Quiltingboard Forums - 2026 Birthday Swap Sign-Up

Would you like to get a mailbox full of birthday candy? You can have one this year! It is time to sign up for the 2026, 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”. Fat free, yummy quilter’s "eye candy" is such a treat! This swap started 13 years ago and has continued each year celebrating its members birthdays. Help keep the swap going!

What is a 2.5” Birthday Candy Swap?

This swap is a year-long commitment to send each member of the group “birthday candies” on or before their birthday. 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. I will PM members of the swap with the name and address of the next month’s swapper(s) on the 20th of each month. All swappers will then mail fifty (50) different 2.5” squares to that month’s birthday swap member(s). This swap started about 13 years ago and has continued each year celebrating each other's birthdays. Let's keep the swap going!

Candy squares must be accurately cut 2.5" squares of 100% cotton fabric that you would be happily add to your own quilt. Swap from your stash or cut from your scraps. Remove salvages, please.

The cost to mail an envelope is generally about $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 using 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 the little envelopes filled with “candy” and joyful greetings from your Birthday Swap friends on your birthday.

Steps to join in the fun:

If you are currently in the 2025 swap and have indicated you want to continue, there is no need to sign up again. I have you on my list.

1. 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 phone number 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/host of another swap or from anyone that has been in a previous birthday swap. We want to be assured our new birthday swappers have been faithful swappers before being added to the year-long 2026 swap. You must have swapped with or know the person giving the recommendation. Recommendations can be sent to me by PM also. If the recommendation is the only stumbling block to your participation, contact me by PM. We can talk it through.

I will PM you with confirmation that you have been added to the swap. Then book mark and follow this thread.

Returning Swappers from previous years, just PM me and we will happily go from there.

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 often 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 to a minimum.

5. I will send out the birthday information for the month of January on January 2 for 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 folk to 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.

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 in a year will disqualify anyone from participating in future birthday swaps. Occasionally, life will side track us and I consider the reason if a swapper is consistently late. Communication with me about late or missing packages goes a long way.

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 2026 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 me your PM and start cutting 2.5s.

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