SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING TRIANGLES EXCHANGE

[Debbie W.]

SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING TRIANGLES MEMBERS TAKE NOTE -- DUE TO IT''S ENORMOUS SIZE, THIS FORUM THREAD IS BEING CLOSED AND A NEW FORUM TOPIC WILL BE OPENED TO SPECIFICALLY ADDRESS ITEMS REGARDING THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THIS PROJECT.

SO, WHAT BETTER NAME TO CALL IT THAN 'CHAPTER 2 - SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING TRIANGLES (CONTINUED)!! Here's the link to the new Forum: http://forum/friendship-triangle-exc...riangles-contd

CHECK HERE REGULARLY FOR IMPORTANT UPDATES. ALSO SCROLL DOWN THE GUIDELINES FOR UPDATES SPECIFIC TO A SUBJECT...I'LL SHOW THOSE AS GREEN AND BOLD:

Tues., Feb. 1: MORE VERY IMPORTANT INFO -- The address given in today's TQS Newsletter to mail in your HST's is NOT correct, so please do not send to that. The correct street address is 5554 South Peek...scroll down to see complete address!!!

Tues., Feb. 1: TIPS/REMINDERS I'VE DISCOVERED BASED ON PACKAGES I'VE RECEIVED TODATE (11 packages = 3864 HSTs) Kudos to those of you who have already sent your packages, most of them have been received exactly as asked!

1) Send me an email letting me know you've sent your package. If you don't, I won't be able to respond to let you know it arrived safely.
2) If you're HST's are divided into small baggies of 28, please go ahead an then put the small baggies into a larger quart or gallon Ziplock so they won't get all wrinkled in the box.
3) Envelopes, as opposed to boxes, seem to be working fine and you'll find they hold a LOT (600 +)of HSTs. The envelopes will be much easier for us to transport to the sorting site than lots of boxes.
4) Make sure your envelope is closed/taped securely before mailing. One arrived today and the flap had come open...fortunately, the contents were all there.
5) Since the envelopes are holding so many, be sure that you include the same type of envelope inside stamped & labeled. Use your own address as the return address, NOT my P.O. Box. Once the exchange is over, that P.O. box will be closed.
6) Write your screen name and no. of HST's on the outside of the envelope.
7) Send in your HSTs as soon as they are finished. No need to wait until close to the deadline. That way I'll be able to take my time in filling out my spreadsheet and in letting you know they arrived. I'm afraid once March starts blowing in, I'm may not be able to reply so quickly.
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NEW AND VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING ONLY THE USE OF PAYPAL FOR INTERNATIONAL PACKAGES

For our INTERNATIONAL QUILTERS ONLY, we will now ONLY accept PayPal to pay for your return postage...no International Reply Coupons, no International Money Orders...ONLY PayPal. Clara has graciously offered the use of her PayPal account to simplify the process for both the sender and the receiver.

For PayPal details, please send ClaraLawrence (screen name) an email and make arrangements for sending monies through PayPal. IMPORTANT CORRECTION: Clara just discovered that this service accepts credit cards, but you will need to set up a PayPal account to send the money.

The cost to mail the Small International Flat Rate box or envelope is $13.95 US (each will hold approx. 300 neatly packaged HSTs). There will also be a minimal extra charge from PayPal, that will vary by amount paid. Once you've completed your payment thru the PayPal account, you will need to make a copy of the PayPal receipt and include it in your shipment.. You will also need to carefully determine what size flat rate box will need to be used to return your package. If you underestimate, we'll have to contact you to make another payment to cover the excess cost.

PayPal will not be available for U.S. members since it's not an issue figuring out the postage costs and sending that amount of postage in with your HSTs. I highly recommend that you look into using Domestic Flat Rate boxes to again simply things for all of us. It is probably a lot more cost effective than sending Priority or Regular 1st class packages.

I am so grateful that this method of payment is now available. It will be much less complicated for everyone involved with shipping Internationally.
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HERE'S THE P.O. BOX TO SEND YOUR HST's: IT IS CRUCIAL WHEN YOU SEND YOUR HST'S THAT YOU INCLUDE ON YOUR ZIPLOCK BAG AND ON THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR PACKAGE TO BE MAILED HOW MANY HST's YOU SENT. WE'RE ESTIMATING WE MAY GET AT LEAST 100,000 (AND STILL COUNTING!), SO WE CAN'T STOP TO COUNT EVERY PACKAGE THAT COMES IN. WE'RE ON THE HONOR SYSTEM, SO PLEASE COUNT CAREFULLY...WE DON'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT SHORT BECAUSE SOMEONE MISCOUNTED.

Debbie Wolf, TQS Exchange
PMB # 9
5554 South Peek Road
Katy, Texas 77450-7130 (Add U.S.A. if you're outside the United States)
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Ladies and Gentlemen: You really do need to send me an email letting me know that you've mailed your package. That way I can let you know that I received it without having to look you up in the Forum. You should also include your screen name & the # of HST's on the outside of the envelope or mailer. I received three packages today and I had only been notified that one of them was on it's way.
We are going to be receiving so many packages in the next several weeks that unless you notify me, I can't notify you I received it. It's easy to do...just click on View My TQS Profile under my picture and send it from there. Please don't use the Private Messaging since I need to keep those emails in a separate folder.

Another important bit of information: The three domestic packages of HST's I received yesterday were all mailed in envelopes (and one of those included 588 HTS in an 11"x14" Tyvek Priority Mailing Envelope available for both International & Domestic) with plenty of room remaining for those members to include a second stamped-self addressed envelope of the same size. Please consider the envelope option first. Having those already prepared return mailers is going to be a huge help for us. And remember we want them in increments of 28!!! The 588 HSTs correctly equaled 21 increments of 28). They don't have to be packaged in individual baggies of 28...they can all be in one med/large Ziploc. Pack carefully so they don't wrinkle!

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HOW MANY HST'S FIT INTO A FLAT RATE BOX/ENVELOPE????

Thanks to Carol, who already sent me her 700 HST's, I was able to determine approximately how many HTS's will fit into the flat rate envelope and boxes. Carol had them sorted into lunch size baggies with 28 in each and she sent them in a medium sized box that did have room for maybe another 300 or so.

Here's what I came up with:

A flat rate cardboard envelope (12-1/2" x 9-1/2") can hold approximately 308 HSTs. The Small Flat Rate Box (1-1/2" high x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2') will also hold about 308 HSTs. I kept the HST's in the eleven baggies they were already in and that filled up the box pretty well. If they weren't in individual baggies, but maybe only one or two, there should be enough room for 308 (eleven increments of 28 HSTs). Remember to pack them carefully so they don't get scrunched and wrinkled!

The above International smaller envelope and box to Canada/Mexico is $11.95 US and to all other countries, it is $13.95 US.
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The Medium Flat Rate Box (5-1/2" high x 11" x 8-1/2") should hold 700-1092 comfortably (remember increments of 28), but that size does cost significantly more Internationally. The cost to Canada/Mexico is $27.95 US and to all other countries, it is $45.50.

Here's the link to the U.S. Postal Service for International Flat Rate:
http://www.usps.com/prices/priority-mail-international-prices.htm


Ladies and Gentlemen Members: Posts will surely keep arriving on the Forum, so if you want to skip to posts made after the deadline to join had passed, just click thru to Page 68.

OUR DEADLINE TO JOIN HAS COME AND GONE AS OF MIDNIGHT WEDNESDAY, C.S.T. CLARA ACTUALLY STAYED UP UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT TO GIVE US THE FINAL COUNT... WE ARE SO EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR SISTERHOOD MEMBERS TOPPED OUT AT A UNBELIEVABLE 615 FROM 14 COUNTRIES. Here are more details from Clara on the countries involved. 66 Quilters joining us from USA, Canada (22), UK (6), Ireland (1), Scotland (1), Finland (1), Norway (1), the Netherlands (2), Australia (27), Panama (1), South Korea (1), New Zealand (1), Germany (1) and now Switzerland (1).

FYI: This Forum topic, so far, has recorded 1001 posts, 5666 views and 67 pages, and now it looks like we're all Forum experts even if we weren't to begin with!!!

Please remember to write your city/state/country on the triangle papers so that everyone will know how far their triangles have traveled. You don't have to put your name, but you can if you want to. Be sure to use a pencil or a pen that won't bleed through to the fabric.

Because we are getting so many postings, if you need to ask a specific question or need papers, please send me (NaneeWolf) or Clara (ClaraLawrence) and email by clicking on our screen names and going to our profile. I'm so afraid that we might accidently miss a question or request, so this will probably be the best solution. Clara also has papers that you can purchase, as do I, and she can also answer questions, so please don't hesitate to contact either of us.

HERE'S THE P.O. BOX TO SEND YOUR HST's: IT IS CRUCIAL WHEN YOU SEND YOUR HST'S THAT YOU INCLUDE ON YOUR ZIPLOCK BAG AND ON THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR PACKAGE TO BE MAILED HOW MANY HST's YOU SENT. WE'RE ESTIMATING WE MAY GET AT LEAST 100,000 (AND STILL COUNTING!), SO WE CAN'T STOP TO COUNT EVERY PACKAGE THAT COMES IN. WE'RE ON THE HONOR SYSTEM, SO PLEASE COUNT CAREFULLY...WE DON'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT SHORT BECAUSE SOMEONE MISCOUNTED.

Debbie Wolf, TQS Exchange
PMB # 9
5554 South Peek Road
Katy, Texas 77450-7130 (Add U.S.A. if you're outside the United States)

GUIDELINES FOR THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING TRIANGLES ARE RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL VERSION......

BECAUSE THE GUIDELINES HAD GOTTEN LOST IN THE NUMEROUS POSTS I DECIDED TO EDIT MY FIRST POST HERE AND REPLACE IT WITH THE GUIDELINES. The guidelines were also part of today's Daily Blog (Friday, Jan. 21) ...thanks Lilo and Margo for doing that!

This is rather long, but I wanted to try to cover as many issues as possible...

First of all, thanks to all the TQS members who want to participate and have offered their help with extra special thanks to Clara Lawrence, Margo, Mary Kay and the TQS staff, who are helping in every aspect of this effort. In fact, Clara said she’ll drive to Houston from Austin to help sort and mail and a few other members who live in Houston said they’d help too.

Here are a few guidelines for our Sisterhood of the Traveling Triangles Exchange. These are called guidelines because we don’t want to have stringent, set in concrete RULES. Most of us have enough experience and common sense to know what will work and what won’t. And all you guys out there who want to participate, it is definitely open to the Brotherhood too...it was just a cool name, so I went with it.

So here we go…

Sign Up Now

Even though you said you wanted to participate in the Batik post, please reply again on this post. There were a lot of people who said they might want to join, but weren’t sure. This way we’ll know for sure that ‘you’re in’.

If you want to join, please try to let us know by next Wednesday, January 26.

It would be fun if you’d include your city/state/country when you post a reply. And, if you’re comfortable with it, please include your first name too. If you need us to send the Half-Square Triangles (now to be referred to as HTS’s) papers, you can include that here and we’ll contact you directly about that. And, if you know how many you plan to send, tell us that also. The more information we have, the better we will be able to gauge what to expect.

When and Where

Since we have participating members from all over the world, we need to allow enough time for postal services. Our deadline for sending your HST’s will be April 1st. However, if we find that postal services are slower than expected, we will be flexible when it comes to distributing the HST’s.

I will be securing a P. O. Box number within the next couple of days and I’ll provide that as soon as I know it.

HST Papers

To ensure that everyone’s receives the correctly sized HST’s, we do ask that you use HST papers, whether you use Edyta’s, some you can purchase near you or some already. They must be 2” finished.
They can be purchased thru Edyta’s on-line shop at http://www.LaundryBasketQuilts.com. They are $10.95 for 25 sheets that will each yield 28 HST’s. The entire package will make 700. They are called 2” Triangle Exchange Paper and the item number is LBQ-0222.
Both Clara (ClaraLawrence) and I have already ordered several packages from Laundry Basket and either one of use can send them to you.

How Many??

That will be up to you. The more you send the more you will get back. If you send 28, you get 28 back. If you send 84, you get 84 back. We only ask that you send a minimum of 28 since that’s what one sheet will make. From there on, they need to be in increments of 28, i.e., 28 (1 sheet), 56 (2 sheets), 84 (3 sheets), 112 (4 sheets), etc., etc., etc. However, if you do send in hundreds, there is the possibility that you’ll receive some of your own back because we’re not sure how many people will send that many in.

Fabrics

Batiks, prints or both…anything is acceptable. Just be sure to use quilt shop quality fabrics. THE VALUE AND QUALITY OF THE FABRIC IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANTS. And yes, you can mix a batik with a print as long as it’s one light and one medium/dark fabric. Have fun picking out the fabrics! [color=#BF0040]Remember each HST can be: only batiks, only prints, a batik and a print, and solids and tone-on-tones can also be used.

Where Did your Triangles Come From?

Please remember to write your city/state/country on the triangle papers so that everyone will know how far their triangles have traveled. You don't have to put your name, but you can if you want to. Be sure to use a pencil or a pen that won't bleed through to the fabric.

To Wash or Not to Wash

No rules here…do what you think is necessary with the fabrics you are using. If they are really dark, intense colors, test them to see if they might bleed. Batiks shouldn’t run because they have been rinsed many times in the processing, but I have had some than ran.

Sewing and Pressing

Using the HST papers makes sewing a snap. They are perfectly accurate if you follow the lines carefully and press carefully. You can turn out many HST’s in no time at all. Press your fabrics right sides together (light fabric on top) on the paper before you start sewing and make sure there are no wrinkles. Remember to use a finer thread (Edyta recommends Aurifil 50 wt.) so your seams aren’t bulky. Edyta also recommended shortening your stitch length a little so the paper will tear off easily.
After sewing, cut the squares apart on the solid lines, leave it folded with the paper on and press carefully while it's still folded. No need to worry about pressing seams open because it remains folded. PLEASE DO NOT TEAR THE PAPER OFF AFTER PRESSING. This will also help keep them from wrinkling during transport. Now they’re ready to mail.

Preparing for Mailing

Depending on how many you send, you might want to put same/similar color HST’s in small sandwich bags. That way, when we start to sort them out, we can make sure that everyone gets at least one of each of the colors. Then put them into a larger plastic zipper bag (quart or gallon Ziploc-type) to protect them in the mail. IMPORTANT: please try to use a bag you can write on (or tape a note to the bag) with your name and the number of HST’s you are sending. This is important because we will use that specific bag for your return HST’s when we are sorting them. Please do not write directly on the clear plastic bag…that happened in my last exchange and those bags were very hard to read especially when they got wrinkled.

IMPORTANT NEW REQUEST: Include your TQS Screen Name in three places: on your Zip-lock baggies, your return evelope and also on the outside of the envelope you mail them to me in. That way I can let you know that I received your package without having to open it right away.


Mailing

Please use a very sturdy envelope. You will also need to include a stamped, self-addressed envelope for returning to you. The amount of postage to return them to you should be about the same as sending. If you are unsure of the postage, please check with the post office. And, for those using International mail, you’ll also need to check with your postal service/carrier to determine how much it will take to send back to you from the States.

Don't forget to add your screen name to the baggies and both the mailing envelope and return envelope.

I would appreciate it if you would send me an email or post a reply on the Forum to let me know what you have mailed your package (and how many HST's you sent) so I can be on the look out for it and then I'll let you know when I receive it. As mentioned earlier, we would like to receive all the packages on or before April 1st. If we know you've sent them and they haven't arrive by that date, we'll hold off on sorting until we receive them all.

Where to Mail

The P.O. Box can be found at the top of this post.

When Will You Get Them Back

Hopefully we can get them sent back to you by mid-to-late April, depending on when we get them all in and how many there are to sort out. We'll be sure to keep you informed on the progress. And after that, of course, it will be in the hands of the postal service.

Please Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

We want this to be as FUN and EASY as possible. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask and if you have any suggestions or concerns, please let us know.

Debbie

[Debbie W.]

Clara Lawrence
Elgin, TX, USA

Paula Sullivan (mom)
Houston, TX, USA

are in.

[Debbie W.]

Definitely in *)*
Jan from Spokane, WA

[Debbie W.]

Count me in.
June in Havre de Grace, MD

[Nancy M.]

I'm in; have ordered my papers from Edyta's website

Nancy in Raleigh, North Carolina/USA

[Margo C.]

I'm in!

Margo in Cleveland, Tennessee, USA

PS....some of the international folks may not be familiar with our postal abbreviations. Please spell out your state for them! THANKS!!

[Catherine C.]

I'm in
Cathy in Noblesville, Indiana, USA

[Robyn B.]

Me too!
Robyn in Cheltenham, South Australia, Australia

[Barbara P.]

I'm in and will help.

Barb
Houston, TX

[Janet N.]

I definitely want to participate.
Janet in Houston, Texas

[Janet N.]

I just watched the episode with Edyta. A great show. I am interested in the half square triangle exchange, whether it is batiks or prints. Count me in the mix.

[Janet N.]

Sorry I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

[Janet N.]

I'm in

Liesje in Mentone, Victoria, Australia.

[Janet N.]

count me in
toni paralowie, south australia. Australia
can't wait

[Susan T.]

Papers ordered, Batiks ironed!
Susan
Puyallup, Washington USA