Homemade 2 Homemade

Sent your parcel? Want some quick fun while you wait? It's time to sign up for a madness round!

I've received my delightful parcel (more about that later!), and TJ and I did some planning for our first ever madness round.

We're thinking that this would be a very short round - no more than three weeks crafting time (about as long as the parcels to and from the antipodes might take), with everyone in a group making things for all the others and receiving something from all the others. Items can be anything you might make for a small, quick gift.

Sign ups: Sign up today! Open till the 14th. On the 14th, we'll email everyone who signed up with the names and addresses of all the others who signed up who are in their group

Crafting: Start as soon as you want! There is no individual matching, though you can personalise as much or as little as you like.

Post: By June 3rd

What can I craft?
Whatever you want, but we're obviously thinking small, quick to make and cheap to send. Since you only have a short time frame, we're not requiring items be matched to the exact tastes of those in your exchange group.

I would love to, but I can only commit to a certain number of participants. What if too many sign up?
We're currently thinking of setting up groups with overlap, like fannish venn diagrams. You set the number of people you're willing to send to and sort that out into groups. The mods believe they can make this work with the power of mathematics.

I would love to, but I have postal restrictions or allergies or can't receive a certain common craft
We will do our best to sort groups by interest as well as by size, but, given the tight timeframe and the quick, light, fun ethos, we can't guarantee that you'll get things that suit and we definitely can't guarantee all postage will be within your part of the world. If you're not happy to receive whatever random mixture you get, this won't be your thing. If you're not willing to post internationally, please don't sign up.

Sign up:
<b>Name:</b> <b>Email: </b> <b>How many people are you willing to send to?</b> <b>Anything you'd like us to consider when grouping? No Guarantees!</b>

Welcome to Homemade2Homemade Round 4!

We've had a good long think about how to make this exchange run more smoothly, and we're excited to share. Here's the outline:

You sign up to make a handmade, crafted gift for one of our other participants. You receive a handmade, crafted gift in exchange.

Sign ups are public. We'll need to know about what you like and want in your life and are excited to receive, and also about any allergies, sensitivities and dislikes. We also need to know about what you make and like to craft.

Straight after sign ups, you have the chance to tell us if there are any people you'd be particularly excited to craft for or to receive craft from. We think this will help make matching easier for us, and also give you an opportunity to remind us who you've crafted for before, or if you want to avoid your BFF who will immediately know it's you, for example.

You have 12 weeks to complete your craft and get it in the post. You will need to track your parcel! Postage has not become any quicker or easier in the last year, so please be patient (particularly for international postage).

After the posting deadline, you can sign up for a completely optional madness round. This is supposed to be a short-deadline, small-item exchange, where you make something for all participants and receive something from each as well. Your mods thought it would be fun, especially for those that prefer to make quick, small things.

To sign up for madness, you need to have posted your main exchange gift OR not have signed up for the main exchange. Both your mods are committed to the madness round, so there will be at least three of us!

We know RL has been… interesting for the last year and that many people have found handicrafts to be a great source of comfort and pleasure. We'd love to have you along for the ride this year. Please make sure you have the bandwidth to commit to this exchange.

2021 dates
Jan 22nd - Feb 5th: sign ups open
Feb 5th - 9th: initial survey/preferences va google form
Feb 19th: Assignments out (at the latest - we'd aim to have them out earlier!)
March 19th: Check in one (please tell us, via email or on the comm post, that you're on track)
April 23rd: Check in two and addresses go out
May 14th: Posting deadline

Frequently asked questions

Can anyone sign up?
All varieties of crafters are welcome (see below for two restrictions). If you would give one of your handcrafted items as a gift to another person, then it's okay for this. If you're concerned, take a look at some of the things that have been made previously and gauge your energy and comfort.

What counts as homemade?
There are a few restrictions - no digital art (physical objects only, though getting your digital art printed is okay) and no food (shipping concerns). The majority of the gift should be handmade by you. For example, if you hand knit a scarf, you could include a scarf pin that you bought elsewhere. If you buy a plain t-shirt, tie-dye it and paint it with a cute unicorn, that's all good. Buying a plain t-shirt, tie-dying it and putting purchased badges on it is not all good. If you're not sure, get in touch.

What if I need to drop out?
Please let us know asap. As I'm sure you can appreciate, pinch hitting is a little tricky in a homemade craft exchange, and also costs money in materials and postage. If you're worried you don't have the time or energy for this commitment, please don't sign up. If something unexpected comes up, please let us know so we can sort something out.

If you have dropped out in a previous year, please get in touch before or during sign ups. We do not have an automatic ban, and we'd like to know that you're all good to go this year. We will be in touch if we don't hear from you.

What if I need an extension?
Please let us know asap. Please bear in mind that pinch hitting is tricky, but preferable to a recipient waiting for too long, so be realistic about how much time you need for whatever craft you've chosen.

Will I definitely get a gift if I complete and send my crafted item?
Yes. So long as you complete and send your crafted item to your recipient, you are absolutely guaranteed a gift.

Is this an international exchange?
Yes. You can indicate in your sign up if you can't ship internationally, though that may limit potential matches.

What are the shipping requirements?
If you are shipping domestically, please track your parcel in whatever way is customary in your country.

If you are shipping internationally, we feel your pain. Please make sure you tick 'gift' on the consignment note or customs declaration. If you can, please track your parcel. We know that some countries are difficult to track from, but please ask at your post shop, and also check if there are any known delays (worse than usual).

Is this an anonymous exchange?
Yes. Please don't get in touch with your recipient directly. We are happy to be your go-betweens with any questions you have. Relatedly, please put your DW/online name inside the parcel you send! We have had a few instances where the recipient hasn't been sure who to thank because it's been so secret.

Is there a price limit?
Price equivalents are hard because of all the mediums and levels of skill. But, that being said, we wouldn’t want to break anyone’s bank or waste their time. Make something that you’d be proud to share, to give; that you’d be honored to receive yourself. And if you do receive something that you don’t think matches the value of what you’ve sent, first ask yourself if it was done with the best of intentions at heart before coming to us to voice a complaint.

I just want to do the main exchange/I only want to do the madness round
You can do just the main exchange, just the madness round, or you can do both (assuming you meet the posting deadline)

What counts as a small thing for madness?
We're thinking things that you can make quickly, that are probably small and easy/inexpensive to send. That could mean a small zippered bag, a hand-knitted facecloth or a hand-embroidered card, or whatever else you would make if you were making a bunch of things all at once for a variety of people.

What if a lot of people sign up for madness, and I can only do so much?
In the sign up, we'll ask what your maximum number of people is and make sure we split up into groups or do some kind of jiggery pokery at that point to accommodate that.

I have another question
Please contact your mods on homemade2homemademod@gmail.com