Let's Strip - the swap with a twist (quilting - get your mind out the gutter)

[CohesiveChaos]

So below is my idea, I think it is a great way to explore creativity in ways that maybe we wouldn't necessarily on our own.

Swap Theory:

participant details

The swap would be limited to 5 groups of 5 swappers each.  Those that have completed at least 10 swaps in the past without issue would be allowed to sign up for 2 sets of strips.   I would like it to be open to international participants too, Honestly shipping in a padded mailer to those in other countries isn't too much more (sometimes less) than shipping to the US.  If left open to international and there is reservations by participants about shipping overseas, I would limit international participation to 1 per group of 5.  I know that the US sees fabrics that international crafters don't necessarily get to see, and vice versa. 

general hopes for this swap

We all have our own idea of how fabrics should go together, the purpose of this swap is to get us to experiment with fabrics that other people love and to coordinate them together with the others we receive to make a quilt that we can love and enjoy.  Shipping should be able to be handled in padded mailers.

This swap (hopefully) will encourage you to visit your locally owned Quilt shops. 

swapping requirements

you will need to purchase (or use from your stash) approximately 2 yards of fabric.  You will be making 5 stripped 12.5" wide sections of 100% quilting cottons. 

We should expect to use mid to high range quilting fabrics for this project.  You should expect to spend between $20-$25 for the fabrics for this project (the pricing estimation is based off quilt shop pricing between $10-$12 a yard and the need for 2 yards of fabric total).  You will be shipping to 5 other people and in return you will receive 5 sets of strips from them.  You should plan to use at least 4 fabrics in your strip sets (but more is ok too)

Your strips can be coordinated with eachother, or completely mismatched it is completely up to you and what appeals to your sense of style.  The individual strips could be of equal width or of varying widths, again up to you.  The sets you send out can be matched, or you can do each of your 5 differently, again completely up to you.  If you're a pleaser you can ask your partners what styles/colors/etc... appeal to them, but realize that not everyone will be in the pleaser category.  The purpose of this would be to challenge your creativity

Upon receiving your strips you should make a quilt using the 5 sets of strips that you have received.  Size wise this project will make approximately a throw size blanket (though with sashings and other additions you could easily make this a twin sized quilt) using just the strips received, it should be approximately 40X60

time frames

I am thinking a 1 week sign up period, and a 2 week crafting period for shipping to partners. I realize that that is a short period of time for some, but from my own calculations this is at most an afternoon project, and 2 weeks should be plenty of time for everyone to complete and ship.

the twist

I also think it'd be cool to turn it into a mini contest,  to encourage actually completeing a top from the pieces you receive   there would be an additional 4 weeks of crafting time after reciept of the stripped sections to post photos of the completed project, and then we would all vote on the best one and the winner would receive 1 fat quarter from each participant in the swap as a prize.  We could either send individually to the winner after voting closed, or I could provide participants with my address and we could get a pre photo of the prize pool to oogle

Any interest? suggestions? further elaboration on the idea?

[Homerof2]

Sounds interesting but I'm a little unsure on one thing.  You said - You will be making 5 stripped 12.5" wide sections of 100% quilting cottons - but then farther along you say - Upon receiving your strips you should make a quilt using the 5 sets of strips that you have received.  Size wise this project will make approximately a throw size blanket.

If we are only making and exchanging 5 blocks, how do you propose we can make a throw size blanket?  Maybe I'm misunderstanding something but I don't see how five 12 1/2" squares is enough to make a blanket.

[MareMare]

I'm interested but also confused on the size. You mentioned once that the strips are 12.5 inches wide but then you said you could cut them different widths...I think you meant different lengths? Could you break down what amount total we would be sending to each person? Maybe it could be an even 2.5 yards total to buy so each person gets a total of .5 yards from each sender, divided into strips of various prints/colors.

Also, I live in a big-ish city but don't know any quilt shops. I usually get fabric from Joann or Fabric Depot, how do you find a quilt shop? I know there's a Mill's End store that I heard has fancy fabric, maybe this would be a good excuse to check that ou!

[CohesiveChaos]

is what happens when I post in the middle of the night lol

each person would be sending out a stripped section not finished blocks so the size would be 12.5" wide by approximately 44/45" long (the avg length of quilting cottons) we would then construct blocks ourselves using the stripped sections that we received. 

I think it would make it a little bit more challenging this way because the sender would be choosing the arrangement of the fabrics in their stripped sections but the receiver would be trying to make them all work together to make a finished project. (wouldn't necessarily have to be a quilt for the finished project, could be any number of things)

MareMare - Fabric Depot is a locally owned business in Portland (I go there when I go down to visit)  They carry many of the same fabrics that you would find in the smaller quilt shops but on a much grander scale.  *Jealous* that you live close enough to go frequently.  Mostly I'd hope to encourage not shopping at Joann's or Walmart for fabrics and to support the local economy.

The idea stemmed from cleaning my office and reorganizing my fabrics, I have a basket with about 200 different fabrics in it that aren't big enough to fold and put on the shelves so I'm doing 'grab bag' style stripped sections with them and will turn it into a quilt for my bedroom. 

here are two examples of some stripped sections (the first is from a coordinated set I'm playing around with, the other is what I've sewn from the above mentioned basket) The first is 4 sets of 12.5x44" strips folded to play with arrangement, the second is 14 sets of strips shown






here is an example of a piece I made using stripped sections


and another that uses stripped elements

[CohesiveChaos]

oh and i forgot to add I am looking for an excuse to go to the local quilting shop here in Olympia and I think this would be a fun reason to do that

[RhymeswOrange]

I'm drowning in fabric stash. This seems interesting to me. Depending on the timing I could be in on this one.

[Homerof2]

Okay, I think I understand now.  We would send strips that are 12.5" wide and 44/45" long, using at least 4 different pieces of material in the strips.  From your examples it seems like the pieces used to make the strips can be all different lengths and widths as long as the finished size is correct.

Sounds interesting and I think I'd sign up as long as it didn't start before the beginning of April since we are headed on holidays between now and then.

[MareMare]

Oh! I get it, duh! So we are piecing strips and then sending a pieced section. Ok, I thought we were just sending fabric strips. I would totally be down with this!

[Linnybelle]

This sounds like a fabulous idea.  I'm sad that I probably won't be able to join.  My shifts just switched at work and I'm not sure how I'll adjust to all night shifts.  I wish you all luck on it though and I hope to be able to lurk in a gallery.   

[meleriffic]

I don't usually quilt, though I wish I did, but this sounds like a pretty cool idea. If I'm understanding your correctly that is. So you piece strips before you send them out? And we send to 5 different people 1 strip each, then we create a quilt out of the strips we have recieved? Should we make a strip for ourselves as well?