It's Back!

I am so happy and proud to announce that the Bend the Rules Swap is back! It seems to me that each swap gets better than the one before. What will number four be? Have a favorite project that you'd like to see swapped? Please leave a comment and let it be known.

The next BTRS swap will be announced on Sunday, February 15. Our theme will be 'Spring' as I am sure many of us are ready to be done with Winter. Tell your friends! Sign-ups will open on Sunday, February 15 and close on Sunday, February 22.

One small note, I'd like to thank Adrienne for all her hard work on the BTRS swap, as this swap has changed hands from Adrienne #1 to Adrienne #2. Thank you, Adrienne, for starting this swap and working so hard to keep us all happy!

Easy Lap Quilt Swap Info

Yea! I am so glad 81% of voters liked the guidelines for the Easy Lap Quilt Swap. The suggestions in the comments were great and we will use some of them in the final guidelines.

Here we go:

• You purchase our own fabric for the quilt (pattern from Amy Karol's Bend-the-Rules Sewing). That way you definitely like the combination and can choose the fabrics that feel good against your skin (and you can spend as much or as little as you see fit).
• I'll organize the swap partners then send you your partner's mailing address. You'll mail your fabric to that person and receive a package of from another swapper. *comment about this below*
• Use the fabrics to create an Easy Lap Quilt for the person whose fabric you received. Feel free to add in material from your stash (great idea heather t), add embellishments such as applique, printing, or free-motion quilting, etc. Add from your stash, appliqueing, printing or free-motion quilting are just suggestions. You can use them or just simply follow the pattern, it is totally up to the quilter.
• Mail the completed quilt back to the person who sent you the fabric.

Of course you'll what to post pictures on the Bend-the-Rules Sewing Flickr group. If you search on the group pool there are some great Easy Lap Quilts posted already.

The quilt is not hard, but I do think it will take some time. Remember when you were in grade school and you had a big project. Teachers would set benchmark dates or little mini-deadlines to make sure you didn't keep yourself (and your parents) up all night the night before the project was due, trying to do everything at once. I plan to make posts and send out reminder e-mails at least a few days before the deadlines (and maybe between them) just to keep everyone on track.

Dates to remember:

• Sunday, September 14 - Last day to sign up for the swap
• Wednesday, September 17 - You'll receive your partner's swap information
• Monday, September 29 - Mail your fabric to your partner by the time the post office closes
• Monday, October 27 - Have the quilt finished and in the mail back to your partner

If you would like to participate in this swap, please e-mail the following information to jimmydogbrand(at)aol (dot)com:

• Name
• Mailing address
• Blog, website or Flickr ID
• *Answer to this question: Do you want to swap fabric with the same person making your quilt? For example Annie, Bette, Chloe and Dahlia signed up for the swap. Annie and Dahlia will exchange fabrics and quilts with each other (not like the past swaps) OR Annie sends her fabric to Bette and receives fabric from Dahlia. Annie uses Dahlia's fabric to make Dahlia a quilt, then receives a quilt from Bette (like the past swaps aka blind swapping). Just answer with SAME partner or DIFFERENT partners.

This swap is open to everyone, even international. However, with the tight deadlines I will only match you with a person from your same country. For example the Americans will have American partners. Australians will have Australian partners, etc. *We have swappers from the UK and Australia. If you were hesitant to sign up in case no one else did, don't worry, you're not alone. Send me your info!

Just a thought to keep in mind: The USPS has great Flat Rate shipping envelopes and boxes. Take advantage of them. Definitely weigh it out, but I think the fabric will fit in a Flat Rate envelope (which will cost you $4.80 in postage). The final quilt should fit in a Flat Rate Shirt Box (which will cost you $9.80). The weight limit is 70 pounds, so I think we'll be OK. If you are shipping cross country, it is a great option. Of course, check with your local post office or online at http://www.usps.com/ to make sure it's the most economical shipping method, but it usually is. Also make sure to read the comments, great suggestions!

Wow, that got long. Sorry. Make sure to send me your sign-up info by Sunday, September 14.

Please think seriously about the time commitment this project requires. If you know fall, September/October is very busy for you make sure you can meet the deadlines and have fun with the project. It is an awful feeling to put so much time and effort into a swap and not receive a project in return. Additionally, if you do sign up for the swap and something comes up in your life, please let me know. We can work it out...no questions, no pressure, no guilt.

Thanks and I am really looking forward to this project! =]

Thoughts on the next swap

I've been contemplating the next swap details and had an idea to organize it a little differently. I've been loving the Common Threads Quilting Bee. The concept is a wonderful modern twist on the old fashion quilting bee. My idea is loosely (very loosely) based on this concept.

My thought was to make the Easy Lap Quilt from the book, but instead of describing your tastes/style/likes to your swap partner this is what I propose:

• You purchase our own fabric for the quilt. That way you definitely like the combination and can choose the fabrics that feel good against your skin (and you can spend as much or as little as you see fit).


• I'll organize the swap partners then send you your partner's mailing address. You'll mail your fabric to that person.


• She'll use the fabrics to create an Easy Lap Quilt then mail it back to you. The creating swapper can add embellishments or other creative elements such as applique, embroidery or free motion quilting. (Or not add anything, I'll leave it up to you.)

Hopefully that makes sense. Let me know what you think by casting a vote in the poll on the left sidebar. Of course, this doesn't commit you to swapping. I'm just trying to get a feel for what other's think of this idea. =]

Place mat & Napkin Set Sign-up Info

With 50% of the vote the next BTRSswap project will be place mat and napkin sets! Both of the patterns from Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol are quick and simple, but boy do we have an opportunity to "bend-the-rules" on this project! I can't wait to see what is created this time.

(Photo courtesy of Maita R as posted in the flickr group)

Sign up for the Place mats & Napkins Swap will end at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on Saturday, June 7 (two weeks from the date of this post). If all goes well, I should be able to e-mail the swapping partners within a few days. I will try my best to match everyone with a different partner from the first swap.

Want to join in on this swap? Here's what to do:
~Sign up by sending me an e-mail to jimmydogbrand(at)aol(dot)com. Include:
Name
Mailing Address
Preferred colors/patterns (if you don't have a preference try to describe your kitchen and/or dining area)
Disliked colors/patterns (if any)
How many sets do you need/want (Somewhere between 4 and 6 will probably be average. If your family rivals the Bradys or the Waltons, please request as many sets as are needed at your table.)
Blog address and/or flickr ID (optional, but helpful for your partner to learn a little about your style)
Whether or not you’re willing to ship overseas

~Make sets of place mats and napkins for the swapper whose info is e-mailed to you. Wash and dry the fabric before making the projects. I am sure these beauties will be well used and will need washing. I'd hate for them to shrink and pucker after one use.

~Send the sets and a recipe for your favorite picnic or pot-luck dish no later than Saturday, July 7. (My fellow Americans: Yes, this is the Monday after the 4th of July holiday weekend, plan accordingly. Feel free to send your package early.) Be sure to include a little note with the package revealing your name and some way for your partner to contact you so she can thank you. A blog or e-mail address would be great.

~Post a picture of your sets on the Bend-the-Rules Sewing Flickr group. Tag your photo with BTRSswap. Keep it all one word for easy tagging and searching.


After your package is in the mail, please send me an e-mail letting me know it has been sent. When you receive your beautiful package, send me another e-mail letting me know you received it. Please be sure to send your partner a thank you message (blog comment, e-mail, actual hand-written note).

If you would like to add a button on your blog (and make me smile) just copy and paste this code:

src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDSuT5b7CUqHS1Dh68-_6XYZeagACIqTwQ250UsoilQP-uckqSJbJywr_QJnWPJU5OajhyphenhyphenOoAlvDXzD0nFMU8EdUku_pAy9jH8LvzwFFyWg3AkXQY7eU3B_umFWubiwfAKm0XbIDhqNU/s320/btrsswap+button3.gif"/
Be sure to add the <> at beginning and end.

I am pretty excited about this swap, too. I have really enjoyed using the place mats and napkins I've made, but I never seem to have enough. There's only two of us here. I think we are messy eaters...

Sign-up, tell your friends, tell your family and tell your blog readers to sign-up, too!

We are still trying to straighten out some swap issues from the Pleated Beauty Bag. Don't worry, I haven't forgot about the swappers who haven't receive bags yet. I am still in contact with your swap partners. I know we'll get it sorted out soon.

Swap it up!

Do you love Bend-the-Rules Sewing as much as I do? I knew you did…let’s swap! This is the first of three, hopefully, Bend-the Rules Sewing swaps. For this swap each swapper will make and receive a Pleated Beauty Bag created from the pattern in Bend-the-Rules Sewing (BTRS) by Amy Karol. Swappers don’t have to take part in every swap, so you can jump in or out as needed. You’ll have to sign up for each swap as they come.


Sign up for the Pleated Beauty Bag Swap will end at 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on Monday, March 31. If all goes well, I should be able to e-mail the swapping partners by April 2.

The lowdown
~Sign up by sending me an e-mail to jimmydogbrand(at)aol(dot)com. Include your:

• name
• mailing address
• favorite colors/patterns
• disliked colors/patterns (if any)
• whether or not you’re willing to ship overseas
• blog address and/or flickr ID (optional, but helpful for your partner to learn a little about your style)

~Each swapper will make a Pleated Beauty Bag for the swapper whose info is e-mailed to them. Send the bag and a recipe for your favorite springtime dessert no later than Saturday, May 3. Who doesn't love dessert?

~Then, you’ll get a Pleated Beauty Bag (and dessert recipe) from a different swapper. That way we can also…

~Post a picture of your bag(s) on the Bend-the-Rules Sewing Flickr group. Just tag your photo with BTRSswap. Keep it all one word for easy tagging.

~Love your bag and take it everywhere like I do! The beach, the park, the farmer's market, work, knitting meet-ups...everywhere!

If you have a blog and would like to get the word out about the swap, I think this button will work if you copy and paste it. If not, let me know: