I LOVE A Good Swap Party! - March Linky Party 2012!

Thank you all for being patient through February as we let the Crazy Quilters have center stage!

It is now March 1st and time to start a new I Love A Good Swap party linky party!!

***For those without blogs.....If you don't have a blog, send me your story with photos and you can still play too! Use the Contact Me button on the right sidebar of my blog. ***

Don't want to leave anyone out!

Remember... Your UFO that you work on has to be SWAP related.  That is the main objective behind these challenges are for us to get in our drawers and pull out those items we have swapped via online forums or within quilting circles around our hometown.  These blocks or items have stories to tell and we want to know the story behind the swap when you show your finished piece.

Let's refresh ourselves to the rules:

Are you all ready to start digging out those blocks that you have stored away from swaps that you have participated in over the years and get them finished into usable items like quilts, pillows, tablerunners... etc...

If you answered YES!, then this linky party is for YOU!

COME ONE - COME ALL!




I will host this linky party on the 1st day of each month for 2012 and it will run for the ENTIRE month each time!

How many of us have several stacks of blocks in a drawer that are the result of some fabulous block swaps that we have participated in over the past few years?? I know my hand is WAY up high in the air! I may have close to a dozen or so quilts waiting to be made from blocks I received from swaps that I was in. I am a swapaholic and I hostess quiet a few swaps myself! I am addicted!!

So I got to thinking how cool it would be to have a linky party so we all could show off those blocks as we finish them up in to quilts or other items such as table runners, pillows, journal covers, wall art, etccc....!

It doesn't matter what size the quilt is. And those blocks do not have to go in to a quilt...... any finished object with your UFO blocks will be awesome.. Pillows, framed blocks to hang on the wall, journal covers, stuffed animals, ornaments, tablerunners... Anything you want to use your UFO blocks for. .. The sky is the limit....The main thing here is getting those blocks out of those drawers and do something with them!

Your quilt {or other creation} does not have to be completely finished in order to link up ... BUT... there will be prizes.... and your quilt {or other creation} WILL need to be completely finished to be eligible for the prizes!!
Remember, it has to be a finished item if you want to be eligible for prizes. The photos you submit would need to cover the item fully to show it is completely finished.

Anytime during the month of March, and before 11:59 pm {Pacific time} on March 31 , you will need to create a post on your blog telling the storyline of that particular swap and how your quilt {or other creation} came to be. Insert a clickable link to the quilting site, forum, group, or blog where you participated in the swap if it was online. If not tell a little bit about the group you participated with in the making of the blocks. One of the things to put in your story would be how many states are represented in your quilt {or other creation} ... Isn't it fabulous the stories our swap quilts {and creations} tell???

You do not have to wait until you finish your UFO to create a blog post and link up here.  Go ahead and create your post as soon as you know what swap item you are going to work with.  Upload photos of the swap item and then once you are finished, you can go in and update your blog post to show the finished photos.  that way all readers can come and visit you all month!

AND... please be kind and leave a clickable link in your post back here to my blog. That way your friends can come and play too! Thanks so much!

Again.... Your quilt {or other creation} does not have to be completely finished in order to link up ... BUT... there will be prizes.... and your quilt {or other creation} WILL need to be completely finished to be eligible for the prizes!! I am working on the prizes now but you can be assured, they will be really cool!

In order for me to be able to tell who finished their quilts {or other creation} to ascertain who is eligible for the prize, each month your blog post should include at least 3 photos of that particular swap quilt {or other creation}. One full photo of the quilt {or other creation} , a close up of the quilting and binding of quilts and close ups of your other creations showing finished details. Before any prizes are awarded, I will visit every blog who has linked up to see who is eligible to be put in the drawing for the prizes for each given month.

And as I said... You do not have to finish your quilt {or other creation} in order to link up... only if you want to be eligible for the prizes! So do not stress where stress is unnecessary! One month you may link up with an unfinished quilt {or other creation} and the next you may have found time to finish one!

Just have fun!! That is what quilting and crafting should be! FUN!!

I will host this linky party on the 1st day of each month and it will run for the ENTIRE month! This will give everyone a chance to play if they don't find the linky party right away! A prize for that month will be awarded on the 3rd day of the following month to one lucky person from all eligible entries!

I have a button on the sidebar of my blog so please feel free to grab it and put it on your sidebars to get the word out! Who knows, there might just be a special prize each month to someone who has helped me advertise the linky party. Post on your blog about it, tell your friends, tell your guild... tell everyone!
 GRAB that button! I would really appreciate it!


NOW - If you have your own blog post ready, go click on the title, grab the URL link in your browser, and come and link up and join the fun!