Welcome to Hooked on Exchanging (HoE)! A place for cross stitchers from around the world to gather and exchange stitching smalls. Please review the following guidelines to ensure that everyone has a positive exchanging experience.
Membership:
We are limited to 100 members. While you do not need to do every exchange, we do hope that you will actively participate as there are other stitchers waiting to join this group. Currently our membership is closed.
Exchange Pieces:
Each exchange will typically have a theme (e.g., Quaker, LHN, etc.) or a finishing style (e.g., pinkeep, biscornu, etc.) You may use linen or evenweave of your choice and color, however, no Aida. You may also use fibers of your choice, DMC, Anchor and overdyeds are all okay! Your stitched piece must be finished.
Keep in mind that this group was initially created for beginning finishers who had little exchange experience. Many of our members are quite experienced and put a great deal of effort into stitching and finishing some beautiful smalls. While not everyone may be an expert, please take care to ensure that your piece is something you would personally enjoy receiving!
Exchange Partners:
Important - you will not receive from the same person you are mailing to – this adds an element of surprise when your package arrives! Please keep your partner's name a secret until she/he receives your exchange. Also, remember that this is an international group. If you are not willing to mail internationally then this group may not be for you.
Mailing Timeframe:
You may mail within two weeks of the established mailing deadline, but no earlier. Please post an entry to the HoE blog when your exchange is mailed (remember to keep your partner’s name a secret!) Something like “I mailed my XXX exchange today” would be great.
Remember to put a note or card inside your package with your name and email address. We do keep names a secret during the stitching period but once your exchange is sent you want your partner to know who it came from!
Now, we all know that things come up in life. If some unforeseen and unavoidable emergency comes up and you are going to be unable to fulfill your commitment, please contact the moderator so that other arrangements can be made. We want to ensure that each stitcher receives an exchange. If you still want to participate but will be mailing late, please contact the moderator.
If you fail to communicate and/or fulfill your commitment on an exchange you will not be allowed to participate in another exchange until your previous commitment is met.
Stitch & Finish it Yourself
It is the full expectation of all HoE stitchers to both stitch and finish their own items. Having a ghost stitcher or hiring a finisher goes against the spirit of exchange groups, particularly HoE. If you cannot do your own stitching or finishing, then do not sign up for exchanges here.
Extras:
The only thing you are required to send to your partner is your stitched/finished item. If you would like to send extra goodies, that is always nice, but there is no pressure to do this and goodies are not required in any exchange that will be set up in this blog.
You may want to check out your partner’s blog and see if you can get a feel for his or her likes and dislikes. Many stitchers have links to wishlists on their blogs.
Exchange Received:
Hurray, you’ve received your exchange! Please post an entry on the HoE blog to let us and your partner know that your exchange was received. If you haven’t had time to take a photo yet, that’s okay – just a quick note that says something like, “I received my XXX exchange from XXX today!” If you have your partner's email address we also suggest that you email a quick note to them so that they know it has arrived safely.
Posting photos:
Please try to post a photo of the exchange you receive – we are all anxious to see what your partner stitched for you! If you are unable to post photos, check with your exchange partner – perhaps he or she can post the photo for you. We also have an exchange gallery set up for posting photos only - HoE Gallery.
That’s it! Please know that a great deal of effort goes into coordinating all of the exchanges on the HoE. We hope that with a few simple guidelines everyone will have a good experience.
Happy Stitching!
