From Janet Wickell,
Your Guide to Quilting.
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Beginner Block Lotto

The April, 2007, choice for our forum's Beginner Block Lotto is the traditional Maple Leaf block, sewn in fall colors of red, orange or yellow with light or medium blue backgrounds.

Be sure to read the April Block Lotto Discussion if you plan to enter blocks, since some rules are not printed here.

Materials for One Block

Light or medium-blue tone-n-tone background fabric:

• one 3-1/2" square
• two 3-7/8" squares
• two 3-1/8" squares

From red, orange or yellow tone-on-tone leaf fabric:

• four 3-1/2" square
• two 3-7/8" squares

If you are making this block for the forum lotto, make sure your sky fabric suggests daylight sky -- not an image of leaves after dark. Your leaf fabric must read as red, orange or yellow -- or some combination of those three colors.

Assemble the Block

1. Assemble the stem square using the "easy corners" technique that we use for snowball blocks. Select a 3-1/2" inch square of leaf fabric and the 3-1/8 inch squares of sky fabric.

2. Draw a diagonal line from one corner to an opposite corner on each small background square. Lay a background square on top of the larger square, right sides together, edges aligned in one corner.

3. Sew on the diagonal line, and then trim and press. Repeat in the diagonally opposite corner. See Example

4. Use the easy sandwich technique to make four half-square-triangle units from the 3-7/8 squares, pairing a background square with a leaf square. The finished units should measure 3-1/2" square. See Example

5. Layout the stem, triangle square units and plain squares in three rows as shown above. Sew the components of each row together, and then press seam allowances in adjoining rows in opposite directions. Sew the rows together, matching seam intersections. Press.