Round Robin help - I'm stumped for an idea!
 

The quilt below is the one I've received for the last round in our guild's current Round Robin Challenge. This round is "quilter's choice" and it still doesn't help me know what to do to help this.

The second round quilter applied a striped fabric and a white fabric in very large elongated triangles for a border. To me is doesn't seem to fit at all and it makes the shape off balance; now the quilt looks collywopped. I don't have a clue how to improve things. The owner of this quilt is a guy who does amazing, intricately pieced, artsy work usually; this quilt is nothing like him! I will be the last to work on it before he takes it home.

The green that you see is "in progress" star flowers and leaves that the 3rd round quilter is going to finish with her trademarked thread painting. I will have the quilt when she is done. My time will be limited as she has had some heath issues and is running into "my" month with her work.

Help!! Any suggestions??

Jan in VA

well, the only thing i can think of is to find something that will balance it. i'd say, repeat something like the triangles, but instead of making it a stripe or solid, put an applique look to it... perhaps something that has a large size near the whiter corner and goes to smaller... i was thinking flying geese, but those are already in a round. maybe a couple of birds on a branch nearer the corner and extending the branch toward the stripe-y corner. [better you than me]. i have faith that you will find the right thing as you are so talented. :thumbup:

Oh my....I agree the white with dark stripes does not go with the rest. Sorry but I have no ideas for you but will interested in the outcome. I keep looking at it but I too am stumped. I will keep watch and if any ideas come into my mind while I am trying to sleep (best ideas appear then) I will post back. Good luck, I am sure you or someone will have a great idea and it will turn out great. Keep up the good work.
I just read quiltnans idea...like the birds and branches carried to outer edge....maybe even overlapping the white in areas to meld them together.

I would continue with the optical illusion border, and "square " it off, with black or deep red to compliment the robins.. It may improve the wonky look illusion

Boy are you right!!!!!!!! Good luck! I like the idea of birds on a branch going over the triangle and into the flying geese. Post a Pic when you are done!!!

Hi, The wonky last border is really not to bad. Since the flying geese are red and white, I would pick up some red and make it match the white from the last border. Can you then add some applique that sits between the last white and your red? I'm not sure if adding applique in the white of the last border would be considered rude, or appreciated as it can be an enhancement.

That's my thought also, but maybe use a medium blue from the stripe and then use QuiltnNan's idea of appliqueing birds on a branch from the blue onto the stripe.

I would add a row that mimic's the light portions of the previous row as close as possible, then add applique to the two corners and extend the applique into the previous row to hopefully balance it all out. I see that it is a print, so if you could match that print that would be ideal. If not ... try to match the white portion then work your applique in the darker color with small additions of red (for the cardinal) and green (to match the green in the center). Perhaps mimic the pine branch with pine cones from the center panel. I think I would make your border wider than the previous border to take the focus off of it.

I thank you and Nan and all the others, but I don't applique very often and certainly not the tiny pieces and amount that would be needed for this. I hope there are more responses!!

Jan in VA

Up to the stripes, it looks phenomenal. Do you have fabric to work with? In the one I did, the owner provided one or two fabrics.

I assume that you want to add a border that he could use - so I might add a border and semi forget the stripes. The final border needs to be bold and substantial. How about something like this

http://www.quilterscache.com/E/EntwinedBorder.html

It is straight, would frame it and might force the eye back into seeing a rectangle. It might look something like this(I threw it into paint), Good luck!!

Oh my, I'd be stumped, too.

This is the first time in my life I ever got the meaning of a word (collywopped!) by looking at a picture...too funny! Other than that comment, I don't have anything meaningful for you, Jan. Sorry.....:)

Certainly a challenge! I like eparys suggestions but a bit wider (4 to 6").

Jan, I would put red add on boarder to the striped boarder and make it squared up.

I like the border eparys included but I might not put it on all the way around around. Maybe on the top left and bottom right corners extending just to the midpoint on each side to balance the stripe border.

Two or three plain borders starting with the blue of the center background followed by another of red?

That's a tough one! It's plenty busy for me so I would keep the borders quiet.

Be sure you post when you are done.

I would definitely add fabric to square up the borders. That will get you back to something you can work with. The center is lovely, the flying geese look great too. Once the borders are squared you can add light fabric and get some of those geese flying off the edge.

Yikes! I think eparys has a good idea with the border she outlined.... then when he receives his quilt back, he can duplicate his wonderful cardinals into the wedged white spaces that the previous member created.

I am just fascinated that Jan is stumped!!! , so I had to check it out . But this certainly is a big stumper.

I see there is a small black border around the center bird block, the flying geese row and stripe/white row, repeat that, before you add your next row. This squares off the white and stops the wonkiness. It makes that a separate row. Now maybe a row of trees blocks pointed outward or some type of traditional block with a solid fabric spacer between. I really wish I could describe better what comes to mind. (I really think adding the small black border will kick start you.)

:p!! LOL!

Jan in VA

Thank you so much for these helpful, non-applique ideas!! I'm finally feeling there might be hope after all and I might be able to sleep without fretting about it all night. BUT, please keep ideas coming, they are jogging me, activating my muse....(and, Lori, pfffttt!:p)

Jan in VA

Best of luck! Yikes was all I could say when I saw the picture!!!

I agree with a straight red border to even things out. That is the simplest thing to do with it.

I like esparys' idea. With her depiction of the border, it almost gives a look of perspective as if you are looking at a book or a box. Use as close a white as you can find for the background of your border. I think that would help offset some of the wonkiness. I'm not explaining this well, but hopefully, you can understand.

I would add a narrow black border like the others to continue that repetition. For the outer border, I would keep it rather simple to throw focus back on the center. By repeating some colors from the center in the outer border it would bring more balance overall. I would start with the light blue (background of the cardinal block), the darkest green from the leaves, charcoal or black. I'd have to audition them to see what would work best.

The mock-up was done in EQ7. The border is from Auto Borders, Single Block Patterns 1-6. There are some other borders in that section that may work too.[ATTACH=CONFIG]393805[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]393807[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]393808[/ATTACH]

Oh, I like the first one Karen has created. It actually makes those blue borders look settled...

Dina

It is amazing to me the very ingenious ideas that are presented. Great job one and all!!! Will be watching to see the final outcome!!

I loved eparys idea but I also like the thin border that KarenK showed. Somehow the thin border straightened up the wonkyness and actually made the last border look a little better.

I don't have any suggestions but, oh my... that certainly throws a wrench into things.

Wow, I really don't have anything better to add. But, all I can say is if I fall into a problem like this, I am coming to you all for advice. You have given some fantastic suggestions. Good luck on your round. I am sure you will make it all work and come together in the end. (I can't help but wonder if he truly meant to add that border.) It sure was an unusual choice. Can,t wait to see what you add.

How about matching the white with a triangle shape which should make it look more like a diamond with another fabric on the other side to square up, this could be the red border pattern from paint idea

Boy, you really have to have guts to do a round robin. I can't help but think the original quilter would want to remove those striped triangles.

How about a solid border with prairie points falling into the stripe to break it up a bit.

What would prairie points look like around the edge. They would pick up the flying geese shape and help soften all that white.

sometimes just a thin black border then a border of coordinating fabric to make it "shut up"....lol!

a stumper for sure! How about some more flying geese? You might think about repeating that twist and turn border and have the 1st triangle be flying geese? graduated ones like on the bottom? I will keep my thinking cap on for you. I just HATE it when I cannot figure quilts out. I was thinking a bit of applique too. DOnt' know why you could not do machine applique. I can handle smaller pieces a bit better when I can sew them down by machine. maybe a tree up the side? Where you could only see half the tree branches and part of the trunk....oh my mind is wandering again!

Part of the reason the striped triangles look so wonky is that the stripes on 2 of the triangles run parallel with the diagonal seam and on the other 2 they run parallel to the long outside edge.

My first thought was to make rather large prairie points pointing toward the center to cover that last round as much as possible! :)

Wonky stars in red and white!