My First Round Robin

I did my first cross stitch  round robin through a site called 'Cameo Rose'.  This was back in the late 1990s.  I did a quick search, but it doesn't look like the site is still around.  The woman who set up RRs would take names of people who wanted to join, and it took months to be assigned to a group.  My ladies in my group were:  JLR, MAB, MW, MAR, AA, AG and CT.  That's all I know about them.  I didn't save their addresses or even their full names.  The only way I even have their initials was because I asked them to stitch their initials in their sections.  I didn't think to stitch a date on this piece.  This was before digital cameras were common, so I don't have pictures of the other RRs in the group.

During the time I was doing my first RR, my DH had been laid off and was working long hours at a job he hated.  I was a stay at home mom with three boys, and I needed adult company.  I did not make lasting friendships with these stitchers, but they filled  a void in my life, and got me started on many years of round robin stitching.

This RR had very strict rules:  this was to be a band sampler of  100 stitches across, no more.  I got a little reprimand because mine was 102 stitches across, but the leader said that would be ok.   I don't remember stitching on any of the RRs in this group, other than one that had an Irish theme.  I think one stitcher lived in Georgia.  I had no idea how to pick a theme.  I finally just said for people to stitch what they wanted and use a certain color palette. I remember choosing my sewing basket motif from a Cross Stitch and Country Crafts magazine.

This round robin is not a masterpiece of design, but it is very well stitched.  The back is as neat as the front.  It also has many specialty stitches:  drawn thread, pulled thread, eyelets, Rhodes stitch, satin stitch, buttonhole stitch, four sided stitch, Smyrna cross and long arm cross.

If you are out there JLR, MAB, MW, MAR, AA, AG  and CT,  thank you again for your work on my first round robin.  I treasure it!

Linking up with: http://www.quiltinjenny.blogspot.com/2014/09/tbt-throwback-thursday-noahs-nine-patch.html