M'Liss Raw Hawley's "Round Robin Renaissance"

Round robin quilts take block swapping a step further by making each quilt a true group quilt, with a packet that moves from one quilter to the next before finally ending up back "home" with its owner. Quilters along the way might assemble the quilt -- or not, depending on the guidelines and the wishes of the owner. Participating in a round robin is a good way to stretch your skills, since you'll work with styles and techniques you might not have chosen yourself.

Even without the supporting text, the photos of quilts in Round Robin Renaissance deliver plenty of inspiration for group projects. Each quilting pattern is accompanied by photos of actual quilts made by a robin group. It's very interesting to see how members of each group interpreted each quilt owner's project specifications.

The author gives us ample advice about planning a round robin quilt. She included a sample of a form used to explain each quilter's guidelines and another form to use as a block log -- to keep track of the quilt's progress. She offers tips to help you choose a format that everyone in the group can work and grow with.

The author provides instructions for five quilt formats and thirty quilt blocks. Skill levels vary so there's something here to suit every group member, from beginning to experienced quilter. You'll find row quilts, medallion quilts, progressive block quilts, ideas for a photo exchange quilt and embellishment and embroidery exchanges. There's even a nice pillow cover project.

Quilting Basics

Quilting basics are covered more thoroughly than in most quilting project books. Tips to help you work with oddly sized blocks -- whether intentional or accidental -- are scattered throughout the text.

M'Liss Rae Hawley gives us the technical tools we need for a successful quilt, but with a personal spin. She reminds us that these are really friendship quilts, and offers words of advice to help us respond kindly to every person who makes an effort to do the best work possible.