Originally Posted by
Macybaby
When considering colors, I felt that I needed to bring the off white into the top again, or it was going to look out of place as no one else had repeated that color yet. When doing the first few round, you can pretty much go with what you want, but for the last few rounds, I feel it's important to consider the top as a whole and see if there is a color that does need to come back in to pull it all together. This is what happened to my top with the last RR - someone early on added some different colors to the quilt, but then no one in the remaining rounds pulled them back in, and at the end they stood out like a sore thumb. It wasn't that they were a "mistake" when added, it's that the rest of the quilt went off in a different direction..
I would add that someone in the later rounds needed to repeat the motif for just that reason, so insofar as no one did, that was a mistake because without the bold repeat, the earlier round stuck out like the sore thumb. Of course, you could add another border at the very end to repeat the motif because it wasn't done earlier, or remove the inner border that wasn't tied in, which is perhaps easier to do than replace a larger border, because a 7th border makes the quilt super huge. . That's why your dresden border in this round works so well, it ties together the prior motif and plays with it, repeating the colors and motif in a cool new way. Kudos on your artistry.
And I totally agree, I made those small blocks for Liora's quilt top, but when laid out, it really didn't work. Later borders are more difficult than earlier borders in trying to tie a quilt top together and simpler borders work when they are with applique borders next to them, they give the eye a break it needs.
I love these round robins and feel blessed to be in such great company. Carrie, you are a trooper to do this with your hand issues, I hope that it has been relaxing therapy for you.