My Name is Rebecca...

And I am a Swap Addict!!! I started with my first online mini quilt swap a couple months ago and now I'm planning my fourth swap quilt!!! They've been so much fun and I wanted to share with you what I've been up to:

The first swap I joined was the Little Quilts Swap featuring the book Little Quilts by Sarah Fielke & Amy Lobsinger. It was simple, you just had to make one of the quilts from the book! The quilt above is what I made for my partner and below is what my partner made for me:

This was a secret swap so you couldn't divulge your partners info until they got their package and the person you're sending a quilt to may not be the same person sending something to you! 

My next swap was the Quiltcast Mini Swap and this is what I made:

We had guidelines of what size quilt to make and it had to feature stars (or a star). My partner for this swap loved Kaffe Fasset fabrics so I got a piece for the backing and pulled the other colors for the quilt top from that. This quilt pattern was my adaptation of one of the patterns from the Little Quilts book and it got my feet wet for paper piecing again (it's been awhile and I was a bit rusty). 

And in return I got this amazing package from my partner!!! I still have to hang my minis on my wall, but I have a bit of cleaning and rearranging to do before I decide on a spot for them. 

Currently I'm working on my mini for the Schnitzel & Boo Mini Swap and I just got my partner info this week for the Rainbow Mini Swap. As I said, I'm addicted!!! I will share my progress as I get them completed!

So would you like to join a swap? Have questions on how they work? Well, I found all of the swaps I've joined on Instagram... There are swaps on Flickr and random blogs as well, but Instagram has worked well for me. 

For each swap, there's usually an online form to fill out with your information and a questionnaire to give your partner information about your likes and dislikes. There are swap moderators that usually email you and track your progress as well as answer any questions you may have along the way. 

Then it's basically stalking your partner at that point to get a better idea of their likes and styles, then planning and sewing before you send it off. Granted, I've kinda skimmed through the details, but it's more of a learn as you go and just have fun kinda experience. 

Most swaps come with guidelines of what size quilt to make and deadlines to send out your packages and whatnot. The reason I think I've joined so many so quickly and why they're fun is that I get to meet a ton of new people from all over the world. Most of my swap partners like fabrics that I've never played with before so I'm discovering new things as well and it pushes my creativity with a little nudge. I have to think about what my partner would like and I have to make something that I may not normally make. So far I've loved everything new I've played with. Plus these quilts are small so they're not daunting and they go quickly so you can dabble in a new technique or fabric without feeling burdened if you don't like it. But you can try it out to see if you like that fabrics or piecing technique and if you like it you can always make your own larger quilt. 

Now, I do not consider myself an expert by any means, but I have been having so much fun and I urge you all to find a swap and give it a try. Or maybe even arrange a swap in your own quilt guild rather than doing a challenge... Trying to stalk your friends and make them a project in secret could be challenging enough!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to leave me a comment below or send me an email at rubybluequilts (at) gmail (dot) com. I cannot guarantee I have an answer, but I will try my best!

Do you have a swap you've joined and would recommend for the future? Are you interested in swapping? Let me know!