I had an idea, so I am going to try and get a 'feel' from all of you about it before I pursue it further. Are there many quilters on this site? And if so, I was wondering what y'all thought about a postal, perhaps, which would include a patch swap.
I guess what I mean is this....

I would limit the list to 10 or 15 people:
1. Make 9 (if I limit it to 10 people) pre-detrmined size quilt patches
2. Carve a stamp that looks like your patch
3. Make a logbook for your stamp.
4. Put all patches and stamp/logbook in envelope
5. Send on its' way.

When the envelope gets to you:
1. Take 1 of the quilt patches pre-made for you
2. Do a stamp and logbook swap like a regular postal
3. Send the envelope on to the next person

Then, when we are done:
1. We can have enough blocks to make a Real friendship quilt/ throw for our beds/couches.. AND...
2. We will have enough stamps to make a friendship quilt in our logbooks!!!

The more I think about this, I think it sounds really fun. I wonder, has anyone thought of this before and if so has it actually been done? Please send feedback, and if it sounds cool, then I'll work on getting all the details together and getting it started!

Thanks so much,
ervetchick

You should contact Lone Star Quilter. She and her husband (boots tex) own a quilting retreat in Cold Spring, TX. I don't think she reads the boards, but all of her letterboxes are quilt squares! They are terrific, fun boxes in great locations. I highly recommend her boxes.

dewberry

Oh, this is too funny! One of the "back-of-my-mind" postals I've been incubating for a couple months is something similar based on the children's book "The Quiltmaker's Gift." Not being a sewer in the least, I hadn't considered making a real quilt, just the stamp version.

What fun - go for it! :) Though I'd suggest making the ring 9 (for a 3 x 3 quilt) or 12 (3 x 4). 10 is an "odd" number for a block-based square or rectangle.

Cheers!
-ArtGekko

Wow...this sounds like a great idea.

I think that one thing that might make this extra interesting is to have everyone use -- among the other fabrics they use in their square -- a unifying color that would tie all the squares together. Perhaps someone (like me) could send out that color to all the participants.

Am I being too much the interior decorator with this neurotic idea?

Lisascenic

ps -- to see one of muy quilts, click here:
http://www.craftster.org/pictures/showphoto.php?photo=21884&sort=1&cat=500

This sounds like a lot of fun! I enjoy smaller quilting projects like this, as they are more doable (time-wise) for me. I was ambitious and started a queen-size quilt for over 2 years ago and now I have little motivation to finish it because it's just... so... big. :P So anyway, I'd definitely be interested in this. But if I may make a request, please don't post the sign up til Monday since I won't have internet access for the rest of the weekend and I'd hate to miss out! :)

Coffee Beans

Quote

"Am I being too much the interior decorator with this neurotic idea?"

Not at all!! all Group Quilts need a unified factor, color is the easiest way.

I would love to be a part of this. However I have not done a postal before. How they work is still a bit of a mystery...

Please keep me posted if you do go ahead with this.

This sounds like so much fun! But I'm very much an amateur quilter and I'd hate to be the "ugly patch". I'm also limited on time so put me down for a maybe. If you need just one more person, I'll sign up :)

And I like the color-coordination idea.

-Murray7

I am just beginning to quilt...this sounds great! I am already doing stamps to my first blocks...so the stamp is already made!

Keep us informed!
keepersofthelight04

We are game! This sounds like a LOT of FUN!!!

Team Springamajack

I love this idea too!! I am not very good at quilting, carving either for that matter. But I love both so please go ahead and include me too.
Ona Journey
Going to page through all my quilting stuff to find one to carve, what closet or box is that in now.........

I'd be interested in this quilting bee/letterbox as well. What am I saying? Maybe I'll need a second job. Oh well, I'm still interested.

Batty Girl

I can quilt! I would LOVE to do this! I feel so alone here sometimes as the only other letterboxer I know in person is my fiance and as much as he enjoys it, he is not obsessed like me. A cosy quilt from my AQ friends would make me feel a little closer to all of you.

Red Soup

Whoo Hoo! Count me in! I've been thinking about doing a series of quilt stamps. I love block swaps as well!

A thought - You will probably want to specify a block size so that they are uniform. You might also want to specify a uniform size for the stamps. I could see a neat display of a wallhanging sized quilt and a framed page with the quilt stamps arranged in the same configuration.

I like the idea of a unifying color or fabric. The quilt guild I belong to frequently makes quilts for members in need or charities and we have found that it works much better if we have color guidelines or even if everyone gets a piece of a "focus" fabric to start with.

Let me know if I can do anything to help!

Falconator

You may wish to save a space for DoubleSaj of DoubleSaj and OldBlue. She's an amazing quilter, and quilt teacher. But I think she teaches on Saturdays and won't be reading AQ at this moment. (I could be talking total nonsense with all this....)

Lisascenic

I'd be interested in this as well!

I wonder if it would make the most sense to organize the postal like the State Flowers/State Bird rings?
~Turtle Song

Lisa,
The quilt is beautiful!!!!!!!!!
wow! so many tiny squares and so colorful! love it.
Oh I wish I did quilt. who has time to?
My mom does beutiful quilts. Hmm, one day, just like the watercolour paints I want to do.
have fun with it y'all.
Pilgrims

Quote

ps -- to see one of muy quilts, click here:
http://www.craftster.org/pictures/showphoto.php?photo=21884&sort=1&cat=500

Is that a blooming nine patch? Very nice.

I had a similar idea but I thought of exchanging fabrics that we had carved a stamp and stamped on so that everyone could make a quilt with those. I don't know if I could do this ring, though. I'm not a great quilter.

Contact Scout. She researched a ton of patterns and we had a blast carving and coloring them all so we could "stamp our own quilt". This was at the Parlor City Carving Bee gathering last night. More info about it on the New York board and the Event Board. I think she will be posting a pic soon....

We had almost 30 squares finished ! woo hooo!! I did "Hovering Hawks"

LW PhD
"Nice Counts"

Quote

Is that a blooming nine patch? Very nice.

I'm not sure what that means. I just kinda made this pattern up. It was a gift for a hippie co-worker of mine, for the birth of his son. I wanted to make a quilt that looked like all the tie-dye t-shirts my friend wears. I used scrappy fabric from the costume shop at the theater where we work, to make it extra-personal.

I made up random-ish strips, and then built the pattern out from the center.

For more details:
http://www.craftster.org/pictures/showphoto.php?photo=7747&sort=1&cat=500&page=5
http://www.craftster.org/pictures/showphoto.php?photo=7748&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=5

Lisascenic

In a word -- YES! We love the idea! Count us in!

But, yes, it does need to be a number divisable by 3 or 4...

Just finished a T-shirt quilt that was 6 x 4!

We like LisaScenic's idea about a central color too...

Go for it! And please be sure we're on the list!!

Team Bear-Cat

Wow! It sounds like there's enough interest in a quilting PLB to do two or three! Two treats in one! Isn't htat a great concept?

Wow, I leave a message and then am away from the computer all day and look what happens. *grin* I was sure there would only be a message or two, I never would have thought this many people would be interested!. YAY!
Anyone have any thoughts how to do this with this many people interested? I always hate to leave people out, but I hate for it to be so expensive that it would be exclusive.
I was looking at launching this ring in February or so. Next week I am moving from Indiana to TN to finally start work! woo hooo... So I think a week or two to get settled and we should be good to go!

Now, to think how to include everyone?? Suggestions? Ideas? What would everyone like for a central color? I will make the list a total of 12, I think. That will keep it managaeable both time-wise and financially. Do we want to make the pattern the choice of the quilter? Or do exclusively 9-patches, or friendship stars, etc?

ervetchick

It actually looks like a blooming 25 patch or something. My friend made one, that's why I ask. It works on the same design idea - the colors in the middle gradually turn into other colors, but it's all made of 9 patch squares.

Here's one:
http://www.southhillquilts.com/Blooming_9patch.htm

So who is going to put this quilt together and then what happens to it? Hey, it could go as a raffle item at some gathering?

Count me in... I'm an avid quilter! This would be perfect.

Awaiting detals,
Pookie
of the Reidling Trinity

Setting a basic block, like a nine-patch, monkey wrench or friendship star might make it easy for beginners.
Also, since you're the initiator of this project, why don't YOU pick your favorite color as a main color.

Of course, scrappy quilts are lots of fun.

They way I understood it, All of the participants would end up with enough blocks to each have one.

oh man...this sounds like such a great idea.
you are brilliant.

i love quilting- i made a large quilt years bakc as a x-mas gift. and ive been itching to make anotehr...and one to have from all my aq friends....how sentimental...

oh man i wish i dont miss out on this

kwm *afraid to step away from the computer just incase*

This sounds so cool, I have never quilted but I have been sewing for years. Maybe you can have two rings one for us new to quilting and one for the more exprenenced. I would love to be in this tracker but do not want to take up a spot from some one who does quilting.

Mystic Dreamer

I probably can't participate in this one, as my plate is way too full at this point, but I had an idea......

Wonder if everyone could use fabric markers or fabric paint and stamp their sig stamp onto the quilt block? I was in a swap once of quilt squares and we all signed our blocks and put what type of sewing machine - we were all using antique treadle machines. The groups was of people interested in said antique machines, so there was a lot of interest as to brand, age, etc. Anyway, it's fun to look at the block and see who did what.

Of course, that does require that the style of block be fairly specific, or that muslin is used somewhere to give a "white" space. We did a block that was just three strips (the name was rail fence, or something like that - I'm not a "real" quilter), and the middle one was muslin.

Just a thought!

Mama Fox