Here it is: Julie’s suggestion realized–a dud (and orphan) block lotto for all those extra lotto blocks we have.   This will be a bonus lotto in addition to the one for the December Stripes block. Block Guidelines You may enter up to a total of 12 blocks or blocks and/or fabric equivalents Blocks must be made from one of the patterns we used for the Block Lotto.  They may be made from different fabrics than the color/fabric...

This month we are making this 6-by-9 inch (finished size) Stripes block using white (a solid or white-on-white print) and a fabric of your choice. Ellen make this one. The block pattern directions are here: Stripes Block Pattern The block pattern has been updated since it was sent out as part of the sneak peek and contains directions for making multiples of this block from strip sets. As usual, you may make up to a maximum of 9 blocks for...

The block for November was the Banded Basket block, made from Quilter’s choice of Basket fabric with a Tone-on-tone or solid fabric handle, band and (optional) base, and a love volume background. I made this one.  Guidelines used for this month are here: Banded Basket Blocks–Because I Love Them In November, 18 quilters made 76 blocks, which were won by Cathy and Laura. Congratulations to you both. Ellen joined the Block Lotto in November....

If you made banded basket blocks this month, you should have email from me with the mailing info for your blocks. If you didn’t receive the email, please let me know ASAP. If the information I have for you on the mailing info sheet is incorrect, please let me know ASAP. And, especially during this very busy month, please mail your blocks as soon as you can. Thanks.

There is a very old Art Buchwald column in which he explains Thanksgiving to the French. I have fond memories of reading it each year in the International Herald Tribune when I lived in France, several decades ago.  You can read the whole thing here, but near the end he concludes: And so, on the fourth Thursday in November, American families sit down at a large table brimming with tasty dishes and, for the only time during the year, eat better...

It seems we have enough interest (and quilters with spare blocks from the Block Lotto) to move forward with this idea.   Thanks to Julie for suggesting it. Here’s what I’m thinking: Quilters can enter up to 12 blocks, made for the Block Lotto at any time in it’s history, for chances in the drawing.  As usual, they may contribute blocks, but opt out of the drawing–I know that not everyone loves working with blocks in various...

If you have made and posted banded basket blocks this month, you should have received email from me earlier today with the information about December’s block. As usual, let me know ASAP if you should have received the sneak peek, but didn’t. Also, everyone should check the At-a-Glance page to make sure that the information I have for them is correct. Remember the Sneak Peek information is a secret until December 1, when the block is...

It’s Julie’s fault … when I read her sent-and-received blog post earlier today, I thought it was a great idea. Do you have orphan lotto blocks–well made, but not entered in the lotto because maybe they were a test block or had size issues or made from fabrics that didn’t quite follow the guidelines … or maybe at the time you didn’t think they were good enough. The blocks should be made from this block lotto,...

  I’ve been working on my simple medallion idea.  Here are the handles for some of my banded basket blocks.  My plan is to stitch them by hand while I watch television tonight. I have enjoyed reading the comments about your bias appliqué experience–I hope anyone sitting on the fence about trying the block because of those handles has been reading them, too. Here are two that might inspire you: Cathy L said that she, “didn’t...

Julie recently blogged about a project using the bird and heart blocks from earlier this year … and I learned that I had misspelled the name of the woman whose tutorial inspired the block. I corrected her names in the attribution and uploaded the new bird directions: Bird Block Directions – V2 There’s no change in the directions, just the name correction. In any event, if you happen to save the links to the patterns,...

This afternoon, I finished putting together the top … and hurriedly took a photo before I lost the natural light.   I blacked out the four December blocks that will form a bar at the bottom, but you get the idea … there’s going to be a whole lot of quilting going on in this simple sampler. I deviated from our lotto blocks in that I made the Bird and House taller, made the scrappy version of the Oak Leaf, and added an...

I have been thinking about making a small quilt using this month’s basket block, but filling and/or adding to the baskets … and that’s how this little idea began. If you’ve been around long enough, you might remember this little pillow project, using our liberated basket block.  I quilted in some leafy vines coming out of the baskets and added lots and lots of yo yos.  At the time, one of my goals was to use up pink...