I had someone in the store while I was in Florida talk about the “crocheted” block that was in the latest book by Lori Holt - Prairie Home. Even though I had spent quite a bit of time looking through the book, I didn’t know what this person was talking about.

So I decided to look and find it.

It’s this block.

I decided that it was a pretty easy, if big, block. It is obviously related to the checkerboard blocks I’ve been making lots of lately in the last year or so.

So, it seemed like a mostly easy block - by that, nothing really very technical or of high difficulty. Quite the opposite, actually.

I just had to check on the layout and keep a picture of it in front of me as I worked on it.

I had a zipper baggie full of 2.5” blocks in the colors and fabrics by Lori Holt. I have pulled from that bag until I couldn’t come up with the blocks needed for this top. You need 16, then 12 and 8 and 4 of a single color. It is the 16 that has been the hardest for me. I tend not to have that many of one color in my little zipper bag.

Anyway, in the middle of Millie’s Dresses, and another scrappy quilt or two, I decided to just go foward with this one.

Not at all.

I really decided to go ahead with this one because I’ve been wanting to make some more granny square crocheted blocks—from yarn (but haven’t started yet - maybe this week). I decided on a whim to just make this top. I say that because there are two or three much more involved tops in the book that I have in the plans - even having pulled the fabrics - which are sitting on my table. I knew it wouldn’t take a tremendous amount of time. After working with 1.5” or 2” squares, those 2.5” squares just seem big.

Yes, they do! These blocks are 18.5”!

I am thankful I do have a whole bolt of that tan color - and even though it is a solid, I’m happy enough with the look I’m getting.

This book, Prarie Home, has about 40 patterns in it (41 - I just counted) and I hope to make about 20 of them. Crazy isn’t it?

But I like a lot of them!

(To digress - I just heard that Lori has a new line coming out in July - Gentler Times. She also has Americana out - and no, I don’t have any of those lines. How does one even keep up? I mean, I’m a reasonably fast quilter - even though I’m trying to squeak a bunch of charity quilts in there on top of other things - both my own designs plus other things I’m finding throughout the internet.

I am pressing the final direction of the block open but the first direction, I’m pressing one way. When pressing to one side, it is so easy to nest the squares. If I pressed open at that point, I’d have to match each square by pinning each block. That is so much slower and if I can get the look I want by not doing it, then I’m fine with that.

Let me show you how I’m doing this by showing you a back.

Here are all my blocks so far. Hopefully the next time I show you this, it will be a finished quilt. It’s so easy - really just sashed blocks with a nice sized border.

But so fun!

I am using different Lori Holt fabrics on this - but not all one line—just pulling from my plastic boxes of her fabrics - all different lines from Christmas to classic lines.

In case you are interested - Rachael does have some Lori Holt bundles.

Here are some of the bundles Rachael has of Lori’s fabrics. Most of them are half yard bundles except for the one marked full yard. This is only SOME of the ones Rachael has, but it’s enough.

Be sure to tell your friends about us! Maybe some of them need some Lori Holt fabrics.

Backgrounds - 8 pc $48

Variety pack - 11 pc - $44

Cookbook #3 - 10 pc - $42

Bee Backgrounds - 5 full yards - $45

Bake Sale 8 pc $32

Stitch - 7 pc - $28

Just to help you understand how you can use these fabrics - these are my tops using her fabrics, either exclusively, or almost exclusively in each of the tops.