Design Wall and the Process Pledge

The June Lotto blocks on my design wall feel very familiar . . .

Because four of them have been hanging out there for a while, waiting for June to arrive ... except until a couple nights ago, the three in the middle were re-made in different colors.

you can click any of the individual photos for a larger image. Obviously, I started with one idea for the color guidelines for this month's liberated basket blocks and then changed my mind ... and as much as I dislike ripping apart things and re-doing them, I liked the blocks enough to save them from the orphan pile and turn them into lotto blocks.

The first four blocks were made as I took photos so I could describe how I approached this block and then, tested the limits of the necessarily loose instructions for making the scrappy liberated basket block.

You can find my directions for making this block here:

Liberated Basket Block Step-by-Step




When a couple people were seemed to be struggling with the bias handles on the baskets, I tried to show my process, including swirling the handle, a technique I learned when making hats: the grosgrain ribbon used inside the hat is swirled so that it fits smoothly inside the hat and against your head.  You can find those tips blogged here:


Vines & Handles: A Closer Look at Bias Strip Appliqué

One of the things I love about quilting is that there are a lot of ways to create the same block or quilt (or something that is very close).  The Block Lotto is one way that I share my process for designing and making blocks. Modern technology makes it easy to share with friends and others when you can't show or teach something face-to-case. I love reading blog posts where authors show their processes and so I was happy to discover the process pledge:

Click the image to learn more and explore the list of those that have taken the pledge to show how they work. 

Since this is Design Wall Monday over on Judy Laquidera's blog, I'll share the virtual design wall made from the photos of 30 of the blocks made for the block lotto so far.  (As of this morning, 75 blocks have been made for this month). Design Wall Monday is another way in which quilters show a piece of their process–the work-in-progress on their design wall.

You can decide for yourself whether my decision tomake the handles and baskets of the blocks from  red fabric was a good one.