Kathie’s mention of the abundance of blue fabrics in her stash prompted me to put together this quickie poll: What color dominates your fabric stash? Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Black & White Neutrals Multicolor fabrics I store my fabrics by collection or designer I don’t sort my stash in any way   pollcode.com free polls If you follow the Block Lotto by mail or through a feed reader, you may have to click over to the...

At the Block Lotto, perfectly made blocks are a GOAL, but NOT a requirement.  It is also a place to try new things, practice and improve techniques. With that in mind, a couple of people have shared tips for making this month’s 9-Patch Plaid block and I thought to share them in a post of their own, as a place to share other problems/tips that come up in June.   Keeping 9-Patch Seams Aligned   During the sneak peek, Karen B had...

In June, we are making 9-inch square 9-Patch Plaid blocks PAIRS in blue and white with black or black & white. Julie P made this one. The fabric guidelines and my directions for making this block can be found here: 9-Patch Plaid Block Pattern You may make a maximum of 10 blocks (5 PAIRS) for chances in the drawing at the end of the month. The target set size for the winners will be 48 blocks. If you make multiple block pairs, you can use...

The block for May was s a 4 1/2 by 18-inch rectangular (finished size) block, made of squares. 22 quilters made 68 of these blocks, won by Elizabeth Co and me (yay!).     These three blocks were made by Elizabeth Co, Karen N and me. Complete guidelines for this month and link to the pattern are here: Bargello 9-Patch Border Blocks in May The tag for ALL blog posts about this month’s block is B9P   As an archive of our...

Karen posted the winners in a comment on my previous post.  In case you missed it, she said: Woo Hoo! “Winner, winner, chicken dinner!” (Or rather, “checkerboard blocks winner”! ) First name drawn #31 — our own Sophie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How cool is that? Second Winner #11 is Elizabeth Co !! Let’s hear it for the good luck and excitement for these gals! Karen

The list has been generated and sent to Karen B to pick this month’s two winners.  This month, there will be one large set and one smaller one.

While I am waiting for the clock to tick down to our deadline today, I thought I’d share some of the thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head. At the beginning of this month, I planned to blog about just how much I appreciate all of you and your willingness to make whatever block I choose for you each month.  This experience is a stark contrast to what happens in my guild whenever I suggest almost anything–they are a group of...

In the middle of creating the post about setting a Featured Image, I became disconnected from Blocklotto.com, with the error that said the  server was not responding. I was a little freaked out because of the timing as we are on the brink of the end-of-the-month/beginning-of-the-month rush and I worried what would happen if the site was down for long. I checked with our hosting company and couldn’t find any notice of maintenance or...

When you create a post, you can choose a featured image for it.  There are a few reasons why you might want to take the time to set the featured image: Show and Tell Posts When you create a post in the show and tell category, it is featured at the top of the home page where images (with links) from the 7 most recent show & tell posts are displayed in the slider in the top half of the page.  If you don’t choose a featured image, the...

There is a link to the Block Lotto Basics on the home page. I also include the link in the email I send to everyone who expresses interest in joining the Block Lotto. It’s not a long list and yet a couple of the rules never quite seem to stick with everyone. If things don’t seem to be working the way you expect, please take a moment and review the basics.  I have updated the page with the acceptable range of block measurements for...

If you are one of the 14 quilters who have made and posted blocks this month, you should have received sneak peek email from with information about the June lotto block. As usual, If you received the mail by mistake or if you should have received it but didn’t, let me know ASAP. If you received the mail and find an error in the directions, please let me know ASAP. I would appreciate it if everyone who has made and posted blocks this month...

  I have a quilter’s spidey sense when it comes to spotting lotto blocks on blogs, web sites, Pinterest, Facebook … and, ahem,  sometimes even my block patterns directions in block/quilt patterns being sold as someone else’s original work. Here’s my latest spotting, from Melinda Quilts, Etc.  I am posting it here with her permission.     Melinda won the blocks in January, 2011.  Follow the link to her blog...