Round Robin Quilting Groups...Combining creating quilts and creating friendships

Have you ever looked at a quilt and thought, "I would love to make one of those!" immediately followed by, "but there is no way I have the time to do something like that," ? And do you have a group of friends that you want to interact with but don't necessarily have an idea of how to or just want to try something new? Then Round Robin Quilting might be for you!

Round Robin Quilting, a variation of the old-fashioned quilting bee, has small groups (usually 5 or 6 but fewer, and even more, can work) of people work simultaneously on a quilt devised and begun by each member of the group. By the end of the project each member has a completed quilt top that they then bind and quilt. This project is a lot of fun and creates wonderful memories and friendships. It is not difficult but some careful planning ahead of time makes the entire process go more smoothly. First, a group must have a leader or "host" that puts the project together and keeps control over it to make sure everything goes well and that each member knows what is happening. Once the leader is chosen and she (or he, quilting is for men, too!) gets an idea of the people she wants to include in her circle, she can begin the process!

Introductory letter

The first thing a leader must do is write an introductory letter to all her prospective circle members. In this letter she explains the project and gathers important information. Example:

Hello ladies!

I've decided to start a Round Robin Quilting group and I wanted to invite you to play with me! In this group each member will come up with a theme for her her quilt and create a muslin graph the size of her finished project. She will then make the first block and pin it in place on the graph where she wants it to be in her quilt. I'd also love if each member started a journal about her project...write about inspirations and the process. This journal and any little inspiring items can be included as the projects get passed along. During each cycle each member will pass her project along to the next member who will read about the project and create a block based on that theme. I'd love for you to be a part of this so if you are interested send me your updated address information and an idea for a theme and we'll get started!

The letter can be much more detailed, explaining to great lengths the process and requirements so each member knowOnce the leader has gathered all of the information from each member of her circle, she can move on to the next step.

The Schedule

One of the best parts about the Round Robin Quilting cirlce is the timetable. Because each member is working on a specific schedule she can't just put the project aside and forget about it. And because she is only expected to create one block (though you can decide that each person can make more than one, or even go around the circle more than once to make larger quilts) for each quilt, there isn't the pressure to undertake a huge craft all at once. A good leader will contact each circle member to find any time conflicts that are coming up, including holidays and vacations, and plan a schedule according to those. A good rule of thumb is about one month for each cycle. So if you have five members in your circle, the project will take about six months (five for rotating and one for finishing). Keep in mind that months with holidays will probably require a little longer to complete the project. Work up a schedule, print it out and distribute to all members. If there aren't any concerns and everybody agrees to the timetable...great! Let's get started!

The Grid and Journal

Now the sewing can actually begin. I recommend making a circle that consists of members with similar skill levels. If there is any question about techniques (such as pieced versus applique or hand versus machine), this can be addressed in the welcoming letter. Everybody should have chosen a theme for their quilt. None of them have to be at all related. In fact, it is a lot of fun when everybody has a very different quilt so each member gets to "play" with various colors, textures and feelings.

The first responsibility of each member of the circle is to create a muslin grid of their quilt. This simply means to take a piece of muslin and, using a ruler and permanent fabric marker or pencil (but be careful, pencil can rub off on lighter fabrics), creating a grid the desired size of the finished quilt that splits the area up into small squares. Think the graph paper you used to use in science class or when you draft craft patterns. Once this is finished the member can start her block and journal. The journal can be a fancy store-bought diary or a homemade scrapbook made from construction paper and staples. What really matters is what's inside. This journal allows the owner of the quilt to start the story of the project and each of the following quilters to continue it until finally it finds its way back to its original member and she can follow its travels. The first entry in the journal should be an introduction to the theme of the quilt. What do you imagine when you think of your quilt? Is it a Christmas quilt? One about your grandmother? One for a baby that will be born right around when the project should be finished? Tell the other members what this quilt means to you, what your inspirations are and what went into your first block. Also give any gentle direction ("no lime green, please", "I love dragonflies") that can help the members design their blocks. This journal will travel to each of the other members who will add an entry about their own experience with the quilt. At the end of the project you will have a scrapbook of sorts that you will cherish along with your quilt.

First Block

The first block sets the tone for the entire quilt. It doesn't have to be any particular size or shape (but straight edges are much easier to work with) and can be placed anywhere on your grid. Once you've decided where the first block should go, write your name across the squares it covers and safety pin it in place. The picture at the top of the page shows a Halloween Round Robin Quilt that the circle chose to do in rows. This is a fun, quick and easy method to building a quilt but using a combination of different sized squares, rectangles and rows can create an interesting quilt with a lot of personality. The first block should anchor the quilt, showing the theme clearly and taking a prominent position that the other members will work around. When the block is finished, complete your journal entry and consider adding leftover fabrics, photographs of inspirations and any little embellishments you might want into the package you will send to the next member. Now package everything up, give it some good thoughts and send your "baby" off to the next member in the circle. Soon, you'll be receiving a package from another member.

The Cycles

The circle will always move in the same direction. You will always send to the same person and receive from the same other person. When you receive the package, look through everything inside, read the journal entries and start thinking about what the theme of that quilt means to you. Look carefully at the grid and choose where you would like your block to be in the finished quilt and what shape block you will create. When you're ready, make your block, adding to the journal and using any of the fabric and embellishments the other members included that you like. If you have leftover fabric or find some cute buttons, trims or specialty thread that you think would look great in the quilt, send them along. This is a cooperative project that will only get better the more the members of the circle work with each other. Reading the journal entries will give you new insight into the people of your circle. If you don't know them well, suddenly you will know family stories, likes and dislikes, memories and sense of humor. As you stitch your blocks, you are stitching together friendships as well.

Finishing Your Quilt

The months have passed and each member has added a block to the quilts of each of the other members. Everybody gets excited as the time comes for their quilts to return to them. The owner opens the package, takes out the filled journal and excitedly unfolds the now-covered grid. A nearly-complete quilt top is in her hands. Now the real work begins.

Each member has pinned her block over the squares she has written her name across on the grid but though the grid is filled, the blocks may not fit exactly right. This is where the owner can add sashings (narrow strip borders around each block) or add another block or two wherever she thinks it needs it. When she can lay all the pieces of the top out and it looks good, she pieces, or sews together, all of the elements. When the top is pieced she layers it with batting and the backing then she quilts it, either by machine or hand, whichever makes her more comfortable. Almost finished! Once all of the layers are quilted, the owner finishes the edges, either with binding or by bringing the excess of the backing around to the front and stitching in place. Taaaa-daaaa! The quilt is complete!

Now you celebrate! This is a fun time to put together a little gathering of the circle if everybody lives close. Sometimes circles live hundreds of miles apart and getting together isn't plausible, but "meeting" online to share pictures and stories can be just as satisfying. Some circles actually start Facebook pages at the beginning of the projects so that members can interact throughout the process then share pictures and memories at the end. Whatever way the group chooses, everybody loves to see the finished projects. Each member can be proud of the addition they offered to everybody's else's quilt and happy to share with the others what they helped create. It took months but each member can cherish the quilt and the journal of thoughts and stories that came with it. New friendships have blossomed and skills have been honed. For experienced quilters, a Round Robin can take a shorter time and yield large pieces. For a beginner, a lap quilt is a great way to dabble in the art with the support of others that are just starting. Either way its a fabulous way to enjoy some needlework and the satisfaction of creating something beautiful while also adding to the enjoyment of others.

Start a Round Robin circle! You'll be amazed at what will come of it!