Your hostesses for this swap is:
Suzanne Pratt.....Coordinator
This swap is intended to be patterned after the old pioneer
quilt swaps and album/signature quilts from the mid 1800s. After the Civil
War especially when the westward movement was in full swing, men looked forward
to settling in the rich abundant farmland that was described to them. The women,
however, were more reluctant, all too aware of the dangers and hardships that
awaited them, the close ties they would be breaking with the women among their
family and friends where they lived. They knew that most likely they would
never see the people they left behind again. To ease the separation and to
help keep the memories of old friends alive in the hearts of those departing
for the west, friendship quilts were made for the departing women as a remembrance
of those left behind. To read more about the pioneer quilts visit
the womenfolk.com site,
which has a series of articles on the various periods of quilting.
For this swap, Marcia Hohn of Quilters
Cache has kindly given us permission
to use one of her original designs and her patterns for two of the blocks similar
to what would have been made for the friendship quilts. ONLY THESE
BLOCKS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR THIS SWAP - THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS!! Everyone
will make 27 of each block - 25 for the swap and 2 sample blocks.
The blocks are as follows:
Each of these patterns will make a 12 inch block. With seam allowance
your blocks when you send them to me to swap out should measure 12 1/2 inches
unfinished. Be sure to measure your blocks accurately and to look at
the NF28 tips and rules for blocks. Blocks
that do not meet these guidelines will be returned to the participant and either
done over or the participant replaced.
Upon joining the swap, the participant is asked to remit the swap fee of $10
within 2 weeks. You can submit this by check in the mail to the hostess
or by paypal, whichever you prefer. This money will be used to buy the
backing and batting for the charity quilt, to pay for any quilting fees, and
to pay the postage to send the charity quilt back and forth to the long-arm
quilter I have used for each of my swaps. None of this money goes toward the
mailing of the swapped out blocks back to the participants. The
participant should send in on the second deadline with their last set of 25
blocks a self addressed and stamped priority tyvek envelope or priority box
for their blocks to be returned in. Blocks will not be returned without this
but will be held until the mailing materials and suitable postage arrives.
If you want tracking or insurance on your blocks be sure to add that in also. Insurance
would have to be purchased at my end, so you can enclose the money for it in
your envelope with a note as to how much you want the package insured for.
2 Sample blocks of EACH pattern will be due within a month after we have a
full 25 people signed up. You may send them in earlier but please do
not start on your blocks until you get the approval from the hostess so you
do not find yourself in the unfortunate position of having to do many blocks
over if they do not pass instead of just 4 blocks over.
One of the sample blocks will be used for the charity quilt which for this
swap will go to the St. Jude's Hospital for them to use in raising money for
their research and the care they give children with cancer. While this
is not the usual charity that is picked for NF swaps, this is the LAST swap
for Nifty Fifty that I will be hosting so I picked the charity for this one. The
other sample block will be given to Teresa Drummond, who founded the Nifty
Fifty quilt series swaps, for her Nifty Fifty archives.
Reproduction fabrics from the 1800s (mid to late 1800s) will
be used for these blocks. No Aunt Gracie materials will be accepted and
no muslin will be accepted. I would like to go with the color scheme
shown on the Signature Star at Quilter's cache - with the black calico background,
a sand fabric for the signature area and your choice of 3 shades of one color
for the star. (I
believe there are 5 different fabrics in the block pictured). Scans of
the black and grey fabrics are posted with links after this paragraph. Do
not use fabric types that did not exist in the 1800s no matter how pretty they
are - I am a big fan of batiks but those would be unsuitable for this type
of quilt. If
you see any fabric online that you think matches what is shown on Marcia's
block, please let me know where you saw it with the item number so I can evaluate
it. If you stick with reproductionfabrics.com in the 1850 to 1880 period you
can't go really go wrong. Use the same fabrics for your Signature Cross
block as well. The tan fabric shown below should be used - one like the
black can be used as Reproduction Fabrics is running low on this fabric. (And
yes, it can have other very dark colors in it as long as it gives a very dark
background like the example shown).
7/5/2007 - Note a new black has been posted since the old one is no longer carried. For those who have the old black, it is still completely acceptable. I tried to get the two as close in value and pattern as possible.
There will be 3 due dates. On the first due date, which will be one
month after we have a full list of participants, your 4 sample blocks (two
of each pattern) will be due. On the second due date, which will be at
a minimum of 3 months later, everyone will send in their 25 Signature Star
blocks. On the third and final due date, 3 months after the second due
date, everyone will send in their 25 Signature Cross blocks and their self-addressed
mailing envelope.
All participants must abide by
the exact guidelines so that all blocks
will arrive on time and will be compatible in color scheme and size.
Please keep in mind this is a large commitment and the cost of fabric
for 50+ blocks is usually between $80.00 to $100.00. ALL deadline
dates must be kept in order to prevent anxious or disappointed quilters!
Also, please understand the commitment you are making when signing
up for your state's block. If you cannot complete your blocks within
our deadline dates, we will have "holes" in our quilts. IF YOU HAVE
ANY DOUBTS PLEASE DO NO COMMIT.
All fabric must be 100% PREWASHED cotton and there must be
at least one designer fabric in your block which is Quilt Shop Quality
Fabric. Preliminary estimates on the yardage requirements (I got these
from EQ5) are as follows for the sample I did in slate and various shades of
purple:
Fabric for Signature part - 1 7/8 yard
Black/slate fabric 2 1/8 yard
lite color 4 5/8 yard
medium color 1 1/8 yard
dark color 3 1/2 yard
Now it may take that much or it might take less
or even more.....Marcia Hohn has the fabric requirements for both blocks for
SINGLE blocks. If anyone is good at math and can figure out from those
how much it will take for 27 blocks of each block then please let me know.
I used to be able to do math pretty well, but anymore I just don't have the
energy to think that hard!!
All blocks must be signed on the front with your name and state
you are representing in permanent fabric pen in the area designated for the
signature. Do not sign it so big that you can read it from across town.
Everyone is EXPECTED to meet all due dates. If you find you are going
to be late, you must give the hostess at least 2 weeks notice so arrangements
can be discussed that are satisfactory to both parties. Please remember
that if you have NOT notified the hostess about the late blocks then a quilter
will have taken your place and please do not expect the hostess to return any
blocks or postage. If this occurs then the blocks that you have already submitted
WILL be forfeited to your replacement swapper.
If you have notified the hostess that any of your blocks are
going to be late, then the completed packages WILL STILL GO OUT
ON SCHEDULE WITHOUT your blocks and you must send in your blocks
with enough stamped envelopes to mail your block to each individual
participant. Each envelope should have a 55 cent stamp on it. The
hostess will mail them out. After your blocks have been mailed
out separately then the hostess will mail you your returning blocks
from our group. If you have NOT notified the hostess about the
late blocks then a quilter will have taken your place and please
do not expect the hostess to return any blocks or postage.
So, in short the basic requirements for this swap are:
- 3 sample blocks for each pattern, due 1 month after we have a
full crew
- $10 swap fee to cover the cost of the charity quilt
- 19 blocks of the Signature Star pattern on the first due date
- 19 blocks of the Signature Cross pattern on the second due date
- 19 blocks of either the Signature Star or Signature Cross pattern on the 3rd due date
- A self addressed stamped priority tyvek envelope or priority box to send
your swapped out blocks back in.
- Signatures on each block with the state you are representing. These
signatures should be in the place desigated for a signature in the block
pattern, not on the back or the side, etc.
- Adequate notification of any expected late blocks
- To have fun and make this a pleasant experience for all - I would like
to remember the last NF swap I host as the best NF swap that I hosted!
To sign up please use the above box to sign up for our
list and then email
me with
the two states you wish to represent, your name, snail mail address, phone
number and email address and what level of experience you have had with quilting
or with quilt swaps. Please note that your information will be kept private
and not given out to anyone. No one who has signed up for a NF swap previously
and then "disappeared" not fulfilling their obligation or fulfilling
it very late (more than 2 months late) will be accepted. Please note
that sign-ups for the email list are not approved automatically, so there may
be a short lapse of time between the time you sign up and the time you are
approved. I try to check my email several times a day but sometimes good
intentions stay just that!!
Other References:
A
Quilted Tour Through Time - articles on quilting throughout American
History
Pioneer
Women on the Oregon Trail - quotes from women who went on the journey
and what life was like
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