SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING TRIANGLES EXCHANGE

[romira]

When I saw the last show I so hoped you would do a TQS swap, but I've been so busy teaching 4th graders, I forgot to check back. And now the deadline has passed. Please let me know if I can still register to participate in the exchange. Please, please!! Thank you, Susan

[romira]

Here's a big YES to sending three extra HST's - one for Edyta, one for Ricky, and one for Alex. I'm in.

[romira]

I'm not the 'boss', but I'd let Susan in. Imagine all those 4th graders making her mind fuzzy and she still wants to do the exchange wow! way to go girl!

[jmheff]

This is too cool. I joined the last day, and after reading all the posts, etc, I really feel like I'm part of this, and it's SOOOOO big. Can't wait to get my papers.

Jean from Liberty Center, Ohio

[jmheff]

I really, really want to join the exchange, but have missed the deadline. Can it please be extended through today? Please, please. Thank you, Susan

[romira]

Wondering if there is a wait list for these folks who missed the deadline?
Hate to add one more task to the already heavily burdened organizers
Due to all our complicated lives, I'm guessing a few will need to drop out & then their slots
could be filled?

[DebbieWolf]

I would even love to get a 2” signature square from everyone to put on the back of the quilt with their name (just first name if they want) city and state and/ or country they are from to put on the back of the quilt. What do ya’ll think?

Barbara from SC

That would be great, but the logistics of doing it are nearly impossible! Do you want to mail your siggy to 516 people around the world???
Someone has suggested scanning the names from the triangle papers and printing it on fabric to use either on the back or as part of the front of the quilt. Maybe that would work for you? You probably won't get names on all of the papers, but there should be lots!

Good points, Margo. As cool as it would be, it means we would have to take time to individually distribute signed fabric triangles to each member, which would mean the sorting could go on another couple of days.

Debbie

[DebbieWolf]

I hope there aren't any quilt police in the group. I have 2 more hours of sewing to do then will be ready for cutting. All of those dashed lines are making me dizzy. So how close to the line do the stitches have to be? If they're hugging the line sometimes is that good enough? There's no way to do that much sewing and keep them exactly on the line at all times, not as fast as I like to sew anyway. I was getting too many pin pricks on the machine I started with so switched to a machine with more space to the right of the needle. At one point it was sewing when I wanted it to stop and stopping when I wanted it to sew. It straightened out though and maybe I will be able to finish the rest of them with no problems. Since each of my sheets makes 30 I will keep 2 from each that are the least perfect. I'm making 930 triangles, but will only be sending 616 for this exchange. Some of them are for the batik only exchange and I will donate some to the Queensland Flood Victims. I will send those in a separate package so they won't have to be separated.

Yes,it really, really is critical that the stitching be kept on the the sewing lines. There just may be quilt police when it comes to the way triangles are sewn and sent in. The reason for REQUIRING the use of the papers is to insure that they are sewn with accuracy. If they are not sewn accurately, then eventually the entire project will start to be off-kilter.

You have plenty of time to sew more and still get them in on time. We all want to make our very best efforts to make sure everyone receives the same quality HST's that they are sending. If you have some that are 'off', please keep those for yourself with the extra HST's you are making.

Everyone is expecting to deliver accuracy and receive accuracy in return.

Thanks,

Debbie

[Margo]

I've just spent the morning stitching HSTs for all my SoTTTs!

It is much more efficient to heat set the sewn seams BEFORE you cut the triangles apart. Just press from the fabric side with a hot dry iron, and it will make everything nice and flat before you cut on the solid lines!

JMHO!

[tkwritr]

Wondering if there is a wait list for these folks who missed the deadline?
Hate to add one more task to the already heavily burdened organizers
Due to all our complicated lives, I'm guessing a few will need to drop out & then their slots
could be filled?

The thing is, if someone drops out, they just won't have triangles coming their way. Those who submit triangles won't be without because the exchange is for those who DO submit. There had to be a cut-off or else there'd be no way to say "Okay, we're ready to sort!" Just saying . . . it's already complicated enough (and I'm glad I'm not part of the sorting team - sorry, but my head spins when I read any of the sorting suggestions for something of this magnitude.)

[tkwritr]

I sent someone a message, but intended it for everyone, so here goes again.

A suggestion re: labeling the HST's: I just moved a while ago, so I'm thinking of getting a self-inking stamp and stamping the back of all the papers. I think you can get them pretty cheap at Staples or some such store. Put as little or as much info on them as you like. These are also great for stamping into books and other stuff you lend out, or many other things, including return addresses on all your snail mail!

Be careful. Quality of inks and whether they transfer to other papers or fabric. Proceed with extreme caution. I thought about that too, but thought labels would be better and safer. Clara

One of my friends went to the office supply store to buy one of those and checked whether or not the ink bled through before ordering one. It did, so that would mean it'd bleed through on fabric. She wound up buying labels to print out instead.

[DebbieWolf]

Wondering if there is a wait list for these folks who missed the deadline?
Hate to add one more task to the already heavily burdened organizers
Due to all our complicated lives, I'm guessing a few will need to drop out & then their slots
could be filled?

The thing is, if someone drops out, they just won't have triangles coming their way. Those who submit triangles won't be without because the exchange is for those who DO submit. There had to be a cut-off or else there'd be no way to say "Okay, we're ready to sort!" Just saying . . . it's already complicated enough (and I'm glad I'm not part of the sorting team - sorry, but my head spins when I read any of the sorting suggestions for something of this magnitude.)

Very well said, tkwritr...thank you!

Debbie

[DebbieWolf]

Good Morning Clara & Debbie,

I had an idea to help with the sorting. Do you have a church all with lots of big tables in their fellowship hall? You could explain you situation and I think most clergy people would love to help. You could start putting signs on the tables. A number of tables would have USA signs, then a few tables for the Aussie signs, Ireland, etc. Then on the tables establish a grid system. Something that would look like a big checker board. Number the grid sections starting with #1 - whatever to help you keep track in case you need to take a break and then it will be easy to come back and know where you left off. Place a bag of 28 triangles in each grid section. These triangles are all of the same type so you only need to pick one when you fill an exchange order. When you have a good selection of triangles are out on the tablea you can start filling the exchange order. Take a person's bag, see how many they are to get from the exchange and go around to the tables and start selecting ramdomly the triangles from the tables. This way you will get a few triangles from other contries in each person's bag. Then when a grid section becomes empty fill it up with a new set of 28 triangles and just keep filling those orders. This hopefully will eliminate duplicates in exchange people's bags and everyone will get a nice selection back. I so would love to come and help!!!!! This sounds like so much fun. The visiting and building of friendships would be precious!!!! I just thought I would try to help with your little sorting delimma. I use to do a lot of work with project teams in my previous life. I was an IT Project Manager. I worked with a lot of department staff, programmers, testers, and quality assurance people. We would gather everyone together and start laying out ideas. No idea was a good or bad idea. It was just an idea. We would write them all down on a white board. Then after we could not think of any more ideas we would start analizing the ideas on the board that everyone mentioned. We would start to cross out the ones that definately would not work and put the ones that would work to a new list. I think you get the idea. Then after we were all done we would finally have our proposed solution to but to the test. Up until now it is just up on the drawing board but now it was time to put it in action. Maybe this post will get more ideas flowing to help with good ideas for sorting. Have a good day everyone!!!!

Clara and I appreciate all the great sorting ideas and we'll keep them in mind as we finalize our sorting process. Good possibility that we'll incorporate several of your ideas when the time comes.

Thank you!

[Needleware]

I am using address labels cut in half on each of mine - works perfectly - the label fit my first name, city, state and USA - nothing to bleed into the fabric underneath. It will also copy well too to eventually scan onto fabric to incorporate in my back

Barb in Houston

[Needleware]

I appreciate all the sorting suggestions. I do have a plan, but like listening to ideas. Keep them coming. We have a bit of time to find a space and have several in mind, so I'm not worried about that. Tables are important, because that would be way too much time on the floor and even a good back will feel it after 615 x 224 (average HST/person) = 137,760. That's a lot of bending. So instead I am purchasing a brand new leaf blower and we will line up one wall with papers stuck to the floor with everyone's name and blow these all over the floor from across the room. No, we won't. I couldn't resist. There is a plan, so not to worry. I'm not, but margaritas are happening after! :lol: Clara