A Pretty Row to Sew...

This is a row of 9" Ohio Star Variation blocks (also called Henry of the West, among other names). I pieced and joined the row because I'll be going on a quilting retreat next week, and the occasion will mark the beginning of a Row Robin exchange. There are 8 of us, all members of the Country Road Quilters, participating in this activity.

We begin with 2 yards of a design fabric and 3 yards of a background. I thought that bright pink and green floral print might turn into quite a happy quilt. We stitch the first row of our own projects. It can be any size, any style, and any combination of blocks that will measure 54" wide when finished. I made the six 9" pieced blocks for mine. This row goes into a bag with the rest of the fabric to be passed along to the next quiltmaker on the exchange list.

We'll each make a row inspired by the fabrics and rows we find in each quiltmaker's bag, and then pass the bag along to the next participant in a couple of months. Eventually, after it's visited each participant's sewing room, the bag containing 8 rows will be returned to its owner. I like scrappy quilts, so it will be fun to see what fabrics get added in and how the whole design comes together.

Participants will reveal our first rows at the retreat, and then we won't see our project again until the end. That's when the rest of the work begins... designing, arranging, and sewing the rows into a quilt top for completion. Meantime, we'll flex our sewing muscles throughout the year, making blocks and rows for 8 different quilts. Should be fun!