Help! Need info about "Shoebox" quilts
 

Hi all...Our guild is thinking about doing a shoebox quilt (round robin type). Has anyone tried doing this in your guild? Info we have is: "A Shoebox Quilt. What is it? Well, it's sort of like a round robin. There are usually 12 participants. Each quilter picks a block pattern that they are going to piece. Each quilter selects a variety of fabrics and places them in a shoebox. Then the shoebox travels around the group--each month you get a new shoebox. Using the fabric inside, you make a quilt block from the block pattern you previously selected. You put the quilt block and the remainder of the fabric back inside the shoebox and pass it on. At the end of 12 months, each quilter gets their own shoebox back with 12 beautiful quilt blocks inside. Each quilter then selects a setting for their blocks and stitches up a beautiful quilt." This was the only real explanation we could get when googled. So, we have questions that someone may be able to answer.
How do we come up with yardage amounts & # of fabrics? I would imagine that each person would designate the fabric in their shoebox to be the background fabric. I think we will probably pick some kind of a theme.
I'm hoping there are some of you that have done this & can help....Thanks.

The kind of shoebox quilt I worked on last year had all the fabric precut in the box, all we each had to do was decide how to put the shapes together. Another round robin "friendship quilt" I have done I provided one "required" fabric and a "light solid color of your choice" request (any size or shape allowed, so it was fun to arrange the results!).
Number of fabrics is individual, as is block size requested. Yardage should guarantee that the last person has enough to make a block! This is more of a challenge when you don't get the box back until the end of the year, instead of receiving a block each month. Have fun!

Yes, we have "Quilt in a Box" in our Ladybug Quilting Guild in Newark, DE. The person who owns the box (we use the clear or colored 12" or 14" boxes from JAF or A.C. Moore. I get mine from A.C. Moore in the paper dept. where they are cheaper.) picks her fabrics, maybe up to 10 if she chooses. She does not pick a pattern. She buys the fabric and inside the box she tapes pieces of her fabric, pointing out the feature fabric, the one she wants the least of, etc. Then on the front of the box is taped a list of all 12 members who will participate in this exchange. I believe we are up to #22 or so. At the beginning, all boxes are passed out, and then at each meeting, they announce that "at the break, the Quilt in a Box #22 will meet in the right hand corner to exchange their boxes". If someone is missing, they can make it
up or pick a box up in the neighborhood they live.
Then after all the boxes are done, about a year or so, we meet at someone's home, have a carry-in dinner, and exchange our boxes. What we do is call a name, and everyone puts that girl's blocks up on the flannel board for her to
see. Hardly anyone duplicates a block. All are different. But no one knows that in advance. Because of so many of us working, finishing the top is up to the owner of the box. Maybe it is years later when a top is finished.
Hope this helps. I would attach a copy of our papers, but I cannot locate one right now. Maybe later.

My guild did this. We had 12 participants, we had each chose a quilt block to make. We labeled the fabrics inside the box like ragamuffin stated.The end results were amazing

Never having participated in this, questions are popping up in my mind...maybe I'm not reading the process correctly..says each has a box with all fabric for 12 blocks inside - ???? That in itself could be so variable - is size of blocks decided prior? Next, everyone decides on a block to make - does that mean, say person 1, will make a "pinwheel" for each of the 12 boxes in the group? Person 2 does her predetermined block on and on so that at the end all 12 boxes have the same 12 patterns but colors are "their" original stack of fabric? What if someone runs put of fabric in their shoe box?

I think ours will not be precut...just our fabrics in our box. There will be at least 12 boxes to be switched around. Block size will be 12" finished.

Yes, all blocks will be different. Each person will make her "chosen" block with each person's fabrics that are in their shoebox. So in the end, each person will have 12 blocks done with their own fabrics. We usually have a "top done to show the guild" about 4 months later. That way we all get to see the tops put together, doesn't need to be quilted. We've done it this way for our BOM's & the reveal day usually includes a prize or two. The fun is in seeing how each person actually puts their top together...and some even make extra blocks to add to the others to get it to what they want.

Yes, 12" finished. And yes, you're understanding correctly. And, that's why I asked about what would be a good yardage & # of colors to start with, so no one runs out.

To clear it up......each box will have the same 12 DIFFERENT blocks out of their fabric. Then it's up to each person to put their blocks in their box together any way they choose, for show & tell.
Basically, is it good to say 6 colors (1/2 yd. each) plus 2 yds. background color? Does that sound about right? They should not run out this way. This would not include backing or binding. And they can add border colors later when they put the quilt top together.

if it's a 12" block, isn't 1/2 yard way too much fabric? also, too much fabric for background, too...i was thinking more in fat quarters....JMHO...so i guess there's no sashing?...cornerstones or borders? there's really a lot to figure out...maybe to have an idea of what your end product would be is the first step in figuring out the rest....