To be asked to be a swap mumma and head up a team on the 2019 mini swap came as a real surprise. I wasn’t sure if I would actually get a team until the last minute, as until the final count of those signed up would be dependent on how many would be needed.
19 lovely ladies #Teamsharon and all had to be partnered with someone, so this was the first task and my first problem in finding someone with a cat allergy that I had partnered with a cat owner. After a few messages back and forth with the maker ensuring that the cat did not go anywhere near the sewing room and the mini the problem was solved pretty quickly.
I had a bit of a practise on doing the mail merge so that I could send out all partners at the same time and during this practise I managed to actually hit the send button and all recipients found they were making for themselves!! Well, the few that got through before I had a chance to recall all the emails prior to opening. That aside I managed to sort it out and have the vital information sent out on time but at the same time worried to death that I may have overlapped names and got them muddled. What a pickle your mind can get you in once you’ve sorted in and then sit and think about what you have just done!
The questions for the team came thick and fast right from the off, with most of the team on the ball in keeping up with answering and asking questions right from the beginning. Like all of us, life does get in the way and then there are the unexpected events that you have no control over and the mini quilt swap ends up way down on the list of things to do.
Each week I would request an update and in between times I received many emails and private messages asking for advice or just wanting me to tell the maker they were heading in the right direction. Also managing to talk those down from their state of high anxiety in, what on earth they had let themselves in for! All this aside I had a fabulous team who made my first head of the team easy and at the same time I knew I could reach out to any of the other team mumma for help should I need it.
A bonus to all this I was able to meet up with Esther, have video links with Jenni and have virtual friendships with the rest of the team and a few I think will be virtual friends for a very long time.
I too had to make a quilt, with it being my 5th swap and I found myself in #Teamcarol and having to make a quilt for Tracey Angus and I received a mini from Ren Redgrave.
Once it’s all over it takes a few weeks to get over the loss of what had taken up so much time over the past few months and now I’ve had a breather I’m looking forward to the next one and have fingers crossed in being able to head up another team during the next swap.
Loved being a member of your team, you were always a helpful and supportive mummas hope we can work together again xx
You did a marvellous job Sharon, well done..
wow, these all look wonderful. well done on keeping control
one of the scariest things I have ever done, so worried I would have given wrong names and addresses to people and someone would end up with two and one without!!