Asleep at the Wheel with my Round Robin

(I cannot believe that I never blogged about this piece that was finished last December.  I fear it got lost in the Christmas rush...) In August 2011 my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild began a Round Robin, based on an center block of applique, something we learned at the July 2011 meeting.

My 8" square applique block involved this small series of circles on an oldd gold background.

Round Two was rectangles, and Rachel added her lovely neutrals.

Round Three was diamonds.  Sarah S searched through her stash and found these lovely fabrics that read "oriental" and added the diamonds.

Round Four was curves, something that ofen strikes terror.  Holly added these gentle curves in more neutrals, really keeping the eye the the center block.Round Five, the final round, was triangles, and Sue R, whose brainchild this Round Robin was, did triangles, using her signature black and white fabrics while keeping the integrity of this piece.

Then it was back to me to quilt it.  Sarah S passed along some of her fabrics, and I used some of them to create a bottom horizontal border.  The quilting just emphasizes the lines of the various rounds.  It is 21" x 24".

I love this piece.  And I love the thought that each quilter put into her round.  The design is something I would have never chosen, but I do love it and am proud to have such a lovely collaborative work in my studio.  Sue also created a little booklet to go with each quilt so that each contributor could write what she was thinking as she worked on her round.


The first Modern Quilt Guild conference is in Austin, TX, in February 2013.  I am submitting this piece for the category of collaborate quilts.  I wonder how it will be received...

Round Robin - Before and After

A Round Robin is a quilting exchange where quilters add a round to another quilter's piece. Here is the current Chicago Modern Quilt Guild Round Robin, organized by our lovely Sue. We started with 8" blocks that featured applique. This is Rachel's original block, a lovely rainbow cupcake. The theme of Round Two was rectangles. Holly took Rachel's cupcake and added this perfect border fabric, but only after she added whipped cream and sprinkles to Rachel's cupcake. This was how the block looked with I got it.






The theme of Round Three was diamonds, and this is what I did to Rachel's cupcake. Diamonds are tricky, and I'm relying on the colors of these diamonds to complement and not overwhelm the cupcake.

I like playing with my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild friends!

Round Robin - It's Actually Fun!

The first time I heard of a "round robin," I wasn't at all intrigued.  In fact, I remember thinking, "I don't ever want to do this." 

A round robin is a quilt that is done in stages by several quilters.  Each quilter puts on a different round.  This piece above belongs to Sue Ryan, former Chicago Modern Quilt Guild treasurer and current programming committee member.  Sue is a free spirit.  This is the second time I've worked on something for Sue, and both have been liberating experiences.

This round robin came after the CMGQ devoted its June meeting to applique techniques.  Those who wanted to participate in the round robin brought in a 8" block featuring applique to the July meeting.  Round One, due at the August 21 meeting, is rectangles.  I used rectangles from my black and white collection, especially perfect since Sue incorporates black-and-white prints into all of her quilts. 

Rachel has my applique block, gave me a sneak peak, and I love what she's done with it. 

http://sidetrackedrandomness.blogspot.com/

I'm really very excited to see all of our blocks with Round 1 completed and hear what the assignment is for Round 2 and what new block I get.  So why is this fun now?  I think the Round Robin project I saw had too many rules and too many constraints, too many matchy-matchy fabrics.  Or maybe I'm just a better team player now.  At any rate, this is fun!