charsuewilson

I like to "play beside." I don't always want to do what everyone else is doing. Our guild has done some get togethers where you can make an item with everyone else. Someone may demo, then everyone does their own. Some of the items to make are small things that are made to sell at a show. Some people may work along, and some may do assembly line style-your choice. And you can always come and just do your own thing.

I've seen the problems with row by row groups. the rows never come out the same width. So you have to unsew and sew with smaller seams, or make lots of seams larger. And the same problem with block exchanges. The blocks are never the same size. But it's usually easier to make adjustments when sewing the blocks together.

Cheryl7758

I like "sew beside" although many in my online group like to do only part of a project, such as donate blocks, embroidery blocks or completed tops to be quilted. I took home some quilts from our yearly get together, and swore at a few because of wavy boarders - should have taken them off and reapplied, but did "tucks" when quilting to straighten it up - hated to do it, but have 7 to quilt and a very short time to get them done.

We do charity quilts throughout the year, and my donation is frequently just a whole quilt - my own blocks don't always fit together good, don't want to have to deal with someone else's.

I know everyone has their own way of doing stuff, but can we outlaw "wavy boarders" - LOL

nwm50

Yep..I do, especially after I learn something new, I may adapt it more to my liking and still have fun with being around groups.

mic-pa

I like all these comments and all I can say "Been there, done that" LOL

DebbieJJ

Oh YEAH......I'm a "beside quilter" too........

toverly

Me too! I like to sit down with my own set of fabrics and sew "my way". Even if the entire quilt is going to community quilts. No 1/4" seams are alike. I often take my own fabric to donate and if pressured, I simply say, I brought a project to work on.

rosiewell

I agree, my group did several block exchanges, the blocks were supposed to be a certain size, but I guess it was open to interpretation, it was hard to put the blocks together to put it mildly!

solstice3

I agree with you

Neesie

I would love to join an exchange, if there was such a thing as a 'NitPickers' exchange, in which anything not following the rules would be sent back to the original sender, rather than exchanged. I did once join an exchange which claimed unfit offerings would be returned . . . but that was a joke. I got a bunch of unusable squares (see-through-thin, cut too small, cut crooked, etc.), in exchange for the ones I painstakingly chose, cut, then checked to make sure they were square and of proper size. Some I received were so wrinkled and bedraggled, I suspect they'd been passed around repeatedly, before being sent to me (a new-comer to that exchange). I did receive many nice ones also . . . but not enough to make the swap worth joining again.

soccertxi

My small group has two rules-
1. if you plan to come and 'life happens', call someone. We WILL worry.
2. you NEVER have to do the group project. We dont do many, but this rule covers hurt feelings. Maybe you don't LIKE it, have the $ for fabric, or are really busy with something that needs to be finished/you REALLY love. Sometimes I join in, sometimes I share that project, but no one ever HAS to join in.