Autumn and Winter Swap - You are invited

Instead of swapping Christmas Crackers this year, CQI will host a centralized baggie (squishie) swap with the theme of Autumn or Winter (your choice). 

How it will work:  

You may participate by preparing and sending anywhere from 3 – 8 baggies to the Swap Hostess, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. You will receive the same number of baggies in return. There are specific guidelines for assembling your baggies, as well as dates and other things to be aware of, so if you would like to participate, PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS below thoroughly. Feel free to ask any questions, too!

AUTUMN THEME:  Warm-colored fabrics, neutrals. May include themes of leaves, trees, harvest, eerie/spooky things, acorns, mushrooms, corn, pumpkins, cornucopias, woodland creatures, etc.

WINTER THEME:  Winter colors such as red, green, blue, white, silver, gold. Not specific to a holiday, please (Christmas, Hannukkah), but instead think of snowy winter, snowmen, frost and ice, cool colors and shimmery surfaces, icicles, bare trees, woodland creatures, wreaths and garlands, evergreens, candles, bells, sleighs, music, family gatherings.

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WHAT GOES IN THE BAGGIE?    Contents should include:

FABRIC (required): 1 piece 12x12” (or 30x30cm) OR 2 pieces 6x12” (15x30cm) OR

            4 pieces 6x6” (15x15cm)

Fabric should be clean, pressed, free of holes, stains, seams.  Should be a fancy fabric (no quilting cottons, please)

LACE OR TRIM (required):  3 pieces, 8-10” (20-25cm) in length each. May include lace trim, embroidered trims, jacquard ribbons, fancy trims, gimp trims, braids, specialty trims (seasonal), etc. 

PLUS any four (4) of the following:

Threads (Embroidery):  1 yard (.9 metre) each of 2 different threads, wound on small card or paper (not loose). Threads should be for stitching, not couching (no heavy textured specialty threads/yarns).   No plain DMC cotton floss please. Try cotton or silk perle, silk/rayon floss, etc, wool, other blends.

Silk Ribbon: 18” or more (45+cm) of 2 different colors. Widths should be 4mm or 7mm for this swap. Wind ribbon on small card or paper.

Silkie Print:  1 print, at least 2x3”.  May be larger. If smaller, 2 separate prints count as one)

Beads :  2 choices from following:  1 teaspoon seed beads (in little baggie),  

5-9 sew-on beads:  round, daggers, drops, etc.  You may include more, but not less.

Buttons:  3 different:  glass, MOP (mother of pearl, not cheap shell), metal, or other collectible or  unusual.  Genuine vintage plastic is OK.  No modern plastic buttons or plain shirt buttons,  please. 

Handmade Motif (1):  crocheted or tatted item, handmade ribbon rose, beaded cabochon, or ??

Other Motif (1):  lace appliqué, floral hankie (half is OK), jewelry piece (if suitable for CQ), or ??

Sample Winter Baggie, left.     Right: packaged Autumn Baggie

LABELING YOUR BAGGIE:

You may choose either an AUTUMN-themed baggie or a WINTER-themed baggie. Or both. For example, you may want to swap 2 Autumn baggies and 3 Winter baggies.  Each baggie should have your name and email address on the outside along with the word `WINTER` or `AUTUMN`, according to its contents.  We will try to trade Autumn baggies for Autumn baggies and Winter baggies for Winter baggies.  However, if there are too many of one or the other, you may get something different back.

WHEN:  Baggies must be mailed to Swap Hostess, Cathy Kizerian, so that they arrive by Friday, November 14.  The swap will be done on the weekend of November 15-16 and mailed out to everyone on Monday, November 17.

MAILING:   

USA SWAPPERS: 

1.   Label all your baggies, then put them in a large mailing envelope.

2.  Weigh the stuffed mailing envelope and determine the amount of postage you will need for a return envelope from that weight. 

3.    Using stamps (not metered mail), stamp a self-addressed envelope OF THE SAME SIZE with that postage amount.

4.    Place the stamped, self-addressed envelope into the mailing envelope along with your squishies.

5.    Weigh outgoing envelope again for your correct outgoing postage (or take to the post office).    Mail to:              

               Cathy Kizerian,  Utah, USA

               Please leave comment to receive address by personal email 

INTERNATIONAL SWAPPERS: 

You are welcome to join in the fun! Please follow the same preparation as above (#1 and #5). However, to handle the return postage, I will need to either bill you via Paypal once the return postage amount is determined (expect to pay $6-7 to swap 3-8 baggies) OR work out some sort of trade.  I wish I could afford to send things to you at my expense, but I can’t.  

Please contact me privately at   catkiz (at) Xmission (dot) com  before sending baggies.

AND FINALLY. . .

No sign-ups are required.  However, we hope that participants are enthusiastic Crazy Quilters who will remember the Golden Rule of Swapping:  Swap unto others as you would have them Swap unto You.   In other words, if you send junk in, you will get junk back (probably your own).  Sorry to have to even mention this because usually that is not a problem, but we just want everyone to play nicely. Oh, and NO hostess gifts, please. I don`t need/want them, nor do I want you to spend extra postage. Thanks, dearies!!