A-Z I Spy Fabric Quilt Squares R1 - ABCD

Launch gallery slideshow

Swap Coordinator:	bettflow09 (contact)
Swap categories:	Fabric Childrens Items Quilting
Number of people in swap:	3
Location:	International
Type:	Type 3: Package or craft
Last day to signup/drop:	August 1, 2009
Date items must be sent by:	August 22, 2009
Number of swap partners:	2
Description:
I just had this idea for a swap and thought I would give it a try and we'll see how it goes:)) We will be swapping 6.5 inch fussy cut I spy squares. An I Spy quilt is a game quilt for children. Each block of fabric sewn into the quilt shows a distinct object that a child should easily be able to recognize. For example....A is for Apple, B is for Bat, C is for Cat, D is for Dog, E is for Egg, F is for Frog, etc. Each square must be fussy cut which means that the object is the center of attention and is positioned in the center of the square. If you have any questions about this, PLEASE ask and I will see if I can better explain this. Swap details Send 4 6.5" I spy squares to 2 partners for a total of 8 squares. Send one square for the letter A, one for the letter B, one for the letter C and one for the letter D to each partner. Fussy cut your squares and make sure the object is the center of attention and is something that a child should easily recognize and send ONLY 100% cotton fabric. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! The squares should be cut precisely 6.5" with a rotary cutter. If you don't have a rotary cutter and have to cut your squares with scissors, be sure that they are precisely the right size and neatly and evenly cut. If this goes over well, we will work our way through the alphabet from A to Z. In the end we will all have enough squares to make two I Spy quilts for our children, grandchildren, charity or whatever:)) I am going to cut 3 squares for each letter and keep one for myself, so I will have enough for 3 quilts:))) May have to draw straws to see which of my grandkiddies get a quilt..hehe!!! To participate in this swap, you MUST have a rating of 4.8 with no unexplained 1 or 3 ratings within the past 6 months. Newbies MUST have been rated on 2 snail mail swaps with a 5 rating and MUST have a fully filled out profile.

Discussion

niecedenise 07/ 2/2009 #

8.5 rating? Think you mis-typed.

craftymomme08 07/ 2/2009 #

such a great swap... hopefully we'll be working so i can do it!

bettflow09 07/ 2/2009 #

Oops....thanks niecedenise:)) Don't know how I did that! lol.

Ethaina 07/ 3/2009 #

Quilt shop grade fabric or discount store grade or either?

bettflow09 07/ 5/2009 #

Well @Ethaina ....I am not requiring that these squares be quilt shop quality, but we need to choose nice quality fabric so they will last for years to come:))

Ethaina 07/ 7/2009 #

My thoughts exactly! I'm pretty new to quilting but love the feel and thickness of quilt shop fabric versus discount store fabric. I'd like to think my creations will be around for another generation to snuggle into.

bettflow09 07/ 7/2009 #

That's exactly right @Ethaina ))) Those thin discount fabrics just won't hold up that long I'm afraid:( I'm brand new to quilting too, but it would be a shame to put so much hard work into making a beautiful quilt just for it to wear out in a few short years. I still have 2 quilts that my grandmother made...um, probably about 50 years ago:)

mythomia 07/ 9/2009 #

I'm very interested in this swap. I had a confusion the last time I sent some I Spy squares. They were actually an extra I put in a swap. But the feedback I got was that they needed to be cut on the grain. I had cut them to frame the picture the best way.

Any thoughts on this? Should they be cut on the grain? I personally lean towards having them cut to feature the picture.

bettflow09 07/10/2009 #

I have seen it said that the squares need to be cut on the grain, but I personally like for the picture to be centered in the middle of the block, whether on the grain or not. Hum.....maybe I better check this out? I am brand new to I Spy quilts, so there may be a very good reason why they need cut on the grain, lol.

If anyone else here knows anything about this...please comment!!!

bettflow09 07/10/2009 #

I 0pened up a thread in the public forums to get help from other quilters about whether or not the squares should be cut on the grain. Here's the discussion so ya'll can see what's being said about this:)

mythomia 07/10/2009 #

I think for new quilters, it is easier to sew the quilt if the blocks are cut on the grain. As this swap is open to all levels of quilters, perhaps we should require that squares be cut on the grain. That will lead to more satisfactory results when sewn into a quilt.

If you keep in mind when you are purchasing fabric that it will be cut on the grain, you can get fabric that works well that way. A hint -- take along a piece of cardboard with a 6" square cut in the center. Then you can see what design will show in the finished quilt. Hold it to the fabric, parallel to the selvages.

bettflow09 07/14/2009 #

Here's a site that explains how to cut on the grain and why it is so important to do this. I have been confused on what the grain or bias meant, but this helped me understand it better.

Yes, from everything I have found out, it does look like we all need to cut on the grain so the squares will work nicely into the quilt.

cakemaker 07/25/2009 #

This looks fun - I was going to play along but I don't have the right fabrics in my stash and can't run out to buy any right now. Hope it goes well for all of you!

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Click here to log in.

Top Swaps

Newest Swaps

A-Z I Spy Fabric Quilt Squares R1 - ABCD

Launch gallery slideshow

Discussion

Leave a Comment