Round Robin Quilt Exchanges
The online Round Robin Quilts present a variation on the old-fashioned Friendship Quilt, with each participant making a block. The ladies later met at someone’s home to assemble the pieces and quilt the quilt. Sometimes these were made as a gift for a bride or for someone who was moving away.
Today, with the use of the Internet, quilt exchanges, often referred as Round Robin Quilts, can involve more than quilters who live fairly close together. They now can include quilters from around the world.
My daughter has participated in several and truly enjoys the experience. There are many variations, with quilters adding to a block to make a complete quilt as it makes the round, each quilter making their own block, or sending materials which go to individual quilters for creating a block or hanging.
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POSTED IN: General Quilting/Patchwork
4 opinions for Round Robin Quilt Exchanges
Mary Hornbrook
Nov 5, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Round Robin quilts are the quickest way of creating a quilt top. You just have to create the center and the rest grows from there. I’ve travelled far and wide and participated in a few round robins and have learned a great deal about quilting from the additions that fellow round robins participants have contributed. It’s always interesting to see the different applications of patterns and colors that emerge with many hands at work. I would like to challenge ALL quilting groups out there to do a round robin for 2008. Any takers?
Mary Hornbrook
Toronto, Canada
Ingrid Claflin
Mar 28, 2008 at 8:22 am
Hi. we are a group of ladies,living in Germany on an Army Base.Most husbands are in Iraq or Afganistan.We would love to start a “Round Robin” quilt. If you could give some advice we would be grateful.
regards Ingrid
Starr Nichols
Jul 13, 2008 at 6:33 pm
I am a quilt teacher San Antonio Texas and 4 of my students and I are currently participating in a round robin. We have used a panel or created a center and passed it on to the next person to add a border. With only 4 or 5 of us participating, the rules are no holds barred. The only rule we have is to not show the original owner of the quilt her work until the top is done. We have so much fun trying to make something the other would be so excited about. All 4 of us are slightly competitive which makes the quilt absolutely stunning when they are done.
I would say, buy the best quality fabric you can afford when you are working on someone else’s quilt, do your best work as you are working on someone elses quilt top. The only other rule would be to have fun with it. There are lots of laughter and tears when the swaping of the finished quilts is done and I have never been disappointed yet. If you would like to see some of our finished round robin quilt tops, email me at the above address.
Mary Emma Allen
Jul 14, 2008 at 8:01 am
Starr,thank you for visiting Quilting and Patchwork and sharing your round robin experiences with us. It sounds as though you’re having lots of fun.
Also, thanks for the tips for a successful round robin.
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