I participated in a swap at a LQS - most blocks were well done and the correct size. However there were several that were way off - had to redo them. Learned quickly that every quilter’s standards are different. I prefer to “parallel play” - and work on my own projects.

I don’t think I want to work with others on a quilt, I like my seams sewed with a scant 1/4” seam and pressed good. Not everyone does this.

I love to sew with friends, but not on the same quilt I am working on. I enjoy teaching and do this for free to my friends that always wanted to learn to quilt. I've had up to 3 students at a time here and we have a blast. How about picking out fabric that the recipient would want? That pretty much takes the personal taste out of the equation. So nice of you to do for others.

I learned "a lot" the one time I participated in "group quilt making" - the project seemed simple enough - cut 1.5 inch wide strips, sew four strips together, and cut that unit into 4.5 squares.

It starts out with small variations with the cutting, continues with small variations with the the seam width, small variations with pressing techniques - and so on.

We ended up cutting the four-strip units into four inch squares!

I play best alone. Enjoy going to guild, participate in church quilt ministry, but quilting with someone on a project together? No. Did it once as a "rescue" for someone. Never again. The person asked if I wanted to her with another project. Didn't even need to think that one through!

I have made quilts with groups. It is easiest to work on paper pieced blocks. Stitch lengths will vary, but the blocks will be the same size as long as the patterns were printed on the same printer or copier.

I am too picky to sew with others. I can't help it, it is who I am. I am also slow by many quilter's standards, but that is okay with me too. I guess no quilting police with quilting style either. I do not judge anybody else and hope for the same. I do enjoy everything about the process though so I will keep on doing my thing.

I'm better at parallel play in most projects. In school, I hated group projects because of the slackers while I was conscientious. I have also realized that one of my flaws is that I want all my creative ideas to be used. I don't do well with other creatives working on the same thing, and I think it's because my older sister is creative and was always forcing me to do things her way. She and I made a quilt for my mom's graduation from nursing school about 25 years ago, but I think it succeeded because I did all the cutting, she did the piecing, I did the applique, she did the binding, etc.

Zozee,

I am finishing up two school team projects and I can relate it to quilting too. With Uni projects I try on the first team meeting to discuss the teams strengths and weaknesses. It is surprising how resistant people are to this important first step.

When my guild does charity quilts or other group projects, I love to help with layout, ironing, making HST, trimming said HST, but not the sewing of the pieces to make the quilt. I am not a perfectionist, but I appreciate a quilt where the quilter has paid incredible attention to detail. I have been asked to take a top home to correct a mistake after it was pieced and I was happy to do that. We have people in our guild whose seaming is impeccable, it is best that they take care of that.

My quilt guild did a 'block of the month' and we all made blocks and a winner was picked at the end of the month. That is when I learned that a 1/4" seam is not the same in everyone's mind. Even cutting out squares of the same size isn't the same. I always thought, for example, that a 6" is square is 6 inches on all sides. Not so, for everyone. You might get 6 inch square that is only 5 3/4" on one side and 6" on the other 3 sides.

I learned the best way to sew with others is if you are doing a community quilt, for instance, that you use a very forgiving pattern where you don't have to have exact measurements. Otherwise, if you are doing a quilt for yourself you do all the quilting for yourself and even if your square isn't a square or your 1/4" seam isn't a true quarter inch, at least you will keep it consistant and most likely your quilt will come out okay. Mixing different sizes from other people's work just doesn't mix.

A recent experience of mine happened at a quilting retreat I just came back from. I was tired and didn't want to sew anymore (it was 9pm and I had been sewing all day) so I decided to help a friend take the papers off of her foundation blocks. The block was very simple, just strips that went diagonal on a 10" block. This lady is a prolific quilter and is always turning out a different quilt each month. With all of her experience quilting, I expected that she would have perfect scant 1/4" seams. Not the case here, in some places her seams were barely 3 threads in and the fabrics seams didn't match up at all. The top fabric and the bottom fabric were worlds apart. You could see that with just a little bit of use, the quilt seams would just disintegrate and shred in no time. I was very surprised that her sewing was so slipshod. As I said earlier, we all sew so differently.