Sometimes the swap is FQs of certain colors, or it might be completed blocks of a stated pattern done in certain colors. The swap is usually sets of 3 with a limit of 3 sets. So when you get your return swaps you have either fabrics for your stash, or a start of blocks for a quilt. You may choose to participate in the swaps or not.
In the summer of 2000, someone on the list offered to organize groups of 12 members, each person in a group to complete 12 copies of one of the blocks from the "Quilt in a Day" series book, "Pioneer Sampler" by Eleanor Burns (1993). Since I already owned the book, I joined one of the groups.
In her introduction, Eleanor writes of the Westward movement, settlers coming from the East to settle in Texas, some to Montana, Utah, Arizona - - searching to find their fortune. The book offers 12 old familiar blocks to remind us of that part of our heritage, each block named for a geographic area as Golden Gate, Chisolm Trail, Rocky Mountain Puzzle. A few historical notes accompany the directions for each block.
The group I was in decided to use blue and white as the basis for our blocks. Other accent fabrics could be used in small amounts. When the 12 blocks were completed they were sent to the hostess, and she in turn mailed out a packet containing one each of all 12 blocks to all members of the group. I chose to make "Cheyenne" page 32. I picked a blue and yellow floral for the center, a small blue figure on white, and a marbled darker blue along with white for the squares and triangle squares.
Here was the easy part. All of the blocks in this sampler can be rotary cut from Eleanor's measurements. There are no templates and no set-in pieces.
Then, here's the hard part! These blocks from 12 different ladies MUST be exactly 12 1/2 inch blocks in order to fit together in this sampler. Therefore the seams HAD to be 1/4 inch. At that time I did not have a quarter inch seam foot. I had thought that I was quite consistent in getting a quarter inch seam, but when the first block was completed and measured, it was only 12 inches. So get out the seam ripper and find where I was going wrong. Fortunately there is a 20 inch ruler decal on the front edge of my sewing machine table and I began to put it to use. I measured each subunit and unit of the block before I sewed them all together. With much sewing, measuring, re-sewing, and much pressing, I finally got to where the blocks measured 12 1/2 inches square.
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