Two sets of trees

Two more pairs of trees for the forest.

Four sets of trees

This is my first post on Block Lotto. I've been quilting on and off for years but finished my first one this year (started lots of them, though!). I am looking for some new ideas now and thought that Block Lotto might be a fun way to do that. I liked making these trees, even if some of them don't look as tree-like as I might like. I guess that's the point of these liberated blocks and I enjoyed experimenting with the tree shapes.

A bit about me: I am an American and live in Auckland, New Zealand (have done for 15 yrs.) One husband, one daughter, one cat, one dog.

December Trees

I have to admit - I wasn't crazy about this block when Sophie posted it.  But after doing these - I just love it!  How cute and easy they are! I'm really into pushing myself to try new techniques and playing with color a little more and this block was a great exercise in that for me. I'll probably end up making more!

Thanks, Sophie!

Blocks Received

I received my first blocks as a winner last month.  Mary Jane's blocks were the first to arrive!

more trees

I had so much fun with the first bunch that I had to make more right away. This is a month when I'd really like to win! I now have 5 pairs...
(edited to add -- I just noticed that I trimmed that yellow-on-black tree to 7" instead of 6.5". I'll get right on it!)

Address! Please !

Sophie,
Could you please e-mail me your address? I have a couple roses ready for you.
** Caroline **

Block Lotto - December Trees - Part II

I made some more trees ;-)

I like the way these fabrics are popping against the black.  I am yet to figure out how to do the longer one - stay tuned, while I investigate.

Trees Dec 2010 Photos from Mary Jane

I know the rule was 5 pairs, but I wanted to play a little, so donate to the pot I will.  One of the extra longer pair got chopped short (width wise) so if you don't want it Sophie, that is fine.  Just let me know.  Otherwise it can be mailed to winners.  I want to donate all my chances this month as you decide.

1 more pair

Here's a second pair of trees for me...a little wonky at the top.  I'm going to go hunting through my fabric.... it seems I don't have much "jewel" tone..I hope this batik counts.... I want to try to make a tall tree.
Janet S.

1st squishy arrived

I did a happy dance when I found out I won this month and I did my first squishy happy dance when the mail arrived yesterday! Can't wait to see what he brings today!

Julie's trees

It's funny. I've lived in California all my life but if I have to draw the shape of the state I always have to stop and think about it for a while and I usually draw it backwards. So when I was cutting out these blocks I had a similar experience... what shape IS a tree?

I'm planning to make more but I need to find some more black fabric first. It all seems to have gone missing!

Four blocks mailed

It took me two attempts at the post office today, both times had really long lines, the first time I was with kids which is why I ended up making a second attempt later in the day without them. I did get mine in the mail to Coralie and one of the "L" winners...I don't remember which one and I'm not on a computer where I can look at the file. I do remember that it's the "L" winner in GA. :) Safe travels to my blocks!

Blocks mailed!

Coralie, Linnea, & Linda.....your blocks are in the mail, as of Thursday @ noon. Have fun!

purple blocks are on their way...

I dropped off blocks in the mail today to Coralie, Linnea, and Linda.  It was kind of exciting -- I've never mailed anything to Canada before.

P.S. Please forgive me because I didn't leave a nice little note about myself or anything.  It is just holiday rush season.  I do hope you enjoy your quilts because I am J E A L O U S!!

You ladies can find me at Daughters of Dorinda if you want to know about your blockmaker.  Just remember that I share this blog with others.

How do I close this can of worms?

A person who opens a can of worms tries to solve a problem, but in doing so creates a lot of new unanticipated complications.

I was afraid I had done just that with my What If blog post . . . and was sure of it when I read Janet's reaction to the discussion on her blog, Renaissance Living.

It broke my heart to think that I could be discouraging anyone, or that anyone could be worried that they've been making "problem blocks" that no one wants.

When I talk about changing how the block lotto works or asking how we might do something better, it's not because there are BIG problems.  It's about tweaking the well-oiled machine just a little so that it will continue to be better and better.

For example, I get feedback about "bad" blocks–which is almost always expressed as concern and a desire to help the quilter who made them–only once or twice during a WHOLE year.

I know that many people have learned a lot and upped their quilting game by being a part of the Block Lotto.  I still have a vivid memory of one of the winners from January 2006 telling me about how receiving a bunch of well pressed, beautifully made blocks taught her the importance of pressing seams as she sews.

I am truly sorry if my post or any of the discussion that followed became upsetting for folks.  In my effort to be transparent with you about the things I think about for the Block Lotto, I simply shared too much information . . . and made some very small things seem HUGE.

I DO have a genuine concern that we could outgrow the limits of blogger in terms of their hard and fast limit on the number of authors.  Did you notice today that TWO newbies posted blocks for the first time?  Two more newbies have joined in December already.  Six people joined in November.  Not everyone will make blocks, but . . . we're still growing in numbers at a faster than ever rate and getting closer and closer to the maximum allowed. 

I AM curious about whether many of us are spending a lot of time on Facebook and whether it would make sense to have a presence there.

I WAS thrilled to find out that there's interest in organizing some charity quilts next year and to LEARN that I was misunderstanding about Picasa–I think we will be fine for photo space for a long, long time.

The question about how to ensure we are making blocks that every winner will be thrilled to win 100% of the time, is probably more of my personal fantasy than anything else and, again, it's really a very, very infrequent problem. I truly do appreciate everyone's feedback and suggestions--it has me thinking about how to redesign the tabs (pages) linked at the top of the blog to make them more useful to everyone and to make the information more findable for newcomers.

After seeing the open can of worms above and the negative connotation, doesn't it make you wonder why ANYONE would title a quilting book with that particular turn of phrase? Imagine my surprise when I was searching for an image of a can of worms (there are thousands of them) and this quilt book cover popped up.The image is linked to Amazon, if you're curious.  A "worm" in this context is a 2.5" wide strip of fabric ;-)

If you want to read more about the origins of a "can of worms," check out the Word Blog post where I found the disgusting photo)