THE ROUND ROBIN, 2018

There are many ways for a quilting round robin.  You can see many options here on pinterest.  When I was guild president several years ago, our guild had a lot of 12.5" blocks that had been made for some such contest or donation.  So I took the blocks, distributed them to guild members, and then embarked on a round robin where every month, I would add a different row to the block so at the end of about 6 months, every one had a charity quilt to donate.  I learned a lot that year about adding rows to blocks.  When I wound up with an unusual size, I then had to add a coping strip.  You can find out about coping strips here.   In addition to using the odd squares, I made everyone trade their block each month so you had to come up with fabrics coordinating with someone else's idea.  Since then, I've taught a round robin at guild about 5 years running.

At the first of the year, I start looking for ideas on how to do the next round robin for the Silver Threads Quilt Guild.  If I can find a pattern in a magazine or free online, I often use that pattern and adapt it, giving credit to the designer at the end.  I wont share my source of the 2018 Round Robin but I will say that I am very excited to share my blocks with you!

This quilt is going to be a great stash buster!   Every row will be made using 5" squares or leftover charms plus a couple of yards of  neutral scraps or yardage.  The minimum size is around 50 to 60", great for a charity or lap quilt.  If you are a collector of batiks, assorted 5" batik squares is perfect for this quilt.  I don't have a lot of batiks so I'm using cottons in blues/whites and yellow with some yardage I've had a while.  The center block was so easy and looks so pretty, I might even make two!  Who doesn't have a pile of 5" squares hanging around in the stash?

Here are the directions for the center block for Round Robin 2018. We will be using all 5" charms and trimming to size. For the center block you will need: 
4 dark 5" squares 
4 med 5" squares 
4 light 5" squares, 
4 light 4.5" squares for corner blocks. 

Pair a dark square with a medium square, right sides together. mark a diagonal line and sew 1/4" on either side of the line. Cut apart in the middle and you will have 2 HST. Make one more set for a total of 4 dark/med HST. Trim to 4.5" . 

Pair a dark square with a light square and repeat process to make 4 HST, trimmed to 4.5" 

Pair a light square with a medium square and repeat process to make 4 HST trimmed to 4.5". 
Arrange the blocks as shown to make a star. Wasn't that easy? 

And here it is:  

Happy Sewing!  Carol