Some Reminders About Fabrics and Guidelines

Since it looks like a couple people have done this, I want to be clear about what I meant (and didn't mean) in this statement in the guidelines for this block:

If you make multiple blocks–the maximum number of blocks for entries in the drawing is nine (9)–you may repeat fabrics as long as each block is a unique combination of background fabric + lime fabric.

What it does NOT say and you should NOT infer is that it will be OK to use the same background fabric with the same lime green fabric IF you cut the curves and inserts differently. It is NOT.  I'm sorry if that was your interpretation, but you CANNOT enter blocks which have the SAME background fabric and the SAME lime green fabric no matter what you do with them.  I thought the statement above was pretty clear, but obviously not.  If you are in doubt, please ASK.

And since I'm on the topic of fabric . . .

Someone recently asked me in email if fabrics had to be "quilt shop cottons."  While it's OK to purchase your cotton fabrics anywhere, they should be 100% cotton and of reasonable quality. 

If you aren't sure if your fabrics are 100% cotton, you probably should NOT use them.  That your possibly poly or poly-cotton-blend fabric may not be obvious to you, but it will probably be clear to the winner that receives your blocks along with a bunch of 100% cotton blocks, which will make yours the ones NOT like the others.   If you have never seen a cotton quilt with a few poly-cotton-blend fabrics in it after it has aged a few years,  I'll tell you what the quilt made from your possibly poly-cotton-blend fabrics will do in an otherwise cotton quilt.  The cotton fabrics will fade over time, but your blocks will stay nice and bright and stick out like a sore thumb.  They may also pill over time.  If the quilt stays with the winner/quiltmaker, she'll look at the quilt and always be reminded that someone didn't care enough to follow the rules.  Though she might possibly realize the blocks aren't cotton before she uses them; in that case she'll just come up short because someone didn't care enough to follow the rules.

Even if your fabric is 100% cotton, we all know that cotton fabrics are produced with varying quality.  If you have cottons that are too thin or too loosely woven.  Please don't use those fabrics for your lotto blocks.

Like it says in overall guidelines (found on the About the Block Lotto page):


The golden rule of swapping also applies to the Block Lotto: Enter blocks that you would be happy to receive if you won.

Almost everyone in this fabulous group of quilters does exactly that and makes lovely, appropriate blocks month after month . . . but the feedback from the winners about the blocks they receive has included some information about bad fabrics and blocks which don't follow the rules and it seemed it was time for a reminder.