each of these is not like the others

One of my favorite things about quilting with a little group is how we can start out trying the same technique and come up with completely different results. Case in point: the 1600-inch strip quilts that seem to be the current rage.

We decided to do a project with 20 shared black & white fabrics and 20 "other fabrics" that would make each quilt individual.

This is Kuniyo's quilt -- it's about 3/4 black & white and the rest red. Love it!Enelda had a cold and wasn't sewing as fast, so she plans to finish at home -- love the colors! She was using a set of batik strips.
This one is mine -- my signature jewel tones. I'm not thrilled with the light colors I used; I think I should have stuck with medium/dark ones.
Kathy used a wide variety of strips for her top. She didn't like it but the rest of us did.
Finally, Susan's -- I think the purples and blues blend really well with the black & white. She was expecting to not like the result, but ended up pleased with it!
If you're going to try this, here are a couple of hints:
- if you're using batiks or other fabrics that look very similar on both sides, be careful not to flip your strips when you're doing the first step of sewing them end to end.
- take a couple of minutes to fold the 1600" strip in accordion pleats across your lap before sewing the first long seam. It will help prevent everything becoming a twisted mess.
- several of us tried putting all the black & white strips first, and then our other strips -- this helped distribute the colors more evenly, but wasn't perfect! (I mixed my lightest colors in with the black & white and then finished with all the darker colors, and this didn't work so well)

Coming next: scrappy pink stuff.