back-tack

back-tack 4 slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 02:36:00 +0000

Hi everyone! Please see below the slideshow of back-tack4. Sorry this has been slow coming. Please do take the time to look through, there's heaps of goodness here people.

THE OUTSTANDING LIST

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 11:41:00 +0000

After many hours [believe me, many hours] sorting through and crossing names off lists, and then going through the remaining blogs and trying to understand who has received packages and who hasn't, there is now a list for outstanding parcels. Let's call it: The Outstanding List.

This is not The Black List. Yet. It will become the black list soon, but for the moment it is a list of unaccounted for packages - that may have been received and haven't been blogged or recorded when we had the form up for receipt of package, or may not have been received at all. I have emailed some people who I know have peeks of things they have made on their blog, but I need to know the parcel arrived.

So what happens now? Well, if your name is on the list, and you feel it shouldn't be there, please contact us. If you know you've received a parcel from someone on the list, please contact us. It is terribly unfair to have received something and for the sender to be on this list without reason. I hope this list will become very small very quickly, and as I receive notification that a person should be removed, they will be taken off the list. I've done my best to trawl through blog pages to try and eliminate people upfront, but some I just haven't had enough information to do so with confidence. When we feel the list has become as edited as it can be, we will edit this post and officially state The Black List as the post's title. This list will remain published throughout the life of backtack.

Naomi Meredith
Mikki Jamieson
Paula Roegge
Francesca Tise

A Little Housework

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:41:00 +0000

As we near the end of November, we also near the end of this backtack. It's come up quickly! We wanted to remind you all to fill out the form in the last post when you've sent things off and received things, and to remind you also to upload images to the flickr group so we can all see what wonderful things have been produced. This is the most exciting part - seeing what interpretations you guys have given to the brief.

Earlier in the week I went through each and every blog to check in and see where people were at, and there's a few really interesting snippets being shown. Most people are getting ready to package and send off in the next few weeks, so I thought I'd take a moment to restress a few points.

Communication is an essential part of any swap. We make a big deal about it when you sign up, and we expect some fairly common manners be shown to both us, and your partner. Please send a little email when you've sent your package so they know it's coming. And please, we shouldn't have to ask for this, but please send a thankyou email to your partner when you have received your package.

Unfortunately we've spent the last few weeks dealing with a number of communication issues, and it is terribly dissapointing for us as organisers to have to chase people, and then to not receive any word from you if we do email. It is even more heartbreaking for a partner to have to contact us in the belief something has gone very wrong when they've tried communicating, especially if they've been desperate to participate. I'm really hoping we don't have more issues, but we cannot stress enough how seriously we take simple manners and respect being shown to other people. If you do need to communicate with us, please don't use our blog emails, please use this email - backtackATgmailDOTcom so we can keep all communication in one place.

Good luck everyone with getting the final push done, and both Nicole and I look forward to seeing all the end results very soon!!

received your back-tack?

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:44:00 +0000

Once you've received your back-tack please fill out this form so we can keep track of everyone. Thanks!!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://backtack.wufoo.com/forms/m7x4z5/" title="back-tack 4 - Received"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fill out my Wufoo form!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Powered by Wufoo

inspiration!

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:38:00 +0000

Hi back-tackers! A little late, but following is a list of inspiring links for you guys.

- Not Martha's "To Make" lots of goodies here, link.

- Kiddley:

last minute gift ideas, link.
gumdrop wreath, link
paper garlands, link.
dress-up paperdoll and ornament, link.

- The Flickr Christmas craft pool, link.

- Flickr, Holiday Ornament swap pool, link.

- Sew Mama Sew's Holiday series, link and 2008's Handmade Holiday's, link.

- Little Birds soft tree, link.

- Allsorts has an awesome Holiday category, link.

- Design*Sponge's modern ornaments, link.

- Wise Craft's tomorrowland trees, link.

- The Small Objects stacking fabric tree, link.

- The Purl Bee star ornaments, link.

- Poopscape's sequin mushroom, link.

- Not forgetting the Queen of Handmade, Martha Stewart, link.

Phew! There's some great stuff there, gave me some ideas for my partner!

blog roll of sorts

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:12:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I'd been hoping to post a blog roll on the sidebar, but blogrolling is down at the moment. So...here we have a random list for you.... Please do let me know if the name of your blog is incorrect, as I previously mentioned I did try to check them all but might have missed some. Go check everyone one out.

Hope you've all been in contact with each other? Please do let us know at backtackATgmail.com if you've not heard anything. So here we go....

cupcake show	http://www.cupcakeshow.com
embelish	http://www.embelish.blogspot.com
craft monkey	http://craftmonkey.typepad.com
carmel turtle	http://carmelturtle.blogspot.com
celia knits	http://celiaknits.blogspot.com
whitycism	http://whittycism.typepad.com/blog/
artsy crafty babe	http://artsycraftybabe.typepad.com
mama sews quilts	http://mama-sews-quilts.blogspot.com/
natalie's sentiments	http://www.shane-natalie.blogspot.com
little lovelies	http://www.littlelovelies.typepad.com
creative kismet	http://blog.creativekismet.com
I knit I purl	http://iknitipurl.wordpress.com/
melissa burford	http://www.melissaburford.typepad.com
what lies within us	http://what-lies-within-us.blogspot.com/
wool and school	http://www.woodlandschool.blogspot.com
oh sew chic	http://www.ohsewchic.blogspot.com
bookish quilts	http://bookishquilts.typepad.com/
some of a kind	http://www.someofakind.blogspot.com
seespot design	http://seespotdesign.blogspot.com/
tellacrafts	http://tellacrafts.wordpress.com
cherry extract2	http://cherryextract2.blogspot.com
yarn therapy	http://www.yarntherapy.typepad.com
flame hair	http://flamehair.blogspot.com
patchwork bumblebee	http://www.patchworkbumblebee.blogspot.com
miss gioia	http://missgioia.com
sasikirana handmade	http://amandasasikirana.wordpress.com
the olive sparrow	http://theolivesparrow.typepad.com/theolivesparrow/
scarlette & cinnamon	http://scarletteandcinnamon.blogspot.com
blooming heather	http://bloomingheather.wordpress.com
spool of thread	http://www.spoolofthread.com
stripey pebble	http://stripeypebble.blogspot.com
stitching at stone cottage	stitchingatstonecottage.blogspot.com
t does wool	http://tdoeswool.blogspot.com
handmaiden	http://handmaiden.typepad.com
hortensia	http://www.hortensia.typepad.com
skona life	http://skonalife.blogspot.com
linques	http://www.linques.typepad.com
michelle giacobello	http://www.michellegiacobello.wordpress.com/
the ravelld sleave	http://the-ravelld-sleave.blogspot.com
scarlet songbird	http://scarletsongbird.blogspot.com
karma kitties	http://karmakitties.com
delly bean	http://dellybean.wordpress.com
kootoyoo	http://kootoyoo.blogspot.com
runaway october	http://runawayoctober.com
twitchy fingers	http://www.twitchyfingers.blogspot.com
puggle logic	http://pugglelogic.blogspot.com
funny magic	http://funnymagic.typepad.com
auntie jan does stuff	http://www.auntiejandoesstuff.blogspot.com
all buttoned up	http://allbuttonedup.typepad.com
lime gardenias	http://www.limegardenias.blogspot.com
the view on the hill	http://budgetnaginata.blogspot.com/
liquid paper	http://liquidpaper.typepad.com/liquid_paper/
assemblage	http://www.assemblage.typepad.com
knit buddies	http://www.knitbuddies.com
shades of grey	http://lyns-shadesofgrey.blogspot.com
le blog de deedeen	http://coutureetgourmandises.blogspot.com
bonza blue	http://www.bonzablue.blogspot.com/
pillar box red	http://www.pillarboxred.typepad.com
esmerelda knits	http://esmereldaknits.wordpress.com
rougecerise	http://rougecerise.canalblog.com
being mimi	http://www.mimimeredith.com
craft actually	http://www.craftactually.com
sew-mad	http://sew-mad.blogspot.com
the lovely emily	http://thelovelyemily.blogspot.com
lou and her chicken	http://www.lou-and-her-chicken.blogspot.com/
raspberry	http://www.raspberry.co.uk
thistledowns wool design	http://www.thistledownswooldesign.blogspot.com
applehead	http://www.applehead.typepad.com/applehead
fairbanks fancy goods	http://www.fairbanksfancygoods.com
manda made	http://www.mandamade.blogspot.com
ann I am	http://anniam.blogspot.com
house on hill road	http://houseonhillroad.com

firefly adventures	http://fireflyadventures.blogspot.com/
maglfy	http://magfly.blogspot.com
wonderland q	http://wonderlandq.livejournal.com
paperwork	http://tatjanawyss.blogspot.com/
cut the cord	http://cutthecord.wordpress.com
po mo golightly	http://www.wbnm.typepad.com
a red room	http://aredroom.wordpress.com/
ham bone and jenni cakes	http://www.jennicakes.com/blog/
moonshine and piffle	http://www.moonshineandpiffle.blogspot.com
kleas	http://www.kleas.typepad.com
kim wachta	http://kimwachta.wordpress.com/
café crafty	http://www.cafecrafty.com
ruby blue	http://www.achickwithsticks.blogspot.com
flossie knits	http://www.flossieknits.blogspot.com
my emily marie	http://myemilymarie.blogspot.com
adorkable crochet	http://adorkablecrochet.blogspot.com
jc handmade	http://jchandmade.typepad.com
bookivore	http://bookivore.blogspot.com/
mama urchin	http://mamaurchin.com
old school acres	http://www.oldschoolacres.typepad.com
chest of drawers	http://www.chestofdrawers.blogspot.com
kerries place	http://kerriesplace.co.uk/hipknits
twig home and garden	http://twighomeandgarden.wordpress.com
monkey face crafts	http://monkeyfacecrafts.blogspot.com
en pente douce	http://enpentedouce.canalblog.com/
martha winger	http://marthawinger.blogspot.com
unfinished object	http://unfinishedobject.com
moments of perfect clarity	http://julochka.blogspot.com
karalea karalea	http://karalea-karalea.blogspot.com
little messes	http://www.littlemesses.com/blog
hmmmm	http://www.hmmmmnowletssee.blogspot.com
elsewhere living	http://elsewhereliving.typepad.com/my_weblog/
med 2 pinde	http://2pinde.typepad.com
creat or perish	http://rockymtmama2u.blogspot.com/
slate blu	http://www.slateblu.typepad.com
fiddlesticks and nonsense	http://fiddlesticksandnonsense.typepad.com
waiting in the capital	http://waitinginthecapital.blogspot.com/
6.5sts	http://sixandahalfstitches.typepad.com/
craftapalooza	http://craftapalooza.typepad.com/
miscellany of me	http://miscellanyofme.blogspot.com/
pog and em	http://www.pogandem.blogspot.com/

match-ups emailed and a group to join

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:22:00 +0000

Howdy! Match-ups were emailed out today so check your email. We'll be posting a blogroll in the next couple of days so come and check it out. We also have a facebook group, link.

Al and I'll also find some inspiration links and let you know when we've uploaded a list.

So get creating!

SIGN-UPS CLOSED!

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:15:00 +0000

Sign ups for BT4 are now closed! Thankyou to all who have signed up - we'll be working hard behind the scenes now to get your matchups done and out to you, and then the fun really begins!

back-tack 4 signups

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:51:00 +0000

Well, here we go everyone! Sign-up for back-tack 4. They'll be open until 4 October 2008 or when we reach 250 participants, whichever happens first!

Please refer to this post for the full rules here, we are pretty hardcore when it comes to the rules. No-one likes to sign-up for swaps and then be disappointed, it sucks.

CLOSED. Thanks!

back-tack 4 signups - HOW-TO

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:17:00 +0000

Eeek I've just had a realisation that we might not have made it clear exactly how to sign-up this time.

To sign-up for this back-tack there will be a post here on the 30th which has a form embedded in it. If you'd like to participate come and fill out the form. Once we've received 250 sign-ups close or on 4th October, whichever comes first.

Thanks and good luck!

pssst, guess what?

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:53:00 +0000

Yep! Back-tack 4 is about to launch. Calm down! BEFORE you rush off to send us an email :) please keep reading and hopefully we'll answer all of your questions. If after reading you want to ask us something email backtackATgmailDOTcom.

The theme - Gold Frankincense and Myrrh
This one I LOVE. Alison came up with it and it's just gorgeous. Think the scent of pine needles, cinnamon, spices and baked goods. Think sparkles, sequins, linen, ribbon tied boxes and baubles hanging on trees. Just in time for Christmas, a little back-tack to send Christmas cheer around the world.

You will need to send a minimum of three things. As with all our back-tacks, there are strict rules for what is included - we like to get you to think! At least one item must be handmade, preferably all three items are handmade. You may use whatever mediums you choose - sewn, printed, knitted, sculpted. This time there are no colour, size, or material restrictions, all we ask is that you take the theme and run with it, and make 3 items according to the individual outlines below.

The first item is something that sparkles [the Gold part]- cards, decorations, calenders.....see where your imagination will take you. [It doesn't need to be gold]

The second item is something which has some sort of sensory aspect to it [the Frankincense part] - either smell or taste. Baked goods? Shortbread? Chocolate, soaps, the mind can run free here, but be mindful of customs regulations in different countries. Sealed food stuffs are generally ok, but check with your partner before sending anything.

The third item is a small gift for your partner for Christmas [the Myrrh part] Perhaps a small item for the tree, or mantlepiece. Quiz your partner to see what their theming is for this Christmas, and tie in your gift! or make them something they might like to use through the year - a calender, a purse, a scarf.

Interested? Great! We think it will be fun, and we know you will come up with amazing things. We're opening it up to a lot more people this time, and we're very excited to see what comes out of it! Now here's the big part - read through the rules and information below, and if you're still keen, come and sign up on the dates outlined. By signing up you agree to all the rules and information we've laid out below.

The rules
1. You need to be posting on your blog regularly. What's regularly? At least once a week.

2. You need to be contactable via email. To respond to us or your partner.

3. You need to spend a minimum of USD$50 excluding postage. You need to be prepared to send airmail if you agree to international partners - it is heartbreaking for people to receive things months after the project has finished.

4. You must adhere to the schedule outlined below, we'll also post it on the sidebar. We will check up, we will email you, we will be running a Black List again.

5. This swap is not anonymous, you need to get in contact with your partner once you receive their details.

6.Once you have received your parcel come back to the back-tack site where we will have a "received" form for your to you to complete, please don’t email, please use this form - this is important for later on. We need to know who has received/sent and who hasn't, and why.

The time line
Signups start - 30 September at 9:00am AEST. A clock has been added to the site reflecting AEST - please refer to it. Yes, it is correct.

Signups close once we've received 250 participants, or Saturday 4 October

Partners distributed - 11 October

Contact your partner, say hi, introduce yourself etc - by 18 October

Send by 29 November - onus is on sender to check their Christmas postal cutoff dates.
To arrive in the first couple of weeks of December.

Don't forget to take some pictures of what you send before you post it. Then once your partner has received it post a maximum of 3 pictures to the back-tack 4 flickr group.

The questions you may have
1. I'm going on holidays during sign-ups can I sign-up early? Sorry no, but you can get someone to sign-up for you, make sure they sign-up using your details.

2. What if I have some life changing experience during back-tack and I have to pull out? Well, please just drop as an email, you don't have to give us the details, but please, communicate. Even if it says "I have to pull out for personal reasons". We can find someone else for your partner so they don't miss out. The more warning we have, the easier it is to keep things running smoothly for everyone.

Similarly, if you know you're likely to have major upheavals during back-tack, please think seriously about whether you should contribute.

3. Something seems to have gone very wrong....what can I/We do? The majority of people who sign up to participate in back-tack have a wonderful experience and make some great friends, and meet new bloggers. There are, however, the odd few who for whatever reason, don't communicate, don't send anything, and cause a lot of people a lot of hurt. Most people take this very seriously, and the expectation is that everyone else takes it seriously too. We cannot, and will not, be responsible for other people playing unfairly. We cannot be held responsible for mail going missing. We cannot make someone write to you. While we would love to say otherwise, we cannot make 100% of people play the game properly. What we can do - and what we have always done - is make every effort to resolve the situation by whatever means we feel are appropriate. In the past we have run a Black List, and we will run it again this time too. We've found this to be the fairest and most accountable way of minimising risk. We also run angels in extenuating circumstances.

4. A Black List? A Black List is our own list of people who have not played fairly. That list is public, and anyone can see it. After the November 29 deadline for sending, we will allow two weeks grace, and then a list will go up on the backtack site with all the names of outstanding packages. That list will probably be quite long to begin with, and will be edited down very quickly as we receive notification parcels have been received, or if we receive notification from both parties that alternative arrangements have been made and everyone is happy. This is our way of minimising risk, and if you're not happy with that outcome, please don't sign up. Simple.

5. I don't want to send internationally, is that ok? Sure it is, but hopefully most of you will want to play internationally. You can let us know on the sign-up form.

6. How do match-ups happen? We stick your details into an excel sheet and are as random as we can be.

7. You guys sound hard ass, why all the rules etc. Nah, we just have found that from past experience we need to be clear about the expectations. We're repeating ourselves here, but it's not fair to sign-up for a swap and have your partner not deliver, especially when you've done your part. We also want to keep it fair for everyone and as much as we love doing back-tack it does require our time, which is precious to us. Spending time sorting out squelchers is not fun, and often takes weeks to resolve.

8. Why can't I comment here on the blog. It's also easier for us to not need to monitor comments here. Say it to us directly via the email link in the right hand column, see over there.

9. Is the swap anonymous? No it's not. Get to know your partner, have a chat via email, take the time to look through their blog if they're not familiar to you. Ask them about themselves in the context of this swap. A list of 10 questions which can be fun and quirky and revealing is always a good ice breaker.

10. I expected to do a bag or a stuffed toy because that's what you did last time...what's all this Christmas stuff? We have never run two back-tacks the same, we never said we would, and we don't intend to in the future. The challenge for us is coming up with something new and interesting which will keep you guys interested. If this theme doesn't suit, perhaps the next one will. And we promise it won't be 2 years between back-tacks...

11. Finally, who is back-tack? back-tack is Alison and Nicole. We met via our blogs over 4 years ago and between us came up with back-tack as a way to share the creative love amongst like beings! And yes, we will be participating.

You still here? Good! We'll see you on the 30th

THE OFFICIAL BLACKLIST

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 08:25:00 +0000

Weellllll. Seems it's time to make the Outstanding List an official Blacklist. We think we've allowed more than enough time for correspondance, packages etc to be done, and that it is only fair on the people left behind that this now becomes official. Listed below are the names of the players who will be remaining on the Blacklist indefinately. This list will become a public list, and will sit over on the sidebar once this post is no longer the current post. We will be retaining this format of playing Backtack for every subsequent running, and the blacklist will be added to at the end of each play. Because it is public, it can be accessed by anyone running anything similar. We have made arrangements with the partners of these people to receive special care packages via Angels, and we'd like to thank those who came forward and offered their time to do this for them.

Blow northern wind...
Knitting Arrows
Knit & Play with Fire
sheep in the city

Do you have wings?

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 03:09:00 +0000

Aaah we're at the pointy bit peeps, seems we have a few squelchers, not a huge number, but a number (around 4 people). The list will be updated and published soon.

So we're fishing....if you're interested in being an angel to a BT3 participant who hasn't received something please send an email to backtack3ATgmailDOTcom with the word ANGEL in the subject line and we'll get back to you with some details.

Thanks in advance!

BT3 - Picture gallery update

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 05:10:00 +0000

Hi! I've just done an update to the picture gallery, here's a link to the images uploaded today.

BT3 - flickr gallery live

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 10:00:00 +0000

Pheewww! It's up. I did have grand plans to put everyone's blog address with their photo but I was running out of time and steam. So feel free to add your blog address in the comments section. We think there are still more pics to come so keep on sending them to backtack3ATgmailDOTcom and we'll do another upload later this week.

It looks fantastic! Thank you for playing and we hope you enjoyed yourselves. The LIST will continue to be updated and we'll post soon.

Keep your eyes peeled for future back-tack surprises.

flickr and poll

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 00:50:00 +0000

Howdy ya'll, Nicole here, I'm running a little behind with the flickr, bloody headache. I'll be working on it today, Sunday, in my part of the world.

The poll is closed and we have a winner, congrats to Pijije we'll be in contact soon. Thanks for voting!

Have a great weekend.

ready, steady, VOTE!

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 04:43:00 +0000

Ok you ready? It was difficult, we had a little negotiating, all friendly only a thumb wrestle involved. Alison is preggers, so thumb wrestling's about as energetic as we'll get at the moment! The criteria for our judging, well that would be telling, however it's all in good fun and not to be taken too seriously, we could go on and on justifying our choices. Saying that it was quite tricky coming up with just 5, there could have been a whole lot more and the 5 here are a great representation of backtack3 for various reasons as I'm sure you can see. So on to the voting...

The five you're voting on, in alphabetical order. Click on the link on each finalist to see their post and further pictures of their creation. We encourage you to read the posts and check out further pictures on the finalists blogs.

Ampersand Duck

Bara+Design

Pijije

Soozs

Wishing on Clovers

Voting will close Saturday 24 June, who knows which timezone, just get in quick and vote. Winner will be announced at the same time that the flickr gallery goes live.

What's up for grabs? Well lovely Hillary at Wee Wonderfuls has donated a copy of her bookLET and, yes, there's more, one of her darling softies, Harriet.

THE OUTSTANDING LIST

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Sun, 11 Jun 2006 14:40:00 +0000

This is the list you've all been dreading...and the one we hate to have to put up, but felt it was a necessary part of running backtack from now on.

I've spent the last few days going through blogs and cross checking emails and blogs, and then crossing names off lists. I know from reading your blogs that most of you have actually made something, and that there is a lot still travelling in the post and that some of you are late but have let your partners know. I wont cross your name off though till I know it has been received. So if your name appears below, please let me know when your parcel arrives safely, or if you have received a parcel, let us know for your partner. If I have somehow missed a blog entry or email stating receipt of goods, please also let us know (the trawling is being done very late at night by a very tired me so I know I'll have missed some people). The list will remain up indefinately - hopefully getting smaller and smaller as the next week or so goes by. Please - don't fret at this stage if your name appears below - a lot of people's names appear who I know have made and sent something and who we have received finished photos from. I will try and update the list as often as I can and set your minds at ease. At this point we are calling it an Outstanding List. It will be upgraded to Blacklist in the near future and we will make it absolutely clear on this blog when that list has become something more. This list is in no way a reflection of the people on it, and is not intended to be - it is our working list at the moment, and a way of flushing out potential problems early. We also like to think of it as a way of seeing all these parcels arriving all over the world - it's great to see the list shrink!!

There's a few of you who haven't blogged about bt3 at all, or have done very little blogging in the last month, and I'll follow those people up seperately and make sure everything is ok.

The following are the names of outstanding players as of 3rd July 2006:: THIS WEEK THIS LIST WILL BECOME A BLACK LIST. I WILL POST AGAIN AND REITERATE THIS LATER IN THE WEEK JUST BEFORE IT OFFICIALLY BECOMES A BLACKLIST. IT WILL THEN BE THE RESPONSABILITY OF THE PLAYERS LISTED TO PROOVE THEIR PARCEL HAS ARRIVED, OR THAT THEY HAVE MADE AN ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENT WHICH IS SUITABLE FOR THEIR PARTNER. THIS LIST WILL REMAIN ACTIVE INDEFINATELY.

Blow northern wind...
Knitting Arrows
Knit & Play with Fire
sheep in the city

THE POSTMEN ARE VERY BUSY

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 12:44:00 +0000

The 10th June is rapidly approaching, and I've been trawling through blogs in search of package arrivals. There's been a lot of posting about works in progress, some fantastic teaser shots, and shots of actual finished pieces, which have been so lovely to look at. We've really appreciated those people who have sent in finished photos, and urge the rest of you to do the same. I've crossed off any names of senders I have seen have arrived at their destination, and on the 11th June, I'll post the full list of those people who have yet to receive. So far the list is long, but we're hoping it gets smaller quickly as packages start arriving and you guys let us know they've arrived either via your blog, or via email to backtack3ATgmailDOTcom. There's a lot of very busy postmen out there at the moment!

We've been trawling through the blogs for another reason as well: A little while ago we said we had something special lined up. Well, we'd like to announce that something special to you all. After we started BT3, we decided it was the perfect theme to run a little competition through. So we've waited till now, so that everyone is on an even playing field and it's about what you've made for your partner and not about winning a competition, to announce this. On June 20th, we'll announce a shortlist of 5 softies which we think are great. They will be of Nicole and my choice, but it will be your votes on a poll here on this blog which will decide the winner. The poll will be up for 3 days, and we'll announce the winner on the 24th June via email, on this blog, and on both Nicole's blog, and my blog. You'll be able to see all the received entries on the flickr page when that has been uploaded - another good reason to get us your pictures!!

The winner will receive a generously donated copy of Hillary's Wee Wonderful booklet that she is having published, plus some other goodies we will put together for you.

We'd like to give something back to you guys for the support and enthusiasm you show for backtack and as a way of saying thankyou.

So, thankyou, and goodluck!!

YOU ALL SEWING??

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Sun, 14 May 2006 01:24:00 +0000

We're nearing the half way mark now, and we're really excited to be seeing works in progress, and even some finished pieces are being photographed and sent into us which is fantastic! Already there is so much variety and so many really stunning combinations of the themes we set. To show some of the variety, go have a look at this kitty, this sneek peek (ooooohhhhh, soft :) ), this selection of fabrics, another selection of fabrics, this cute little bunny, the start of something definately intriguing, this cutey pie (which I've seen the finished product of, and it's fabulous), another great fabric selection, a work in progress, and a very balanced view of fabrics, and a final teasing shot. These are by no means the only ones around, just a little selection.

And Nicole and I think we have a nice little surprise lined up for you all which we'll announce shortly when we've got some of the details worked out. Now isn't it time you got back to playing with fabrics and sewing stuff up! And if you've finished already, send your parcel off, take photos of it before you do though, and send us two images we can upload into flickr at the end.

Now excuse me, I have some eyes to work out.

backtack 3 blogroll is live

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 09:25:00 +0000

Go on check it out. I've had a blast putting them all together and looking at all your blogs.

MATCHUPS HAVE NOW GONE OUT

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 23:33:00 +0000

This is just a quick email to say that everyone who has signed up successfully will now have received their matchup emails. Nicole has literally worked through the night to send these out, so she deserves a massive pat on the back, flowers, chocolates, and good wishes for her effort.

Please check your addresses and tell us if something is wrong. We also strongly advise that you contact your person within the next few days and let them know you exist. Please also double check with them how they like their address to be written, particularly for those who live in outside the US - I know some of the addresses have loads of commas and full stops in them and it will always pay to get it right now rather than in 2 months time when your parcel has gone missing.....(which we sincerely hope doesn't happen).

We have people playing from all over the world - from Sweden to Japan, Australia to Portugal, and apparently the entire city of Portland in the USA is playing too. And there's many more inbetween and it's been wonderful to see where people are coming from, and the different blogs. We'll get the blogroll updated shortly as well so you can all peruse the players as they work.

I guess this means...

GAME ON!!!

SIGNUP UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:04:00 +0000

Nicole and I have been sifting through names and emails and addresses of everyone who signed up and wanted to update you all on progress.

We know you're all keen to know whether you got in, and I've answered a number of emails personally, but just can't answer all of them in the time we have had. If you did not make it in, I would have contacted you immediately to let you know. Anyone else who sent us an email as instructed made it in, so you can all breathe a sigh of relief!!

Nicole is very busy sending out matchups over the next day or two. Please understand this takes hours and hours of her time, and if you don't get it today, you may get it tomorrow. Please don't get anxious, we're moving through it as fast as we can.

We'll post again here to say that all matchups have been sent out so you know when it's officially done.

happy playing and we are so excited to see what you guys come up with!!

SIGN UPS ARE NOW CLOSED!

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 09:49:00 +0000

Well that was quick! We are completely blown away at how quick that was - 1 hour and 9 minutes!! We have now reached our 100 place capacity for backtack3 and would like to announce that sign ups are now officially closed. We will not accept anymore signups. We’re sorry if you missed out, but hope you enjoy seeing what gets created in the meantime, and maybe we’ll see you back here next year for backtack4! For those of you who have signed up, we will get matchups out by the 18th April, and happy playing!

AND WE HAVE LIFT OFF

noreply@blogger.com (back-tack) — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 09:44:00 +0000

Did we tickle your interest with our BT3 theme? We’re pretty keen about it, and can’t wait to see the results, and from the feedback we’ve got, you guys seem pretty thrilled as well. Guess you now want to sign up right? OK. Here’s what you need to do, and understand, before signing up.

Please read our Terms of Agreement Disclosure Statement which follows::

As we have made explicitly clear at the start of each backtack, your decision to sign up is your agreement and commitment with us, and your backtack partner that you will follow through with that commitment – you will email regularly, you will email thanks and notification, you will send a parcel within the dates already noted, and you will give as good as you expect to receive. We take this seriously, your partner takes it seriously, and so should you. We will ask again, that if anything is coming up during the play time that could affect your ability to follow through on your commitment – are you moving? Going away? Having a baby? Going through life issues? Know that you’re not good at emailing people? that you seriously consider whether this is right for you. This message isn’t getting through to a number of people, and for that reason we are adding some changes to how things are handled once you sign up.

First, this will no longer be anonymous. Your blog address will be sent to your partner with matchups. Second, if your parcel has not arrived with its recipient by 2 weeks after close of play we will publicly list on this blog your name/blog address until you contact your partner and come to an agreement, or a parcel is received and we are notified. We want you to be more accountable to the person you are sending to, and we think that is only fair. We do keep records of non-performers, and we do cross check that list with sign ups. We will also warn you that there is a move amongst organizers of these swaps across the blog world to have a central blacklist to try and curb some of the non-performance issues which inevitably occur with operations like this. We cannot make someone email someone else, we cannot make someone send something and we cannot find lost parcels in the post, so please think carefully before signing up, and if something comes up, let us know immediately so we can take action.

Now we have the heavy stuff out, let’s sign up!
Please send the following information to this address :: bt3.signup@gmail.com . Do not send it to any other address – we will only accept sign ups to this address. Please do not send general enquiries to this address either - we have an email address for that, and it is located in the sidebar.

1. Your full name for mailing purposes
2. Your full address for mailing purposes including your postcode and your country.
3. Your blog URL
4. A statement of whether you will, or will not, send internationally. If you don’t say, we’ll assume you’re happy sending international.

We will notifiy on this blog only when we have reached 100 places and sign ups will be officially closed. We will accept no more sign ups after that time. Good luck, and we’ll see you on the otherside!!