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A LESSON ON SWAP ETTIQUITTE
Everyone who joins a block swap is excited about getting new blocks back. Being a swap hostess, I have the opportunity to see all levels
of workmanship. If you're a beginner don't be afraid to test the swap waters. We all have to start somewhere and participating in a swap
is one of the best ways to learn new things. It saddens me however to receive poorly done blocks into my swaps. Fabric is an expensive item and our time is worth so much.
It is my strong feeling that blocks that don't measure up to standard are the result of not knowing the do's and don'ts of swapping. There are many swappers who say they swap for the fun of it and don't care what kind of work they get in return. That's fine for those people, but knowing how much time, effort, and money is involved with swapping, it doesn't make sense to me. I want to be able to "use" the blocks I receive in return. In an effort to help swappers learn what most hostesses look for, I have assembled this tutorial on swapping.
Please know that it is not meant to be a criticism of anyone's work.
It is a sincere attempt to provide a learning experience and help improve the quality of our work. There will be actual photos of work but names will never be given out except for my own. If you have ideas you would like to share, please e-mail me.
REMEMBER: It is YOUR responsibility to follow the guidelines. If you choose not to do so, don't be upset if your blocks are not accepted into the swap. It is not up to the hostess to police you every step of the way.
GETTING STARTED:
In General
The most important thing and first thing you should do is to read the guidelines carefully. The guidelines are the "rules" of the swap. Your hostess has spent a lot of time planning the swap and she expects everyone to comply with the guidelines. They are not open to individual interpretation. If you don't agree with the guidelines -
don't join the swap. If you are not willing to accept the hostess' decisions - don't join the swap.
If you ever have a question about something, don't hesitate to ask your hostess. It is much better to ask....even if you think it is a silly question. There are no such things as silly questions.
Print out a hard copy of the guidelines and start a folder where you keep them. Computers are prone to crashes and errors. A hard copy will save you much time and frustration.
Due Date: Your hostess has checked her calendar to find the convenient time for her to complete the swap. Please respect the due date she has set. Know where you are mailing to and make sure you mail your blocks in time to reach their destination.
Before you sign up for a swap take a few minutes to think about your other commitments. Consider everything in your life before you decide to join. Don't join a swap on a whim. Think about it carefully and if you believe you can realistically fulfill your obligation to the swap by all means join it. If not then it's best to let that one pass by. There will always be another similar swap later that you can participate in. I've seen swaps that had huge numbers of signups and then many drop-outs occurring at the last minute. Some of those hostesses were so discouraged when this happened to them that they never hosted another swap.
Probably one of the worst things you could do to your hostess is to join her swap...decide not to participate and never let her know. :-(
We all have things happen in our lives that are out of our control. Hostesses understand that. Just be courteous and let her know if you need to drop out.
Fabric: Not everyone can afford to use 100% quilt shop quality fabrics for their blocks, but you should try to use at least one high quality fabric. It makes your blocks nicer and is always a plus with the hostess to see that you care enough about your work to invest a little more money in the fabric you use.
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