Thursday, March 18, 2010

The Postman Delivers


The poor postman is loaded down with blocks for our swap!

Thanks to Mary, Theri, Marsha, Beth, Christine, Lisa and Kathleen who have posted their blocks. The rest of us will be posting soon. Don't forget to send me an email when you have sent your blocks.

Katie and Lisa are already receiving them along with some goodies from the swap partners.

Our Flickr album is growing daily and it's nice to see all the blocks in one place.

Joanne has made some wonderful blocks in beautiful blues. Ruth has used some very pretty fabrics in her blocks. Katie has been super organised and made all her blocks. Liri and Beth have made some blocks using amazing colours.

It's probably best to write on the light coloured fabric in your block near the edge.


I was thinking of designing a group label for our quilts featuring our blog buddies button. If there is enough interest I will proceed.

Just to remind us all - we will each make 24 blocks - 2 blocks for each person in the swap. You can make extra blocks for yourself if you want your quilt bigger.

I will provide some basic finishing instructions but I encourage you to put your quilt together in any way you choose.

Late News: Karen and Ann have posted their blocks.

Happy Stitching,

Ann, Marsha and Katie

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Lots of Wonderful Blocks


How fantastic are all the blocks being made!

I'm sure Katie and Lisa must be so excited about the blocks they will be receiving.

Theri, Mary, Christine, Marsha, Lisa and Ann have all made blocks and the variety of fabrics and combinations is fabulous.

Kathleen has put her blocks in the mail. Thanks Kathleen! Don't forget to email me when you have sent your blocks.

The Flickr Group is up and running and pictures are being posted there.

Everyone seems to be pleased with the design of the block and the ease with which it is made.

That's a relief!

Christine has asked about finishing instructions. I'll post a modified version of the original quilt's instructions but you are welcome to finish the quilt any way you like.

I'm sure we are all looking forward to the different layouts that will eventuate.

Happy Stitching!

Ann. Marsha and Katie

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Using Flickr

Flickr is one of a number of online photo albums known as photo buckets.

When you create an account you will receive 100Mb of storage for images. You can set your Flickr to full privacy or public access.

You then upload photos from your computer to Flickr. From there you can join groups - like ours.

So how is it done....

Step 1.

Click on the Flickr button at the top of this blog.

Step 2.

Click on Create Your Account on the top right hand side of the Flickr page. If you already have a Yahoo account you may just be asked for your Yahoo password.

Otherwise you will need to set up a Yahoo ID. Follow the steps at the bottom of the Sign In box.

Step 3.

Set your profile and privacy.



Click on You at the top left of the screen. The profile/privacy settings settings are on the right hand side.

Step 4.

Upload your photos.


Click on the big button marked Upload Your Photos and Videos


Follow each step - there are good instructions to help you.

Step 5.

Joining a Group

Click on Groups and enter APQ Blog Buddies Block Swap 2010 into the search bar under Find a Group.


Click on the link to APQ Blog Buddies Block Swap 2010.


Click on Add Something to upload a photo to the group. Follow the instructions.


You are done! (I hope). Click on any of the images above to see the image in full size.

You can also comment on other images in the group by clicking on the picture. You can upload as many pictures as you like, including pictures of the finished quilts.

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or problems.

Ann

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

First Draw and the Winners Are....





Congratulations girls!

An email will be sent out shortly with all names and addresses so that we can get ready to post our blocks out to the lucky winners.

We the organisers, can't come to a decision about the announcement of the monthly draws so have decided to ask you for your opinion.

Option 1:
Announce the winner each month so it's a surprise

Option 2:
Announce all the winners at once.

My personal preference is for Option 1 but I will happily go with the majority.

In the meantime, there are some wonderful swap blocks out there.

Joanne at canuckquilter has posted her blocks. Love the blues and how good the blocks look on point!

Ruth at logcabinquilter has some lovely blocks for the swap. Nice fabrics.

Kathleen at seventhsister26's blocks look terrific too. Kathleen is having some technical issues with her blog so has had to post comments to our recent blogs on her blog. Pop on over to catch up with her.

So, Lisa and Katie, you are going to receive some wonderful blocks in this our first draw with more to come, including my own.

We have had requests about what type of pen to use when writing on your blocks. A micron 5 Pigma pen works well.

Love suggests that you back your block with freezer paper first. Once you have written on the block, place a piece of plain fabric over it and iron to set the ink. Love likes to rinse just that part of the block to remove excess ink.

If you use a different pen or have your own tips for writing on the blocks then please let us know.

Now for those of you who are concerned about the construction of your blocks. This is a very forgiving pattern and seems to look good no matter how it is constructed. Given that we are making scrap quilts your blocks are going to fit in just fine.

Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm and support of this our first swap.


Ann, Marsha and Katie

Monday, March 1, 2010

Needles at the Ready Girls!


The APQ Blogging Buddies 2010 Block Swap has begun!

The following APQ Bloggers are now confirmed as participants in the swap.

Liriopia - Liriopia's Legacy - confirmed

Marsha - Grandma's Quilts - confirmed

Katie - KatieMayToo Quilts - confirmed

Christine - StitchNiche - confirmed

Beth - My Creations - confirmed

Ruth - Country Log Cabin Quilter - confirmed

Kathleen - SeventhSister26 - confirmed

Joanne - Canuck Quilter - confirmed

Karen - Breezy Bree - confirmed

Ann - A Good Yarn - confirmed

Lisa - Unexpected Paths - confirmed

Mary - Stash Heaven - confirmed

Theri - Theri's Quilt Stuff - confirmed


It's time to start making your blocks and the instructions are here.

Marsha will be drawing the first two winners soon and their names will be posted on this blog. They will also receive an email.

Everyone in the swap will soon receive the name and postal address of all participants. Please post your blocks before the end of the month.

Please remember to post a picture of your blocks on your blog and email me so that I can post about it here.

Theri has already made her first blocks and you can view them on her blog. They look terrific Theri!

Karen has made some blocks too. Great block Karen - love the colours!

There is a post coming on using Flickr. Flickr is an on-line photo album where you can post lots of images. You can also add those images to your blog. It will let us see all the blocks and evetually the quilts in one place.

Ann, Marsha and Katie