Mod-mod QAL
My Star Chains for the Mod-mod project.
Mod Mod Qal- Bead on a string
Hi, I have finally finished the beads, I used Dena’s WIP video for the circles (tin foil method) and found it speedy and gave an excellent result. The bead blocks use a lot of techniques and are good learning tools. Now it is on to the Chained Stars. Wishing you have a Joyous Day!
finished object – Eclipse quilt
These were blocks from 2011 or 2012, and I’ve posted pictures before as it was a work in progress. Now it’s quilted and bound, so I thought I would share the finished quilt. Thanks to all who made the squares! (that’s our new cat Nick sitting on the quilt).
Linda
Mod mod qal -Chevrons
Well, I have been thinking about where I will take the colour for the Month- January Chevrons… and I decided to go with off white TOT and Greens. I am working on my Beads- on a- String today. The invisible thread is! I am trying Dena’s video tip WIP with aluminum foil and it is totally easy and fast and giving me the best results yet! (I tried using a CD for the template (just an experiment)…I know it is the wrong size but , it worked beautifully to give a nice clean edge…just something to consider if you need a circle.)
d
Pulling my hair
Sigh. For some reason I can’t seem to make these without losing the points (the last seam allowances around these are too small). I checked my seams through each step and they were a scant 1/4″. So here are three I am going to use in my Mod, Mod Quilt Along. None from me for the drawing again. Sorry, quilters.
Angie in SoCal
Been thinking about the Lotto
With some of the discussion about the lotto lately, and with going back and re-reading Sophie’s excellent guide to All Things Lotto, I was thinking about the Lotto and my involvement in it, and thought I’d share a little of that history for anyone who might be interested (the rest of you can skip this message, lol).
When I first joined the Block Lotto, it was hosted on about.com, and known as the Beginner Block Lotto – it had been going for a few years in various formats, but by the time I got there, it was being hosted by Sophie again and aimed at all levels of quilters – i.e. accessible to beginners. I wasn’t a beginner then, but I did (and still do!) enjoy straightforward blocks that produce a lot of effort with minimal concentration. It was also still a centralised lotto at that point (we all mailed to Sophie and she mailed to the winners.). This involvement actually predates my personal blog, but as near as I can figure, I first made blocks in either March (Queen Charlotte’s Crown) or April (Johnny Round the Corner) of 2006. (Yes, 2006 – I can hardly believe it!) I know I made April blocks and I remember the March block, but can’t remember if I made them, or just remember it from looking at it. Either way, it’s 8 years for me now.
The first blocks I won, were in June 2006, and were the Scottie Dogs. It took me a long time to make a finished quilt from these (longer than from some other wins, I admit) – but the quilt is now made and enjoyed by my elder daughter.
Since 2006, I have made blocks in more months than not, and followed the lotto when it moved first to blogspot, then to wordpress. I have also acted in the sometime capacity of advisor and even co-hostess on the lotto (which, I’ll tell you, really reinforced my appreciation for just how much work goes in behind the scenes!). And I’ve even designed a block for it – the Modern Clover block in April 2011 (which I was lucky enough to win some of – how’s that for fitting?) I made those blocks into a quilt for friend and colleague of my husband, who reached her 20th year of service at his workplace. I really love how this quilt turned out and it’s a great example of the things I love about the block lotto. I never in a million years would have been able to get such a fantastic gradation of colours from my own stash…
I can’t be sure how many months I’ve played the lotto – I’d guess my average is 9-10 times per year, as sometimes I’m just really busy and sometimes I avoid the blocks (those who know me know I’m not a huge fan of applique, for instance!). But I’ve used the lotto many times to try a new technique or work in a colourway I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards, and without re-reading my entire blog for the nearly 8 years it’s been going (I first blogged about making lotto blocks in Sept 2006 with the Goshen Star) I couldn’t even tell you how many block sets and/or quilts I’ve made from blocks inspired by the lotto. For instance, this one:
which uses the August 2011 violet blocks, in a wide variety of sizes (personal tip here – the tiny ones are really a pain!).
I’ve had a number of wins, perhaps even a high number, considering that some months I donate my chances – going back through, I think I’ve won the following block sets:
June 2006, Scottie Dogs
May 2007, Scrappy Baskets
October 2007, Batik Sawtooth Stars (forgot about this one originally – thanks to Sophie for reminding me in the comments)
May 2008, Buckeye Beauties in Green and Purple
Sept 2008, Cracker blocks
May 2011, red and white disappearing 4 patch
April 2011, modern clover (yep, two months in a row – that was a fun year!)
April 2013, bird blocks (amazingly, I think I only made one block this month and won anyway)
Jan 2014, chevron blocks.
I won’t show all the quilts made from these blocks – I know the baskets were made into a number of mini quilts and the Buckeye Beauties and Cracker blocks went to baby quilts – more than one each, I think. Some may have been donated to charities if there were extras. I’ll show the red and white quilt, though, as I think it’s stunning – again, the one of the wonders of the lotto is the variety you can achieve. (This was given as a wedding present last year to my younger daughter’s flute teacher, who is a big red fan.)
Where was I going with all this walk down memory lane and whatnot? Well, just this, really. I’ve been involved for a long time – and there are others who have as well – and that’s because this is an amazing place. It’s well run (anyone whose never been involved with a forum which was less well run might not fully appreciate this, but trust me – the amount of organisation and effort and above all CARE which goes into the lotto is astonishing); it’s inspiring; it’s fun. And that’s before we even think about the things which aren’t strictly lotto based, like support for those who are going through tough personal times. I’ve made some good friends here, as well as being lucky enough to win blocks.
And in all those wins – 9 times in 8 years (hey, good average!) I’ve only had a very small handful of blocks which didn’t quite work out. One or two which were a little small and one or two which the colours were a little off on. I’ve been involved in lots of other forums and private swaps, and I’m not sure I’ve ever known one which was totally perfect. Even the ones I’ve run myself. But that’s ok – total perfection isn’t the point – that’s why, with this lotto, there’s a range of acceptable sizes and why we have to sometimes accept that someone else’s interpretation of colour is slightly different than our own and just roll with it, when it’s within the accepted range.
On the whole, the women (and occasionally men) who make blocks here are creative, careful individuals who do a great job and have, among them, an amazing fabric stash. If you are lucky enough to have found the lotto, for heaven’s sake, stick around!
Please Take a Look
I recently updated the page, Block Lotto Basics, to include a couple things that I realize I have been taking for granted and some other information that I may have been only including in an email message.
My intent was to still keep it brief, but to cover, as the title suggests, all the basics.
I would appreciate it if you would take a look and let me know if I’ve left anything out that you feel should be there or if you find anything that’s wrong … help with typos is always appreciated–I am the world’s worst proof-reader of my own stuff.
I am also expanding the information that I send to people via email who contact me about joining the Block Lotto to correctly set expectations about postage and the range of blocks they might receive, not only in terms of size, but also color and–what I have learned from the Block Lotto is challenging for many–value. Was there anything you wish you’d known before you joined and that you think I should tell/warn newbies about, please tell me about it in a comment (or via email, if you prefer).
Of course, I’d like to think that, over the years, I’ve pretty much figured out how to make the Block Lotto keep humming along, but I know there is always room for improvement and I’m open for suggestions–just don’t be surprised if you suggest something and I tell you that we used to do it that way and explain why we don’t anymore …
Triangle Squares for My MOD QAL
And here are my nine blocks for the MOD QAL. I’ve been making my blocks in complementary colors and fabric from my stash. One of the oranges I used looks yellow so I wish I had used a little bolder orange but I don’t have many oranges to choose from and so they stay as they are.
Cathy L in IA
Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting
http://saneandcrazy.blogspot.com/
And then there was Method #4
I was making blocks for my Mod-Mod Queen-size quilt, decided to use a striped fabric for some of the Flying Geese units .. and I decided I wanted the stripe to go the same way in all the blocks, which it wouldn’t if used the 4-at-once, no-waste technique in Method #1, or made them as half-square triangles as in Method #2. At first I thought I’d paper-piece them (Method #3 in the block directions), but it just seemed a lot faster if I could chain piece all the HST and find a way to piece them.
So I made a template for that big triangle. I printed the foundation pattern and cut out the triangle, adding a quarter-inch seam allowance all the way around and sticking it to some lightweight cardboard with a glue stick. Starting with a 4-inch strip of the stripe fabric, I cut one right-side up and then one upside down along the strip.
For the “sky” portion on these flying geese units, I cut 4 3/8 inch squares and sliced them diagonally, sewing one on each side. You do have to be gentle because you are working with bias edges, but it worked pretty well for me.
It made me think about how sometimes the method/technique you choose will depend on the fabric you’re using.
Here are the blocks I made with the striped geese and four more blocks, made using the process in Method #1 for the total of nine I need for my quilt.
The Courtesy of a Reply
Aside from the sneak peek and follow-on messages with corrections, Q&A or eye candy, I don’t send many email messages to you and most of them are one way–informational messages from me to you.
Sometimes though, I really do need a reply. For example:
- There is a question about one/some of the blocks you have posted and whether they follow the rules or, when there’s an oops, if you plan to fix it or forget it.
- There’s a question about whether your blocks have been mailed (yet)
- You’re a winner and I need to confirm your mailing address and find out if you prefer to keep or send your own blocks.
If it’s question about your blocks and I don’t hear back from you, it’s frustrating.
If you’re a winner and I don’t hear back from you, it’s a little heart-breaking.
Right now, I’m waiting to hear from a few people, including Mariella, who joined the Block Lotto days ago, made and posted blocks and WON. In a post about the Block Lotto on her blog, she said she wasn’t sure how it all works … I hope I hear from her soon, so she doesn’t have to learn about the importance of a reply in a disappointing way.
Usually, I don’t know exactly how someone finds their way to the Block Lotto. If you happen to be connected to Mariella in some way and can reach out to her and ask that she get in touch ASAP, I’d appreciate it.
If you were hoping to win some of the Star Chain blocks, but didn’t … you may want to check back tomorrow to see what happens. If I don’t hear from Mariella before noon (on the US east coast), a replacement winner will be chosen.