Cottage swaps...

Last year around this time I decided to do a cottage swap  for ladies who come to my quilt classes. Many of them come once a month to a Sampler Club, so I thought it would be fun for them to swap during those classes. I had been hosting Block Lottos every other month, but that was wearing thin, so I thought it might be more fun for them to swap blocks as everyone ends up with blocks that way. They loved the idea! Here is my original post. They would swap bimonthly, making cottages for each other according to the current seasons.I kept the groups small (3 or 4 in each) so it wouldn't become a burden.  We are wrapping up the swap now, but I want to have a cottage party in a month or so to encourage them to actually make something out of their cottages. I am currently working on a new swap idea for them, as they have loved doing this and have been asking me what's next!

My quilting group of friends have also been swapping, so I have the last blocks to make and we will be finished also. Hopefully I will get that done today.

A funny thing happened after I posted about the cottage swap...an online friend Betsy at Quilting Fiesta 

wanted to participate, but I thought I would get too confused trying to keep track of an online swap as well as the local swap. Betsy decided to host her own cottage swap online. She asked me to participate and of course I couldn't resist. How her's differs is that each of us (12 involved) picked a month. We then make 12 blocks once and send them out to the others. The rest of the year we get to just sit here and wait for them to come in the mail! My month was August, so I had some fun using some bathing beauties I had sitting around.

It has been a very fun swap...here is the January block I received yesterday in the mail from Christina...I love it! She did a little applique to make snow on the chimney...isn't it cute?