American Patchwork & Quilting - USA (2019-12)

Jody Sanders: You have a lot

of experience with quilt block

exchanges. I’m curious: Who

decides what pattern you will

make?

Annette Plog: I belong to a group

of quilters that meet once a month

for lunch. We are all free to suggest

ideas or show photos of vintage

quilts we want to make. Once the

majority decides on a project, we

decide how many blocks we want,

divide that number by the number

of participants, and bring a few

blocks each time we meet for

lunch until the swap is complete.

Monthly exchanges make it easier

to keep up, which makes it feel less

overwhelming.

JS: How do you decide how many

blocks to make?

AP: It depends on how many

participants there are and what

those individuals want to make

with their blocks. For this project

we had 12 quilters participating.

We decided if each of us brought

two blocks for each participant

each month, everyone would

have enough blocks to make their

desired projects. We used the

same two fabrics in both blocks,

alternating the placement of light

and dark prints.

JS: How do you ensure blocks are

the same size?

AP: We have been a group long

enough to know the participating

quilters and their levels of

expertise. After everyone has

committed, we talk about how to

piece the blocks. For example,

we might require everyone to

use triangle papers to make

triangle-squares. And the person

suggesting the block makes a

sample or two to work out any

potential problems. That said, there

are always a few blocks that don’t

make the cut due to poor sewing or

color choice.

JS: Do you require participants to

prewash fabrics?

AP: We did when we started

making quilts in the 1990s because

some of the deep reds and navy

blues would bleed. Today, because

it is a personal preference, it is a

requirement of some swaps but not

others.

JS: How do you manage deadlines

and due dates?

AP: We set deadlines that are

expected to be met, though if you

miss one month, you can catch

up the next. Sometimes people

drop out for personal reasons. As

long as you let everyone know, we

understand. Life happens.

JS: Do you set fabric guidelines?

AP: We’ve found that the more

specifi c you are about what you

expect, the better the result.

Because our group usually is trying

to reproduce an antique quilt, we

aim to have fabric mimic the style

and time frame of the original.

However, there are always rebels in

the group (we are artists after all)

and those who think rules apply to

everyone but them. If we continue

to have problems with someone

after we have kindly corrected her,

she probably won’t be invited to

participate in future swaps. For

this swap we used 19th-century

reproduction fabrics.

JS: Do you specify how to press?

AP: Yes, we do. Blocks go together

better if we all press seams the

same way. Usually the person in

charge will designate the pressing

preference because she has made

the test blocks.

JS: Any fi nal thoughts?

AP: Try participating in a swap to

see if you like it. Those who prefer

to control the color and fabric

choices in their quilts might not

enjoy a swap. I like them

because they mean more

fabric variety in my

quilts, and I believe the

scrappier the better!

a R l s

Designer Annette Plog shared with editor Jody Sanders some

dos and don’ts for organizing a quilt block exchange.

76 APQ • December 2019