Where Am I Headed?

Back in December I joined a round-robin group at my LQS entitled "Head For The Border". This is a round-robin that never leaves the hands of the original quiltmaker, everyone works on their own creation the entire time. As a way of sparking creativity and building skills, the unknown for the next border "round" is revealed each month by the drawing of a color and a design element to be used from a brown paper bag. We don't know where we're headed... it's the journey that makes this experience so much fun.

In order to develop a sense of direction toward the destination it's important to not only know where you are but how you got there. I often find myself relying on the most basic skills that I learned in the very first quilmaking class I ever took, back in 1983. (Are you reading this, Ann?) Back then we cut templates from plastic and drew every seam line with pencil. I don't use mylar sheets anymore for templates but sometimes certain situations (unusual sizes) call for me to draft the shapes in EQ7 and print them onto freezer paper sheets. I cut them out (on the stitching line) and iron them to the backside of my fabric pieces; then lightly draw around those shapes with a fine mechanical pencil. The pieces won't shift (I use a sandpaper board beneath the fabric pieces to ensure stability while tracing) and then cut them out 1/4" beyond the drawn line. The freezer paper is reusable (over and over and over...). This is much more accurate than using rotary cutting directions to the 1/16th or 1/32nd of an inch. I'm happy to have a solid piecing foundation, basically anything that can be drafted can be stitched using this technique. Even with a closetful of specialty rulers and a die cutter it's always a good feeling to return to the basics.

Ready for tomorrow... my "Head For The Border" medallion work in progress. This now measures 23.5" square; I believe there are to be three more "rounds". The four "Winding Ways" blocks are where I began. Round #1 saw us adding the color black and the design element of rectangles; round #2: green and flying geese. I can't wait for tomorrow's reveal and to see what everyone else has come up with. As for me, I may not know exactly where I'm headed, but I am guided by good directions and am having an enjoyable time getting there. I believe I am going to name this one "The Long And Winding Road". Stay tuned for more clues along the way to the ultimate destination.

Life is Good!

Border Patrol

My EQ7 design for the center plus border #1

I'm headed for the border, don't try to stop me! There is an exciting new challenge before me; a Border Round Robin group has formed at  my LQS, they began meeting last month.

Piecing layout for Winding Ways block

Rather than this being a Round Robin that is passed from one participant to another, this is one where the quiltmaker works on their own piece the entire time. To begin, a center block was required to be anywhere between twelve and twenty inches square; I decided on a sixteen inch block composed from four, eight inch, Winding Ways blocks with bright, saturated colors (the "cure" for working on low volume quilts lately?) and white. Each month a design element and color choice are drawn randomly and those two components are required to be present in the next round. The first drawing yielded rectangles for the design element and the color black. I added a one one inch black and white border on all four sides. I will build off my saved EQ7 design each month as the new elemental requirements are revealed. Putting together the Winding Ways block proved to be as much of a challenge as anything else! I finally realized that if I put the top and bottom sections together first and then inserted the doggie-bone shaped unit as the final step it worked the best for accuracy.

My actual center block unit with border #1, rectangles and black, added.

As a common point of reference the entire class will be using this book.
We'll be combining our November and December classes to accomodate for the upcoming
 holidays; stay tuned for future installments. This run for the border group will meet 
until May of next year, by then I should reach the destination. Let's hope so. 
After all, I began this trek via the Winding Way; not a detour, just an alternate route!
Life is Good!

Oh, Happy Day!

I've been a part of a round robin blogging group for the last 15 months. My own completed "baby" (14" X 18.5") returned home on Friday, immediately prompting the name for this quiltlet: Oh, Happy Day! Any of you who've ever participated in a round robin can identify with the feeling: you get so wrapped up in the creative process and the monthly deadlines of receiving and sending that you lose sight of the fact that you're actually going to get one in return! I am deeply appreciative of the hard work and dedication poured into this project. My precious little beauty has traveled across the country and back; and will now rest from her journey on the studio wall, a constant and happy reminder that...

Life is Good!
...oh yes it is...