Penny Pincher Basics

Penny Pincher 12 is ON

2009-08-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, Its been forever since I hosted a swap. Life has hopefully settled down a bit and I am thrilled to be back into swapping blocks. We will be swapping friendship star blocks in 6 inch finished sizes. You can join the swap here. Hope you join us its bound to be lots of fun. Here is a mock up made by Misha for an idea of how the quilt might look in the end.

Nell's Penny Pincher 10 Quilt

2008-08-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

Nell (VaNella) has completed her quilt with blocks from the penny pincher 10 swap. She is planning on using it for a picnic quilt. I love how it turned out and it looks like she has found the perfect spot for a picnic as well.

Mine is finished also

2008-05-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

Given the extra time of this long weekend, I was able to put together my blocks from the PP10 swap, and get the quilting and binding done as well. Here is is. Thanks to all who participated in the swap, I love how the quilt turned out. Send me your pics and I'll add them to the blog also.

Penny Pincher 10 Top Completed

2008-05-20T06:52:00.001-07:00

Here is Mary's (Marlou) quilt top. She is donating this to quilts of valor. I love how it turned out. Its off to the quilter's now.

Penny Pincher 10 Swap

2008-02-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

The Penny Pincher 10 swap has been posted. You can see the swap, and join if you are interested here. It is sure to be another fun swap.

Penny Pincher 8 and 9 quilt and top

2007-12-15T16:09:00.001-08:00

Here is the quilt I ended up making with the blocks from the penny pincher 8 swap. I gave this to my dmil for Christmas. She seemed to like it.

This one is the top I put together with the pp9 swap blocks. I haven't quilted it yet. Anybody have any tops or quilts to share from the swaps? Just e mail me a picture and I will post it for all to see.

Penny Pincher 7 Quilt

2007-11-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

My quilt from the PP7 swap is DONE! I love how it is so bright and cheerful. I think I will enter it into the guild quilt show in May 2008. Thanks ladies!

Sneek peek for penny pincher 10 swap

2007-11-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

I am planning the next penny pincher swap. I will likely post it in February 2008. I went looking for fabrics in my stash to see how many I had, and realized I really didn't have much for this swap, so I thought maybe others might need a bit of a head start to start looking through their stashes or purchasing if they have to. Anyway, Desi (dizzydez) recommended this block and I fell in love with it. It is on quilter's cache, and is called Road to California. We will be modifying the corners to be red in two of the corners instead of background colors. We will be using the colors of the American flag. Red, Blue and we will use white on white for the white. This makes a 12 inch finished block and is really easy to make. Here is a sample pic.

PP9 blocks from Colene

2007-10-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

Here is the second batch of blocks I've made. I'm up to 99 blocks now. Somebody stop me before I make some more!

Blocks from Jane

2007-09-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today in my mailbox, safe from the snow, were these pretty blocks from Jane (tartan) The one in the top row, middle spot is a beautiful purple and blue iris fabric, I hope I end up with one of those.

Blocks from Desiree

2007-09-27T17:39:00.000-07:00

Today sitting on my kitchen counter when I arrived home from work were these beautiful blocks from Desiree. She sent a wonderful variety of blocks for swapping.

Tommie's Blocks

2007-09-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

Tommie's blocks are here. They are much prettier than my bad photography shows them. Sorry, bad picture.

More PP8 Blocks in the mail today

2007-09-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today I received a sample of blocks to come from SueFoo (I love this fabric)

blocks from NLaurie

and blocks from Vanessa (pacificnwgirl)

Every time more blocks arrive, I think, I gotta make me some more, so I can be sure and get one of each of these. LOL. Then today, I sadly realized I could have one of each, and it wouldn't do me any good since I'm giving this quilt away in the end. Terrible terrible. The blocks are all wonderful.

fun fun fun

2007-09-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received blocks from Tracy (fabric-dragon) They are great!

and here is a picture of my second batch, I just finished making

beautiful blocks in the mailbox

2007-09-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

Today I arrived home from work to find gorgeous blocks in the mailbox. A full set of these from Judy (judycomelately)

And..... from Frances (tilly) two sets, of beauties mixed sets that is. I had to take two pics to get them all in, and then the second picture didn't turn out, so here are most of them.

Penny Pincher 8 Shoo Fly Variation Blocks

2007-09-17T16:22:00.000-07:00

Catching up on pictures of blocks I've received for the penny pincher 8 swap. This first set is from
Becca

These are Susan J's

and here are mine

The mailing deadline is fast approaching 14 days from today. You can join the swap or the chatter here.

Penny Pincher 8 Shoo Fly Variation

2007-08-30T19:36:00.000-07:00

I finished up my 4 sets of blocks for the swap tonight. Here's a picture of them.

More great blocks!

2007-08-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

Today stuffed tightly into my mailbox was a fre from Desiree with these great blocks in it.

Blocks from:

2007-08-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

Sherry

and blocks from Katie (sewingmack)

I'm loving all the blocks!

2007-08-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

Friday I recieved blocks from Frances (tilly510)

Saturday blocks arrived from Bonnie (bonnieH18)

Penny Pincher Eight ShooFly variation

2007-08-23T16:41:00.001-07:00

Here are the fabrics I will be using for my blocks for PP8

Mary S2br1

2007-08-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! Look at all these wonderful blocks that arrived today. So many blocks from Mary, I had to take two pictures! Aren't they beautiful?

Full Mailbox Today

2007-08-21T16:58:00.001-07:00

My mailbox was stuffed to maximum capacity today with a set of blocks arriving from Juli, and three sets from Grace. Here they are! I love em all.
Juli's

Grace's

Round two

2007-08-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here is the second set of blocks I recieved from Mary the quilter today.

And here are blocks from Susan (simply_suzy)

I think all the blocks are looking super!

Look Its a Watermelon!

2007-08-11T18:30:00.001-07:00

Well almost..... that's what the note said inside these beautiful blocks from Judy (judycomelately) If you look closely at the green block in the center bottom, you will see four hearts in the center of the stepping stone. I swear every one of the blocks like this has 4 hearts perfectly fussy cut. Judy did a wonderful job on these blocks!

More blocks!

2007-08-09T19:36:00.001-07:00

Today in the mail I recieved blocks from Vickie/chatterbox324
I love em.

Myna's Blocks

2007-08-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Myna's blocks made it to Idaho. Don't they look great?

My Penny Pincher 7 sample quilt

2007-07-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading the forum discussion on the penny pincher 7 swap, you already know I recently purchased a handiquilter. I practiced first quilting a picnic quilt out of the obnoxious fabric swap top I made for this purpose, and my second quilt I quilted was the sample I made for the pp7 swap. Here it is: I think it turned out great for a beginner.

Blocks Are Arriving

2007-07-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

To my surprise I found these great blocks in my mailbox this week. And I thought I was the overachiever :) Its great to see the blocks for the penny pincher 7 swap arriving already. I love this part of swaps, I get to see All the blocks, and it is always fun to look through them. These are from Mary (marythequilter)

Penny Pincher 7 Swap

2007-06-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe we are up to number 7 on the penny pincher swaps. This swap we are making bricks and stepping stones. I made a lap quilt as a sample. We are using bright tone on tones, geometrics, stripes, and small prints for this swap. You can find the forum discussion here.

Happy Scrappy Houses Quilt

2007-05-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

My next door neighbor is moving. Her house is up for sale. I have to say I will miss her. I've lived in this house for almost 5 years and she is one of the few friendly neighbors. I say hello to the others, but they look at me like I am an alien. So, I put together some of my house blocks as a going away gift for my neighbor June. There are even some aliens looking out the windows at her, must be those other neighbors.

I tried quilting this on my little home sewing machine. I have practiced a couple of times, and I definately need more practice.

Penny Pincher 6 Happy Scrappy Houses

2007-01-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

We are just about finished with the Penny Pincher 5 HO HO HO swap, and already some of us are going through swapping withdrawal. I've just posted the latest penny pincher swap. Happy Scrappy Houses. We will be using Bonnie Hunter's pattern from quiltville.com For our swap we will be using different sizes of fabric to end up with a 10 1/2" block. Be sure to see the complete swap posting here. Here are some samples I made up last night and this morning. These sew up fast and easy, and we can use some of those noodles we've been swapping around.

Not quite a penny pincher

2006-12-31T16:09:00.000-08:00

Given how much fun it was to make the blocks to swap for the penny pincher 5 swap, I decided to make a scrappy pineapple blossom quilt on my own. I finished it up just in time to ring in a new year of swaps.

Penny Pincher Five Ho Ho Ho

2006-12-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

Here we go with another fun penny pincher swap. This time we will be using Bonnie Hunter's Pineapple Blossom pattern. We will be using Holiday Fabrics in Red and Green. Join in the forum discussion and the swap here. Some examples of how this block may look are here.

Penny Pincher Two Top

2006-10-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up at 3:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. I figured this was a perfect time to put the penny pincher 2 blocks into a top. I can say that I am honestly sick of looking at these blocks now. :)

by robicole

Penny Pincher Four

2006-09-08T15:37:00.000-07:00

We have had a successful penny pincher three swap, and are fast on our way to Penny Pincher Four. The Fourth swap has been posted here. The PP4 will be Four Patches using 2 matching fabrics in 2 of the peices and 2 matching White on white fabrics in the other two spots. These are coming together fast and easy using them for leaders and enders while working on other projects. I've got 90 done, and haven't really tried. Come join us in the fun.

Penny Pincher Two comes to a close

2006-08-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Penny Pincher Two swap. All the blocks have been mailed back. I'm hoping everyone had as much fun with this swap as I did. Maybe we can share pictures of the finished quilts in the future.
Colene

Deb's Penny Pincher 2 Blocks Have Arrived

2006-07-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

Deb's blocks have made it to Idaho, and they are gorgeous! Couldn't wait to share with everybody.

by robicole

Penny Pincher Three Swap

2006-07-09T17:36:00.000-07:00

I've gotten behind on posting new articles on the Penny Pincher Blog, my only excuse is, I was busy making penny pincher blocks for the swaps? Here's the link to the pattern for this swap. The deadline is September 1, 2006. Here are some of the blocks Susanna made, on her design wall. I think they look great!

Linda's Blocks

2006-06-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to share a picture of the blocks Linda (Shebaleo) sent in. I think they look great, and can't wait to see what others send in.

Incoming

2006-06-23T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received Kate's blocks and today I received Linda's blocks. With mine that makes 120 Penny Pincher 2 blocks so far. Can't wait to see everyone else's. Here's a funny thing I found while roaming the internet tonight. Go to this website, and click the play/arrow button on the picture of the road with the trees on each side. and wait a minute for the clip to load, and then enjoy. Its so funny!

Colene's Penny Pincher One Block Swap Quilt

2006-06-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

I finally stopped procrastinating and put the blocks from the first penny pincher swap together into a top. Thanks again everyone who participated, I think it looks great. And.... the best part is I wasn't the first to finish, so I'm no longer the over achiever, as Michelle finished hers first. Yay! And, now that I'm looking at this on the computer, I see I've made a mistake in the layout. Darn!

Kates Blocks so Far.....

2006-05-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak at Kate's blocks for the Penny Pincher 2 swap. I think they look great!

Don't throw away the strings

2006-05-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Another thing I didn't know about when I first started this hobby was string quilts. Strings are the strips of fabric that is cut off when evening out the edge of the fabric when rotary cutting. The first couple of quilts I made I threw away the strings. Shortly after that I discovered string quilts. I wish the trash hadn't been emptied, as I swear I would have dug out all those strings if I could have. Here's a link to information on making a string quilt.

Organizing your scraps and other great tips I've found

2006-05-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

When I first began to quilt, not that long ago, I wasn't sure what to do with the left over scraps. Until..... I found this great website. Bonnie the author of the website has an amazing system for organizing and dealing with her scraps. This system works great for the penny pincher swaps, and I have been using it ever since I read it the first time. Here's the link to her system.

Another great thing I've learned is to chain peice. This makes the quilt get finished much faster. I use it all the time for the penny pincher swaps. Here's a link to that information also.

Many times new quilters don't understand why their blocks aren't coming out at the correct finished size. If you've cut accurately, and sewn an accurate seam, it may be in your pressing. The first time I received blocks back from a block lotto I had won, I was shocked at how neatly pressed everyone else's blocks were, and embarrased by the ones I had sent in. Here's an article about pressing.

Here's an article about rotary cutting that is helpful.

And yet another article, this one about color value.

Sewing an Accurate Seam article.

Basic Rules for the Penny Pincher Swaps

2006-05-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

What brand of fabric is allowed?
We will be using 100% good-quality cotton fabrics for these swaps. (No flannel, homespun, or brushed cotton) Fabric should be pre-washed, dried, and pressed before cutting and sewing the blocks together. Non-LQS (Local Quilt Shop) fabrics are welcome as long as they are of good quality. Not thin, stiff, or rough to the touch.

How Many Blocks Can I Swap?
This will be dependent on each particular Penny Pincher Swap, and will be in the original post for the swap.

How Many Blocks Can I make exactly the same?
This is also a variable, and will be in the first post of each swap.

Can I use Holiday fabric?
No, Holiday fabric is not allowed in these swaps unless specifically stated in the original post.

What about novelty fabric?
Novelty fabric is allowed as long as it is family friendly, meaning no naked cowboys or anything like that.

Generally we also only allow one solid fabric in each block.
The exception to this rule is this: Each block will sometimes have a specific color required in the block such as red in the first swap, purple and lavender were required in the second swap. If you use a solid for the required color, you can still use one solid somewhere else in the block.

Why is the sign up date and the deadline date the same?
This because many times people want to join the swap, but are unsure if they will have time to make the blocks. This way if you want to join you can make the blocks, and as long as they are mailed on time, and you post to me on the site, and send me an e mail stating you are joining and sending blocks you don't have to commit first. This is a good way to be able to participate if you get time. We'd love to have a committment though if you are sure you will be able to fulfill it.

Where do I send the blocks?
Blocks are mailed to me, Colene/Robicole Generally, when you sign up for the swap, be that before or after you make your blocks, I will return your sign up e mail with my mailing address.

How do I sign up?
Post a message in the swap discussion on about.com that you'd like to sign up, and then e-mail me, Colene, (robicole) to sign up and get the address for sending your blocks -- -- please put "Penny Pincher Swap #(put the number of the swap here )” in the subject area of the e-mail. (I do not accept e-mail without a subject.) Please include your forum name, your real name, e-mail address, and your mailing address in the e-mail.

How to Send Your Blocks
On the back of each block put a label with your full name -- a pressure-sensitive address label is fine -- as is a piece of masking tape. As this is a Thrifty swap -- do not place each block in its own plastic bag -- but place all blocks into one plastic bag labeled with your name and address and the number of blocks you are including on the outside. The label is important for swapping out -- without it, I cannot guarantee that you will not end up receiving some of your own blocks back.
Address one envelope to me, with your return address in the proper area. Address a second envelope to yourself, but leave the return area open -- I will add my label. Put your plastic bag and return envelope into the one addressed to me -- but do not close it. Take it to the post office for weighing, and put the proper amount of postage on the outer envelope. Then weigh the return envelope with the baggie of blocks, and put the proper amount of postage on the return envelope -- USE ONLY STAMPS for the return envelope, no metered mail. Put it all together and send it off.

A word about flat rate envelopes: (well maybe more than one word)
Flat rate envelopes are free at the post office,($4.60 to mail) This may be less expensive to use. If you choose to mail this way, and have your blocks returned this way, include $4.60 in postage with your blocks, also please please please send a return label with your address on it. These are also free at the post office. You do not need to send me an envelope if you are mailing this way. I keep the flat rate envelopes on hand at my house. (note: the tyvec envelopes are not flat rate envelopes, so if you use these you must have them weighed, but these are bigger envelopes and much easier to fit the blocks in, they also hold together better in my opinion.)

How long does it take to get my blocks back after they are swapped?
I have a goal to have all blocks swapped and mailed back to the swappers 7 to 10 days after the mailing deadline.

How do I e mail you through the forum?
Click on my forum name at the top left corner of a post I've written, a small window will pop up. Click on E-mail this member. This will allow you to e mail me.

Can I talk about other things besides quilting on the swap thread?
Yes, off topic chatter is great, much of the fun of swapping for me is getting to know the other people on the forum.

General Rules:
PLEASE MEASURE YOUR BLOCKS, DO NOT SEND IN BLOCKS THAT ARE TOO SMALL, AS THEY WILL BE RETURNED UNSWAPPED.
ONLY SEND IN THE QUALITY OF BLOCKS AND FABRIC YOU WOULD WANT TO HAVE RETURNED TO YOU. IF YOU SEND IN FLIMSY FABRIC OR BLOCKS THAT DON'T MEET THE GUIDELINES, I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEND THEM BACK UN-SWAPPED.
PLEASE BE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE GUIDELINES, ITS NO FUN TO SEND SOMEONE'S BLOCKS BACK, IT HURTS MY FEELINGS ALSO.
IF YOU EVER HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE ASK ON THE FORUM, OR E-MAIL ME THROUGH THE FORUM.
AND THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE: HAVE FUN! THAT'S WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT.

Swapping Etiquette:
Do not join this swap unless you are sure you have the time necessary to complete the swap.
Send your blocks in ON TIME or early. I do not wait for late blocks to arrive.
If you are unhappy with the swap e-mail me about your concerns, this is a much better way to handle difficulties than posting on the forum.
The swap guidelines are not negotiable. It is unfair to ask to change the swap in the middle of the swap. Other swappers may have plans for the blocks and have joined because they liked the original swap/block. This includes the time frame for the swap. I have changed the deadline for swaps, but this takes work. I need to make sure everyone in the swap is satisfied with the new swap deadline before doing this.
Neatness counts: Please trim all excess threads and bunny ears off your blocks before mailing them. Also, press your blocks before mailing.
Be aware of your skill level. Do not sign up for a block that you know you will not be able to make accurately.
Only send in the quality of blocks that you would be thrilled to receive. This counts also for fabric.
If you are unable to fulfill your swap obligation you need to e mail me as soon as possible. It is not fair to other swappers to be waiting for blocks that never show up.
If you sign up for a swap, and do not complete your obligation, either by finishing the swap, or letting me know by e mail what the issues are, you will be reported as a bad swapper on the about.com hostess forum. You will not be allowed to swap with me again.
I strive to make the swap fun for everyone, it is not fun to receive blocks that are not someone's best work. Please only send in your best work.
Some people mark their blocks with address labels, do not use this information for sending spam or political/religous e mail to them. Do not share their addresses or personal information with others. The golden rule definately applies.
Realize that your hostess can not guarantee a successful swap. The success depends on all swappers following all the guidelines.
I use my best judgement....it may or may be the same as your best judgment
Be sure to notify the hostess when you receive your swapped blocks, it is disconcerting to wonder if someone has received them, or are they lost in post office land. It is also common courtesy. You wouldn't want the hostess to not notify you, have the same courtesy for them.
I am donating my time to organize and carry out the swap. Please treat me as a volunteer, not someone you've hired to carry out a job. I do this for fun, and hope you do also.
If you are wanting to make perfect quilt out of your blocks, you will probably be disappointed, rarely are all the blocks perfect. Swapping isn't for everyone. But, everyone needs to do the very best they are capable of.

Penny Pincher Blog

2006-05-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Following in Sophie's footsteps, I thought I would create a blog for the penny pincher swaps. Mainly so my initial posts for the swaps would be shorter, thus not ending up with the truncated message at the end of it. I'm hoping to get the basic rules for the penny pincher swaps posted here also. Maybe share some pictures, but be aware, I'm not nearly as creative a writer as Sophie. But, I'll give it a whirl.
Colene