Block Lotto 2014 – My Plan

Posted by Sophie on January 9, 2014 in housekeeping, my sampler | 2 comments

Kim asked in a comment if I could post something about my  grand plan for this year.  It’s really not so grand, but here’s my plan.

I gave those of you who received the January sneak peek before Christmas a glimpse inside my head and told you that after a year of mostly figurative blocks in 2013,  this year we’ll be making blocks with a strong geometric feel in three (finished) sizes:

7 inch square
7 by 14 inch rectangle
14 inch square

When we make 7 inch squares, the maximum number of blocks you can make and enter into the lotto drawing will be nine.  For the rectangles, the maximum will be six, and for the large squares, the maximum will be four.

I also promised a change of pace and guaranteed no basket blocks, nor houses, nor dogs,  nor cats, nor hearts this year. 

One thing will remain the same, though.  As always, the lotto block patterns will be made using a variety of techniques, perhaps presenting an opportunity to try something new or perfect a technique that you haven’t used much.

About half the blocks will be made from two fabrics–a background plus another; the rest will be made from three or four.

 This drawing shows the relative sizes of the blocks we’ll be making, they look something like this.

You might start thinking, as I did, how they could easily be combined into 21-inch square units in a number of ways.  All three sizes could combine in a layout like this (including January’s Double Chevron):

If you think about multiples of 21-inch square modules, like me, you can see how you could build sampler quilts in a range of sizes:

• Small (42-inch square) – 4 modules arranged 2-by-2
• Crib (42 by 63-inch rectangle)  – 6 modules arranged 2 (wide) by 3 (high)
• Throw (63 inch square) – 9 modules arranged 3-by-3
• Twin (63 by 84-inch rectangle) – 12 modules arranged 3 (wide) by 4 (high)
• Full/Queen (84-inch square) – 16 modules arranged 4 by 4
• King (105 inch square) – 25 modules arranged  5 by 5

The measurements above assume a straight set (no sashing) with no outer borders.  The small quilt contains all the lotto blocks for 2014–so if you wanted to sample all the blocks, but not commit to a large quilt, you might choose to make the blocks for this one, perhaps as a wall quilt, table topper or baby quilt.

Because I am, at my heart a scrap quilter and most of my quilts are scrap quilts, I tend not to figure out fabric requirements in advance, but I’ll make my best effort to estimate how much background fabric you’ll need to make each sized quilt.

I plan to make two quilts–one smaller (crib) and one larger (Full/Queen) using this modular idea and each month, MID-MONTH, I will let you know how many of the current month block pattern you need to make for each of the six sizes of quilt for anyone who would like to quilt-along.

I’ve been thinking of it as a Mod-Mod Quilt-along.  Mod for Modern because I think the geometric blocks we’re making can have a modern look.  Mod for Modular because we’ll be putting the blocks into 21 inch square modules and then assembling them into the quilt tops.

For my crib quilt, I plan to make monochrome blocks using scraps in the designated color-of-the month in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.    Since I don’t know what the future color choices will be,  I have no idea how it’s going to turn out. Here are my first blocks, two double chevrons in shades of blue.

For my large bed quilt, I’m using this set of fabrics that I won in a blog giveaway at the end of last year as a starting point and inspiration, adding to it from my stash.

If you are thinking about fabrics, keep in mind that even if we make a lotto block in only two fabrics, you might adapt it to use more in your sampler and vice versa. There are six different fabrics in each of my scrappy blue double chevrons.

Remember my red-and-white sampler quilt from last year’s blocks, where I combined different red fabrics in blocks that need more than just two and made 2-fabric blocks like the Oak Leaf, more scrappy by using more fabrics.

(If you’re curious, I hope to quilt the red and white sampler this month and be back for some show & tell.)

If you are thinking you might like to quilt along with me, let me know what else you need to know (or would like to know) in the comments.  And look for the first installment of the Mod-Mod QAL in about a week.