Ideas for Guild Swaps

The guild is looking for input on swap ideas for our members to do throughout the year. Of course, being me, I googled it, hoping for a one-stop list of things people do with their quilt guilds, and did not find such a list. So, I’ve gathered a collection here inspired by modern quilt guilds near and far, pinterest, and my own brainstorming.

Project swaps

There are so many small projects that can be done and traded in a swap.

• Mug rugs are popular, and a cute way to use up scraps or try a miniature version of a block.
• Pincushions, the ever useful (and another great way to use up scraps), and really, can one really have too many pincushions?
• Name tags. You can swap names ahead of time and make one for someone else.
• Bag. This is one our guild is doing right now.
• Sewing space sign. I haven’t actually seen this one out there, but I think it would be fun to make little hanging signs (for door or wall) announcing this space as a quilter’s work area. (e.g., “quilter at work, enter at own risk”).
• Bookmark
• Challenge fabric project: guild could buy some yardage of a challenge fabric, and all guild members get a fat quarter (or charm square or something) and do a project with it.
• Gift bag – make a bag meant to hold a present, swap, and then we all have a nice homemade gift bag to use for someone else!

“Easy” swaps

These swaps can still be fun, but don’t have as much time investment ( and can be good if you have lots of other projects going on in your guild that month).

• Ugliest fat quarter (could always follow up with a project challenge to use it in a project and swap again).
• One yard of fabric (divided up any way you like or not at all).
• Fabric scraps (some predetermined weight or baggie full).
• Charm swaps, bring 5” or 6” square pieces of fabric, and take home the same number. Thanks to the Triad Modern Quilt Guild for this great idea!
• Favorite color fabric swap. Each person picks their favorite color, everyone trades names at one meeting (with the favorite color) and then get that person a small bundle of fat quarters with that color as the focal color. If you are feeling feisty, you could also do the opposite, and give a bundle of least favorite color (can’t we all benefit from broadening our creative base?).

       

So there it is, the beginnings of a swap list. Happy swapping!