Mailing Squishies
Squishies are the soft envelopes that contain fabric or quilt blocks or other textile goodness. Newbies often ask about how to mail their lotto blocks. Here are some basics from me, along with some more detail info and tips from the lotto crowd, compiled in one place. (Feel free to add a comment to share your favorite tip).
I start with my blocks and envelopes. I use size #11 kraft envelopes. They are the largest size you can use for standard letter postage (if you can keep the envelope thin and light enough–which is my goal).
If I am mailing to multiple winners, I sort my blocks to make sure each winner will receive a nice variety of fabrics from me. I made 12 blocks last month, and will send 4 + 3 + 3 + 2 to our 4 winners.
Then I take one envelope and one block to figure out where I should fold the blocks.
Except I actually fold and press them with the wrong side out, because I think they are flatter that way.
Then, I stack them, flipping every other one, and spread them to fill the envelope.
Sometimes I add a card, like this one from a Museum Exhibit I attended earlier this year.
Or wrap the blocks in a sheet of printer paper, which you can use to write a quick note to the receiver of your blocks. The paper is good if you are using a lighter- weight envelope, I think, adding a little extra stiffness to help your squishie through the postal equipment.
Because we never know for certain that our squishies won’t end up in the path of a huricane or other bad weather, wrapping them in plastic is a pretty good idea, especially at this time of year.
Debbie (dzrunner) shared these photos–of her blocks wrapped in plastic and how she puts together her squishie–on her blog, Life Conduction.
She uses a return mailing label to label the blocks themselves and adds the winners name and mailing address inside plastic bag with the blocks incase the squishie has an unfortunate encounter along it’s path and doesn’t make the trip intact. Before this year, when all the lotto blocks were being mailed to me first, I have received lotto blocks in postal service “body bags,” so I know it can happen, so Debbie’s precautions are definitely a good idea (and I’ll probably start following them myself–thanks, Debbie.
Amanda (fatsewcat) emailed these photos to me of how she likes to mail her blocks. She can’t bear to fold them . . . so she uses a large plastic bag for the block.
Then slips in a piece of card stock to keep it stiff.
Adds a note and slides it all into a large envelope. It’s a treat to receive a nice big flat block like this, I’m sure.
I’ll be back to add the tips from our forum discussion of mailing blocks (last month) . . . but feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.