Earlier this month on his blog, Wayne Kollinger had some fun with the Snail’s Trail block, using a technique he called Old Block Plus. He starts with the traditional block and then adds a sort of pieced border around each one to create some wonderful patterns when they are put together.  Here is one example of the new block and a quilt made from it. There are several more interesting variations in this post: Old Block Plus: Snail’s...

For January and February, we have made/are making blocks where the main fabric color is pretty narrowly defined–Blue or Purple in January, Brown in February–and there is more variation of colors allowed in the light backgrounds.  I have always loved scrappy backgrounds in all kinds of quilts and was thinking of continuing this kind of fabric guideline for the background in upcoming blocks, but … what do you think?   How do you feel...

I’ve finished my blocks for the pair of samplers I’m making with this year’s blocks. Here are my blocks for the scrap happy graduated sampler. Because I plan to put them in the upper right corner, where they will be surrounded by scrappy red and orange setting rectangles, I choose warm “browns” and used a light gold for some of the alternate color. I also started cutting some of those red and orange rectangles for...

In March, 2002, we also made Snail’s Trail/Monkey Wrench blocks. These are most of the 34 blocks that were made in the third month of the first year of the Block Lotto.     I think I am the only one still around from the list of makers: Dorothy, Elaine, Ivy, Jana, Jeri, Jessica, Kit, Marcia, Mary Pat, Sherri, Vicky and me.   These are completely scrappy 12-inch blocks, made using Marcia Hohn’s Monkey Wrench pattern on...

I am so excited that I won these!  I love them and they are in my husband’s favorite colors! Thanks so much everyone!

Looking forward to see all the birds flying in beautiful formations on your quilts!!

Whether you were one of the winners of the X and Plus blocks last fall, made some of the blocks for yourself, or, like me, are thinking about making some for your own project, here’s some beautiful Free-Motion quilting (FMQ) inspiration, from Kathleen’s Quilts. If you like what you see, be sure to click over for more photos and read her blog post where she steps through how she did...

Why is alliteration so irresistible? I’ve made my January blocks for both 2016 lotto block samplers and created a 2016 QAL page on this website with the information you need if you’re quilting along, decide to quilt along later and want to catch up or are just curious and want to follow-along.   On the 2016 QAL page, you’ll also find the code for a Blog badge for the Old MacDonald Mystery Sampler (OMMS), since everyone...

Mary Jane Cardwell has been a part of the Block Lotto nearly since it’s beginning many years ago on a quilting forum and in recent years led her own block lotto there. Our paths crossed many times in the quilting community and she became a friend I never met. On January 4, she shared that she had Stage 4 Colon Cancer which has affected the liver, the lungs and the brain.  A couple days ago she began chemo therapy.  She died last night....

I am still catching up with finishing up last month’s lotto (and trying to climb out of this funk I’ve been in over the holidays), but in the meantime, I wanted to share this quilt-in-progress from Aunt Marti’s blog.  Look familiar? These blocks have the opposite light/dark fabric placement than ours with a wider range of colors–maybe inspiration for making your own quilt? I am considering making a few of these blocks each...

Sophie provides such a dazzling assortment of blocks for us every year.  I have saved many of the patterns because I keep thinking I will make a quilts’-worth of them for myself.  My question to all of you is:  have you used BL patterns again, for an entire quilt?  (Other than the times you’ve won, or for the Mod Mod Sampler last year.)  If so, which ones?

Congratulations to the Winners! And to all who made blocks – it was so wonderful seeing all the combinations and fantastic fabrics used.   Great job, Sewists!