Cotton Robin Reveal!

Finally I can show the photos. This is my 4th year to participate in the Cotton Robin. I have to wait until the BIG REVEAL on that site before I can upload mine. 
But first, do take a look at all the starting centers!

My Center

It would be perfectly acceptable to just use an orphan block but I have too much fun with this. I saw this pattern on a website and bought it. I am not buying patterns often but I could not resist. The center is supposed to be about 9 x 9 or 8 x 10 inches. 

It was supposed to arrive at the next person before February 28.

It was a paper piecing job. Only the second time for me to use this technique. Here the back side.

I texted the photo to Helen and she texted this photo back. "Looks just like June!!!" Helen has 6 chickens which are laying very nice eggs for her. We call them "the ladies".

I mailed my center to Allison in TX on February 21.

Center with one border

Next day I received the center block from Glen in Louisiana. I had to put it up on my design wall and contemplate what to do. She put a lot of work into it. Don't want to spoil it for her.

Laurina, the organizer, said that the borders don't have to be equally all around. The borders could be on only two sides for example. She encouraged us to be creative. So, here is what I did. 

I packed it up and posted that I was mailing it the next day but was told that I should wait a little because I was too early. Nobody should be overwhelmed ... if one projects arrived late and the next early you could have two at the same time. Finally mailed on March 19 to Traceyann in Canada.

Center with two borders

The next center with one border arrived Monday April 8 from Marie in New Hampshire. I put it on the design wall to ponder what to do. A lot going on in this block.

It was a difficult decision but I decided to do more trees. For another project years ago I had made this sample but it was too big so I made another drawing (on the right).

I ran out of some of the material. I also thought it needed something in the top right corner so I made the sun. I read that the owner had received her little quilt and was really happy about it.

Layering, quilting and binding 

When I got this one with two borders I had no idea what to do. I am not really a "modern" quilter. I didn't even know what was up or left and right. 

I decided that it needed quilting which calmed the design and pulled everything together. I always wanted to try this quilting with a walking foot. I was very happy about the result.

Since we were leaving on our 5 week trip at the end of May I had to be finished before the deadline which was June 13. The owner of this little quilt lives near London, England. I emailed her to ask whether she wanted me to mail it from the USA or from Germany or from Scotland or from England when I was in those places. She said she would rather wait instead of risking that it gets lost in the mail. Yes, we had some errant mail this year within this group. I finally mailed it from Germany. It arrived soon and she loved it. She said she could not decide herself which way was up either and there was a family vote.

And with everything done now all we have to do is wait for all the little quilts to arrive at their homes. I found this on the Cotton Robin side. Well done!

My chicken has come home to roost.

When we came home from our trip on July 5 my little quilt was waiting for me. It is a bit on the colorful side but we both really like it. And it is already mounted on its place with 2016 (Dresden plate), 2017 (bird) and 2018 (elephant).

And finally...

Everybody has received their little quilt and Laurina, the organizer, has posted THE BIG REVEAL. 

Kate's bed runner

Last year when Kate and David visited I asked whether they would like something quilted. Kate said immediately that she knew exactly what. They had a store-bought quilt on their bed but it was not practical because it was too large. They just needed something for the foot-end. I was happy to hear that. Their bedroom color is light purple. That was a bit more difficult since I don't really work with that color.

By chance soon after their visit in Virginia James and I visited England and also visited them. Before we left I asked Kate whether I could see her bed room because there is a wide variety of purple. She laughed and said she wondered whether I had forgotten about it. Oh no. We decided on the size it should be and I wrote it down. I also took some pictures to help with color choices.

Back home I went to a fabric store and mailed three color samples to Kate. She thought all would be ok. But I still had trouble deciding on a pattern. I had a panel with birds though I really wanted to use. I knew that they love birds.

I was very happy when I finally had figured it out. Log cabin. Different purples with different greens to pull the birds in. James went twice with me to a quilt store to select the fabrics. We both had fun. 

And we both were happy with the result when the top was finally pieced and ready for the longarmer. 

After that all it needed was trimming and the binding. Hand sewing of course for the last step.

And of course we are always told that you should never forget the label for posterity. 

And then on May 3 dear James brought it to the post office. I said to James: "I hope they like it". His reply: "Surely they will and if they don't they only have to put it on the bed when we visit". Love his humor. 

And yes, they received it. And yes, they like it.