No Apologies Nor Explanations Required …
A few people have emailed me to apologize or explain why they didn’t make this month’s block or how they tried and failed or how they would have made this block using a different technique like appliqué.
Honestly, while it makes me happy when I choose a block, technique and/or color way that everyone wants to make and we end up with enough blocks for a handful of winners, I don’t take it personally when my choices are not at all popular.
For what it’s worth, one of my reasons for choosing this technique and working with bias strips is that, once you get the hang of it, it can be used for so much more. Consider this quilt, by Sherri Lynn Wood, from page 86 of her book The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters:
(… with my apologies for the quality of this scan.)
The technique used to add the curves around the petals is similar to that used to insert the spiky leaf shapes in this month’s block–here’s a peek and a detail of the quilt, courtesy of Amazon:
I confess that the quilts I saw made using this “score” from the book are one of the reasons I bought the book. The book image below is a link to Amazon if you want to check out the book–it’s an affiliate link, which means if you use it to purchase the book, the Block Lotto benefits in a small way.
Bias Petals is one of the ten quilt scores or techniques/approaches to improv quilting included in the book. I used another, Floating Squares, to make the little pinwheel quilt (using bonus triangles from lotto block) that I shared in the Spring in this post. In my (limited) experience and (not so) humble opinion, few quilting books with “Modern” in the title have something new to offer quilters, but this is one of those few.
Twinklers quilt follow up
I won the Twinklers blocks last year. I had the resulting quilt professionally quilted (tip: purple thread is a good choice for black background and blocks in many colors) and donated it to the silent auction at last month’s American Library Assn. conference. The successful bidder was thrilled to win it — her FB post got almost 500 likes (pretty much all from non-quilters). I had a couple of requests for the block pattern. Good publicity for both Block Lotto and ALABQ*.
*ALABQ = ALA Biblioquilters. Since 2000 we have contributed quilts that are sold by silent auction to raise money for scholarships. If you’re a quilter who works in or with libraries (MLS, parapro, trustee, vendor) let me know!
(Here is the photo (which I first posted when I set the blocks).)
A Trip Down Memory Lane
I took a look of the quilts that were made and posted by winners and participants of the Blocklotto. My gosh, what a beautiful collection of quilts! I know I have more than a couple of UFOs and gallon sized bags from the winnings of Blocklotto over the years. Time to spring those beauties out of confinement and get them done. Anyone for a done by Oct. / Nov. group challenge??
My 2016 block lotto challenge – from blocks to tops
My completed top for June made from November 2010 purple sampler blocks:
My July top will probably be made from 2012 June – Simplified Schoolhouse blocks.
Sophie’s Sampler Update … and the Tomato Joke
If only to myself, I had declared this weekend my time to catch up with my Old MacDonald’s Mystery Sampler (#OMMS) quilt blocks … which led me to think about the tomato joke and remind myself all weekend long to “ketchup!” (As you all know, I AM easily amused.)
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a clip of Uma Thurman’s character telling the joke in Pulp Fiction:
I had fallen quite far behind on the blocks for my Old MacDonald’s Mystery Sampler … but, after making these 27 blocks, I am now current–a good place to me when it’s your quilt-along … and it’s almost time to make blocks, create a pattern and send out the sneak peek for NEXT month …
As you can see, I used my “mountain” colorway as background for 1 of the butterfly blocks and a few of the leaf blocks. When you live in an area where mountains have color names like Sandia (watermelon) and Sangré de Christo (blood of Christ) … red is a natural choice. I plan to combine it with brown for those elements inspired by “mountains.”
Fabric hunting
While My husband an I were out looking in greenhouses at orchids to buy, I met a very lovely 74 year young quilter. Who was very sweet and took me in to show me her quilting room. While there she shared her quilts and photos with me. She does a lot of restoration quilting. She shared with me a quilt she was going to work on it had been gotten chewed by a families dog, She asked me if I might have a green fabric she was looking for to do the repair I don’t but thought I would post here and see if anyone may have it. Here is a photo of the fabric.
Bullseye sky blocks for OMMS
Here are my eight bullseyes blocks for my sampler quilt OMMS, and are to add to the sky.
The colours are brighter and more blue in reality, lighting can be tricky.
Update on old MacDonald
Okay the lighting is not the best but I am able to make a tally of OMMS blocks.
Note also this is not the planned layout.
- Sky 6/6
- Snails 7/7 (1 may be replaced lower right)
- violets 11/11
- butterflies for sky 3/4 for mountain 0/1
- green leaves ground cover 8/8 for mountain 6/6
So 2 butterflies are missing, better progress than expected.
thanks Sophie
Mystery butterflies
I started to write this post at the end of April, but can’t remember why I didn’t publish it! These are my butterflies that I added to the draw and four with sky backgrounds for OMMS, together with the pile of removed papers! I do prefer my darker backgrounds and the scrap-striped wings. I now have a reasonable selection of paler neutrals and whites, but this was a gap in my fabric collection before joining in with Block Lotto as I tend to use brighter and deeper colours.
Four Pairs for OMMS
Here’s four leaf blocks for my OMMS. I chose green for my ground cover so for these four sets of leaves I used dark green for the background and lime green for the leaves so hopefully there would be enough contrast.