Signs of Spring

After a few sunny days and high temperatures in the 30's, it's been feeling a little like spring ... despite a major winter storm which is on the way and the fact that the entire mitten is covered with winter storm warnings through Monday morning.

Still, today I picked up fresh asparagus (from Mexico) and made a simple pasta with it, red pepper and smoked salmon. With a nice glass of chardonnay, it seemed like a perfect Spring al fresco meal and I started looking forward to dinner on the patio overlooking the pond.

When I saw Becca's pieced top on the Quilting forum today, it also seemed to be a harbinger of spring. Quilts made from 30's repros always make me smile.

The blocks came from a swap Colene hosted last fall. I love the skinny sashing and scrappy cornerstones between the blocks. Becca was looking for suggestions for borders. I think whichever way she decides to go, it's going to be a beautiful quilt.


If you have a great border idea for Becca, surf over to about.com and join the discussion.

2007 Block Lotto Shopping List

Here's the list of fabrics/color themes we'll be using for lotto blocks for the rest of the year--just in case you happen to find yourself in a quilt shop, at a quilt show, or shopping online ... and need a reason to buy.

These are listed in no particular order.

This month we're making blocks for a classic blue and white two-color quilt. Later this year, we'll be going for a more contemporary feel with blocks that are PINK or ORANGE with white-on-white backgrounds.

We'll do SCRAPPY fabrics of your choice for twomonths and use CREAM tone-on-tone fabric for background. For one of the months, you'll need some shade of BROWN or TAN (darker than your cream background). A third month will be SCRAPPY BRIGHTS on white-on-white (WOW) backgrounds.

I-SPY fabrics with coordinating DARKS (very dark like navy, forest green, burgandy) will be the basis of the blocks for one month. You'll need a 6.5-inch square of the I-spy type fabric for each block. (bright, multi-color prints will also work.)

BATIKS on CREAM tone-on-tone backgrounds were very popular when we made Goshen Star blocks last Fall, so we'll be repeating that combination.

Another block with a cream tone-on-tone background, will be made from PURPLE and YELLOW/GOLD combinations.

We'll be combining RED or ORANGE or YELLOW with light or medium Blues.


One month we will start with ASIAN (Oriental) fabrics, with BLACK and a coordinating tone-on-tone.

We'll try going for a COUNTRY look this year, using muted colors on a MUSLIN (or other solid off-white) background.

Next month (February, we'll be working with MONOCHROMATIC LIGHTS and DARKS. For a twist, we'll be choosing light/dark pairs which coordinate with this year's Hoffman Challenge fabric.

(click for larger image)

The Hoffman fabric itself will NOT be used in our blocks. We'll use it as a basis to choose the light and dark monochromatic colors for our blocks--for example you might make blocks that were light and dark pink or light and dark orange or light and dark gold ... that would coordinate with this print ... and the February winner(s) may find some of our theme fabric enclosed with the blocks they win to use in their quilt.

Our brainstormed list was much longer than we could use for 12 months. I'm sorry if your favorite didn't make the list. I did my best to match fabrics to block patterns and to end up with a variety of colors and styles.

Mucho Lotto Blocks!

I have been slowed down by work and life (and a broken car), but I managed to pick up a lot of mail today including a lot-o-lotto blocks.

Photos soon, but in the meantime, just let me say that there are now 35 pairs of lotto blocks already at my house, from Amy, Ardyth, Becky, Colene, Carolyn, Debbie, Jeni, Julie, Kate, Vicky and me.

Yep, it's not even the middle of the month yet and we're already in 2-winner territory. What a great start for the lotto this year.

Shhh ... It's the Block Lotto sneek peek ...

Since we had no December block, so no sneek peekers, I posted the sneek peek at the January Block on the forum in the swaps-blocks sewn folder, message #48725.

We'll be making pairs of double 4-patch blocks in blue and white-and-white.

(I made these)

These blocks go very fast and are easily made from 10" squares you may have from swaps. Hop over to the discussion on about.com for the details.

That was the Year that Was

Spending a couple days home with a nasty stomach bug gave me time to sit with my laptop and finish moving all the lotto block photos to my Flickr set Lotto Blocks. I know that some dropped through the cracks and a few of the photos could be mis-attributed, but they are mostly there ... and it's an impressive collection of almost 650 blocks. Before we move on ... I thought we could take one last look.

We started in August, 2005, with Double Wrench blocks in cool colors. Anne made these.



In September, it was scrappy Watermill blocks. I made these.



In October, Mary made these bright-on-black Strips & Squares blocks.



In November, we made Hard Times blocks in Autumn colors. Marsha made these.



A year ago, in December 2005, we made Farmer's Daughter blocks. Here are three of Tracy's.



January 2006 was a huge month with three winners of bright Home Circle blocks. Colene was one of them--and she quickly made a quilt from her winnings. Here are three of the blocks she made.



In February, we made Hope of Hartford blocks with a vintage 30's feel. Peni made these.



March surprised me with the popularity of Queen Charlotte's Crown blocks in yellows, golds and orange. Here are three of Judy's.



In April we learned that everyone loves Johnny. Here's Amy's Johnny Round the Corner blocks.



We made pretty floral Grandmother's Choice blocks with pastel backgrounds in May. Kate made these.



In June it was Scottie Dog blocks. Here are Janet's.



In July we made patriotic versions of a paper pieced block called That Thirties Thing. Laura made these.



In August, France won a set of Nine O'Clock blocks without making even one. She was busy getting ready for her wedding. Michelle won the other set of blocks that month. Here's three that she made.



Goshen Star blocks were a hit in September, made from batiks on scrappy cream backgrounds. Lee Ann and Theresa made these.



In October, we make Broken Arrows blocks, in brights on black. Here are Laurie's and Terri's.



We wrapped things up last month, with Hearth and Home blocks in scrappy red, white, gray and black. Julie made these.



(Click the photos for larger versions, the block names to see all the block photos for that month, and the block maker's names to see all their lotto blocks.)