Ready to kick this off? I’ve already started keeping a January block tally — have you?

I’m on a personal mission to beat my last year’s total, so I gotta get off to a good start, right?

Again this year, I’m keeping things simple — the rules will remain the same.

Anyone is welcome to join (at any time), and here is how it works:

• • The blocks you count are your blocks, from projects of your own choosing, and they belong to you. You don’t have to send anything in. All you have to do is report to me how many blocks you made each month.
• • As for counting, you’re on the honor system — A quilt block counts as one block.
• • If you’re not quite sure how to count something, such as a complicated border, just divide it into sections that seem like blocks, and count them that way. For instance — four complicated borders? I’d count those as either 4 or 8 blocks, depending on how large and how complicated.
• • What if your quilt is a modern quilt that seems like one large block? If it’s really simple, just count it as one large block, but if it’s a bit more involved, break it up into sections and count each section as a block.
• • Your count can only include completed blocks made in 2024 (not block units), so you can go back to January 1st, and count any blocks you’ve made so far, but not back any further than that, and not the individual units that make up a completed block (units don’t count until they’re in a completed block, in other words).

Here are the general rules:

* Let me know you’re playing along

Simply comment on this post, or contact me to let me know you’re in. I delete all of the previous year’s info to start fresh, so if you are playing along again this year, please let me know again, and I’ll add you to the list. (It keeps me from getting confused — there’s a lot to keep track of.) I won’t automatically assume you want in, and this way, if you’re done playing along and want out, you can get out, no questions asked!

The web page for the 350 Blocks Project is HERE, where I list all the information regarding the project and how it’s progressing. If you’re participating, I’ll put your name (and a link to your blog if you have one) on the project page. You can jump in any time.

If you only want to do some of the months, that’s fine. You’ll be eligible for the Prize that month. Can’t start till later? No problem, you can still do the months you’re able to. Just do what you can.

Our block goal for the month is posted on the Project page. It’s always just a random goal to work toward, a suggestion, really, should you need one, but you can make as many or as few blocks each month as you want to. I always encourage you to make more!

* Report in every month

I’ll put up a monthly blog post about the project, either on the last day of the month, or the first day of the next month, where I’ll show you some of the blocks I get done (if any). When you see one of those posts, you need to leave a comment on it, telling us all about your own progress, and either link back to your own blog post, or at least let me know how many blocks you’ve done. You can also email me directly with your current number of blocks, or use the contact page to let me know. You basically have most of the month to Report in, because I announce each month’s prize winner during the report for the month after (for example, I announce the January prize winner at the end of February). But . . .  be sure to leave a comment to be eligible for the prize, because . . . if you don’t let me know you’re playing along, I won’t know to include you in the drawings!

I’ll post your number of completed blocks next to your name on the project page, so you can see how you’re doing along with everyone else. (I usually update the page about 10 days after the monthly report, and then again at the end of the month.) This is NOT a race, however, so don’t let anyone else’s total worry you, since we all have varying amounts of sewing time and work on different types of projects. Everyone who reports in is eligible for the prizes. I repeat, it’s not a contest, it’s just for fun! And prizes!

* Monthly prizes

At the end of each month, I’ll have a prize drawing for those who have made progress that month. I’ll draw one random winner from everyone who reports in that month. What this means is: You MUST report in each month in order to be eligible for that month’s prize drawing, even if your total is ZERO, which happens to the best of us.

If you’d like to be reminded when the report goes up, you can subscribe to all the latest News From the Ranch by filling out the form at the top of the sidebar, and you’ll automatically get an email when there’s anything new!

* Grand Prizes

At the end of the year, there will be some Grand Prizes. If you actually meet the goal of 350 blocks, you’re eligible for the big Grand Prize, and if you don’t quite make it, you’re still eligible to win some prizes just for participating. Everyone who has reported in at least six times during the Project is eligible for the final prize drawings. This rule is in place simply to be more fair to those who report in regularly. I don’t feel it’s fair to award a prize to someone who reports in one time in January then never reports in again, over someone who reports in regularly.

So are you ready?

The main Project page can be found HERE, where you can see current information, a list of participants and their numbers, and links to past statistics and winners posts.

And yep, I’m once again using the free printable to track my blocks this year. It still works great for me. I already have the January list taped up in my studio.

Here’s an example of how I use mine:

Here’s the link again, if you’d like to use it, too. Simply click here to download it: 350BlockTracker

So here we go again! I hope you’ll join us this year!