How to run a quilters row by row or a round robinWritten by Michelle Steel
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After all, owner will have to live with finished quilt. Sometimes it ’s a good idea to include some ‘theme’ fabric for all friends to use to provide some continuity in quilt. Sometimes, all of fabric is included so that there is complete control over finished colour scheme. However, you may like a more serendipitous approach and leave colours to your friend’s good taste. In these quilts, you may decide to make same row, or border for every ones quilt so that you end up with six quilts that are all alike, except for colours. You may like to leave design concepts to each individual so that you get six completely different quilts at end. Other concepts to consider include how many borders to add in one go. Maybe for a lopsided or arty effect 4 borders in a round robin can be optional. There are other ways to make a group quilt like this. You can start with an appliqué rather than a block, and simply continue to add to appliqué. This method works well with a theme, such as underwater scene, tree of memories, rainforest etc. You can alternate methods for each border. Border 1 needs to have piecing. Border 2 needs to have stars and hearts. Border 3 should contain green. Again, variations are endless. Another way to work on a quilt top is to make a certain amount of surface area in various sized blocks. Each person makes a certain amount of blocks and hands them onto owner. That way, finished quilt can be put together by owner and a Scrappier look is acquired.Remember to set rules, make sure everyone agrees and understands and them have FUN!
Michelle Steel produces instructional Cd-roms and DVDs for Patchwork Interactive. www.patchworkinteractive.com.au
| | How to run a quilt swapWritten by Michelle Steel
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Variations on a block swap. Have same block every month but change colour scheme. Change fabric every month to relate to a social calendar ie, Christmas fabric for December, hearts for February. Give each person choice of block that they would like, and give them their blocks on their birthday. Choose a theme for blocks such as hearts, stars etc. Are you swapping fabrics? Decide on what size fabric should be. Fat quarters are nice, but you may want to take into account peoples finances. Choose a colour scheme for swap. Often it’s hard to find a particular colour, so if everyone in swap provides 8 FQ’s of one yellow fabric, and there are 8 people in swap, everyone should end up with 8 different yellow fabrics. An excellent way to increase those bare spots in stash. Rules for this sort of swap need to specify quality of fabric, to pre-wash or not, and believe it or not, some people are allergic to cat hair and cigarette smoke and we all know that these permeate fabrics. Are you swapping Charm Squares? This is a great way to get lots of fabrics for those quilts that just need scraps. Decide how many different fabrics should be in each pack. Then you provide one pack for each participant. If there are twenty 10" squares per pack, and 10 people in swap, each person will end up with 200 different fabrics. Excellent. Rules for this swap are similar to fabric swaps. You’ll need to be exact with cutting measurements, just in case people want to sew squares together as is. A good way to use up fabrics in your stash that you may not wish to keep anymore. Other things that you can swap include buttons, signature squares, or hand made items such as pincushions, Christmas ornaments and place mats. The variations on a swap are endless. Just be prepared to join in, accept what you receive in spirit it is sent and you’ll have loads of fun, and make new friends too.
Manager - Patchwork Interactive www.patchworkinteractive.com.au
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