Virtual Retreat Aug thru Dec 2015 Info on first post

[wendy w.]

Good luck Cathy hope you got a ribbon

[E.M. T.]

I know..haven't been good about writing this summer....not too much sewing getting done. But I have been following along
and enjoying everyone's efforts. I am always wowed by the wonders you all create. And then all the family stuff..good...new
additions and sad..the losses ! And new undertakings !! Old friends showing up !! And some I still sorely miss....they no longer
can find time for TQS forum. Well....enough of that talk...here's my new "baby" !

1915 #15 with Tiffany/Gingerbread decals. She sews..needs cleaning and a few
other little things. I'll remove the motor and add a hand crank. Originally a treadle
that had been turned electric I'm pretty sure. Purchased on Ebay...had not found one
locally. Shipping was OK, tho' I held my breath the whole time !!

[Nancy R.]

She's beautiful, Marilyn!!

[Nancy R.]

Rosemary, I like the little red pieced squares scattered in the large white border of your quilt.

Heather, a friend said she used thick paper templates to quilt around, but then I tried the freezer paper and really prefer that. I make multiple shapes the same size and iron them down in a row and then I can just keep sewing along without repositioning a single paper template.

Kathy

[E.M. T.]

Oh bother ! lost that post !! Ok ! About my experience with a Round Robin...here are some pics !
Blind exchange from start to end. Blocks drawn randomly...the rows were passed every other month,
no excuses !No Peeking ! We could add special fabrics/color preferences but nothing that would give
away the owners' ID. 6 in. finished blocks to be set 6x7...some added sashing ..others none. We never
knew whose quilt we where working on. It all went beautifully and some got finished and shown in 2009
These pics were taken at the big reveal at one group member's cabin..not the best light and breezy...in
summer 2008. It was great fun ! :woohoo: My finished one is in the middle some how :silly:

[ANNE E.]

Marilyn, That is a thing of beauty.
I'm sure you will enjoy using it.
Anne

[E.M. T.]

Rosemary and others interested in the Round Robin,

My biggest concern is the postage! I've been doing a lot of pondering on ways to make this fun, but not expensive.
I mailed out a package of about 1 1/2 yards of fabric to Australia and it cost me over $16.00, no insurance added! So, I want to be sure this doesn't get like that!
Here's an idea I'd like some feed back on:
It would be a "row robin"
Monthly we each make one 'themed' row, 8 1/2" by 40 1/2", this gets sent to the next person on our individual list (something I will put together)
We use our own stash but the theme of our friend to make the row.
This way monthly postage would only be for a single row of the quilt, and the entire quilt would be assembled by ourselves.
It would look something like this:
My theme would be dragonflies and each month that my name was on Someone's list they would make a border with dragonflies as the theme. And send it to me.
My list would look like this:
Month 1. Lotti - nature animals
Month 2. Rosemary - oriental
Month 3. Lois - appliqué, please no oranges.
Etc, etc.
I think this would be fun and would keep costs down.

As you may have noticed in the theme idea, it can be technique or a focus word. Much like the Chinese Whispers. Each person could post a picture of what they received and as we finish adding the rows what they look like. Lots of eye candy at that point.

Before I start the other thread I want to know also WHEN everyone wants this to start by, or not beforehand!!
Please let me know,
Thanks
Luann

So...I'd love to do this !....I would like to suggest that we use six or seven- 6 inch finished blocks...so as to have more "exchange" as
larger blocks won't allow many rows without get too long and unbalanced. Of course...that depends on how many want to play !!
My quilt was 47' x 52 " , no sashing. Lap size or sofa...
I think after the holidays gives all a chance too get geared up finished up etc !! :P

[E.M. T.]

I think the row or block size will need to be determined once we have an idea of how many are interested in participating.
With that being said,

What approximate size would everyone like these to finish out to?
I can do some design work in EQ and we could have different sized blocks that would fit together when they are all complete. That might make it even more interesting,,, just a thought.

Luann

[E.M. T.]

That sounds good, Luann...variety of sizes might be fun....I'd like to keep the size on the smaller side...as I can't display a big
quilt ..no big "hanging" place (60' sq. is about as big as I can go) and really don't have need for another bed quilt...we only have 1 !! :blink:
I will wait and see how you develop it !

[E.M. T.]

Yes, after the holiday sounds best to me.
I was thinking 48 x 60 as both those numbers divide equally into 6 inch blocks ( or twice x 3 inch blocks.)
Would we have a theme for our quilt and people would try to keep to that theme?

Marilyn - how did you begin? Did everyone first do one row for themselves and the pass it along to be added to?

What about each month (or other period of time) as Luann suggested, someone from the group chooses the block or theme and we each make a row onto our own quilt but must follow that choice. I think I maybe like a theme could be picked such as 'flowers' and we have to do a row with our version of flowers. Next, someone might add ' log cabin., or Christmas, or stars or house., birds, churn dash etc.
Is this what you meant, Luann?

[E.M. T.]

That would be a good size for me, Terrie And you guessed right...we did start by drawing a block and making the first row.
Then they went into a brown bag along with any requests /special fabric and passed on. As you can see, we did pretty
good"following suit". I could make a row quilt any ol' time but part of the fun here is sewing for and receiving from someone else.
That's what made the other exchanges so fun. We could declare a theme...so all would love their quilt....all flowers, all cats, all
dogs or color.....

[Jennifer D.]

Luann I like your idea of shipping strips or blocks to each person to cut down on postage. The way I read your idea was that everyone would pick a theme...each month you would be assigned a new person to create for and size of block/strip. This would then be sent directly to the receiving person. This would allow each quilt to be unique and for everyone to get a new creative challenge for the month.

For example if Rosemary chose flowers and I was assigned her name I would create a flower block or row to a certain size and send it to her. The next month you might have her name and you would then create your own flower block/row and send it. Meanwhile I would be creating an animal block for Lottie and so forth.

I picture it with a general quilt layout (perhaps made by EQ) that has so many rows/blocks. Each month a row or block or two is assigned much like a block of the month. January we make two 6 inch blocks, February we make one 6 inch by 40 inch strip, etc. This way everyone makes the same "shape" but the content is specific to the person or people we were assigned for the month

Or am I completely wrong and we are planning something else :whistle:

[Jennifer D.]

Jdeluka,

Correcto Mundo!! I think that's what Dora the Explorer said. Gotta love those kid shows,,

I really want to 'exchange' with everyone, as I'm wanting something tangible and viewable. I am planning on having a
"Great Wall of Friendship" in my house.

I think if each person writes a description of what they would like their quilt to look like we would be able to refer to that when making their block. I can email those notes with the physical addresses and the method of rotating thru the names with the first month's "size" info.

I'm thinking about the fact that not everyone is as accurate as the next and how to adjust for this. Also that we use inches in the USA and those living else where use metric measurements. To accommodate this, we each will sash out our pieces received with our own fabric to bring them to a proper fit. Wendy's comment about her first strip rec'd being 'short' made me think about this.
So, if a person has said they would like: spring time, floral, loves green, hates bright orange, thinks appliqué is terrific but never does any, she may decide to sash her pieces all out with the same green.

I'm also going to try to come up with at least two alternate layouts.

Luann

[wendy w.]

I think inches are pretty universal in quilting Luann. I just added some extra squares on and if that didn't work I'd have redone a couple of seams.

[wendy w.]

Here in Canada we have almost everything in Metric, but most quilting is in inches.