Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Question: When Is a Square Not a Square?

Answer: When it's a block from a swap.

The second set of 16 nine-patch blocks for the swap coordinated by Anina of Twiddletails showed up in my mailbox recently. Aren't they lovely? What an amazing variety of fabrics.

I blogged about the first set I received here. There will be one more set coming next month -- I can't wait to see what those will look like.

You can see the blocks that I made as my contribution on my blog posts here, here and here.

This has been great fun to participate in, however, like many block swaps, not all the blocks are 6 1/2 inches square. Most of the 32 blocks that I have received so far are fine, with a few being a smidgen over or under the 6 1/2 inches. Those can be dealt with fairly easily. A couple are a little more troublesome -- at least 1/4 inch bigger or smaller. There are always a number of reasons for this and I'm not surprised that this has happened with this swap.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I will be putting these blocks into a simple quilt to be donated to Project Linus, so although I may have to struggle a bit with the inconsistency of the block sizes, I'm sure the recipient won't even notice the imperfections...

5 comments:

Unknown said...

You are right, what a terrific variety! They will be perfect for your project!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I had that problem once and that is the reason I don't participate in swaps anymore! The time I did it was for larger blocks, we each did a block that was 12 1/2 inches finished - I don't think one understood and sent a block that was 9 1/2! other blocks were anywhere from 12 inches to 13 inches - never again --
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/

SandyQuilts said...

You could always make wonky blocks with the ones that are too small.

Dena said...

This set of blocks are great looking. It can be frustrating when you receive imperfect blocks. I've had some that were the wrong size, incorrect fabric (when it is a theme swap), and even a couple that had been scorched. But you're right. The recipient won't notice the blocks that are the wrong size.

Barb said...

They do look very pretty when gathered together, good luck putting them into a quilt! The purpose will take care of the problems...you know good cause, will make them work! Sometimes it is hard to be sure everyone understands the rules of a swap...size, color, and pattern! Good luck, you can do it!