Stolen from the archives by Miz Sairy:
What's a HUG?

I've been on long enough, folks (although NOT since the earth cooled, as
some might think :-) ) to jump in here. Until recently, I thought I'd
received the very first HUG-quilt (which is indeed ENORMOUS, and
breathtakingly beautiful, and the source of a number of really close
friendships). I wasn't, turns out. I was the recipient of the first
quilt CALLED a "HUG", and the name stuck, somehow (well, it FITS!).

Magic Mike received the first quilt of the genre, and that's fitting,
too. Mike has been under the weather of late (noticed the question
about how he and Dave are doing tonight), but he's one of the true
GIVE-ers or the Universe. And it's a lovely thing, that Mike received
the first HUG-quilt.

Now. Although HUG-quilts are USUALLY because someone's having a hard
time of it, one way or another (and each HUG is different, and for
different reasons) (and after all, that's when HUGs are perhaps most
important), there have been some just-for-fun ones, too.

And as I recall, first came Magic Mike's HUG (not called that, but the
same principle) -- folks got together and made blocks (more often than
not, we sorta do this "behind people's backs"), and gave Mike a quilt --
in his case (I don't think he was ill, then, but I'd not got here,
then), mostly to show just how much he was loved and appreciated.

Mine was next.

And then, one of our favorite people, Ruth Evans (others will have the
links to this one -- I'm not the link-meister), who was one of
everyone's favorites (and one of the really quiet ones -- she mostly
hosted swaps, and didn't join in on the ng banter, although many, many
of us corresponded with her, privately) posted that she had cancer.
And we got together and made blocks for a HUG-quilt for Ruth,
for her to take to chemo with her, and the like. This one wasn't a
secret. We ASKED what colors she liked (hunter green, burgundy, and
navy). And so many blocks poured in that there were simply too many for
one quilt. The "Atlanta Bunch" (where the heck have Jean and Cher and
the rest of that bunch been, lately, come to think of it?) assembled the
blocks, into just a beautiful, beautiful quilt top.
BUT. Before we even reached the deadline for submitting the
blocks,Ruth Evans died. She was terribly young. She was a teacher, and
she was a delight.
We finished the quilt (Ruth's Quilt I (RQI)which has been given
to her family), and finished the second quilt (RQ2), which we raffled on
this newsgroup, and made over $3500 to donate to the charity Ruth barely
had time to designate before she died (proceeds from RQ2 go to teachers
for advanced education in Caldwell, Idaho).

Since then, there have been many HUGs. Some are complete quilts. Some
are blocks for quilts. Some are very public (the James Byrd
Reconciliation Quilt was one of those, as was the Columbine Quilt; both
have links you can find). Some are very private.

And so. What is a HUG?

A HUG is bits of fabric put together with love and understanding -- and
sometimes, a serious case of stitching-out-the-pain, for some of us who
cannot BE there to administer the real, personal HUGs. A HUG is one way
(sometimes the only way we have, in this chunk of cyber-space, this big
quilting bee many of us have depended on in ways we can never fully
explain) to put our arms around someone (and each other); to reach out
and say "I wish I could be there with/for you, in person, but I can't,
and this will just have to do, at least for now."
A HUG wraps the absolute Caring that goes on in this newsgroup
into a tangible package for someone to touch, and feel, and cuddle down
into when times are tough. Sometimes, a HUG is all we have, when words
aren't enough.
Now, don't think for an instant that HUGs are ALL sadness and
tragedy. Not by a long shot, they aren't. There's almost always a lot
of LAUGHTER stitched into each HUG, and a lot of shared good-times.
Lots of puns get worked into many of the HUG-blocks, and lots of the
things we've just LEARNED about each other, from time to time. Lots of
rainbows and butterfly wings and sunshine and flowers and just
downright-silly-giggles, too.
There is an astonishing amount of POWER in a HUG, folks.
Lightning and thunder and some really sharp edges and planes. Anger,
sometimes, in a HUG. A good, clean kind of anger.
A HUG is for Friendship and Family. A HUG helps with fear and
pain. A HUG is for Laughter and good times and spinning around the room
in a happy-dance.
A HUG is all the things quilters do, for all the reasons they do
the things they do. But because mostly, quilters do what they do
because they CARE so very deeply, and simply understand the perfect
beauty of a HUG, the quilters here on RCTQ just HUG, from time to time.

Happy Trails, and many HUGs,
Sairey



--
Queen of FAQs
Royal Peace Maker
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...
What is a Squishie?
"Rules of the Game"

Squishie protocol differs. "Squishie" is generic, of course. Anything
that squishes in your mailbox
(fabric-wise--we won't discuss vandals or kids with too much time on their
hands) is a squishie. If you're
involved in a swap ('you send me... and I'll send you...'), or you lose a
bet, then of course the timeline on
returns is worked out from the git-go. If, however, you're being squished
as a 'welcome friend!/no reason
at all' gesture, the "rules" are a bit grayer. I'd be willing to bet that
the sender isn't really expecting a return
squish. *However*, the general mood of these squishies is "pass it on".
When you get a chance to
welcome someone else, or you see a piece that reminds you of someone on
RCTQ, send your own 'no
reason' squishie. It all manages to come back to you, in one form or
another. One thing seems to be
agreed-upon, however: PLEASE acknowledge the receipt of your squishie, and
do so privately (through
e-mail, not through this newsgroup). Whether you've received the fabric as
a result of a swap, or as a
surprise gift, the sender needs to know you've received it (but *only* the
sender--no one else is
interested). These same guidelines apply to sending squishies: if you wish
to alert people to be on a
lookout for some fabric, do so privately through e-mail. Sometimes it
happens that the only way you can
contact someone is through RCTQ. In that case, please refer to first names
or e-mail addresses only.
Many people have no wish to have their last names known or made public
on/through the newsgroup.

And now, in the words of others:

A squishie is a package of quilt fabric sent to another quilter. These
can be pre-planned, like in the fat
quarter exchanges (a FQ is 18" x 22"), or spontaneous gifts to cheer
someone, congratulate them, or for
no reason at all.
by Singer
~~~~~~~~~~
The sort of envelope where you look at the return address and then
just sort of squeeze it in between
your fingers, knowing that you'll have something fabric-wise to fondle at
work!
by Mary Beth
~~~~~~~~~~
Squishies are those wonderful packages you receive in the mail when you
are
a participant in an exchange
of fabric or quilt blocks. They usually don't arrive as a typically flat
piece of mail - but lumpy, soft,
squeezable, squishie! It's like a special gift that you can't wait to
open!

by Pam
~~~~~~~~~~
A squishie is something that one quilter sends to another quilter, for no
reason at all, or to brighten the
day, or... without thought of being paid back. It is a gift. It is fabric,
sometimes a fat quarter or two, or
some leftover pieces that you "know" so and so will just love these. It is
done because it pleases the
sender to send it.
by MaryAnne
~~~~~~~~~~
Squishies - the things that make a trip to the letterbox worthwhile
(envelopes from far off places that
contain cloth wrapped in plastic, and sometimes contain other interesting
snippets, and always come with
and cause great feelings of goodwill) and that drive the children nuts -
"ALL the mail was for you
AGAIN, Mum."
by Vivien in Auckland, New Zealand
~~~~~~~~~~
Squishies are absolutly free-form! You can send fat quarters or fat
eighths, or charm squares (6x6 or 5x5
are the most common), or strips, or scraps. A squishy is a welcome thing
indeed! It's an envelope
containing fabric that turns up in your mailbox because some nice person
wants to make sure you're
sticking to a high-fiber diet.
by (Nann, Official Librarian of R.C.T.Q.)

Leslie in Missouri wrote:

I owe squishies to a few people

Okay. Here's where our ng terminology gets us into trouble.

You do not OWE squishies. Nope. Squishies are a gift from the heart
and are not intended nor expected to be reciprocated. (Have you read
Ms. Sarah's most excellent description of a squishie???) Leslie NOT
making any more trades; but still enjoying sending
squishies..... and stabbies and Furbabies in MO.



--
Queen of FAQs
Royal Peace Maker
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...
Welcome to RCTQ, a usenet discussion group of
quilters. We want to read all about your quilting activites, and
welcome questions. We may even come up with some helpful answers!
But we do have a few requests, to keep this NG moving along. We
ask that you do not post pictures here, but we love to click on links to
see
your quilts
elsewhere. Please, no advertising .rec.crafts.textiles.marketplace is
the
appropriate place for ads.

Do your best to remember to put OT in the
subject line of off topic posts. Try to remember to trim the original
post
to the most relevant bits. Change the subject header if the thread
changes
its topic from the original This is a short overview of the ettiquette
of
this group, for a more detailed version please go to:
http://scican2.scican.net/haxton/RCTQ/FAQ/index.htm




What is a Hug, and how do I contribute?
Hugs are quilts made by this group to help someone through a life
altering
event, and let them know how much we care. Karen, Queen of Squishies,
maintains a Hug list. When a Hug quilt is needed someone will contact
Karen,
and she in turn sends an email to
everyone on the Hug List with instructions and color preferences, date
due,
and the reason for the Hug. Its always your choice to participate or
not.
Hugs can be made without going through Karen and the list as well.
Anyone
is
welcome to start a Hug,
when they feel the need is enough. A very touching explanation of Hugs
will
follow in post in this thread.

What is a Squishie?
A squishie is an envelope that comes to you, thats slightly fat and
squishie. It can be a bit of fabric someone knows you'll love, or a
birthday
surprise, the main thing is that when a squishie comes in the mail it
makes
you feel like smiling. The same thing happens when you send them out,
oddly
enough! When thanking someone for a squishie please try to contact them
privately, off the list. If you arent able to most of us don't mind
sharing
in the joy of a public thank you. A follow up post with a more eloquent
explanation will follow this post.



What is a Thunkie?
Its similar to a squishie but it can thunk instead of squish and hold
interesting things related to quilting, like chocolate or special things
we
quilters find indespensible for quilting.




Diana
--
Queen of FAQs
Royal Peace Maker
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44