Round robin progress

For the third year in a row I am participating in a round robin organized by an online Block Lotto friend. We are on the third round - adding a second border to someone's center block. I would love to show what I have done, but it's all supposed to be secret. I can show you a color-modified peek though.

I am at my mother's house in Virginia right now - my father is very sick and is in the hospital under hospice care. I made the decision to come home on short notice from New Zealand to be with my family. Mom and I are talking about making a small quilt to be placed in the casket with my dad. He will (eventually) be buried with full military honors in Arlington Cemetery, so I am thinking about something patriotic with a stars and stripes motif.

I wonder if it's a strange thing to be designing a quilt at a time like this, but it is something that my mother and I share and we all know that quilting is therapeutic. It will keep me busy as well. I have some ideas, but I need to keep it simple so it doesn't become a burden on us to get it finished.

I was making my bed this morning (uber-uncomfortable futon couch) and wanted to take a photo of the three quilts I have been using. I was so cold the first night and none of them are bed sized, so I thought three was appropriate.

The bottom one was made in a class we did together in Queenstown a few years ago using a 4-patch caleidoscope technique. The fan quilt is made with Laura Ashley prints that were purchased in England in the 70s - I think my mother started piecing this by hand about 35 years ago and finished it recently. The last quilt is a simple block pattern made with Asian prints. A nice mix to keep me cozy.