I-Spy Swap #7 - Swap FULL.

I've been getting a lot of questions about doing another I-Spy Swap, so I thought I'd host another one before things get too crazy with the holidays.  Sign-Up are now OPEN NOW FULL.  Please read all rules before signing up and see link at the bottom of this post to sign up.

As always I learn a bit each time we do a swap, so there are a few minor changes this time around with how you sign up, so PLEASE read the entire post before signing up...even if you'd participated in one of my swaps before.

There will be three simultaneous swaps to make more spots available (60 total...20 in each swap.)

THE BASICS:
Mail 200 I-Spy squares to me by October 3.  
Get 200 I-Spy squares back, all different, by October 17. 
PLEASE be sure you can meet the deadlines BEFORE you sign up! 

THE DETAILS: 

• 1. By joining with 1 swap spot you are committing to buying and cutting 1/4 yard of 10 different I-Spy fabrics and mailing them to me within 2-weeks.  PLEASE don't sign up if you can't keep this commitment.
• 2. For each spot you sign up for, you will need to cut 20 4" squares out of each of 10 different novelty print 100% Cotton Quilt fabrics (NO flannel or textured fabric!). A 1/4-yard cut or fat quarter will get you 20 4" squares, so you will be purchasing a total of about 2 1/2 yards of fabric. This is NOTHING when you think about all the different squares you will be getting back!  If you sign up for two spots, you'll be put into two different swaps, but your fabrics must be DIFFERENT for each swap spot.
• 3. In order to avoid duplicates, everyone will need to search out unusual or obscure prints. Look for things that aren't available at chain stores. But, please, pick FUN ones! If you love it, the other swappers will love it too! In the past we have used the Pieces by Polly I-Spy Swap flickr group to share pictures, but I would like to move to using Instagram instead.  If you do not have an Instagram account, you can email me your pictures and I will post them for you.  Please tag all pictures as hashtag #ispyswap7 and tag me @piecesbypolly so everyone can find your pics and drool over your chocies. 
• 4. Remember that we are looking for fabric with objects on it, not printy-prints. (A fabric with FLOWERS on it is very different from a FLORAL PRINT.) 
• 5. NO "licensed" prints: No Disney, Dora, L.A. Lakers, etc. 
• 6. Please be sure you are purchasing HIGH QUALITY QUILTING COTTONS. Pretty much anything you purchase a quilt shop will be high quality. Chain stores (Joanns, Hobby Lobby, etc) have a mix of high quality fabrics mixed in with low quality fabrics, so you really need to make sure you're buying the good stuff (thick, soft, not see through, etc.) Please, Please, Please check out your local quilt shop first.  (And PLEASE steer clear of Wal-Mart...I know they have some cute fabrics, but the fabric itself is notoriously low quality.  We want our quilts to last!)
• 7. Remember seam allowances! Be sure you can tell what you are looking at within a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square. Nobody wants only half of an object in their square -- cut them well! (Depending on your fabric choice, you may need to buy more than 1/4 yard in order to get an object into each cut square.)
• 8. This is a double swap. You can sign up for a maximum of 2 regular swap spots if you want...but the fabrics for each swap need to be different. (If you have participated in previous swaps, it's okay if you use prints you've used before.)
• 9. If you end up one or two squares short of one of your fabrics, it's okay to trade in another fun fabric to replace them. Just make sure you're not putting in duplicates.
• 10.  PLEASE, PLEASE be sure to sort your squares into 20 stacks that have 1 of each of your 10 fabrics.  You can stack them all up together once they're sorted with a piece of scratch paper between them or even just turning them a bit, so it's clear where the new stack starts.  It's actually easier for me if you do NOT each little stack in baggies, but it can be helpful to put your whole large stack in a ziploc bag before mailing.
• 11. Cut your squares well.  There really is no substitute for using a rotary cutting mat, ruler, and blade.  If you don't have one, find someone you can borrow one from, so that all of your squares will be 4"
• 12. If an emergency comes up and you're not able to follow-through with your commitment, please let me know ASAP so someone on the waiting list has time to take your place. You will receive a full refund.
• 13. Once all the spots are full, I'll send you my mailing address for where you send your squares. 

PLEASE BE SERIOUS AND BE SURE YOU CAN MEET THE DEADLINES BEFORE signing up.  I want to make sure everyone gets their squares back in a timely manner.

To sign up, you'll purchase a spot through my Etsy shop.  This is NOT a money maker for me.  I'm just charging what it will cost me for postage, envelopes, and Etsy fees, and for most people it will end up being less expensive in the long run for you.  (Etsy listing fees get added into the mix, but postage is cheaper via Etsy, so it pretty much breaks even.)  I'm charging $1.00 cents to cover the Etsy Listing and money processing fees, plus your postage and the price of your return envelope is included in the cost.  The price I have listed covers First Class Shipping in a padded envelope for a single swap spot (total of $5.50) and Priority Shipping in a Flat Rate Padded envelope for a double spot (total of $7.25).  Since I get postage cheaper purchasing it online, overall this will cost you about the same and printing the shipping labels will be less of a headache for me (I hope!).  International swappers are also welcome, although you will need to get your fabrics in the mail as soon as possible so they will get here in time.  International postage varies...and unfortunately is pretty expensive since USPS raised international rates dramatically earlier this year.

To sign-up, please go to my Etsy Shop here to purchase your spot and sign-up.


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