This began as a round robin project with about 8 other guild members back in 1997. I think each participant was encouraged to make a 12" block and some four inch filler blocks or units. I do remember the challenge of setting those blocks and parts into a cohesive whole. There were several arrangements before this heart shape showed up.
The problem was that I didn't know what to do with it after that. It's a horizontal orientation, 63" wide by 57" tall. I had less studio space back then than I do now, and no-one in my family had any strong desire for a patriotic quilt. So it went into a box.
There were some extra blocks in the box when I opened it up today. I suspect I must have made a couple of them well after the top had been put together but I never pursued incorporating them into the quilt.
Actually, the four patch blocks and the sailboats were separate little blocks (4") that I set together today into a 12" block. I still have plenty of the navy blue print that I used to finish up the top originally. With the experience I now have under my belt it didn't take long for me to see that I could make a couple of columns of blocks to add to either end of the existing top and bring the whole thing up to the required minimum size of 63" x 87."
These columns have now been added and a bit of the navy blue sewn all around for a final frame. It's as big as it needs to be now but it's too big for me to get a decent picture of it by myself. The plan is to get together with a couple of my friends later this week; maybe I'll be able to get a good picture then. And one of them can turn it in for me so it can be quilted and bound and sent to a soldier in need. :- )
I am a member of the CQ Embellishers Yahoo group. A subset of that group is doing a round robin project wherein we are to bead embellish crazy patched blocks for each other. There are two groups with about 6 people in each. I have just received these two blocks to work on. The block on the top has already been embellished by Joann; it belongs to Vivian. I will also do some beading on it and then I will send it on to Ellen. She will bead it some more and send it on to the next person. Eventually the block will make its' way back to Vivian at the end of the Round Robin. The block on the bottom is Joann's block. I will be the first one to embellish it. As you can see, we were allowed to make our blocks whatever size suited us and in whatever colors or theme we desired. It will be great fun to get these "mystery" projects in the mail and exercise my creative abilities on them! I already have something in mind for one of the patches on Joann's block :- ) I'm disciplining myself to work on hers first because if it weren't for her husband falling ill I would have received it first. I'm going to try not to be intimidated by the work that Joann did on Vivian's block! In fact, I'm going to try not to even look at Vivian's block again until Joann's is in the mail on its' way to Ellen ;- )