Sarah Gamble, leader of the V-Piecemakers FQ chapter, has developed a wonderful new exchange for International Friendship Quilters. Here is what she had to say:
"Since we are such a friendly lot at IFQ, I thought we could do a 'Sunbonnet Sue' Friendship Swap. While Sue - and her buddy Overall Sam - have been around for the best part of a century, this is a quilt block I haven't tried to make yet. For those of you who want to find out more about Sue and her friends, there is an excellent history here, along with lots of other Sunbonnet ideas and several free patterns, too.
Anyway, I was leafing through some back issues of one of my favourite mags - Australian Patchwork and Quilting (well worth looking for in other parts of the world, believe me!) - and, in volume 9, number 12, came across a Sunbonnet Sue with a bit of a difference. They call their pattern 'Friendship Girls'. A group of quilters had used this pattern as a friendship block, and I thought the results looked fabulous. I emailed off to the publishers of this particularly excellent magazine, and to my delight they were happy to give us permission to reproduce their basic pattern. Thank you Australian Patchwork and Quilting!"
After you sign up for the exchange you will be assigned to a group of 
six. After signing up you will be emailed the pattern as a PDF file (you will need to have Acrobat Reader on your computer to use this file).
Click on pictures for larger view
The pattern is fairly straightforward and uses piecing, appliqué techniques and has opportunities for further embellishment, as well.
You will make six identical blocks, using fabrics and embellishments that you feel represent something of yourself. You might choose batik fabrics if you are a batik lover, florals and greens for the gardener, stars and stripes in red, white and blue for the patriotic American, snow and ice colours if you live in the Antarctic, or animal prints if you feel like a bit of a wild thing! The choice is yours.
Your Sunbonnet Friends blocks may be appliquéd by hand or machine. Choose the method that works best for you!
When your blocks are finished you will take a photo and post it on the Sunbonnet Friends gallery page. You will not be given mailing addresses until you've posted a photo of your block. If you do not have a digital camera or the expertise to upload a photo, do not despair! Sarah will be happy to help - she has solutions!
Once you receive your mailing addresses (after you post your picture) you will send out five of your six blocks. The sixth block is for you to keep! Along with your blocks you will send a letter of introduction, telling the recipient about yourself. Include photos, if you like. You may even want to meet up in the chat room at a time that suits you both.
You will end up with five new blocks plus your own and, hopefully, five new quilting friends from around the world!
Finally, you will make up a quilt using your new Sues - we'd love to see finished photos in the gallery! Each block finishes at 11-inches and you can use them as is, sash them, or intersperse them with other blocks. Even make some Overall Sams to keep Sue company, if you like!
