Round Robins are a fun way to make new quilting friends!
Do you want to be able to say?
" I had so much fun exchanging quilts with Carol from Detroit, Denise from Austin, Sue from Portland, Jan from Phoneix, and Jo from Atlanta! Getting to work on their quilts was great. I tried many new border patterns and now see how much borders can add to a quilt! I was really careful to do my best work so they would be proud of their completed quilt. I admit the pastel quilt was a challenge for me!
My quilt was so unexpected! I was thrilled!! Sue's border that she added to Carols, just blended and looked like one border. I would never have thought to put it together like that. I have a wall picked out for displaying my quilt once I complete the quilting.
Sue - I can't wait to meet you in person at the next Sew Expo!" Join an Exhange today!Click here now.
Click here and choose the Round Robin Group that is right for you!
What is a Round Robin Quilt Exchange?
The basic steps of a Round Robin Quilt Exchange are:
You design the starter block for your quilt. This establishes the color choices and theme of your quilt.
You send your block to another person in the group. They work on your quilt while you work on a border for another member of the group. Each person in the group is working on someone’s quilt. There are often instructions for each “round” of the Round Robin Exchange that quides your border choices.
At the pre-set timeline, you mail the quilt you were working on to the next person in the Round Robin Quilt Exchange. A quilt will arrive in the mail for you to work on. (repeat 1 to 6 times)
You anxiously await your completed quilt top (the one with your starter block) to be returned to you. Generally you have not seen your quilt along the way, so it is with great anticipation you wait to see what was added to your starter block!
Why participate in a Round Robin Quilt Exchange?
The Challenge! Part of the fun is putting your design skills, color choices and general creativity to the test.
The Social Fun! Meet new friends via your Round Robin Group.
The Learning! Working on quilts that others have started will likely lead you to working with new colors, designs, or techniques. Each new experience will help you learn how to bring out the best in a quilt.
A limited investment of time! Each quilt you work on will provide a number of learning experiences which would otherwise be gained only through creating many quilts on your own.
The Emotional Growth! What? Yes, you will likely experience excitement, bewilderment, frustration, ah ha moments, deadline pressure, a sense of accomplishment, pure joy, and many others. Each is a stepping-stone in the learning process.
Just for the adventure! You never know when your favorite quilt will be the one you created working with others.
Are the rules the same for each Round Robin Quilt Exchange?
Generally each Round Robin Quilt Exchange will be slightly different. Some variations in the various exchanges may be:
The skill level of the Quilters. It is more rewarding to be with other quilters of your similar skill level. Of course, everyone’s skill level is based on his or her own judgment.
The objectives of the Round Robin Exchange. Some Exchanges may include some appliqué or embellishment of the quilt top. Some will add only pieced borders. Read the description of the exchanges available for the various options.
The specific “rules” for each round will vary for each Round Robin Exchange. "Rules" may be add a border using squares, add an appliqué border, add a border to only two sides of the quilt, . . . , while other Round Robin Exchanges will be based on instructions sent from the owner with the original starter block. Review the description of each exchange to identify the rules that most appeal to you.
The timeframe for starting and completing each round may be different for each Round Robin Quilt Exchange. The timeframes will range from once a month to every two months.
The size of the starter block and desired finished quilt. Round Robin Quilts can get big fast! Some groups love working on bed sized quilts, while others love the design challenges of working on a smaller piece. Be sure to take into account the larger fabric investment for larger sized quilts.
The location of group participants may beU.S. only or international. It is great to interact with Quilters globally. Be sure to calculate in the mailing costs when you agree to join an international Round Robin group.
Be sure to thoroughly review the description of the Exchange when you sign up.
What “participants beware” should be considered before signing up?
What if you don’t like your quilt when it comes back to you? That is always a possibility, and one that will happen on occasion. Study the quilt and determine what you don’t like. Learn from what doesn’t appeal to you. The quilt is yours, so maybe you choose to make some changes to a few sections or to colors to “finish” the quilt to your liking. Maybe you can get creative in how you quilt it - use thread coloring or another embellishment to change what you don’t like, or quilt a section more heavily to “shrink” a border that doesn’t quite lay flat. If the colors just don’t appeal to you, complete the quilt and donate it to one of the many charity quilt projects or a charity auction. On rare occasions your completed quilt won't be as you desire, but more often than not, your quilt will delight and amaze you.
There are costs to participation besides the sign up fee. The additional costs are fabric, mailing, and possibly embellishments. Other participants will be investing in your quilt just as you invest in their quilt.
There is a time factor for participating in Round Robins. We think we will have time, then, oops, it just got gobbled up in some black hole! You must commit to completing each round on time! A few weeks can go by very quickly. Your delay in mailing your quilt on time will impact others in the group. Reminder messages will be sent out for each group so there will be no, I forgot excuses!
We don’t always control life’s changes. If there is a major unexpected change in your life (health issues, death in the family,…) that requires you to not complete a Round Robin Exchange, notify your group and us as soon as you are able. Your quilt will be returned to you before the next round in your Exchange. You will be dropped from future rounds in that Exchange. You will have the responsibility to mail the quilt you are working on to the next participant “as is”. The next participant will have the choice to 1) disregard or take out work not completed and just add the current round’s instructions, 2) complete the work started instead of the current round’s instructions, or 3) complete the previous work and add the current rounds instructions. Hopefully major unexpected negative changes in our lives will be minimal!
Your quilt or someone else’s gets lost in the mail, got eaten by the dog, or burned down with the house! I wish I could say these will never happen, but sometimes Murphy’s Law will apply and What Can Happen - Will. As the numbers of Exchanges grow, random bad luck will occasionally happen. There is nothing anyone from The Committed Quilter or your Exchange group can do to replace your quilt. Notify your group and us as soon as you are aware of any problems. We will work together to see what, if anything, can be done.
It can sound all doom and gloom after reading the above. It definitely isn’t! All the possible bad things that can happen are rare and not nearly as numerous as all the great quilts, friendships and learning that will result with every Round Robin Quilt Exchange.
