Interview with Bley of Bibliosophy Books

I just love Bley's style! Check out her sewing, quilting and other crafts at her blog and don't forget to say hi! And she sells her wonderful prints and handbound books at her shop.


SwapDex: Tell us a bit about you.

Bley: I'm 26, a stay-at-home mom to a newborn, and finishing my Masters degree. I have the best husband in the world, and we live in the Midwest. We have one dog, still a puppy, so it's pretty wild around our house right now! I do all kinds of art and crafts, but my favorites are bookbinding, knitting, sewing, and embroidering. I was an art major in college, but have found that my true love is in craft. I'm now exploring blurring the lines between art and craft in my work.

SD: How long have you been swapping? How did you first learn about swapping, and what made you decide to start? Do you remember your first one?

B: I've only been swapping about 6 months; I did my first swap through Ravelry and it was awesome, I was hooked! It took some courage for me to do my first swap, but once I got into it, I couldn't stop. The idea of crafting something handmade for someone else was so appealing to me; basically, that's why I love swapping. You get to be creative and come up with something you think your partner will like.

SD: What is your range of swapping? Do you stick to swaps hosted by people you know or are you likely to swap with anyone, anytime?

B: I like the swaps where the focus is mainly on the handcrafted item; all the extras are nice, but the handmade aspect is most important to me. So far I've done swaps through blogs and Ravelry, and they've all been great. I really like swaps through blogs, because you get exposed to great crafty people and their ideas.

SD: Do you swap with any organized groups like yahoo groups, flickr, groups on swap-bot, other message boards, etc? Why or why not?

B: I swap on Ravelry, but I haven't swapped through any other groups, mainly because I don't want to sign up for more accounts through all those sites!

SD: What's your favorite swap you've ever been in or hosted?

B: I think my favorite was a knitted purse swap through Ravelry where you knit a purse for your partner and then fill it with some goodies.

SD: What do you do to make your packages special?

B: I try to color coordinate a lot of times, or keep to a particular theme. I also try to wrap everything in a similar style, using recycled materials that I have around the house.

SD: Do you have a good story about hosting or participating in a swap?

B: I am always amazed by people's generosity, and their creativity! I have received beautiful packages from all my swaps, and the kindest notes from people. I have met so many lovely people and made good Internet friends!

SD: What do you think is the most challenging part of hosting a swap? Any advice for someone who is thinking about hosting a swap?

B: I think the challenging part for me was coming up with a meaningful swap, and setting the parameters and guidelines for it. The Cozy Domesticity is the first swap I've hosted, so we'll see how it goes!

SD: Any exciting plans for the near future? Swaps, projects, new products?

B: I plan to host more swaps in the future, and keep improving my blog. My projects and Etsy shop are a little on hold as I get adjusted to the new baby!