Be creative!! All I ask is that you put the amount of time and effort into your blocks that you would hope everyone else is too. If you don't love your block enough to put it in your own quilt, then why bother making it?

Please read ALL the instructions below before signing up, hopefully I have made everything very clear for you, but if you have any questions, please send me a PM (click on my name and then click “Send PM.”)

What size are the blocks?
Your blocks should be divisible by 3” when finished. The blocks can be square or rectangle, so long as both finished sides are divisible by three. Be sure to add seam allowances to your unfinished blocks. So a finished block of 6x6, should be sent to me unfinished at 6.5x6.5. A rectangle that will finish at 6x12, should be sent to me at 6.5x12.5 and so on…. If you are unsure what to add for seam allowance, please PM me.

How many blocks do I send?
Please send blocks to me in sets of 6. You may send as many sets as you would like to receive back, so if you send me 2 sets (12 blocks), you will get 12 different blocks back. I will be swapping all 6 of your blocks, so if you want to have one for yourself, be sure to make an extra! (Note: Since we are all sending in different sizes and different amounts, no one will end up with similar sets, so please feel free to make your six blocks in a set the same, similar, or different. It may be easier on you if they are the same, but so long as you mail to me in sets of 6, you can do whatever fits your stash!)

**Note** 3x3 finished size blocks (3.5 x 3.5 unfinished) are wonderful to have for this type of swap as they work great as filler. Since these smallies are quick and easy to make, I am making the rule that 2 of these count as 1 full size block. So in order to swap your smallies for another block, you must include 2 (so if you sent a whole set of the small fries, you'd need to send 12 small ones to get 6 blocks back). If you don't follow this rule, you may end up with fewer blocks than you had hoped for back. This makes it more fair for me to trade out your smallies for a larger-ie. Also, I don't mind a few of these, but let's not go crazy with these little guys.

Who can swap?
I only have one requirement for participants. You must love Halloween!! We want some fun and funky blocks and the more you love Halloween, the more it will show in your work!! The fun thing about a funky swap is nothing needs to be precise, so this is a great swap for those of us that are not quite proficient at those perfect points yet!

What are the deadlines?
Sign-ups for this swap end on June 30th. You can post your intent to sign-up in this thread or you can PM me. Once you sign-up, I will send you my mailing address.

The mail date for the blocks is July 31st and if I receive all the blocks on time, I will swap in mid-August. That will leave enough time to have your quilt ready to use by Halloween!! Of course, if you have your blocks finished sooner, I encourage you to mail sooner! Get them out of your way! Send them to me so they can be in my way!! LOL :)

How do I get my blocks ready to mail?
Please attach a slip of paper to each block that includes at the very least your board name, this will help me know which blocks are yours when I am swapping (so you won't get your own back :)). It’s also fun to include your real name, email address, and state on the paper so people can see where all the blocks are coming from and possibly send you a thank you!

Before putting your blocks in the envelope (or box) to mail to me, place them in a large Ziploc bag and close tightly, then write your name and address on the outside of the Ziploc bag. If you have ever swapped before, you have probably heard of swap blocks separating from their envelopes occasionally, putting your blocks in the Ziploc bag will help ensure that the blocks make it back to you if this should happen. I would highly suggest mailing in a priority box for this reason, but I will leave that decision up to you.

What about postage?
Please include in your package, a Self Addressed Envelope and the amount of postage it took to mail to you, plus a few extra stamps (or even a dollar or two). If you want to mail priority, I will get the box from the post office myself, just make sure you include enough postage or cash for a priority box (I believe it starts at $5.35 now, but may be more depending on the weight). Remember, since we have all different size blocks it may cost more to send back to you then it cost to send to me. All loose postage and money sent will be pooled and used to mail the boxes and envelopes, if I have extra they will be set aside to use in a future swap!

How do I keep track of the swap?
I have created a group to use to keep track of members of this swap. Once you let me know of your intent to join, I will invite you to the group where you can see a list of members, how many sets they intend to do and once I receive the blocks I will mark it there. I am new to this group thing, so it will be a work in progress!! :)


I think that’s it! If you have questions, please send me a PM. I hope you are all excited to start doing the Funky Halloween dance!! I know I can’t wait!

Cheers!
Rachel

Here is a link to the group, but it's invite only so I will send you an invite once I know you want to join the group. Suggestions on how other hosts have made the group thing work for swaps are always appreciated!!

http://www.quiltingboard.com/groups/...30-12-g15.html

Cheers!
Rachel

Here's some inspiration for anyone thinking about joining! I know it's early in the year to think about Halloween, but the timing will be perfect to have your quilt ready to cuddle under for the 2012 holiday.

:)

Rachel

Rachel I love halloween so count me in.

Excellent!! Glad to have you on board. :)

Rachel

Oh yeah you can count me in on this one, I love doing the "Funky" swaps ;)

You know I'm in! :D

I'm IN! Love Halloween :)

I have not done a Funky swap before but I just found some fantastic Halloween fabric, I was looking for my Easter fabric and when I thought my sewing room could not get any messier I found the box of Holiday fabric! Now if we could just some how swap sewing rooms!

hummmm, kinda like that show that I saw on tv, like house swap... I would have to swap with a quilter for sure, a long arm quilter would be nice, I have a lot of quilts tops needing to be finished.... OK where was I???

Ahhh yes a Funky Halloween swap. I will send you a pm. :-)

Ooooh welcome to the funky side!! :) :) I do warn you they are rather fun and very addictive!! :) :) I take no responsibility for the amount of funky swaps you join after this!! hehe

I feel ya on the mess, I just organized my room, but before that ... woah. And even with it organized I still have stuff I can't find!! LOL Remember though, you don't have to use holiday fabric on this swap, it just has to have that Halloween feel, which sometimes patterned fabrics in the right colors can give you. So feel free to use up all those wonderful fabrics in your room!! :) :)

Rachel