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In collaboration with the great ladies at Paperpieces.com (see their contact information at the end of this post), we will offer you the opportunity to join a fun swap with other quilters and save 20% not only on your precut shapes of English paper pieces, but for all other merchandise on their website! Please note this discount doesn’t include the shipping charges. They offer an extensive collection of hexagon books to spark your interest and especially recommend “Piecing It All Together” and “English Paper Piecing”.

This a fantastic bring-along project while waiting in the doctor’s office, sporting events, watching TV, etc. The hexies just about make themselves! Check out the http://www.paperpieces.com site for lots of motivation, books and patterns!

We will be swapping 1” hexagons (Paperpieces item # HEX100). Please note that these measure 1” on each side. Each “set” will be of six of the same fabric with the papers left inside. This will allow you to make the outside edges of a flower and use your own center fabric to bring consistency to your finished project.

Each “set” is six (6) - 1” hexies of the SAME fabric. You can send in a maximum of ten (10) sets of the SAME fabric

You can send in a *maximum* total of 100 sets. For those of you doing the math, that is 600 hexies! The *minimum* amount of sets you can send in is 35 sets

Due to the amount of work to swap out, we do need to have a 30 player limit for this first swap. If I get an overwhelming response, I am open to offering another swap with a staggered playing date. It is my hope to have additional swaps offered during the year. If so, I will offer a poll so you can vote on your favorite themes, such as certain colors, holiday prints, florals, etc.

This FIRST swap will be for STASHBUSTERS—using fabric you already have in your stash. Below you will find what seems like a copy of “War and Peace”, but I run my swaps with open communication so there are no surprises and complete consistency from all swappers. Follow the guidelines? Great! Don’t follow the guidelines? Your swap will be returned. I need to be fair to all swappers who play. And I know what you are thinking and yes, I am a type A personality, lol! 

Our players:

1. KC1930-100 sets here!
2. SC Lady-60 sets here!
3. Headielamar-36 sets here!
4. Emily P.-100 sets here!
5. Wippys58-48 sets here!
6. Sew&Sew-100 sets here!
7. Keely S.-45 sets here!
8. jessmaustin-99 sets here!
9. KaylaQuilts-100 sets here!
10. tscott12234-100 sets here!
11. brendavnm-36 sets here!
12. Katznquilter--99 sets here!
13. luvthosequilts-on it's way!
14. Julesmarie
15. Patv82-42 sets here!
16. SSW50-100 sets here!
17. Live2quilt-100 sets here!
18. Peggy B.
19. Sue Stitches-72 sets here!
21. Karen_S.-100 sets here!
22. Mary M.-100 sets here!
23. dnorthcutt-100 sets here!
24. Patti S.-100 sets here!
25. Squeakie53-43 sets here!
26. Julia8512-32 sets here!
27. Kathy1210-63 sets here!
28. Medinaquilter-100 sets here!
29. Vidaquilts
30. Coccinelle (from France)-54 sets here!



Still interested? Please read on…

*THIS IS OUR FIRST HEXAGON SWAP, SO PLEASE READ THE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY BEFORE COMMITTING TO THE SWAP OR CUTTING YOUR FABRICS. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE ASK! *

*YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR THE SWAP NO LATER THAN JANUARY 19, 2013 IN ORDER TO PLAY*

*SWAPS ARE DUE TO IN MY HANDS NO LATER THAN MARCH 16, 2013 TO SWAP OUT*

*PLEASE SHIP IN PLENTY OF TIME AS ANY LATE PACKAGES WILL BE RETURNED BACK TO YOU UNSWAPPED AT YOUR EXPENSE!* I will be sending out a “gentle reminder” notice two weeks before the swap is due.

This swap is for either washed or unwashed fabric. HOWEVER, if you use reds or indigo colors, please take the time to wash with a color catcher to ensure no bleeding fabrics in our finished projects.

If possible, I will try my best not to send you any duplicate sets.

As a member of the HGTV Quilting boards, you are invited to join us by clicking on the HGTV registration link on right side of the blog page. After you sign up (this is free!), you can join us on the “Quilting & Needlework” board. Any problems, just contact me. I will have a running discussion there if you want to communicate and share with the other swappers.

To sign up, please email me at 2013hexagonswap@gmail.com with your HGTV board name (if you have one), real name, address, phone and email address. I will forward you the same. All information sent to me is confidential and will not be shared. DO NOT SIGN UP ON THE PAPERPIECES WEBSITE OR THE HGTV BOARDS—only emails to the above address will be officially considered signed up! Remember, first come, first served! You will be notified by return email once you are officially a player.

I will also send you the coupon code for the 20% discount so you can order your paper pieces from Paperpieces.com. These are fantastic as they are precision cut and just the right weight to allow the needle through the paper.

While I advocate using Paperpieces papers (#HEX100), you can also take magazine subscription inserts or lightweight card stock and cut your own. You cannot use regular computer paper or cardboard for this swap as they are subsequently too light and too heavy ensure a sharp point when turning corners and will be returned! If you do use your own inserts, be sure they are consistent while cutting. I will be doing a spot check to be sure they are not too small or too large and that once you sew down the corners they are not pulling up the tips.

Your swap guidelines on how to make of the hexagons will be the same as the tutorial on the Connecting Threads website (the link is listed below for more step-by-step directions). If you use the tutorial on the link from Connecting Threads, please note you need to add ¼” to your fabric for seam allowance and press your hexagons when finished. Be careful NOT to use steam if using printed inserts as the dyes may come off on the fabrics! Yes, we will be sewing through the paper, but as you see in the video, it will be easy to remove the papers for reuse once you sew your hexagons together and remove the basting stitch.

As mentioned before, each set will be six-1” finished hexagons of the SAME print with a single knotted basting stitched (PLEASE USE THE SMALLEST NEEDLE POSSIBLE TO AVOID HOLES!) down the middle to hold each set together (with papers left inside each piece). The number of sets allowed will be determined once the sign-ups are complete. You can only send in 10 sets of the SAME print! (Total of 60 hexagons of the SAME print) to ensure a nice variety of prints. I found cutting 2 ½” strips of fabric and sub cutting them into 2 ½” squares work PERFECT for this project.

We do, however, want to keep the prints to SCALE so that we have a nice visual when the hexagons are sewn together. A couple of rules of thumb for this swap:

*Use only 100% cotton fabric.
*NO solids, homespun, glitter, novelty print, children prints, flannels, thin or plastic-feeling fabrics.
*NO large prints, batiks, check, plaid or stripe fabrics.
*Be sure when cutting directional fabrics they do not end up looking off-bias or wonky once the hexagon flowers is put together.

*Be sure to REMOVE your selvedges BEFORE cutting your fabrics. Check fabric for flaws, such as runs or stains. Since the sets will be stacked and tacked by a thread, I will not be able to double check your work. Remember the golden rule of swapping—do not send anything in that you wouldn’t want to receive in return.

*Pictures of “naughty” and “nice” prints will be posted on the blog so that you can use that as a guide. If you have a question on a fabric, please do not hesitate to contact me or post a picture on the HGTV discussion board.

NOTE: I know life sometimes throws you curve balls, but it has happened that people get excited and want to play, only to wait two months later when the swap is due in a day or so to say they didn't have time. By that time you should have already been ready to mail the package. That leaves me hanging to replace your swap with my stash and totally unfair IF you know you cannot make the deadline to begin with. I give you ample notice so you have plenty of time to make an informed decision. Also, another player may liked to play in your place. Be honest with me up front, or a repeat offender might not be able to play in the future The success of this swap depends on your ability follow through your commitment to our group of players. Thank you for your understanding!

By all of us being honest and accountable, I'm sure we will have a great 2013 swapping year! I really do enjoy hostessing and want to continue to enjoy it, so by coming up front with any issues is not really a complaint, but a way to correct it so my frustration level (and blood pressure!) stays at an even keel. Probably the MOST important thing I can say about a successful swap is the high level of communication between all parties. Without that, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Be prepared for me to contact you several times during the swap for an update on your progress and invite pictures of your hexies to share with other swappers!

I’m allergic to dogs and cats, so please do what you can to control the fur. Some packages come in with so much pet hair that they look like they need to be brushed! For health reasons, I cannot handle them and they will be returned untouched at YOUR expense. My health depends on it and I thank you in advance for your understanding.

POSTAGE or POSTAGE money must be included in your package. Be sure to add a stamp or two to your stamped envelopes if not going priority mail flat rate boxes. They also seem to weigh more returning than coming in! If you are a frequent swapper, you can also send in $20 or so and I can keep it on “account” and deduct your postage from it. This was worked nicely with some swappers in the past and that way you don’t have to worry about sending in money each time. Once the swap is complete, I will PM you your postage balance on account for your records. If you wish your extra postage money returned, I can certainly do that also.

If you wish to include a self-addressed mailer for the return trip back to you, remember NO metered postage or ACP postage on the return mailer. Stamps only. Our post office will not allow more than a 13 oz. pre-stamped mailer in any mailboxes nor can mail carriers accept them (since 9/11 our East coast mail guidelines have been modified). While your local p.o. may say it is okay to use metered or ACP postage, our p.o. will not accept anything that has been pre-dated. I’m just trying to make it as easy as possible for all concerned. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! Also, let me know if you want a delivery confirmation.

For Priority mail packages, I have plenty of mailing envelopes and boxes here so there is no need to send a new one. I do, however, try to recycle the boxes if possible. IF YOU ARE SENDING YOUR SWAP IN A MANILLA ENVELOPE OR PADDED MAILER, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE TO SEND IN A RETURN ENVELOPE. If you do not use priority mail without a delivery confirmation, you are on your own!

PACKING YOUR SHIPMENT-Please put your sets in a plastic Ziploc bag with your HGTV board name (if you have one!), real name and address, phone number and number of sets in the bag AND a separate piece of paper with your mailing address in case the package is damaged in shipment so the post office can still return it to you. If you can, please package nine sets to a zippered sandwich bag (you can get them at the dollar store) to save me time when swapping!
Resources:

Paperpieces:

http://www.paperpieces.com (Use the search box to find the HEX100)
Email: paperpieces@paperpieces.com

Call toll free in the US: 1-800-337-1537

Tutorial for English paper piecing:

http://www.connectingthreads.c...rial_Video__D39.html

Hexagon Swap blog:

http://hexagonswap.blogspot.com/

HGTV Registration: (Once you sign up, go to the “Quilting & Needlework” Message Board)

http://my.hgtv.com/registration/register.esi

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KC1930,

It sounds like a lot of fun.

I went to the website and ordered a package of 600 hexagons. I will sew along and watch your progress at my own pace. It will give me a way to get rid of some of my 2 1/2 inch squares.

I have never hosted a swap and it scares the bejebees out of me to even think about wanting to after reading thru all the rules and guidelines. It does not sound like a whole lot of fun.

So I want to say thank you to all you people that take on the challenge of hosting our swaps on this message board for us. My hat is off to each and every one of you.

Thinking I want to do this...will watch for 1st to send info.

TTT!

sending you an email
got mail demon...not working at present.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SC Lady,

Glad you can join us, Libby! I'll await your email....

I was unable to use that e-mail...tried x 2., but yes I want to join

Just PM me your info, Libby and consider yourself signed up!

KC1930 - I just tried to email you as well and it didn't work. I will send you a pm.

am i the only one who thinks the rules and regulations for this swap are over the top? i love hexagons but i will pass on this one.

Many of you might find this over the top, but remember we are inviting others who may not have swapped before from Paperpieces.com and other boards to play along.

Consistancy is key for any swap to ensure everyone gets back the same they send in. Perhaps you can sit back and see how this swap goes and join us for the next swap!

Ladies, the yahoo email is not working, and instead of playing around with it, please use 2013hexagonswap@gmail.com. I will be sending you the code number to be used by the players for their discount tomorrow.

Headielamar, glad you can join us. I made a bunch of hexies at work last night and plan on more tonight! Great for the diet, too!

KC - did you send me the code for the 20% off? I don't see it either in a pm or my email. I usually work with 1/2" hexies so I need to order the 1" ones. Thanks!!

Just submitted my email to play along! SO excited!

Ladies, your email with codes will be going out in just a minute...

Welcome three new swappers (and NEW to the HGTV boards)...

*Sew&Sew
*Wimppys58
*Emily P.

...and another newbie, Keely S.!

Got the code - I will order them tonight.

Its good to see new people on our site!!

ordered mine today...no problems using code and also ordered couple other items also.

We have another newbie to welcome to HGTV and our swap!

**jessmaustin**

Isn't it nice to see new people joining in the swaps and the boards?

...and two more NEW new players, welcome KaylaQuilts and tscott12234!

This swap is gonna be a blast....better sign up quickly!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KC1930,

Am so happy to be part of this swap. This is my first swap and also new to using the message board.

Another three new players:

Welcome:

*luvthosequilts
*Katznquilter
*brendavnm

Only 30 will be allowed to sign up for this first swap, so if you are hanging back, better jump off the fence and sign up now!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KC1930,

Just ordered my hexies. I hope you ladies who are new to our board spend some time checking things out. We have lots of fun here.

Hello all. I just connected here tonight via Paper Pieces post on facebook. I want to get signed up for this. Haven't quite figured out how to get my name added to this list. Thanks!

Julesmarie, KC1930 will be the one to add your name to the list, she will be along later this morning, but I'll say welcome until she arrives.

Julesmarie, you are officially signed up and welcome to the swap!

And a big welcome to Patv82! Looks like we have a lot of hexie lovers!

I can now firmly say that I really want to do a swap when:
1. I sign up for the swap Before I actually look in my stuff for the right size hexies.
2. I find all my hexies - 3/4 inch, 1 1/2 inch and the 6 point diamonds to match those.
3. I do not find the correct 1 inch size for this swap.
4. I go online to paperpieces.com and use the voucher to order the templates and the diamonds for this swap.
5. I defy gravity and decide it's never any fun to overplan.

Yep, Pat, you are a TRUE swapper!

Thanks. I received my email instructions today and look forward to this adventure!!

Since this is my first swap I'm a little confused about the shipping. Do we send hexies as we complete in small groups or wait until the end? Is there somewhere that has more detailed instructions on the shipping process?
Thanks for the help, really excited about doing this.

The swap is due in my hands no later than March 16th, so you will ship your entire swap at once to be to me in Maine by that date.

Since we do not have our total number of players determined yet, I cannot tell you the maximum number of sets (six hexagons of the same print is one set) you will be sending yet.

Remember, you can only send in 10 sets (total of 60 hexies) of the same fabric!

Welcome our latest player, Peggy B.!

Hi! My 1st swap..Just finished my 1st Paper Pieced quilt.. I can't wait for the swap to begin

A couple of our new swappers mentioned allergies to cigarette smoke & perfumes, so please take that into consideration while making your hexies. Thanks!

Hello!
It's the first time I've heard about a paper pieces swap and I love paper pieces! It's technique I prefer in patchwork. So If it's possible, I would like to come in with you but I am frend and live in France. Perhaps is it a problem? If it is, I could understand.
coccinelledemoiselle.blogs.marieclaireidees.com

I prewashed some red fabric for this swap and used one of those color catchers. I have never used them before and I was surprised at how much color was left on it.

Hi Group,

I hope to join the swap. I sent an email this AM and have started cutting out my squares. Figuring out how to join the site was a bit of a puzzle for me but I think I did it! Now to figure out how to change my pic... I have a roundish face but not that round.

Welcome our newest member to the swap!

**Sue Stitches**

quote:

Originally posted by headielamar:
I prewashed some red fabric for this swap and used one of those color catchers. I have never used them before and I was surprised at how much color was left on it.

I found a "recipe" to make my own on the Internet, but found they really didn't catch much of the color (my new LLB white turtleneck is now a faint tinge of pink). The Shout brand works the best for me.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Coccinelle:
Hello!
It's the first time I've heard about a paper pieces swap and I love paper pieces! It's technique I prefer in patchwork. So If it's possible, I would like to come in with you but I am frend and live in France. Perhaps is it a problem? If it is, I could understand.
coccinelledemoiselle.blogs.marieclaireidees.com[/QUOTE

Please email me at 2013hexagonswap@gmail.com for more information.

I found that I could not use a size 11 needle to sew through the paper after breaking two needle had to go to size nine , and suggestion of what works for you, that might work for me.

I am new here, but have done many swaps in the past. I would love to join in the fun!

Emailing my info now.....

Welcome 3minions to the swap!

I also emailed in info to sign up for this swap. First time for me.

Waiting for a return email, Kathy1210.

Welcome MORE swappers!

*Squeakie53
*Julia8512
*Karen_S.
*Mary M.
*dnorthcutt
*Patti S.
*Kathy1210
*Medinaquilter

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KC1930,

I guess I need to really start on making hexagons...Time to cut more squares.

I have whipped up a whole bunch today during phone calls at work. They really do make themselves!

WOW only 2 left.....yeah!!
I have ordered my hexies from Paper Pieces..hopefully they will be here this week.

...and welcome our latest players, Vidaquilts and Coccinelle.

I will be posting the maximum number of sets you can send in tomorrow, so stand by for news!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KC1930,

Here is my ongoing pile of hexies!