One of the first swaps I took part in was the Halloween swap organised on Flickr in 2013. My partner was Kirsty from
Schnitzel & Boo! Imagine my trepidation, making for a well known blogger and published designer! I loved every minute of this swap though and had great fun playing with my Halloween fabrics. I made a banner, placemats and a tote bag for the very first time.
In return I received nothing. Yes I was a little disappointed but I was proud of what I made and delighted with the lovely and thoughtful response from Kirsty. Over 70 people took part in the swap and it was a big success. Maria the swap organiser offered an angel make but I didn't want to put someone to the effort of making on behalf of a swap partner who let us all down. I learned recently that there is a blacklist of bad swappers but you really need to not deliver and not communicate to get on that list. Shame it has to exist in the first place.
Yes life happens and there are lots of things more important than sewing, but communicate and make amends! I like to think that most people would and I didn't let it put me off swaps. When Kirsty started her own swap shortly after, I signed up straight away, and have taken part in the rounds 1-3 and received these fabulous minis and lots of extras from Christina, Lisa and Ruth Ann. Some people are really generous with their time and the goodies they include and having had nothing for the Halloween swap I appreciate these people all the more!
Siobhan, my swap partner in the #nerdscraftitbetter swap, had fierce back trouble and couldn't sit at her machine for long. Did she give up, nope! She made me tons of stuff and gifted Star Wars fabric so I could have fun making nerdy stuff for myself. The Star wars minis now live on the shelf with my Russian dolls and all the goodies you see on the table came wrapped inside the R2-D2 bag. I was hopping around the kitchen when I saw R2 and he was like the Tardis- bigger on the inside. I just kept finding stuff! Thank you @shevvyrox!
Taking part in swaps has a bigger advantage than just getting nice stuff in the post though. It makes you try something new. For rounds 1 to 3 I tried applique and free motion quilting, scrappy rainbows and confetti fabric bits with matchstick quilting.
For the last two Christmas's our online group have swapped table runners and cushions. I received the two on top and made the two on the bottom row.
In the making of the runner I learned how to handle partial seams and released this as a pattern
here on Craftsy where its been downloaded over 5000 times!
Swapping economy blocks with
What the Bobbin was great fun. Send 12 fussy cut blocks and get 12 different ones back. Turned into a fun cushion my mum has "borrowed" for her sofa, so she has benefited from the swaps too!
Here's the thing though, swaps take time. From a small pincushion to a mini-quilt with handmade extras they will challenge you, surprise you, delight you and sometimes disappoint you but for me, they are worth it and worth making the effort.
Sign ups for the Schnitzel & Boo mini quilt swap round 4 close today so if you are looking for a really well organised swap don't wait. Sign ups form is on
Kirsty's blog here if you are interested. I'll be missing this round as I have holidays in the middle of it and can't commit the time to do a good job. I'll be looking forward to finishing up a summer tote bag swap and our annual Christmas Modern Quilters Ireland swap though so still lots going on!
What do you think? Swaps - Love them or Leave them?
I do love swaps but they can be very hit and miss. The one thing I love most about them though is getting to know new people and for that reason I stick to smaller, limited number swap groups. I'd been swapping for a couple of years when I tried the Schnitzel and Boo swap and I hated it. It was way too large. It was way too impersonal. It was impossible to keep track of and comment on all the posts by people in the swap sub division group I was in. My partner never appeared on social media, never joined in till she received the swap mini from me and then there was one single photo of it. No new friend made, no fun of interacting throughout the whole process. I joined another swap that was supposed to be limited number but it too ended up going massive due to the interest it generated and the swap mama being willing to reopen sign-ups a couple of times. It was the same story all over again. So now I steer clear of the super swaps, I stick to the smaller groups that I find much more rewarding. They are usually themed - Liberty, handsewn, needlebook, seasonal are just a few I have joined recently. I get to challenge myself with my makes, I have received many a wonderful parcel and most importantly for me I continue to have many wonderful interactions with lots of online friends both new and old. I never feel lost in an endless sea of posts and images related to a single swap but instead feel that I am part of a very connected group.
ReplyDeleteI haven't found swaps that great for making new friends other than the person I am making for or making for me. There is the fun bit at the beginning for a week or two when everyone is sharing inspiration mosaics and then it tends to go very quiet until shipping day! My favourite swap is probably the MQI local one as quite a few of us know each other and that makes is more fun!
DeleteI just recently joined my first swap. So far, it has been disappointing and stressful. It's a monthly swap, and I've decided to give it another try for the next month just to see. I like the idea of a swap, but there's added stress of having to include all the little extras, and it's costly. But I keep seeing that everyone is having a great time.
ReplyDeleteI would find a monthly swap stressful. I seem to manage 1 a quarter quite well.
DeleteI wasn't going to do any more swaps with life being as it is, but I have signed up for round 4 which means the only one I haven't done was round 2.
ReplyDeleteRuth, it's so true what you say about swaps being marvelous opportunities to learn new skills and grow as a quilter. I've tried brand new things in swaps many a time and it even led to me writing a book! I've been very lucky in partners too. One time my partner ran into hardship during a swap and let me know, so I told her not to worry about making her quilt. But she didn't give up either and 3 months later I received a lovely mini in the mail. Like you said - good communication is key. I mostly did the Doll Quilt Swap (really just mini quilts) on the Quilting Board. There were others in the swap though who were left in the lurch by their partners, but our swap had a lot of angels who took up the slack. Now I prefer to do swaps with people who have become friends, like you!
ReplyDeleteI think the best part of swaps is "stalking" the other person and plotting how to surprise them! that is so much fun!
I'm SO burnt out on swaps and the bad apples that seem to be in EVERY group. I spend soooo much time and energy making some really awesome quilts, and in return deal with flaky people who come up with the lamest excuses...I just can't deal with it anymore. I'm amazed at how many people enter some of these swaps, and how many people are so forgiving of the bad apples. I'm hoping that taking some time off will help me gain some trust in swaps again!
ReplyDeleteI love swaps and have participated in quite a few now via Flickr and Instagram. I've made so many things that I would never make myself. I've pushed myself to try new and forgotten techniques. I've worked with fabrics I would never use for myself and found that I've liked them. I'm winding down on the swaps now, only 5 more for the end of the year as I'm finding I'm doing so much for others my own personal sewing is suffering. I'll pick it back up in the New Year if there's any that take my fancy
ReplyDeleteI find swap groups to be too stressful and sometimes very disappointing. So now a days I am only doing swaps with my blogger friends. No pressure of deadline and both us put 100% effort into it. I have had a lot of fun working on those.
ReplyDelete-Soma
Like you my first swap partner failed to deliver and it was such a disappointment that it took me a while to work up the enthusiasm to join another swap. Fortunately since then I have always received the swap and have had some lovely handmade items drop through the letterbox. Having also organised a swap where one swapper completely failed to deliver or respond to any communication I can testify to how frustrating it can be to see one participant in a secret swap put in a great deal of effort and know that their swap partner has all but disappeared from sight. Fortunately an angel stepped in to redeem the situation but I don't know that that is really the answer.
ReplyDeleteMy own personal bugbear in swaps is a partner who is too specific in their wants that I end up having to buy fabric because they have specified a particular line, or end up disappointing them as they have requested a specific item (knitted legwarmers in a general craft swap) that I do not have the skills to make!
I've never tried a swap (can't get my head around working small!) but I can see they would offer a chance to try new stuff. This is an informative, interesting summing up of the pros and cons.
ReplyDeleteI have been in quite a few swaps over the years, and have never had a really bad experience- I guess I've been one of the really fortunate ones! But- I don't join in on any of the really large ones, either.I had one experience with the post office in Texas losing my package for a fussy cut block swap- I was so embarrassed that I never did another round of that one.
ReplyDeleteSwaps can be very addictive- I love all the stalking ( in a good way!!) and trying to think of the perfect item(s) to make. It is, however, a bit costly. But- I have made some fantastic friends that I still connect with- and was surprised on my birthday with a beautifully handmade card from a partner I had 3 years ago! Several partners are now Facebook friends- and one is especially dear to me- we PM almost every day!!
I've cut back on the number of swaps I've signed up for lately- one month I had 5 due! But, for me- I've also tried things I never would have for just myself!
Gosh 5 in one month! I applaud your industry. I manage about 4 to 5 a year! Glad you've had suxh lovely, positive experiences.
DeleteI haven't participate in any yet and I don't really have a desire to do so. I made few personal little swaps though.
ReplyDeleteI have had fun with swaps, but I agree that they take time. For that reason, I plan to take a short break to focus on my own WIPs.
ReplyDeleteA group of us were chatting about them today and we all agreed that communication is key. Everyone would understand someone who dropped out but let the group know. The silent disappearer is not so easy to forgive.