This salmon block is the Center I sent out in the mail 6 months ago. Perhaps to become a spawning salmon... I had no idea how it would look when I got it back. It was very nerve wracking for me. But I was excited to work on everyone else's tops. And really, the six months just flew past.This is the top I just received!
Wow!
WowWowWOW!!!
That is all I could say. I am so impressed with all the work, and the way everyone worked to add dynamic to each row and how they all harmonized to create a story. Now I have to figure out how to finish it. I am considering finishing with a very simple edge. But... it is large. If I add some to the top and the bottom, it could be a bed size quilt. So a lot to consider. But for now, just a lot to appreciate.
Here are the other quilts I helped to make.
I want to say thank you to all my friends from the local quilt shops & WASIQ & Washington Stars who gave me advice when I was scratching my head over What to add and How to do it and Which colors to use. You know who you are, and I thank you so much!
This is first top I worked on, Sue's quilt. It was just the very center 4 images. We were challenged to add a row using triangles. And EVERY row had to have something about Where We Live. The central block was all these great farbics with bits of gold. So I added more sparkle and pine needles. If you are from the pacific northwest, you know about pine needles. They are here. They are staying Get used to it. This was a fun top to start this project! And I was all excited to see what was next. I even finished EARLY and sent it out early. Completely Unheard Of for me LOL
The second top I received was this one below. Holly started it out with a really stunning Mariner's Compass in hand-dyes and batikes. The first round (triangles) was obviously mountains, so I decided to do a water reflection thing for Round Two , where we were to do something with squares or rectangles. And I had exactly the right purply batik that reminded me of that slick look the puget sound gets when you are crossing by boat, over deep water. And I got to use some hand-dyes I had made at retreat a few years ago too. I have been especially eager to see how this top evolved and Became.
Cindy's top started with the little block on point with darling chickadees. When I received it, the blue/neutral row was the outside. It was getting very dramatic at this point, so I decided to do stomething to harmonize the elements I was seeing. Cindy had included a nice assortment of fabrics we could pull in, so I added the tiny stripy border and then a nice wide border of green with just a few trees. Very simple. I really love that the applique-border persone was able to utilize the green too. That cardinal is great! (And you can Click Here to see Cindy's blog too.)
The fourth round was "applique", and I received Sharon's top to work on. This top was so strong in its geometric focus that I really felt I needed to continue that- I just could not see adding soft lines. I did a lot of sketching and thinking about this top to figure out how I could add to it. I discovered there were some shapes that could be extended out to the next round. So I pieced the round and just added simple shapes to the corners, representing my area- capitol building, salmon, trees, Mt Rainier.Mary's quilt top was the final stop in this Migration, for me. And it was the very most difficult top for me to figure out. After much study and standing on my head and vetting of fabrics, I decided to add three rows of ocean waves- the half square triangles set on point. But that was a bit overwhelming when I got some one. So I nixed the middle all-greens row and just used the two rows: An inner starting with the focus fabric, and outer finishing with Blues. One of the things I learned in this rop is how different everyone's definition of balance and harmony is.
This Round Robin was a really excellent learning experience for me. I had to stretch to find harmony in other people's choices, and figure out what they thought of as balance. And I learned which skills I need to bone up on. (triangles!) I also discovered some great tricks and tips to help me along. The trick of taking a photo of your project, in both color and black/white, and seeing what stands out in each one was a big help. You will see new aspects of your work and your material choices if you do this.
The photo pictured here is actually a snap shot I took when I received Sharon's quilt. See how the grayscale image allows you to see diferent shapes and values?Again, thanks to Everyone who chipped in an opinion and gave me ideas to help me do my bit. Thank you to all the ladies who made my quilt. And THANK YOU to Kathy who put this together. Bravo!
One more quilt, I almost forgot! This is Kathy's quilt. I never got to see this beauty, as there were 7 participants and only 6 rounds. But what a great top!
She should receive this in a week or so, and I do hope she likes it, all stuffed with stickers and markers and crayons and a big old Spongebob activity/coloring book.
