Price: $NZ15 ($US11) Print off an information sheet to take along to your next quilt guild meeting or stitchers' gathering. Download graphics to add to your blog or website.
Free patterns to download when you join the 2010 Christmas Swap	“I have made some wonderful friends who love to stitch all over the world - now it's your turn!” Fiona Marie Clark   Have a look at the swap participants' gifts and read comments about their Swap experiences at the GGCS Flickr Group. What is the Great Global Christmas Swap? Patchwork quilting and stitching has a global following and the Great Global Christmas Swap is about making the acquaintance of a stitcher from another country, who shares your passion for this craft, and exchanging a small gift. The theme of the 2010 Great Global Christmas Swap is "Bag a Fat Quarter for Christmas". Participants can use one of the free patterns supplied to stitch a gift bag for their partner and then place a fat quarter of fabric inside and post. This year the free patterns have been supplied by Natalie Ross In Stitches, House on the Hill Pattern Co. and Bronwyn Hayes. I have also included a couple of popular patterns from previous swaps that suit the theme. How do you join in the fun? Register for the 2010 Great Global Christmas Swap here. Price: $NZ15 ($US11) What happens next? You will be matched with a stitcher who has registered from another country, and sent their contact details. (Please allow up to seven days for an appropriate match to be made). You will be sent the link to a fionamarie.com web page with the new free patterns supplied by Natalie Ross In Stitches, House on the Hill Pattern Co. and Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly Designs. Previous swap patterns designed by Kookaburra Cottage, Leanne's House, and Bronwyn Hayes will also be available to download. You may choose to use one of the patterns to make up your swap gift or use one of your own. Now it is time to contact your swap partner. Tell them a little about yourself, your stitching, your country, and start putting together your gift. Once your gift bag is completed pop in a fat quarter of your choice, and post to your swap partner for Christmas. Read some comments from last year's participants. You can add a picture of the gift you have sent and/or received to the GGCS Flickr Page here. $1 from every registration fee will be donated to 'Camp Quality, an organization dedicated to bringing fun, hope and happiness to the lives of children aged 5 to 16 living with cancer, through provision of high quality recreational experiences. "My own daughter enjoyed a fabulous week away on camp with the wonderful people who are part of this amazing organization. During this time my husband and I enjoyed some time to ourselves, knowing Jessica was well taken care of." Fiona Marie Clark

Comments from some of the participants of last year's swap:

(More comments on the GGCS Flickr Group)

Author Message Date: 2-11-2010 Author: Susan Campbell I see my swap partner Di from Napier has already submitted a message. I want to say that I was so excited about having a "common interest" pen pal on the other side of the world. She made me a beautiful embroidered and quilted needle holder and an awesome pin cushion. I can't wait to do it again next year. Date: 2-10-2010 Author: Kathie Serlet I am doing a "Journal Quilt" swap with Ann Caldicott in NSW! We are having a great time with it. Each month for 6 months we are taking a word and "producing" it in cloth on a 9x12 pallete. We are entering our 3rd month; first month the word was "garden", the second month "sunshine" and this month is "water". What a lot of fun this has been! Thanks for the opportunity! Date: 1-12-2010 Author: Lorraine I received my parcel about two weeks before Christmas and waited patiently for Christmas morning. It was the first gift I opened and I would like to thank my swap partner Lesley from the UK for the lovely gifts. The wine carrier and pin cushion will come in handy. I will definitely be joining the swap again next year. Date: 1-6-2010 Author: Shirley Flavell I received a beautiful parcel from my "swap" friend Barbara from Miami. I left the parcel for 3-4 weeks 'til Xmas and what a worthwhile wait. Fabulous stitchery (xmas) wall hanging which went on the wall straight away and other delightful goodies including a box of Krienik sewing and embroidering threads--amazing and overwhelming. I relly enjoyed my experience thank you Fiona. I have planned my project for the fabrics and threads I received and look forward to making them. I will have to learn how to send photos by email to share them. My gift was really generous and so thought ful. Will do the swap again.Regards Shirley Flavell Date: 12-31-2009 Author: Shirley Earles My first present I opened on christmas day was a parcel received from Janet in France that I had looked at unopened for a month. It was the most beautiful wall hanging, in light fawns and white, all hand embroidered - the centrepiece was a square button "Bienvenue". I am still gazing at Janet's beautiful workmanship nearly 7 days later and it will take pride of place in my house. I just hope she liked my "pohutukawa" sewing case just as much - they were certainly two contrasting gifts. Date: 12-31-2009 Author: Pat C. I had the MOST talented partner--- she knew just what I needed without ever meeting me. Each time I look at the beautiful needle case I will have a fond memory of 2009 Christmas. Thank you too for being so thoughtful. Pat C. Date: 12-28-2009 Author: Robyn Curry I have never been involved in something like this before, but it was great. I received the most beautiful hand embroidered gifts from my partner Katherine in the UK. Date: 12-14-2009 Author: Susan Flynn I love being part of this swap and 'meeting' people from other parts of the world. I like to continue correspondence with my swap partner so that I can learn about their country. Thank you, Fiona, for organising this swap each year. Date: 12-4-2009 Author: Lynley Skelton I was one of the ladies who opened her swap gift with Di from Napier. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience from deciding what to make my swap partner (Kathy from Las Vegas) to making the gifts. It was so exciting posting it off and then receiving a gift too. Thank you again Fionamarie I will definitely be signing up in 2010. Thank you to Kathy as well for being a great swap partner, for the fun emails and my gift which alot of work had gone into making it. Merry Christmas. Lynleyxxx Date: 12-3-2009 Author: Di Shuker Hi Fiona, Well we have a lovely time opening our Christmas swap gifts. There are three of us doing the swap. We had swaps to Canada, England and USA. Well we made a pack that we would open our presents together. Date: 10-19-2009 Author: Chris I'm really loving this GGCS it's bringing gals from all over the world sharing their ideas about what they do & their families. Fiona, you have done a great job putting this all together & I wish more ladies would have 2 frinds to share things with. I'm in the process of embroidering (Redwork) my patterns that you have shared with us & mine have a TWIST to them I'm so very excited. My 2 ladies are very nice & I hope we continue on. What about some updates about this GGCS? Date: 10-17-2009 Author: Chris Silvares Façó patchwork há 6 anos mais ou menos.Sou uma grande admiradora de seu trabalho.Tenho várias peças de natal no meu álbum www.flickr.com/photos/chrissilvares.Gostaria muito de fazer parte do seu grupo e receber as novidades e também fazer os trabalhos junto com o grupo.Um abraçó.Chris.