As the October winners and a couple of other affected quilters know, creating the mailing info sheet on a guest computer in the loud, quilter-filled lobby of the Hilton turned out not to be such a great idea.  I made a couple goofs and the best way for me to fix them, once I was home in Santa Fe, was to make more blocks so the number of blocks each winner received would come out right.  I always planned to make more last month, so it was no big...

I came back from Houston with a lot of photos and I will probably be blogging about them on my Sophie Junction blog eventually, but these two were special, because they were made by a couple of quilters from our little community. Both were in exhibits that seemed to make everyone smile.

If you made blocks in October, you should have received email from me with the information about where to send your blocks. If you’re missing the mail, let me know.  Likewise, let me know ASAP if you see any errors.  I put it together quickly in a noisy hotel lobby and I’m less confident in my work as a result.

In the directions, the fabric for the top of the band is cut wider (1 inch) and then trimmed to 1/2 inch after it sewn to the basket unit, for a finished width of 1/4 inch. If you prefer, you could start with a skinnier strip, 3/4 inch by 6 1/2 inches, but I really do think you end up with a more even result if you cut wider and then trim it after it’s sewn on the basket side. If your blocks come out too tall, it could be that you forgot...

Here are my six Banded Basket blocks.  They were made using all the variations in the block directions: the basic basket block, the one with a base made of bonus triangle squares, the paper foundation pieced one, and three made with the 4 Flying Geese units made using the no-waste geese method.   The background fabric with the writing on it was made by me in a workshop using Thermofax screens at the NQA show a few years ago.  The workshop...

This photo, from a quilt show in Grants, NM,  is from Andra’s blog, Simplify and Quilt.  I know that you know that I loved seeing a quilt made from our Tic-Tac-Toe blocks among her quilts on display in this booth. As quilters, we may enter quilts in shows, help organize and hang them, participate as a vendor, attend and enjoy, or enjoy the eye candy from shows around the world shared by others. In November, please share your quilt show...

Love them or hate them, basket blocks seem to be almost as polarizing among quilters as Sun Bonnet Sue.  Because I love them, this month we are making this scrappy 6-by-9 inch (finished size) Banded Basket block using light/low volume/neutral fabrics for backgrounds, quilter’s choice for the basket and a coordinating solid or tone-on-tone (TOT) for the band and handle.  The base of the basket can be made from the basket OR coordinating...

The block for October was a 6-inch by 9-inch (finished size) Oak Leaf block, made from any batik fabric with a cream/tan tone on tone background. Tag Tag for ALL blog posts about the October block: oak leaf   October Topic October’s topic for the linky party was Tools and Gadgets.   Blocks made in October: 138 Blocks entered into Drawing: Angie – 1 Cathy A – 2 Cathy L – 9 Charlene – 1 *NEW* Debbie – 4 Ginny – 6 Helen – 1 Jo B –...

Jude – a newbie … Who will no longer be able to say she never wins anything Julie P ( who, coincidentally, told Jude about the Block Lotto) Karen Congratulations , ladies.

I meant to share this earlier … and give credit where credit is due 🙂 Johnny Be Good, my big male tabby, helped design this month’s block. At least, he thought it was helping … he decided when the leaf was ready and when it was time for me to stop fiddling with it and go play with...

Charlene is joining the Block Lotto from Ontario, Canada. While she and I continue to work to get things sorted out for her account, I’m posting her Oak Leaf block. It’s pretty perfect looking, isn’t it? Welcome,...

If you have made and posted blocks this month, you should have received email from me with information about the November block. As usual, I’m asking everyone who has made blocks to make sure that the information I have for YOU and your blocks on the At-a-Glance page is correct. If you haven’t yet made and posted Oak Leaf blocks (or want to make more), you have ONE WEEK to do so.  The deadline for participating in the drawing is...