Working on a group project
 

Do you enjoy doing them?

I have learned that I am not the person to attempt to assemble blocks made by others.

I think they should all be approximately the expected size! and get very frustrated when they may vary by up to an inch.

I find them frustrating also. My sewing bee seems to do something together like that. One person will decide on a block or a theme and a size, then others in the group will make whatever has been requested. I make blocks for others but don't want blocks made for me.

Participating in round robins has stretched my abilities and helped me learn so much about quilting. I have the opportunity to see how others have done their bit and love the process of deciding what to add. I haven't seen a round robin group for a while and would love to participate again.

When I was a very new quilter I joined a very small guild. The local Make a Wish people asked the guild to make a quilt that they could auction for funds. A few very experienced quilters agreed to work on the quilt, and I joined the group for the learning experience. One of the ladies in the guild had a pattern from a magazine that we agreed would work, but it was for a smaller size than we had been asked to make. We all went together to a fabric shop and picked out fabrics. None of the very experienced quilters had bothered to figure out how much fabric we would need for the larger version of the quilt, so we bought much more than was needed. Luckily the blocks used only squares and rectangles, but the setting was on point so that required setting triangles. It was clear by now that no one had figured out how this group project would work. I was the newest quilter, but I was somehow tasked with figuring out how many blocks we needed, how many squares and rectangles of each fabric, etc. As I recall, we got together and a couple of people cut the pieces and I divided them into baggies for each block, then the baggies were distributed, along with copies of the directions, to 5 or 6 guild members. I do not know how this happened, but somehow I was tasked with sewing the blocks together. And what a great learning experience that was! Few of the women had produced blocks of the same size. One set of blocks was so poorly made that I had to take them apart and reconstruct them. (I realized later that one of the very experienced quilters was unable to see very well.) I couldn't complain to the guild members about the problems putting this quilt together, because several of them had made the blocks. I think I must have re-made more than half the blocks. But it was finally done, someone else quilted it, and it was auctioned by Make a Wish.

So to answer your question - never again will I volunteer to participate in a group quilt, especially if there's the slightest possibility that I would have to put the blocks together.

On a happier note, years later the guild had a rummage sale, and I purchased the leftover fabric from that quilt. I added some fabric from stash and used the same pattern to make a queen size quilt.

I don't. I just don't play well with others and don't like spending my sewing time that way.

I used to, in the 90's when I was first on-line with quilters, but it makes me crazy when the blocks are not the correct size, So haven't joined any group exchanges since.

One of the main things I love about quilting is that it can be enjoyed solo and does NOT require others to partake. Conversely, it can also be a very social hobby for those that are inclined. I am by no means a advanced quilter, but I always try to do my very best when I am working on a project. Everyones standards and definitions are different, as are the individual skill levels. I have never been into group projects of any kind, especially in school! I always love seeing everyones BOOM blocks and Round Robins though, always love seeing what they make!

I need to fly solo! My BFF and I both love quilting, sharing patterns and fabric. But....we have totally different styles, and unfortunately our styles clash. I'm a self imposed perfectionist, and she's a *good enough* quilter. We have tried to made dual quilts, and even though we used the same pattern, we achieved much different results. I need for follow directions, slow down, and do my own thing. I think I'd worry that my blocks wouldn't measure up to group standards!

Nope, I signed up for a Round Robin once and it was a disaster. I'm picky and did not enjoy it at all.

I love group collaboration for the mixture of creativity but when it gets down to "putting it all together" - that's definitely not the fun part.

off by an inch is a bit much I agree. I used to swap signed quilt blocks all around the world long ago, before postage went up too much. Such fun and lovely quilts to be made up. Loved doing that.
and i've won a whole quilt of blocks in forums since then. twice at least. Two lovely quilts. all matched in size too.
we must learn what a 1/4 inch seam is and precise cutting and go from there. Until that is done, no swapping.
keep on trying though. it really is fun.

I should have mentioned most swaps stipulate the host will measure all blocks sent in to be swapped and would be returned to sender if not the correct size. This prevents any of these measurement problems.

Two different guilds--joined the "Bag Ladies" and the "Tinners". Same concept. You put your preferred fabrics in a container and specify what size block you want. Each month you get someone else's bag/tin and yours goes somewhere else. Other fabrics can be added by the block maker. At the end of 12 months there is The Big Reveal. I did my very best to make interesting, properly sized, well constructed blocks for the bags/tins that came my way. Sure wish the other members would have been as considerate about my bag/tin. They are still UFO's in my sewing room. Don't want to deal with the pain of wasted fabric or the headache of crappy blocks.