I wasn’t really sure if I should write this post for several different reason but I decided at the end of the day that I would because I would love to get as many different opinions about this matter as I can before I do anything more.

As some of you may be away I have been taking part in several swaps of late and I must say that it is an experience I really enjoy. When signing up for a swap I am well aware that there will be sewists of all levels of experience and that could just as likely be paired with a novice sewist as I could with a highly experienced one. This doesn’t bother me in the least and I am every bit as happy to receive a swap item that is simply made as I am to receive something more elaborate. However there is one thing I do expect and that is that the swap item be well made. It’s simple swap etiquette really.

So you can imagine I was extremely disappointed (and more) to find the following on the back on a swap item recently received.

received1received2This to me is not well made. This is what I expect to find on the reverse of a practice piece of free motion quilting. This is not what you send a swap partner. This is what you practice on at home time and time again. In the meantime surely you straight line quilt, hand quilt or simply don’t quilt what you send to your quilt partner?

This is my dilemma. I really wish I knew what to do now. I am not sure if I should say something to my swap partner, if nothing else to spare future embarrassments? I must admit I have thought about returning the item to my partner as this has ruined it for me and I will never use it now in its current state, but there is work, and I’m sure love, gone into creating this otherwise lovely piece so does it not deserve to be used and loved?  If I keep it then I know it will only ever be used if I spend hours and hours unpicking all of this stitching and replace it with some simple straight line stitching (as my own free motion quilting is still very much in the practicing stage) to make this very pretty item usable, but do I really want to do that?

If you have any advice or words of wisdom regarding this then I really would love to hear them as quite frankly I am at a bit of a loss with this one.

7 thoughts on “What Would You Do?

  1. I wouldn’t say anything to her. She really might think she did well. I would mention it to the person in charge of swap. She will be able to link her with another at her skill level in the future.

  2. I agree with what Judy says. What if it is a much older lady that has a vision problem. But if you let the person over the swap know they can keep an eye out for future problems with this swapper.

  3. I think you just have to chalk this up to experience. In the first swap that I ever took part in I didn’t receive anything in return, despite being promised by the swap organiser that she had a substitute package ready to send.

    It might be worth pointing something out to the swap organiser if your partner signs up for another round, but other than than I can’t see the point.

  4. I would contact the swap mama in this case. And I hope they will sign you up with an angel. I would’ve been really disappointed as well, especially since I know you’re an awesome sewist. Such a bummer 🙁 And for the previous replies…how do you NOT notice this? Granted, everyone is human, and everyone can make mistakes, but especially items for a swap should not be hurried and I always check them over several times before sending something off…

  5. I agree with you Lia. Only one’s VERY best work should be sent to a swap partner, quality checked and checked again before sending out. The swap organizer needs to be informed and she could then very nicely point it out to the person in question.

  6. I have had a similar experience in a swap and I chose not to say anything. I ended up using the item as padding for my laptop.
    I also agree that your best work should be sent out in a swap.

  7. Maybe offer some advice on how to check and adjust tension when free motion quilting?

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