Introducing QuiltNet. (c)1994 Marina Salume The combination of quilting and computers may seem unlikely, but to 700-plus people on QuiltNet, it's a natural. QuiltNet is a "maillist" of quilting enthusiasts that communicates via the Internet. We even have membership/business cards to prove it. I carry mine in my wallet at all times so if I am found wandering, lost and confused, I can be rushed to the nearest quilt shop for emergency treatment. QuiltNet was formed to discuss quilting: questions, answers, book reports, tips, mail order sources, patterns and favorite stores. This maillist is a general quilting support group. Many of the mailfiles contain questions and answers about quilting; many of the mailfiles are friendly, chatty discussions about quilting, sewing or life in general. The volume of mailfiles ranges from 150-400 messages per week. QuiltNet started innocently enough, as a "round robin" group to exchange quilt blocks. The Internet connection made it easy to exchange mailing addresses (because of course the actual blocks have to be sent via "snail mail", as Internet users fondly refer to the always-efficient US Postal Service), and to chat about quilting with other interested people. Just to give you an idea of how quickly this has grown, Phreadde Davis at SUNY Binghamton started it all in 1990 with the idea for the first round robin block exchange. A total of 17 people signed up. Phreadde moved before the exchange began, so Lara Dilg (now Lara Nolan) handled it, with help from Anne Louise Gockel at Cornell University (many thanks to Anne and Lara for the facts and figures used in this article). Lara started the first mail list at Dartmouth in the summer of 1990 and ran it until 1992, when Anne it took over. There were about 125 members at the time of the switch. Here's how the block exchanges work: every three months, an email list is sent out. It tells me who to make a block for, during the next three months, one each month. I also have a list of their pattern or color preferences. Each participant may ask for anything--I requested Hawaiian blocks my first time around and discovered that many people had never done applique, much less the challenging type required for a Hawaiian designs. I changed my request and have been much happier with the "wild and crazy" blocks I have received in later exchanges. Most blocks are 12 inches square, finished size. Someday I'll actually use those blocks in a quilt, too, I promise. We have a wide variety of quilters in our group. Many are students, but many are not. Geographically we have quilters in almost every state, plus Canada, Holland, Australia and New Zealand. During the summer of 1992, many of our members participated in a "goodwill exchange" sharing American quilting supplies and techniques with our first Russian quilter, who was very excited to learn about all the tools we take for granted, like rotary cutters. Some of our members are students, some work at a university, some are librarians and others work for various companies. The biographies are quite varied and make interesting reading. I was intimidated to see how many PhD candidates belonged to QuiltNet when I first joined--but only until I realized that many had completed only one or two quilts. Interestingly enough, as the mailing list has grown, the block exchanges have gotten smaller. Currently there are only about 35 people enrolled in the basic block exchange. However, many more spontaneous exchanges--of blocks and fabric--are taking place all the time. When a new exchange is announced, it is frequently filled in one day. Recent themes have been: math, cats, and first names (I remember a Susan exchange, and I think a Sandra exchange is in the works). The first ad-hoc exchange of this type was created by Marissa Vance. We also send each other small pieces of fabric called "fat quarters" (quilt-talk for fabric cut in quarter yard pieces, the fat way rather than in narrow strips). Block exchanges grew so fast that they now have their own separate mailing list, address at the end of this article. Many memorable events have taken place. One that I took part in was the wedding gift for Lara and Sean Nolan. In fall 1991, Carla Richter asked members of the exchange group to make a wedding quilt for Lara and Sean. Carla bought fabrics for a full-size quilt made from the elaborately beautiful Country Bride pattern. She sent out carefully packaged kits of fabric and patterns to those who wanted to participate. Then she collected the blocks and put together the top. This past summer, someone made the remark that it would be nice to raffle a quilt to raise money for the flood-ravaged Midwest. I donated a small wall hanging and offered to give the proceeds to the Red Cross. After about three months, I was able to write a check to the Red Cross for $1,044.00! The winner was an Irish man who donated $1.00 to a group of people in his company who wanted to help out the Americans by sending a total of $40.00 US. The largest single donation was $50.00, so you can see that a lot of different people wanted to make a contribution (and maybe win a quilt). I had expected to raise perhaps $200-$300, but quilters are even more generous than I had believed. Last month, I held another raffle, this time for Earthquake Relief in Los Angeles. The total raised was $1283.00. Three small quilts were donated by various people, along with many books, fabric packets, and other sewing-related prizes. The money raised again went to the Red Cross. Another activity I participated in was the first border exchange, organized by Lisa Leutenegger in January, 1993. It was suggested by a similar exchange which was organized on one of the commercial online services. In our version, each person supplied a center block. It is mailed in rotation so everyone in the group (there are five in mine) adds one border to each center. Each person takes about a month to add a border, then sends it on to the next participant, and so on. The rules are simple: the border must not be a plain strip of fabric. I believe we have a minimum width but so far no one has had a problem meeting it. Each person eventually received their own center block back at the end. The ones I worked on were all quite elaborate. This is quite a challenging, time consuming exchange, yet several more groups are forming right now. Quilters are gluttons for punishment! My border quilt, titled "Mola Surprise" because I used an old mola (made in the San Blas islands off the coast of Mexico) for the center block, will be in the San Francisco Quilters Guild show this June at the Cow Palace in Brisbane, June 11-12, 1994. Many of us realized that we were located close by and became curious to meet our email friends. This past summer, the idea of regional QuiltNet get-togethers really took off. There's a large group in the San Francisco Bay area as well as a smaller Chicago area group. And QuiltNet members get together at nearly every major quilt show or convention. I met several at the recent Pacific International Quilt festival in Burlingame, California, including one woman who traveled from "DownUnder" (Australia). And I wouldn't think about going anywhere without asking QuiltNet for the names of quilt shops in the area (a comprehensive FAQ on this and other topics is maintained by various volunteers). We even have our own special membership pin! (design by Elizabeth Poole, four computers set together in a "barn-raising" set in Amish-style colors). How to subscribe to Quiltnet and the Exchange (Q-Xchg) maillists: Quiltnet is best described as a general quilting support group; discussions concentrate on quilting, but may include some friendly or chatty mail files. Q-Xchg is a maillist strictly for organizing fabric and quilt block exchanges. To subscribe to the QUILTNET maillist, send the following command to listserv@emuvm1.cc.emory.edu SUB QUILTNET firstname lastname To leave the list at any time, use the following command: UNSUB QUILTNET To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Q-XCHG maillist, follow the same directions, but substitute the name Q-XCHG for QUILTNET.