I just took part in my very first sewing swap! I signed up for the Itty Bitty Beginner Swap moderated by Jayme from the Finding Sweet Land blog. The swap was designed for beginners, like me, who want to try out a swap and learn how it all works. Each round of the swap (there will be four total for the first session) includes rules of swapping and lessons on etiquette posted on Jayme's blog for all to see (go on over and check it out to learn about swaps for yourself). The first round was a fat quarter swap where I sent four quilt shop-quality fat quarters to my swap recipient. The only information I was given was her Instagram name, her favorite color, and her preferred style, which could be very broadly interpreted. It was tough to decide what I thought she would like. Here's what I found:
My original choices included a striped fabric that had coral, teal and light neutral tones, but my swap partner didn't care for it. So I replaced it with the dark teal fabric with dots in the shape of circles. As soon as I saw them laid out together, I knew it was a perfect fit. It seemed right to give the bundle a name, and one came to me immediately: Symphony of Circles. Wow. It's almost poetic. I stacked the fabric, tied them with white cotton yarn, stringing it through a paper label with "Symphony of Circles" written on it. A handmade envelope with a little note inside to add a personal touch and it was done. I took my bundle to the post office, slipped it into an envelope, addressed it, and sent it off on its journey to my swap partner in Pennsylvania.
Once the fabric arrived, my swap partner sent me a message to let me know it got there safely and that she liked my choices. Her favorite, it seems, was the very fabric that was the last-minute addition: the dark teal. It was meant to be.
The person assigned my name was Jayme (the moderator of the swap). She also had limited information on me, but with the additional help of the many projects posted on my blog. Here is what I received:
The shade of purple is exactly right for my taste. I love the colors in the three coordinating fat quarters. The original combination included a leaf print that went well with the others, but I disliked it for one of the colors in it. In hindsight, I think the bundle would have been better if I had trusted the skill of someone with more experience than myself and let it stay. No matter, the material is beautiful!
The next round of the swap begins in just a few days. I'm super excited to find out what the theme will be and what I'll make and send out to my new swap recipient. Have you been involved in a swap? I would love any tips or advice you could give. Recommendations for swaps would be great, too. I like sending stuff I make to other people to enjoy.
