Houston we had a problem...

Well for the second time in my hostess history I had the big "OUGHT OH! Where did I put those blocks???" moment. Yep, this weekend I was all set to start swapping when my last package of scrappy 4-patches arrived on Saturday... and when I spread them all out on the Dining Room table (which is still sitting in the computer room - don't ask!) I counted all the packages on the table vs. my spreadsheet I was missing one!!!

the one missing was my blog reader Elanor S who was the very FIRST swapper to mail their blocks to me the first week of July. I looked. ... and looked.... and LOOKED and finally decided to just grab some noodles and start making up some more so that I could use those new 5 sets on behalf of hers that she had sent in...

It didn't take me as long as you might think - as using the strips really goes fast and thankfully I only needed 5 sets of 10 = 50 blocks. During making the 4-patches, I used the gold corner star blocks as leader/enders as I already had them at 3 rows waiting to be set together...

and just as I was turning of fmy machine and lights, WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT, I found Elanor's swap package! (in that larger basket just behind the yellow embroidery hoop)

Yep, there they were just sitting there minding their own business...

right where I had put them, in a "safe spot" when I was rushing to clear out the dining room so that the repair man could come fix the drywall and ceiling. How come i didn't notice it all day Saturday?

Oh well, this now means I have an extra 5 sets of blocks in addition to the 7 sets I already made up to go with the swap...... hum... I have an idea.

Please pardon the messy room - there is a dining room table in the middle of the computer room! STILL... the repairs have been completed for 2 weeks now... but getting my husband motivated to help me move a table is more trouble than it's worth so anyway...

Here are all the blocks laid out. My smallest swap that I've ever hosted only 10 swappers including myself. This is only just under 500 blocks on the table..

Since I only found the missing blocks around midnight I saved the swapping to do for the next day (Monday) while kids napped. and Since I had the 5 extra sets... I decided to give all of my swappers each 5 extra blocks back with the ones they had mailed in ;)

As a hostess I always gift my swappers with a little something "extra" from me... so this worked out perfectly I think. I really hope everyone likes the scrappiness of their blocks.

I'd love to host this same type of swap as an ongoing thing - maybe bimonthly? or quarterly? Because there are several Quiltville patterns that use up scrappy 4-patch units.

above photo I spread out a few of the blocks that were for me... the rest of my 7 sets are upstairs already in the sewing room.. don't they look great just laid out randomly? ;)

So after loading up my chore basket and ready to go to the Post Office I also grabbed the Priority Mail box full of over 100 string blocks to be mailed to Sue at HeartStrings Quilt Project on behalf of all of us "Sunshine Quilters" over on the HGTV Quilters Message Board.... I know they will be happy to receive them. This was my 3rd time to collect from all of us and mail in and we had our best ever participation!! ;)

above photo is a Birthday gift for my friend Heidi who helps me out so much with keeping my kids. She has even offered to let me drop off my 3 on the way to the PO ;) so today I'll take her Bonnie Hunter's Scraps & Shirttails Book that I wrapped in a SHIRT ;) Only thing missing is a bow.

So now that the swap is over with - I'm looking forward to completing Part 2 of "Christmas Lights" as SOON as my magazine gets HERE!!!!! I'm so impatient I really thought it would have been here by now since others started getting theirs on Wednesday last week!

I have the gold cornered stars done, but will have to wait to look at directions for the other block as I have no idea how many individual scrappy blocks I need... I sure hope my mail carrier brings my magazine Monday!

until then -I'll get back to working on making up more Star Struck blocks.

Love from Texas!