help me make my swap successful!
July 26, 2011 10:28 AM Subscribe
I'm hosting a fabric swap! Please help me make sure I've covered all the details.
This is a swap among sewing friends and co-workers, probably about 15 people all told. There will be wine and snacks. I'm asking people to:
- label their swap stuff with provided labels (material, quantity, pretreatment, notes);
- sort scraps into groups that make sense;
- behave nicely and take what they think they should take, honor system-style. No tickets or tokens or anything. First claimant takes the goods, leftovers will be donated.
I'm planning to have:
- a garment rack set up to hang yardage on;
- a long table to set up smaller items;
- a full-length mirror so people can check out how they look with a certain fabric;
- bright lighting in the swap area;
- food and drinks set up in the kitchen, away from the goods.
I'm envisioning people coming, putting their stuff out, and then at a certain time, say half an hour after the start, opening the swapping. I'm hoping that people will pretty much take care of themselves and not need a whole lot of structure to do it in.
Have you run an event like this before, either for craft stuff or other items? If you were to go to a party like this, are there other things you would want or would want to know? Do you have suggestions or tips for making this run smoothly?
Thanks!
This is a swap among sewing friends and co-workers, probably about 15 people all told. There will be wine and snacks. I'm asking people to:
- label their swap stuff with provided labels (material, quantity, pretreatment, notes);
- sort scraps into groups that make sense;
- behave nicely and take what they think they should take, honor system-style. No tickets or tokens or anything. First claimant takes the goods, leftovers will be donated.
I'm planning to have:
- a garment rack set up to hang yardage on;
- a long table to set up smaller items;
- a full-length mirror so people can check out how they look with a certain fabric;
- bright lighting in the swap area;
- food and drinks set up in the kitchen, away from the goods.
I'm envisioning people coming, putting their stuff out, and then at a certain time, say half an hour after the start, opening the swapping. I'm hoping that people will pretty much take care of themselves and not need a whole lot of structure to do it in.
Have you run an event like this before, either for craft stuff or other items? If you were to go to a party like this, are there other things you would want or would want to know? Do you have suggestions or tips for making this run smoothly?
Thanks!
My friends and I have annual clothing swaps that we run pretty much the same way — it's an excuse for us to hang out and drink wine and chat, and also maybe get new clothes out of the deal. The honor system works pretty well for us, and I don't think anyone's ever had hurt feelings.
One thing I've noticed is that the hostess has to make some kind of "Okay, let's start swapping!" announcement or else everyone kinda mills around awkwardly wondering if they can start taking the stuff they've had their eye on or if that would be impolite. I also associate with a bunch of midwesterners, so maybe you won't have that trouble.
posted by adiabat at 10:38 AM on July 26, 2011
One thing I've noticed is that the hostess has to make some kind of "Okay, let's start swapping!" announcement or else everyone kinda mills around awkwardly wondering if they can start taking the stuff they've had their eye on or if that would be impolite. I also associate with a bunch of midwesterners, so maybe you won't have that trouble.
posted by adiabat at 10:38 AM on July 26, 2011
I've done a clothing swap with friends, too, and the honor system worked well.
The only thing I might suggest is offer different types of lighting (sunlight/indoor light)? Also maybe ask people to provide as many details about the fabric as they can ahead of time (yardage, type of material, etc.)
posted by Lucinda at 10:40 AM on July 26, 2011
The only thing I might suggest is offer different types of lighting (sunlight/indoor light)? Also maybe ask people to provide as many details about the fabric as they can ahead of time (yardage, type of material, etc.)
posted by Lucinda at 10:40 AM on July 26, 2011
If you're feeling iffy about the honor system (a la Empress Callipygos' comment above), how about giving everyone the same amount of Monopoly money and having to barter with that in some way?
That worked really well with us when we were trying to help my grandma deacquisition some stuff we knew lots of people would want. We held an "auction" in which people had the chance to see everything first and make decisions about what they wanted. Then my dad acted as the auctioneer. That made it so some people could go for the things they really wanted, and at the very least if there were multiple people who wanted something they could work it out privately.
posted by Madamina at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2011
That worked really well with us when we were trying to help my grandma deacquisition some stuff we knew lots of people would want. We held an "auction" in which people had the chance to see everything first and make decisions about what they wanted. Then my dad acted as the auctioneer. That made it so some people could go for the things they really wanted, and at the very least if there were multiple people who wanted something they could work it out privately.
posted by Madamina at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2011
Seems like there's always one person who shows up with great stuff and other people with not-so-great stuff, and there's a scramble to get the great stuff which more aggressive people win. Show up, take stuff, leave. It doesn't encourage mingling and social fun (and then your snacks will go to waste). How about a white elephant style trade? Draw numbers from a hat, take turns picking from the pile or "stealing" from someone, who can then "steal" or pick from the pile. The trick to keeping this short is to limit the number of times an item can switch hands. Say, an item can be "stolen" twice and then it's out of play. Keep doing white elephant rounds or have people pick multiple items until everyone is satisfied. I like white elephants because faux competitiveness can spark some funny moments and it seems people have a fair shot (or equally unfair) at the better picks. Plus it rewards the person who brings nice things because they get to be entertained witnessing people "fight" over their item(s).
Also, you might consider collecting any unwanted fabrics at the end for a donation run to a thrift store or women's shelter.
posted by griselda at 11:26 AM on July 26, 2011
Also, you might consider collecting any unwanted fabrics at the end for a donation run to a thrift store or women's shelter.
posted by griselda at 11:26 AM on July 26, 2011
I'd provide some really obvious and logical way for people to wipe their hands post snacks--in addition to the usual copious presence of paper towels and common sense to head to the sinks.
Similarly, having something like a lint brush handy for the drapey types.
I don't know if your swap is going to include notions or gear, but one person's organizing gizmo folly is another person's dream come true.
posted by nita at 11:53 AM on July 26, 2011
Similarly, having something like a lint brush handy for the drapey types.
I don't know if your swap is going to include notions or gear, but one person's organizing gizmo folly is another person's dream come true.
posted by nita at 11:53 AM on July 26, 2011
I would definitely vote for adding notions, etc. -- anything to add more variety. I don't think it adds to the complexity, really, but it provides more opportunities for people to contribute AND, more importantly, more opportunities for people to find something they like.
I've only been to one swap. It was a clothes swap mostly organized by people much smaller than I, and I felt really out of place because I could neither pick out clothes nor get rid of my own. But shoes and accessories were still available, and I was at least able to go home with a few necklaces. It saved the evening from being pretty alienating.
So I realize that fabric isn't sized like clothing, but I could still imagine someone thinking, "Okay, I only do quilting, and all of this other fabric is only good for making pantsuits." The more variety you have, the more creative people can be and the more they feel like they really have options from which to choose.
posted by Madamina at 2:12 PM on July 26, 2011
I've only been to one swap. It was a clothes swap mostly organized by people much smaller than I, and I felt really out of place because I could neither pick out clothes nor get rid of my own. But shoes and accessories were still available, and I was at least able to go home with a few necklaces. It saved the evening from being pretty alienating.
So I realize that fabric isn't sized like clothing, but I could still imagine someone thinking, "Okay, I only do quilting, and all of this other fabric is only good for making pantsuits." The more variety you have, the more creative people can be and the more they feel like they really have options from which to choose.
posted by Madamina at 2:12 PM on July 26, 2011
If you're concerned about the honor system working honorably, put everyone's name in a hat/basket and the first person gets first pick, then they draw out the next person's name to pick, etc.
posted by sarajane at 2:17 PM on July 26, 2011
posted by sarajane at 2:17 PM on July 26, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Again, not saying that this will definitely happen, but at least giving some thought to what you would do just in case will help you prepare in case it does (so you're not standing blankly wondering what to do and you panic and do something knee-jerk).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:32 AM on July 26, 2011