I had my first swapping experiences last month. I realize now that I’m a total jerk for not having put up pictures! All of my packages have now been received on both ends. But I must remember that posting photos is an important last step. And I’m very late in it!
One of the most important things I learned is *timing*. One week, I was able to send off three swap packages, but then I had to hold one back because I needed to get feedback on some fabric i posted photos of using Flickr. The timing was crucial because then it literally took me weeks to get back to the post office. I carried it around with me in my bag. Of course, now I have found there is a tiny post office closer to my job, so it should all be smoother now!
This was the lovely pile of fabrics I received from OhBara. Last week I finally washed them, and started using them!
Flickr is a great tool for swapping. I didn’t understand how it was done, until Michelle from Green Kitchen advised me that i should buy fabrics, and post pictures of them online and say they were available for swapping. seems obvious now, but i didn’t know if anyone would even find my pictures. sure enough they did!
These are the pretty fabrics I received from CTeresa.
i was just writing to a current swap partner that swapping is a mix of guilt, fear, anticipation and joy. it’s certainly not as simple or easy as it looks! i think from now on, i won’t jump into too many swaps at once, and i will be very careful about choosing which ones i do join. i’d like to make sure that my partners and i include hand-made things in each swap, rather than just plain materials swaps from now on.
but having said that, lookie at this cool bunch of trim i got from trevo azul. i love what she did with pompoms when she made this mobile.
i can’t pick favorites since i enjoyed receiving all the packages, but this pile of crewel wool was the most inspiring. a big THANKS to Samantha from Whizzme. i even started a whole other blog: “How can you be so crewel?” for the yarn. The reality is tho, that my first attempts at crewel with out a book or pattern (or even the right kind of fabric) look pretty lame… It’s not so easy. But i like to paw this wool every once in a while. I did use some on a bunny nose.
Next: a group swap
I’d like to join a group swap next, I was sad when I missed the BackTack… but I now see fate’s wisdom is making me set my alarm clock wrong. I would not have had the time this month. And timing is CRUCIAL. I’m resisting the temptation to join the Open Yours Too, but in june I am excited to do the purplepinkandorange.com Stuffed Toy swap which is managed at swapbot.
What i sent
I kinda went overboard, not knowing it was reallly just a material swap, and added in probably WAY TOO MANY things. I can tell I went overboard because at least two swappers mentioned to me that feel bad that there was an uneven swap. Alas. I knew something was wrong when the goodies were going over the price of some of the fabric pieces.
These were some of the packages i sent:
Looks like you had lots of fun. I’m also new at this swap thing so I know how you feel.
Lovely fabrics.
I know this is an older post but I had to comment anyway…I’ve never done a swap and can’t imagine doing one because I know I would go overboard for fear of going underboard. Are there some sort of unspoken rules? Is the first rule of swapping that you don’t talk about swapping?