Have You Noticed?

Posted by Sophie on July 27, 2014 in block lotto community, my sampler | 2 comments

These are my 14 spokes blocks for my Mod-Mod Queen-size Sampler quilt.

As I was making them, I put them up on the wall in an on-point orientation. Have you noticed that the spokes within the block looks the same whether they are in a straight set or on-point? The only difference is whether the touching spokes are vertical and horizontal or on the diagonal.

If you look REALLY close, you might also notice that my set of 14 blocks has that one of these blocks is not like the other quality–in the one on the far left in the photo, I goofed and used the white-on-white background wrong-side-up.   (I still haven’t decided if I will re-make the block or decide that it’s very hard to see the difference, even in real life.

If you are one of the lucky winners this month, perhaps you will consider an on-point setting for your blocks. These blocks would also be a good candidate for what Sharyn Craig calls a 2-for-1 set, in which blocks are alternately put on point or surrounded by a frame.  Here’s a peek at the page that shows an example and the project map for how it’s done.

If you love to make sampler blocks or swap blocks … or make blocks for the Block Lotto, but feel stuck when it comes to figuring out how to put them into a quilt, I recommend this book and another from Sharyn Craig ,Great Sets: 7 Roadmaps to Spectacular Quilts. These links go to Amazon, but you may find them in your community or guild library. They’re classics that have held up well and, years later, are still relevant (and filled with good ideas.

Updated to add a photo of the January-through-July blocks on my design wall.   I do this each month when my blocks are made … I only just noticed a mistake in one of the groups of four of the diagonal bars … from May.  Sigh …