Birdie Baby Quilt

I've had these blocks for ages - won them from the Block Lotto I don't know how many years ago - and although I used one as the centre of  a mini quilt round robin a while back, I still had a big stack. So, I pulled some out to make a baby quilt top - and here they are pieced together. I actually have about this many more, which is great - they can be another baby quilt at some point.

Quilted with a simply wavy line with clouds.

I'll show it again once I get the binding on...

Block Lotto blocks

A few blocks for the block lotto - I haven't played lately, but sometimes I like to. The theme on this month was a California poppy theme - the green blocks are much more green than they appear in the photo and the other colours are supposed to be representative of all the different colours of California poppies that you might see. It's a nice idea.

Block Lotto - or not

I originally made these blocks to go to this month's Block Lotto, but they are actually a little small - probably didn't make the scant seams scant enough.  I think I'll probably just chuck them in my orphans bag instead. I'm not crazy about the composition anyway (even though they are supposed to be scrappy).

Block lotto blocks

Also had time this weekend to make a couple of blocks for the block lotto, which, unlike yesterday's offering, I can actually show. The theme this month was to take a small orphan block and build it up into a scrappy block. I discovered that I actually don't have many small orphans - I think because I tend to make scrap blocks quite regularly, they don't really hang around. 

These were the two little orphans I started with...

Block Lotto!

After a period of inactivity, the block lotto is back for 2018. Which is great, as I often enjoy making blocks for it - either to enter into the drawing, or just for fun, to donate to the pot.  Because I've been pretty good at getting rid of block sets and not making new ones, I will actually enter the draw this month; if I win any blocks, they will make a cute Project Linus quilt or two. Not familiar with the Block Lotto? Check it out, it's great fun.

Yes, another finished quilt

Amazing, I know. This one is also a wedding present, for someone who has already got married (without really telling anyone in advance) - but Geoff is going to see him in person, soon, so it seemed a good time to give a quilt. The blocks in this one are from a win in the Block Lotto some time back. 

Block lotto blocks

A few blocks made for the block lotto this month - just snuck in under the wire at the end of the month. It's fun to play along, though.

Block lotto Hearts

Having managed to sneak in at the very very last minute for December's Block Lotto, I decided January would go the opposite way (that and the fact that I actually have one more day of holiday before going back to work, so actually had time to sew again). So, here are four scrappy heart blocks for January's lotto. (If you want to make some of these blocks, either for the Lotto or for yourself, the pattern can be found here...)

I made them using "made fabric"  - the rectangles below are the red "fabric" that I used to make the simple hearts above. The heart pattern itself is very quick and easy, but of course stitching the small scraps together to make the red made fabric takes a bit of time.  Anyway, they are cute, and whether I win or not, it's always fun to take part.

Block Lotto Strings

It's been a while since I had the chance to play in the Block Lotto, but having finished up the two tops from Ben's clothes, I am now able to play a bit more (not that I've had a lot of time for sewing in general this year, with one thing and another). So I took the chance to make a few pieced strings for the block lotto, and to use a handful of strings from my scrap baskets. I've got one more thing I have to do in early January, and then I'm going to try to get through my basket of block sets. It would be nice to get that down to just one or two. We'll see if I have the will power (probably not, knowing me...)

Another Quilt to Show

This is a quilt I made not all that long ago for a friend and co-worker of Geoff's. She was kind enough to recently send me a photo of the quilt in situ - she brings it out for spring & summer (or what would be spring and summer if the British weather would cooperate!). Doesn't it look sweet? I still am really fond of this quilt, made from blocks won in the Block Lotto.

Block Lotto, part 2

...and here they are - the finished blocks. These are long strip shaped blocks, which when put together with other scrappy blocks from other folks, will make a great scrap quilt. I might even make some more like this for myself to use for something. But not in the next few days - though I do have a few weeks off over Christmas and might even get a little sewing done. I won't hold my breath.  I'm running out of things to blog as I've caught up with a lot of my past stuff and haven't had time to stitch much of anything new lately!

Block Lotto, part 1

It's been some time since I've been able to play in the Block Lotto. This month, not only is the block quick and simple (which always helps for me - not that they are usually very complicated, but this one is even less so than normal), but it uses scraps, which also really appeals. 

Watch this space...

Block lotto tulips

After many months of not being able to play in the Block Lotto for one reason or another, I finally had time to make a couple of blocks - it will probably only be a couple, but that's ok.  This is a great block, and I'd seriously consider coming back to it in a scrappier colourway when I need to do some scrap busting. 

Block Lotto Stars (sort of)

It's been a few months since I've played in the Block Lotto, for various reasons. Yesterday, I finally had some time and energy to make up some made-fabric-centre stars for this month's draw, and very carefully went through my scraps to find the white pieces I needed for the star point backgrounds.  Got all those made up, along with the pieced centres and realised I totally forgot to account for the white squares in the corners of the blocks - and of course I didn't have anything to match, which means the corners don't match the star point backgrounds (I had to use other white fabric there).  Sigh.  The blocks still look cute, and I'm sure will be useful for something, but of course, they don't meet the requirements for the lotto.

It's not a problem - I keep a bag of orphan blocks, which I take along to my Linus lady who sees they get rehomed into nice scrappy quilts, so I'm sure they'll find a home in time. As it happens,   I was going to donate my chances in the draw anyway, so it's not a major issue, I'm just annoyed at myself for not thinking it through!

Good block for using scraps, though - one to keep in mind for future - perhaps I might make it even simpler to make by doing the star points freeform...

Big Brown O's

After making some of these O blocks (in a different colourway) for the December Block Lotto, I knew they'd be a good way of destashing a little bit of my overabundance of brown fabrics, so I pulled out a load of brown fabrics (ok, I confess, 40 or so different ones - told you I had an overabundance) and some suitable backgrounds, and made up some O blocks. Not sure how many I ended up with - I went until I ran out of light brown for the backgrounds...  They'll join the stack of block sets waiting to be made up into quilt tops. But I'm making a mini-resolution: no more new block sets until I get rid of at least three sets from my current stash of sets (I think there are about a dozen). Watch this space.

Black and white block lotto

Only one block made for the blocklotto this month - I had considered doing more, but actually, almost all the black and white prints I have are unsuitable - they either contain a little of some other colour or they are so evenly split between black and white that they don't really look black or white, which makes them hard to use in this situation. And as I am trying to buy very little new fabric in general, I decided that one was actually enough!

Block Lotto!

After several months of not playing in the block lotto for one reason or another (I think one month was an applique block, which I usually skip, but the others I was just SO BUSY) I finally have some time to make blocks - and I'm glad, as these are really easy, fun blocks. I made 8 of them, because that was how many I could easily find the right size scraps for, without digging into stash (ok, I confess, I only had scraps enough for 7, but I couldn't just make 7 - it would have annoyed me).  The brief was for a "very dark" background colour, with quilter's choice of fabric in the other section. I used up a small bit of dark brown fossil fern I had knocking about, some small scraps of solid black, and a little bit of a smallish piece of mottled black I had. Useful for the darks as well as the other bits!  This is a great scrappy block, and I'm considering making some more blocks in this pattern for stashbusting rather than just the lotto. I think it would look nice with a light background as well... One for the mental list of quick, easy, fun stash- & scrap- busters. Looking forward to another year of fun with the block lotto - if you've never played before, why not give it a go!

Little Windows

These three little windows blocks were made for the August Block Lotto, using scraps from my stash of 2.5" squares. Of course, there are still a lot left, even though I have actually made more than just these three (but only three are going to the lotto). 

I also managed to use a long, skinny piece of black and white batik, which was the offcut from a quilt backing - as these blocks use 1.5" strips, my long strips, which varied from 3.5-5" wide were perfectly suited.

Red and White Spokes Blocks

And inspired by the monochromatic lotto blocks, which were fun to make (and easy), I decided to make some red blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, using up small pieces of red. These, probably sashed with WOW, which is what was used for the strips, will make a cute small quilt. Of course, for the moment, they've just been added to my Big Pile O' Blocks...

Spokes Blocks

This month's block lotto block is the Spokes block, made at 7" (finished) and in monochrome colours. I made three; I probably won't make any more as postage can be very high if you don't win, which most of the time, I don't...