Questions for Hug Hostesses

Diana Curtis wrote:
Id like to open a discussion about making Hugs or group quilt projects.
There is nothing more emotional than making a Hug, it has to be one of the
most joyful things we can do with our art. Having participated in a few now,
two as hostess and a few as the quilter, I would like to hear from others
what you found to be the most frustrating parts of the project, what was
most fun, and what would you do differently next time you were called to
host one.

I have only been a HUG Mom once but did the lot. Here are a few thoughts.

Good things a

Lots of blocks.

The extra $ really do help (in my case they went into the pile of
small bills that go back out to the USA with HUG blocks - made more
sense than paying commission to change them into GBP)

It is also great seeing what falls through the letterbox each day.

Block makers who let you know the block(s) are on the way.

Blocks the right size or a shade over.

Not so good things:

Smoky blocks - fabreze & fresh air are your friends!

Undersized blocks.

A couple of other thoughts (not in the god/not so good categories)

If you are doing paper foundation piecing ask your HUG hostess whether
they prefer the paper removed or not. I had some with all the paper
on,some with none on and some wtih just the paper "frame". I think I
liked the ones with the paper frame the best as it kept the block
stable, but *I* didn't have to take all the little itty bits of paper
out ;-)

If there is a theme or colour scheme - try to stick to it as that makes
doing the layout so much easier.

Don't be offended if your block is on the back with the label - doing a
HUG layout can be tricky and it does depend so much on how many blocks
come in.

Most of all though JOIN IN!

Lizzy
--
Lizzy Taylor
Heywood, Lancashire, UK 53:36:00N 2:06:00E
http://www.thetaylorfamily.org.uk

The most frustrating part for me in the past has been undersize blocks. I've
seen some stunning blocks that were too small! The other part is blocks that
are poorly made. Just because this is a great time to try something new
doesn't mean that construction doesn't count! I'm not talking about points
cut off, or mis-matched seams, either. Blocks that don't lay flat, that
don't have enough seam allowance so they don't fall apart or are so
hopelessly un-square that they can't be used.

I also agonize over putting blocks on the back, worried that the sender
might be offended. But, hey! A quilt needs a back and a front, both sides
are equally important.

It is great when folks tell you that blocks are coming, even better if they
mention how many, if sending more than 1.

I don't think I'd do anything differently if hosting a HUG. But I will
participate in donating more HUG blocks. And let the hostess know what's
coming! ;-)

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...
Id like to open a discussion about making Hugs or group quilt projects.
There is nothing more emotional than making a Hug, it has to be one of the
most joyful things we can do with our art. Having participated in a few
now,
two as hostess and a few as the quilter, I would like to hear from others
what you found to be the most frustrating parts of the project, what was
most fun, and what would you do differently next time you were called to
host one.
My goal is to help those who might wish to host one avoid or anticipate
the
most common problems, and encourage those people who would like to donate
blocks or time to a Hug to feel less shy about doing so.
Diana

Not a hug hostess, maybe will be one day but not now. However, I do have a
suggestion for undersized blocks: (this works best if the maker of the block
realizes the size problem but can also be done by the quilt assembler) Add log
cabin strips around the block. Any block can be added to this way. This is
done with a lot of the blocks in the Jane Stickle quilt and I have also seen
evidence of it in other old quilts. Blocks that weren't quite right had
"borders" sewn around to make them the right size.

As a sometimes sender of hug blocks, I do try to make sure that my blocks are a
bit large, but have points "float" somewhat. That way the hostess can trim the
block to her measurement. I tend to do the same with swap blocks.

Pati, in Phx who thanks all the Hug Hostesses and donors. One of these days I
will be able to send blocks to all the hugs I would like to
.........................

frood wrote:

The most frustrating part for me in the past has been undersize blocks. I've
seen some stunning blocks that were too small! The other part is blocks that
are poorly made. Just because this is a great time to try something new
doesn't mean that construction doesn't count! I'm not talking about points
cut off, or mis-matched seams, either. Blocks that don't lay flat, that
don't have enough seam allowance so they don't fall apart or are so
hopelessly un-square that they can't be used.

I also agonize over putting blocks on the back, worried that the sender
might be offended. But, hey! A quilt needs a back and a front, both sides
are equally important.

It is great when folks tell you that blocks are coming, even better if they
mention how many, if sending more than 1.

I don't think I'd do anything differently if hosting a HUG. But I will
participate in donating more HUG blocks. And let the hostess know what's
coming! ;-)

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply

"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...
Id like to open a discussion about making Hugs or group quilt projects.
There is nothing more emotional than making a Hug, it has to be one of the
most joyful things we can do with our art. Having participated in a few
now,
two as hostess and a few as the quilter, I would like to hear from others
what you found to be the most frustrating parts of the project, what was
most fun, and what would you do differently next time you were called to
host one.
My goal is to help those who might wish to host one avoid or anticipate
the
most common problems, and encourage those people who would like to donate
blocks or time to a Hug to feel less shy about doing so.
Diana

I did this for one of my hugs, and the fabric I used was a plain square that
someone had sent in. Worked great, and both people contributed to the quilt.
:-)

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Pati Cook" wrote in message
...
Not a hug hostess, maybe will be one day but not now. However, I do have
a
suggestion for undersized blocks: (this works best if the maker of the
block
realizes the size problem but can also be done by the quilt assembler)
Add log
cabin strips around the block. Any block can be added to this way. This
is
done with a lot of the blocks in the Jane Stickle quilt and I have also
seen
evidence of it in other old quilts. Blocks that weren't quite right had
"borders" sewn around to make them the right size.

As a sometimes sender of hug blocks, I do try to make sure that my blocks
are a
bit large, but have points "float" somewhat. That way the hostess can
trim the
block to her measurement. I tend to do the same with swap blocks.

Pati, in Phx who thanks all the Hug Hostesses and donors. One of these
days I
will be able to send blocks to all the hugs I would like to
........................

frood wrote:

The most frustrating part for me in the past has been undersize blocks.
I've
seen some stunning blocks that were too small! The other part is blocks
that
are poorly made. Just because this is a great time to try something new
doesn't mean that construction doesn't count! I'm not talking about
points
cut off, or mis-matched seams, either. Blocks that don't lay flat, that
don't have enough seam allowance so they don't fall apart or are so
hopelessly un-square that they can't be used.

I also agonize over putting blocks on the back, worried that the sender
might be offended. But, hey! A quilt needs a back and a front, both
sides
are equally important.

It is great when folks tell you that blocks are coming, even better if
they
mention how many, if sending more than 1.

I don't think I'd do anything differently if hosting a HUG. But I will
participate in donating more HUG blocks. And let the hostess know what's
coming! ;-)

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply

"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...
Id like to open a discussion about making Hugs or group quilt
projects.
There is nothing more emotional than making a Hug, it has to be one of
the
most joyful things we can do with our art. Having participated in a
few
now,
two as hostess and a few as the quilter, I would like to hear from
others
what you found to be the most frustrating parts of the project, what
was
most fun, and what would you do differently next time you were called
to
host one.
My goal is to help those who might wish to host one avoid or
anticipate
the
most common problems, and encourage those people who would like to
donate
blocks or time to a Hug to feel less shy about doing so.
Diana

I just don't understand how folks refuse to measure up a block to the
correct agreed upon size. Not just in hugs but swaps and other times.
I have won block swaps at my guild and it will drive you nut trying to
get them all together.
It seems that the folks that can't measure are the ones that think about
it the least. Maybe you guys have some good tips to give folks to get
proper size blocks?
Taria

frood wrote:

I did this for one of my hugs, and the fabric I used was a plain square that
someone had sent in. Worked great, and both people contributed to the quilt.
:-)

I bought a 6.5 square ruler just so my blocks would meet or exceed the
minimum Hug requirements. Drastic? A bit... but it was a good excuse to buy
a new ruler. :-)
Diana

"Taria" wrote in message
...
I just don't understand how folks refuse to measure up a block to the
correct agreed upon size. Not just in hugs but swaps and other times.
I have won block swaps at my guild and it will drive you nut trying to
get them all together.
It seems that the folks that can't measure are the ones that think about
it the least. Maybe you guys have some good tips to give folks to get
proper size blocks?
Taria

frood wrote:

I did this for one of my hugs, and the fabric I used was a plain square
that
someone had sent in. Worked great, and both people contributed to the
quilt.
:-)

Sometimes it's just a mis-understanding, or an honest goof. These blocks
measured an exact 6", instead of 6.5" I'm sure it was just a brain fart.

If there was a sure way to get a large group of people to do things the same
way, don't you think somebody would write a book and run for president? G

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply


"Taria" wrote in message
...
I just don't understand how folks refuse to measure up a block to the
correct agreed upon size. Not just in hugs but swaps and other times.
I have won block swaps at my guild and it will drive you nut trying to
get them all together.
It seems that the folks that can't measure are the ones that think about
it the least. Maybe you guys have some good tips to give folks to get
proper size blocks?
Taria

frood wrote:

I did this for one of my hugs, and the fabric I used was a plain square
that
someone had sent in. Worked great, and both people contributed to the
quilt.
:-)

I do find that the ruler used while cutting can result in a 1/4"
variation in my own sewing. I try to use the same ruler throughout a
project. Also we are dealing with personality types. I suffer from
this problem in the quilt group I organize at my church. Some gals
just "wing it" and others of us are too exacting. We are trying to
learn from each other.

Susan

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 14:10:27 GMT, Taria
wrote:

I just don't understand how folks refuse to measure up a block to the
correct agreed upon size. Not just in hugs but swaps and other times.
I have won block swaps at my guild and it will drive you nut trying to
get them all together.
It seems that the folks that can't measure are the ones that think about
it the least. Maybe you guys have some good tips to give folks to get
proper size blocks?
Taria

frood wrote:

I did this for one of my hugs, and the fabric I used was a plain square that
someone had sent in. Worked great, and both people contributed to the quilt.
:-)

In my small local group, they decided on a group quilt project. Each of
the participants was despatched with instructions. I said I would help
arrange the blocks when they came in. The requirement was 8.5" blocks.
80 blocks came in. Of that number, only *two* were the right size! We
had to agree to use 8.25 and lose points where necessary. Such a pity,
as they were attractive and the folk had worked hard. Granted there are
a lot of ladies new to quilting, and the block was a composite, but
still it was rather disappointing. However, it looks great made up and
it will probably be used for its purpose without any problem.

But, I don't understand how measurements are so cavalierly pushed aside!
..
In article , Taria
writes
I just don't understand how folks refuse to measure up a block to the
correct agreed upon size. Not just in hugs but swaps and other times.
I have won block swaps at my guild and it will drive you nut trying to
get them all together.
It seems that the folks that can't measure are the ones that think about
it the least. Maybe you guys have some good tips to give folks to get
proper size blocks?
Taria

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

but someone said that was their pet peeve, undersized blocks where logs
have been added! for one, I do this. when I make a hug block, I grab my
scrap basket, and get creative. that is when I really enjoy piecing, not
having to follow exact directions. so I piece and I piece until the
block is large enough. if it is not, I add a final border.... but it
seems that is not a good idea because of the extra seam allowance....

Pati Cook wrote:

Not a hug hostess, maybe will be one day but not now. However, I do have a
suggestion for undersized blocks: (this works best if the maker of the block
realizes the size problem but can also be done by the quilt assembler) Add log
cabin strips around the block. Any block can be added to this way. This is
done with a lot of the blocks in the Jane Stickle quilt and I have also seen
evidence of it in other old quilts. Blocks that weren't quite right had
"borders" sewn around to make them the right size.

As a sometimes sender of hug blocks, I do try to make sure that my blocks are a
bit large, but have points "float" somewhat. That way the hostess can trim the
block to her measurement. I tend to do the same with swap blocks.

Pati, in Phx who thanks all the Hug Hostesses and donors. One of these days I
will be able to send blocks to all the hugs I would like to
........................

frood wrote:


The most frustrating part for me in the past has been undersize blocks. I've
seen some stunning blocks that were too small! The other part is blocks that
are poorly made. Just because this is a great time to try something new
doesn't mean that construction doesn't count! I'm not talking about points
cut off, or mis-matched seams, either. Blocks that don't lay flat, that
don't have enough seam allowance so they don't fall apart or are so
hopelessly un-square that they can't be used.

I also agonize over putting blocks on the back, worried that the sender
might be offended. But, hey! A quilt needs a back and a front, both sides
are equally important.

It is great when folks tell you that blocks are coming, even better if they
mention how many, if sending more than 1.

I don't think I'd do anything differently if hosting a HUG. But I will
participate in donating more HUG blocks. And let the hostess know what's
coming! ;-)

--
Wendy
http://griffinsflight.com/Quilting/quilt1.htm
de-fang email address to reply

"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...

Id like to open a discussion about making Hugs or group quilt projects.
There is nothing more emotional than making a Hug, it has to be one of the
most joyful things we can do with our art. Having participated in a few

now,

two as hostess and a few as the quilter, I would like to hear from others
what you found to be the most frustrating parts of the project, what was
most fun, and what would you do differently next time you were called to
host one.
My goal is to help those who might wish to host one avoid or anticipate

the

most common problems, and encourage those people who would like to donate
blocks or time to a Hug to feel less shy about doing so.
Diana





--
Dr. Quilter
http://community.webshots.com/user/mvignali
(take the dog out before replying)