Hi..Well...this is the story (short). I received a letter and two pieces of material (they are both WONDERFUL I might add!) through the mail. It is one of those deals where you send out two pieces of six inch squares of material and you end up getting 72 back. Heres the deal..THe ones I got were from Michigan. I live in Iowa. I REALLY wanted to get six people who wanted to do this too, and have them be from all over the place. I thought of this board and so many of you seem like aquaintances already...well I thought how neat it would be if I took the pieces and put on it where they came from and made a quilt from them.

I was wondering if any of you would be interested..if you are..just give a holler here or email me!

Hoping you are all having a great day. Its in the high forties here so far and raining...GREAT for Iowa February! Thanks again...

-- Sher in se Iowa (riverdobbers@webtv.net), February 19, 2002

Answers

What a cool idea!! I'd love to join in if you have room for another Iowan.

Stace

-- Stacey (stacey@lakesideinternet.com), February 19, 2002.

I was chuckling when I read your post,Sher. I'm in the process of cleaning out my sewing room of odds and ends and I thought that is just what I need....72 more pieces of fabric! Heck, I have material from when my DD was a baby and she is thirty-one! I'm just teasing. I'll pass on the idea right now, but maybe down the road I'll want to try the concept. God bless!

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002.

Thanks Stacey!! You are on the list!

And Ardie...you gave me a chuckle just thinking about a lady that lives in town here. She is THE quilter in the area..I went to her house one day and into her sewing room..WELL!! She had more material in that room than six WalMarts put together!!

Hey Ardie..how about if I just swap you two pieces..than you would not have a bunch of pieces coming to you ..BUT..I would have two pieces from Ardie in Wisconsin!?! Hmmmmmmm???

-- Sher (riverdobbers@webtv.net), February 19, 2002.

I'd like to try it also since patchwork square quilts are the only kind I know how to make, I think I could do this. I've also been cleaning out my sewing room and have lots of fabric odds & ends. I could probably send someone 72 different pieces! Now, I hope it doesn't turn out like the dish towell exchange my SIL got me into last year. I hurried up and got the dishtowells in the mail by the deadline and never received a single one in return! Mine were handwoven cotton towells too! Do you specify cotton or a cotton/rayon blend? Should the pieces be washed first, then cut to 6 inch squares? how about solids or prints, does anything go? Use my e- mail to get me all the info. Thanks!

-- rose marie wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

Ardie, you have MY sewing room!!! Well now I have the computer in it which further complicates the issue. Sounds like fun, but I just bought yet another bunch of fabric on sales. Sheesh........you would think I would learn to just stay out of fabric sections.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

My hand up waving!!! I want in on this also!! I have a double closet and two dressers full of fabric and that is just not enough :) I need more. I am a hand quilter.

-- Teresa (c3ranch@socket.net), February 19, 2002.

Count me in, I LOVE Fabric!

-- Sherry (tlnifty@ecenet.com), February 19, 2002.

Me too ya'll! Love to make quilts, love fabric, and sounds like fun!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 19, 2002.

Hey Ya'll,do ya have room for me also..Im here in S.C. I made my first quilt @ age 10.This sounds like it would be soooo much fun..I have lots of squares, all sizes. Boy, I hope Im not to late. May I get in on the fun to ya'll?Pleeease..Thx....Amelia

-- Amelia Kay Drennan (bluegrassgirl@charter.net), February 19, 2002.

Well, my husband told me about this and I can't believe he's encouraging me to get more fabric! But I'll humor him...lol! Yes, I'm interested, too! It would be great fun to find all those surprises in the mailbox and I, too, have some fabric to share. Count me in in Wisconsin. Thanks, Cindy

-- Cindy (lattebug@msn.com), February 19, 2002.

Would you like some fabric from Kentucky? I'd love to get in on this! Count me in!

-- Kelly(KY) (homearts2002@yahoo.com), February 19, 2002.

This sounds good to me too! I'd like to have a sewing room but I know I would never keep it all contained there-I guess I just like to have it spread all over the house!

What about the idea of monthly(or bi-monthly) block exchanges? I was going to ask this a couple of days ago but never got around to it. Maybe each person picking a block of the month that they would like made(ie:four patch, nine patch, log cabin-you get the idea). I would love to get blocks from all over and just think how quickly a quilt would be ready!

-- Terri in WV (mrs_swift_26547@yahoo.com), February 20, 2002.

Oops, forgot to say that I was from Oklahoma.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 20, 2002.

I know what you mean about not getting anything when your turn came. Same thing happened to me about 7 years ago. However, I came fared better in the begining. When the quilt block exchange started we were to send the first square to a lady that wanted to make a baby quilt. The blocks were to be pastels and baby oriented. I machine appliqued a dutch doll in lavender calico to a piece of muslin, hand embroidered my name and date to it and sent it off. Imagine my surprise when shortly after the birth of my third child (whom I was pregnant with when I made the quilt block), a beautiful baby quilt arrived in the mail. The lovely lady who had intiated the exchange had made her quilt into a baby quilt for my baby! And there on the quilt is the block I made.

My name was toward the end of the list and I kept sending out blocks but only recieved a couple in return when it was my month to recieve them.

Would the blocks have to be hand pieced? I'm interested but not sure if I could commit. If I commit, I will stick to it.

-- LBD (lavenderbluedilly@hotmail.com), February 20, 2002.

Don't quite understand the swap. Just fabric squares? How many? Nan from OK and I are trying to have one but is postponed because of serious family health problems on my end. But if this is just swapping fabric, I can do that at the moment. What size squares?

-- Billie in CO (bbsowell@earthlink.net), February 20, 2002.

I read the second post first but I don't want to be forgotten. Please count me in too. I just bought some new fabric and am dying to make a quilt with it but I'll share with ya'll. - Sheryl

-- Sheryl in NJ (all295@aol.com), February 21, 2002.