Round Robin #10 Cardinals
 

Group 3 - "Cardinals"
Lestrong601
SazuBMidlands
DragonflyNana
Alikat110
Nexxus831 (Leader)

Round Robin #10
This round robin is meant to be a fun, social and learning experience. There is no skill level requirement, only to do the best work that you can. You should not feel that every round has to be a very complex design…sometimes the quilt will just need something very simple added at that particular point. If you have concerns about what to add at any point, feel free to ask for help from others in your group, the host of the RR, other sewing friends, or even the owner of the center. Remember…this is FUN!

Center should be any size between 12 "- 24 "finished, dividable by 3. (Be sure to add ½” for seam allowance!) The center may be square or rectangular. (The center block, all borders, cornerstones, or whatever should be carefully squared each step of the project.). The size of your center will determine the finished size of your quilt.
Borders will be 3 1/2" - 9 1/2" dividable by 3's again. (The center block, all borders, cornerstones, or whatever should be carefully squared each step of the project.)
Option - in lieu of any one of the first 2 rounds, the block may be turned on point, if appropriate. Triangles are then added to each side of the "diamond" to make it into a square again. Appliqué or embellish the corners.
• The bigger you make it the more the people adding rounds will have to do.
• Fabric: 100% cotton, washed. Please do not use any scented spray or item near fabric. Some of our members have allergies to scents, animals, smoke, etc.
• Include a label that each person may sign and a journal if desired. . Please use a Black Pigma pen or some type of black permanent fabric marker. You might want to leave enough room for everyone to list their name along with their board name, their city, state, country, and the date.

• Be sure to include instructions in your journal so the others know what you envision as a finished project. What will the finished project be used for: tablecloth, wall hanging, or lap quilt? Will your quilt have a season theme or color scheme?
• Each round should be worked. This means, a border needs to be more than just a single strip of fabric added. Examples of borders: add something in the corners, add several rows of borders, piece borders, appliqué borders, paper piece borders, hand embroider on borders, etc.. You can add an appliqué to a previous border, but you must add to that border.
This is a learning experience. Try new things!
• The owner is free to alter, add, adjust or do anything they want with the quilt.
We will be posting pictures with each round, unless you specify that you do not want to see your quilt until it is finished. For most of us…we just can’t wait.
Please stay on target for the mailing dates. You will have 2 months between mailings. If something happens that will cause you to be late mailing, please email the person who you will be mailing to and the leader of the group.

Graciously accept your finished quilt
Sometimes the final quilt owner will want to add more embellishments or add an additional border, but everyone who worked on your quilt used their best abilities. After the RR has closed, of course it is your quilt to do whatever you choose. We will all look forward to seeing the quilted final product! Please do not post pictures that show alterations or changes in someone else’s work though. Please be conscious of others feelings. If this isn’t acceptable to you, please DO NOT play.

Tips and Lessons Learned:
1. Print off the rules, mailing dates, your group mailing list.
You will be referring back to it.
2 Don’t panic…hang the top for a few days and let it speak to you. They tend to “tell you what they need next”.
3. If you are trying something new….do it on the separate border, do NOT sew it to the quilt until you are sure it worked.
4. Please DO NOT let tops pile up on you. If you need help, ask…there are others who can and will step in to help you through a time crunch bind. We can work it out.
5. Please handle the quilts carefully. We all drag them around to show them off to friends, guild members, LQS, etc. but when doing so, we can stretch the borders so the finished quilt doesn’t lie flat. Please make sure it does lie flat prior to mailing it on to the next person.
6. If for ANY reason, you feel the need to resign from doing this at ANY point in the "game", PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me know! It's not fair to the others for someone to just pull out, not tell anyone and keep what is not theirs.
7. No public criticism. If you are having a problem with something, please notify your leader.

Mailing dates:
Oct. 1, 2013
Dec. 1, 2013
Feb. 1, 2014
April 1, 2014
June 1, 2014


You will always send to the same person. Have fun.

Hi Ladies, I am super excited for the RR. Just so you know Lestrong601 is my mother. I know Paula, my mom and myself. SazuBMidlands and Alikat110 I can't wait to learn more about you. If everyone could tell a little about yourself that would be awesome. Let me see, I am 42, wife, mother to 3 adopted children and stay at home. I didn't start quilting until a few years ago before that I wouldn't ever touch a sewing machine. Then I had a local friend who encouraged me to take a quilting class and I haven't looked back since. My mother has a long arm and been quilting for all my life, you can imagine how excited and shocked she was when I texted her a picture of the mini quilt I made. My mother and I try to get together and quilt as often as we can. I am excited to join this round robin and now the task to find a design for my center block. I have it narrowed down to two different patterns but have no idea on a color scheme. Maybe you ladies could help me with that. This is the first one http://www.quilterscache.com/T/TilePuzzleBlock.html and this is the second one http://www.quilterscache.com/M/MarysOwnBlock.html . What do you ladies think? I need help...ahhhhhh

Oh and also I need to know if you guys want to post pictures or not. I would like to post after each border but I will go with what the group wants.

Hi Nexxus831 and Lestrong601 - these new gals are in for a treat working with us three!
Hello to SuzaBMidlands and Alikat110 I hope you are as excited as we are to begin this adventure.

I am 51 and still work full time. My DH and have two children - my 30 year old son who blessed us with our grandson 8 years ago and his 25 year old daughter who is a newlywed. I will be working on a quilt to celebrate her recent marriage and hope to have in finished in time for Christmas
I have been sewing all my life but taught myself to quilt (thank you internet) in 2007 when for the first time in my life I was unemployed in a very small and remote town. Fortunately it did not last long (we moved) but by then I was hooked on quilting. I found this board about 3 years ago and haven't looked back. This is my "guild" and I love it.
I participated in the Doll Quilt Swap for 2 years and then was asked to join a Round Robin. That first one was so much fun that I started a RR of my own with 5 other board members which was scheduled to be done next late next year but we are so far ahead that we my be done by January. LOL
They goaded me into this one and I am looking forward to getting to know each of you better as we share stories and fabric.

forgot to say that I love to see pictures after each round.

Hi ladies.....very happy to be in the Cardinals with you all. Wish my mom was a quilter.:'(:'(:'(

I am 30 (14 times). I am a Registered Nurse and work as a Nurse Director of an Orthopedic/Plastics/ENT Unit. I am married to Marc and we have 3 great kids together. Ethan is almost 16, Sarah is 11, & Matthew is 8. They are my pride and joy. (Ever wonder how children born and raised in the same house/family can have such radically different personalities?) I learned to sew starting at age 5 and learned quilting from my g Granny. After a rather lengthy hiatus in my early tweenties, my little sister and I took a quilting class togther and I haven't stopped. Now, all of my sisters, my mother, & I get together 2 times a year for a crafty weekend. It is always a blast!

I like the idea of posting pics after each round and am hoping to get a rather large quilt out of this...

Nexxus, I really like your choices for center. The tile puzzle block is interesting, but only uses 3 colors. The other gives you a chance to introduce a lot of color. Not sure I can help with color scheme. What or who is the quilt for ( even if "just because you can") should help dictate that. Can't wait to see what you come up with. I am posting my fabric selection here.....will do center this weekend (I hope).

Lestrong, if we are always mailing to the same person, this means you get the brunt of postal fees as you are always mailing overseas. I don't want to be presumptuous, but would be happy to offset some of this cost for you.

Ooooops! Just started getting to know you guys and find myself repeating my self. I tease my mom about repeating stories because she is old and forgets what she has already told me. Hehehe!!!

alikat - some might not have seen your post in the other thread so doesn't really count as repeating yourself.

I am with you on helping with the mailing cost if Lestrong or SuzaBmidlands would like some help.
Suza - do you use Euros in the UK?

Question for the group - would you be willing to do a mostly purple quilt for me on this RR?

The lady who works next door to me is such a sweetie - she has previewed all the things I have made for the swaps on this board, loving every one, and always wants to know all about the swaps and how they each work.

I would love to make a quilt for her and think this would be the perfect way to do it. She would feel like she was part of the group too as she will see everything I do before it ships.

Dragonfly, I love the idea of purple.....I'm in!!!

Paula (dragonfly) I am all for doing a purple quilt and am sure mom is up for it also. I have lots of good purple fabrics too

Thanks ladies. It will tickle her to the max and I promise to share pics of when I give it to her.

Hi All :-)
I'm Sarah, I like in Birmingham in England. I'm 31, and am getting married to my wonderful fiance, Graeme, at the end of September. I'll probably be posting my centre out right before my wedding. We'll then be going on honeymoon to New England for 3 weeks (we have a lodger who will still be here though - so don't worry about any centres arriving!). I work full time (which cuts into my sewing time!), and he's working on his PhD, and does some freelance tech work occasionally too. No kids yet, but we'll see what happens after the wedding ;-)

I was inspired to start quilting after a trip to Canada with my parents in 2004, where we happened to see a double wedding ring design in Nova Scotian tartan, which was gorgeous. I tried experimenting myself for a bit, and then in 2007 did a beginners sampler course. I've been in several round robins on this board before, and love them :-) and have also made a few quilts on my own. Still haven't managed to make a double wedding ring quilt though!

I've not really worked out a centre design yet. It's really hot here at the moment (compared to how it normally is anyway) so currently trying to think of cold things. I'm wondering about maybe a christmas themed quilt. Still early though, so plenty of time to change my mind...

Alikat....just wanted to let you know you can mail to me anytime you are ready just post here when you do so I know to expect it. Also try to remember to take a pic of your center if not I will take care of it here.

Thanks Nexxus. Worked on it tonight and not happy. Not sure if I'm gonna stick to my original, or scrap it for something else....gonna rethink and get back to work this weekend. If I stay with original plan, still gonna have to recut fabrics.

On the positive side, I want to thank the ladies working at Tomorrow's Quilts here in Waco. They helped me lighten my pockets of $180.00 today......fortunately, my stash is the benificary of my wallets loss....20+ yds of fabric. Got a couple of projects in mind. Will share pics this weekend.

Welcome Suza and congratulations on your pending marriage! How exciting that it is so close now. Hopefully the weather will be cooler when the date arrives.
I looked up the Nova Scotian tartan - that is a beautiful one. I would love to see that in a DWR quilt. Maybe one day your will make one of your own.
I am up for a Christmas quilt if that is what you decide to do. It would be my first one.
We will have to see what comes.

Alikat- how much fun did you have today! {jealous here}

Grinning ear to ear and an intense feeling of satisfaction.....
Also want to say hi, Sarah. Love your name....spell my daughters the same way. Congrats o. Upcoming nuptials!

Well, spent today working on Plan B. Total different color scheme, returned to original thought of doing paperpiecing. Getting close to being done, but had to break to feed the kiddos. I am currently sitting in Fazoli's while they eat and catching up on this thread....not much activity here. I suppose everyone has been doing same as me....working on projects!

my center!!!!
 

Okay, gotta admit....I am psyched over this. I finished my center..only have to pull off the papar. It is the Vermont Star block from Carol Doaks book, "50 Fabulous Paper-Pieced Blocks". As you can see, I went with moss greens and brick. Love it!

Question: are any of you sending out fabric used in center for others can use in their borders?

Also, as promised. Pics of fabrics purchased Thursday.
First will be used to make a raffle quilt for AHA fundraiser in the spring.
Second...I am thinking of emulating the Shadowed 4 patch posie quilt recently posted by one of our boardmembers...but my colors...med. brown to create shadows.

Alikat your center is stunning! I do love batiks and you color comb is stunning. Nice haul on the fabrics - funky modern vibe on the first grouping and I the second will be stunning in the shadow pattern.

I have been working on three things - another RR, a "Bluegrass" Jacobs Ladder, and planning my center for this RR.

Just poppin in to see how everyone is doing. Alikat, love your center. That is beautiful.

Alikat, I love love your center. I also love your fabrics that you got. I am still planning on mine.

alikat...that is one beautiful center!!!

Thanks, everyone for lovely comments. I am extremely proud of it. PPing is my favorite techniques. Tempted to show you guys my first center that I ditched, but then you'd have to actually question the consistancy of my skills! I hope my fellow Cardinals enjoy helping me in creating a beautiful quilt from this! I am truly enjoying this process.....

Alikat - we all have less than perfect piecing days.:D

I have a couple questions about paper piecing - Do you have to buy special paper? Do you go through more needles?

I simply use cheaper, thinner grade copy paper. Yes, I do replace my needle more often when doing a lit of paperpiecing

I have seen so many beautiful blocks that I would love to make but I avoid them. I made one pp item - the center for my DH quilt. I used some thin tracing paper and it seemed to work but I had the worst time trying remember the positions of the fabric vs. the paper.
Felt like I was sewing backwards!:D I guess like with most things it just takes practice.

I number everything and line the fabrics up in sewing order. The design wall helps keep partial blocks in order. Took awhile for me to develop my organization of sewing order.

Nexxus, did you make a final selection on you center block pattern?

I changed my mind I am going to go with this pattern: http://quilting.about.com/od/quiltpa...uilt-Block.htm

That is beautiful. Colors?

Well I was thinking grey where the cream is, two different shades of teal in replace of the green and yellow or purple where the purple is.

Love your center block! Everything about it is beautiful!

Nexxus, that sounds perfect. If I get to vote....go green. Purple and teal is a beautiful color combination.

Zzmom...thank you!

Hello ladies, I am finally catching up. I am glad to be part of this group. I have read all of the posts and love all of the center blocks that have been posted.
Now for me.i am Melinda's mom. I am 64 and have been sewing since I was about 8 or 9. I have been quilting since I was in my mid 20's. I do long arm quilting but it is all free hand. No computer. You have all been very generous with your offers of help with postage and if I find myself I need of help with it I will ask.
Dragonfly Nana I agree that paper piecing is trying to sew backwards. For some reason my mind will not compute it.
I have not decided on a center block as of yet nor my colors. When I get there I will post pictures.

Melinda - I love the block you have chosen. I agree with Alikat - purple and teal is a great combination and will pop right off a gray background.