Round Robin: a paper pieced adventure

This is the final rotation of my quilting bee's Round Robin project. The characteristics requested by Jody for her quilt are: adventurous, vivid, and inquisitive. My block contribution is shown here with her original fabrics from the bag.

My sketches for an "adventure block" were representative of a compass. The ideal technique for preserving the points made by these acute angles is paper piecing. It's been a while since I designed a paper piece pattern, and it was quite the adventure to refresh my memory on the process (gotta think about reverse images for this technique).

At my computer, I launched my vector drawing program and began designing my 10" block by dividing the block into four quadrants. I had pulled several bright, vivid fabrics from my stash to use in the block, so I was not limited by the number of pieces in each mini-block quadrant. After three drafts of a design, I was satisfied with this version, and printed the four copies needed to compose the block (below left).

 

The adventure escalated while I was preparing the "fabric hunks" for the sewing process. Although paper piecing is ideal for fabric scraps and left-over bits because the fabric is stabilized by the paper foundation, I still pay attention to grain direction if at all possible—particularly on those pieces that are on the block's outside edges.

Pattern pieces were created for each segment and an arrow drawn to indicate the preferred grain direction (above right). I didn't realize until I began sewing the first quadrant, however, that the patterns needed to be created from a reverse image—or that I should have put the pattern on the wrong side of the fabric for cutting. [With a symmetrical block this is not an issue.] The solution was to retrace the lines on the other side of the printed pattern. With that done, the block assembly went as planned.

I think the quilt's character is well illustrated in my quilt block: vivid, inquisitive, and definitely adventurous. And it plays well the other blocks (above) in this collection. I hope she likes it!

Round Robin: a Doggie block

After a short hiatus, we're back on the Round Robin circuit. This time I have the "bright colors, girly-girl, dog" quilt. I'm right in there with the "dogs"—having two big fuzzy tail-waggers myself—but the "girly-girl" aspect is a stretch for me. Luckily, previous participants had introduced royal blue fabrics to the mix, so I followed suit with the addition of a fussy cut piece from a Catberry Tails fabric line by Debra Mason for Robert Kaufman.

The color palette for this quilt is a beautiful yellow and blue color scheme—very French country. I showcased three four-legged "princesses" (including a French poodle) by framing them with double borders. "C'est Ooo la la, n'est pas?"

Here are the other blocks in this assortment... with my 10" block contribution below. The half-square triangles were "bonus bits" from where the corner triangles were added to the block. I hope she likes it!

Round Robin: Pansies

Pansies are one of the earliest flowering plants, blooming right alongside the spring crocuses and other flowering bulbs. Many varieties of this delicate flower have coloring that make them appear to have a "face." The pansy fabric included in this Round Robin package was accompanied by blueviolet and forest green textured fabrics with a request for a "pretty, feminine, soothing" quilt. Two of us have added  rose-colored fabrics to this palette, which brings out the warm pinks and peaches of the flowers—very pretty and romantic.

The name "pansy" comes from the French word, pensie, meaning "thought" or "remembrance." I think the quilts made from our Round Robin Project, as well as messages in the accompanying Quilt Journals, will be a sweet and thoughtful remembrance of all the participants. We have a very special group.

Round Robin: an ocean vacation

On this rotation of the Round Robin Project, I have the "vacations, oceans, relaxation" quilt. The fabrics are perfect for this theme—cool and soothing with a seashell print. My contribution is the 10" square (bottom left). I call it the "Seashell on the Beach" block. The burnt orange fabric (the complementary color to turquoise) provides a little punch to the color palette and plays nicely with the red and yellow accents in the woven braid strips.

The woven braids and the paper-pieced sailboats are from other group members. Everyone is doing a great job and I'm having a blast with this project. It's a creative quilting challenge every month!

A Round Robin Quilt Project

I belong to a small, close-knit and supportive group of women who enjoy quiltmaking. I guess you could call it a "bee," though I've never belonged to a bee, only to guilds. Several of the members were intrigued by a randomly-set quilt I made with a combination of contemporary and vintage quilt blocks of various sizes. "How did you sew these blocks together?" "How did you lay that out?" "I wouldn't know where to start," were some of the questions and comments.
    There's nothing like going through a process oneself to gain experience,  so...

Through a brain-storming session, we conceived and decided to work on a Round Robin project. Each person picked 3 fabrics, chose 3 words or phrases that described the "personality" of the quilt they wanted to make, and randomly drew a size for a quilt block they would make for each person. We can also add fabrics from our own stash when needed. To make it more interesting—and personal—I designed Quilt Journals for each member. The journals travel with the fabrics and each person writes in the journal during the time they are making a block.

The group meets monthly and the first month's results were delightful. Everyone was so thoughtful and creative with their choice of block designs and fabrics. We are on the second round and here is my 10" pomegranate basket block for Sandy's "traditional, Christmas, and holiday" quilt. The smaller blocks were Pat's contribution to Sandy's quilt. I saw the block that Camille made for my quilt and I love it! I can't wait to see this month's blocks at our next group meeting. It can't come fast enough.