 Hello Enchant! I breathed a sigh of relief for a slightly easier block this week since I'm also continuing my catching up on past blocks. I enjoyed this charming block from April Rosenthal of Prairie Grass Patterns on the Sewcialites Sewalong from the Fat Quarter Shop. How about a color study? Yep!  Outside half square triangles in background white or a color? I liked how the third one looks to me like corners folded in, like a galette with a lemon center. The second one plays on the idea of a churn dash block. Fourth uses background white to create a diagonal twisted candy and the last one is a color wheel of sides that draws your eye into the dark center.  I used number 3 as my inspiration. I think it was the idea of a lemony pastry that got me, and no, I don't have any lemon danishes or pastries here. Sigh. It is not till I look at the photos that I see I have a seam not quite matching but since it is a 3" block, I'm leaving it as is. I did use my seam ripper quite a bit on some of the other blocks I made so this seems minor in comparison to some of the other matching issues I encountered. Speaking of the other blocks, I made Flourish by Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet.  I used my seam ripper on this one a lot. Keep in mind this is a 3" block so each of those sections is only 1/2" finished. I am liking the blue/green combination and look for my smaller prints to use on these tiny-pieces blocks. For color studies, I played with these ideas:  Lots of pieces means lots of options to pull out the X shape (jumping jacks!), think of corner ribbon ends, play up the sides, or treat the rows like different colored bands. I used number two as my inspiration but it was a toss-up with number three.  Next was Nuture from Lissa Alexander. Wheels, pointers, plaids and, again, lots of options! This one was really structured for lots of color play. And again, my seam ripper was used a lot on this 3" block.  The last of the catch up blocks for the week was Butterfly Garden by Pat Sloan of The Voice of Quilting. I did not do a color study for this one since I had no desire to see it as anything but a butterfly. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this butterfly come into full formation.  Here is the group of this week's blocks, all done in different colors and fabrics from the Wild Blossoms collection, which should be shipping in March from Moda Fabrics!  Just a reminder, if you want to see past color studies, go to the COLOR STUDIES page listed in the menu and click on an image to go to that blog post. Next week I'll add in the block Interwoven from Shereece Nicole and I think I will be all caught up with past blocks!  Last week I mentioned I will be doing the Bountiful quilt along (Bountiful quilt from Corey Yoder) with the Fat Quarter Shop, raising money for Make a Wish! Here is a mock up of the quilt in WILD BLOSSOMS. Since Wild Blossoms is shipping in March, it might be a tiny bit behind on the first block but should be available to catch up and sew on the second in time. For more information about the Bountiful sewalong, and to see the fantastic bundles of Corey's fabric line, coordinating threads and a very charming matching CROSS STITCH, visit the Fat Quarter Shop's Bountiful blog post.  See you next week and until then, happy sewing!! 
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 It is week 13 and Doug Leko of Antler Quilt Designs brings us "Innovate." What a lively block with that great pinwheel motion from the outer angled strip. I liked trying the center half square triangles as one color to form more of a band for a star or having the background or alternate color accent to make fan blades or shaded sides. Bringing in dark ends to the "center X" makes them seem a little 3 dimensional. Thanks Doug for such a motion-filled fun block!  For my little 3" block, I'm using blues from the Wild Blossoms collection. I picked the upper right idea from the color studies and made those tiny little flying geese and half square triangles and angled bar blocks. I must admit that this one is a little bowed in the middle (but I'm sure it will look flat after quilting, right??). I give myself a little more grace with not having everything meet perfectly in this small size. They are fun to make and that's what feels good to me.  BI worked on a little catch-up this past week. After a busy December and busy start to January, I finally had time to do a little sewing when the internet went out. No tv to stream? No problem with a sewing machine waiting patiently for me to show her some attention. I'm hoping this helps get me back into my sampler groove! These blocks had some color studies too although I had not sewn the blocks yet. Here is last week's "Captivate" from Barbara Groves of Me and My Sister Designs. These can look so different and emphasize a diagonal band within the block or look like transparencies of overlapping shades. The last one is about light to dark gradations within multiple colors. I made my block based off the upper left, first image.  Here is "Always Star" from Camille Roskelley of Thimble Blossoms. Radiating light from a hot sun, the play of just 1 color and white to emphasize squares or an even simpler shape, or a woven plaid of intersecting bands for a plaid-meets-diagonal block. I used the top middle image as my inspiration with a little bumble bee in the very center of my block.   "Empower" by Carrie Nelson uses little Bear Paw blocks with half square triangle angles. This makes a crown on some (middle top) or marching video game fighter jets (middle bottom). The negative/positive can be emphasized or creating strong bands/frames by having the background a dark color in the small half square triangles. Or, that last one with sunshine color paw prints. My actual Empower block is made with greens and played with lighter colors on some of the bigger triangles by flipping my Thatched to the back side.  I'm hoping to have another group of four blocks for next week's post. Then I would be all caught up except for one block. But for now, I'm liking how the little blocks are coming along!  Here are all the little 3" blocks I have so far! I haven't shared my setting yet since I'm still working it out but I'm hoping to incorporate the big width-of-fabric print from this collection along with the color spectrum of individual blocks.  One last thing to mention....I'm going to be sewing along with the Bountiful charity quilt stitch along!! I will be using Wild Blossoms and will share how the blocks look in that as a computer mock up next! I hope you are joining the Fat Quarter Shop on this journey to support Make-A-Wish!
Happy sewing! Sewcialites block #9 is from Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic. Her block, New Plus Old, can use the snowball corners as ends of a ribbon, different color triangles, interlocking ribbon ends, or a twisty candy wrapper.  I loved the simplicity of the first block and wanted to try it in my NEW fabric line that will be shipping in July, Forest Frolic. There are 5 new Thatched colors in the collection so I wanted to use the light background of Buttermilk Thatched with the Little Forest Fling print in the square corners. The little triangles in the center block show off the new Caramel, Copper, Cinnamon and Mocha Thatched.  I also made the small 3" version in Wild Blossoms in cream and greens with the interlocking ribbon ends. I think this block would look cute set on point as well as straight.  I'm hopeful I can catch up in the New Year with the rest of the blocks so far! Happy sewing!
2022 is about ready to exit and I've got so much to share from the end of 2022! At the end of October, we finally had a Quilt Market in person again! I loved the time with folks at the Moda booth and being able to see shop owners in person again filled my soul with happiness! I do really look forward to Quilt Market every year. Nothing else really compares to in-person time with other designers, shops, and Moda. This year I also took some business seminars so there was good learning too!  I was excited to show my new line of Wild Blossoms, which features wild flowers of poppies, daisies, clover, Queen Anne's Lace, Bluebonnets and more. The line has a main print which spans the width of fabric, selvage to selvage, in a rainbow display of the flowers.   I revamped Jubilant Song with enough changes to retire it and rename the new version Joyful Trio. The one behind me has the width-of-fabric print going through the middle to make 3 columns of color. You can also use fat quarters of big prints in those sections. To the right is Bar Hop with long panels from the rainbow print and a Layer Cake or Charm Packs to make the smaller bars. On the chair are the NEW bias binding tapes made with Thatched fabrics! They come on a roll and are sold by the yard. A great way to have fast binding that matches with the Thatched widebacks (plus a few more colors).  What a surprise to see Josh Dunn in a shirt made up in Wild Blossoms (with the bees on the ends of the collars) and Jenny Brodeski in a fantastic swing skirt! Those Moda people do it up in style!  I also love to see the fantastic women from the mill in Korea. They make magic happen with the fabric.  Many thanks to all who stopped by. I was delighted to see so many shop owners from other countries and reconnect with many friendly faces. Speaking of friendly faces, I enjoyed time with my roommate Pam Selkirk AND her sweet Sophie bunny!   Wild Blossoms will be shipping to shops in March 2023. Look for the selection of yardage, precuts and new patterns!  Chelsi Stratton is our designer this week for Sewcialites and her block is "Flirty." Simple one color with white or pull out more of a Bear's Paw type of block by shading in one corner square. Or treat the block as a study in diagonal movement and shades of sunset colors. Let the white stand out as a bow tie or accent triangles.  Block sewing will happen next week but I'll enjoy seeing the different blocks popping up in the facebook Sewcialites lounge while I finish up a couple things and then take a sewing break with a sweet 3" block.
Have a great weekend! Hello Patchy Days with little squares and flying geese from Jackie McDonald! I just got to see Jackie in person at Quilt Market in Houston and it was SO nice. We have connected through phone calls and zoom so this was the next step...an actual meeting! I have enjoyed making Jackie's block this month AND I caught up with last week's Tussy Mussy sewing. But first, color studies!  You can emphasize the diamond made from flying geese or the square in the center or make the flying geese and their joining rectangles into arrows pointing out. Those 4-patch corners can be one color plus background or play with gradations and place the lightest parts to the inside or outside. I like the arrow idea and decided to apply that to my sewn block.  I'm using blues from my new Wild Blossoms collection (the one showing at Quilt Market last weekend). The arrows are out of the blue bonnet floral print with corners in the diagonal sketchy plaid. Mist Thatched flipped to the back side for a lighter shade makes the center square.  I am thinking about combining these blocks in a variety of colors with the big width-of-fabric rainbow print of all the wildflowers. Perhaps in a tote...I'm working on my plan and will share when it is solid.  For my Tussy Mussy block, I used the pink Queen Anne's Lace print with a butterfly in the center part of the block, fluttering towards those outer dark petals. These small blocks are so much fun to make. Last year I did all the small 3" ones and fell in love with doing this sweet small size.  Now I've got a red, pink and blue block and have got to plan out next week's color. Orange, yellow, green? Sewing with the range of colors in Wild Blossoms has so many possibilities.  Check out the Fat Quarter Shop blog and shop for the free weekly patterns for this Sewcialites 2 Quilt Along!
Week 2 of Sewcialites with a block from Susan Ache called Tussy Mussy. This traditional nosegay block is adorable as a floral bouquet with pretty colors. Since it is a fairly definite shape and easier to "see" as a bouquet, I thought it would be fun to explore how else it could evolve.  First I have my traditional nosegay of flowers with a little modern feel by keeping the solid colors for the base of the flowers and all the outer fringy ring in the darker pink. Then I went for a blocky stand of greens and mixing apricot into the outer petals to give it a more explosive feel. But what if it is not a nosegay at all? I had to throw a little orange in there in honor of Halloween and that one just plays with shapes and switching up the white into the inner parts of the block and letting some background come in on the outer triangles. That last one was more shape exploration and I keep seeing a little red-haired paper doll girl with a pink skirt. Do you see her?  She's wearing a big pink scarf and orange mittens...she might be doing jumping jacks while carrying her grocery bags home. I can't help it! Sometimes the funniest little things jump out! Due to QUILT MARKET happening, my block will have to be sewn when I get back. But I look forward to seeing all your fun Tussy Mussy blocks!
DAY ONE of the new Sewcialites 2 Quilt Along! My Moda Blockheads quilt is pieced and patiently waiting for longarming so what better time to start in with a new sampler sew-along. I was very happy to be a part of last year's first Sewcialites quilt and was thrilled when Fat Quarter Shop asked me back for this one.  Each Friday the Fat Quarter Shop will be releasing a new FREE block from one of the 24 designers. You can check the Fat Quarter Shop blog and join the Sewcialites Facebook group to join in the fun! At the shop, there are coordinating items to keep you organized and info about the sew-along too...visit HERE. A couple weeks will be off for holidays and a couple weeks at the end for assembly. Kimberly shows more detail on how she joins the blocks through her youtube channel each Friday. If you followed me on Moda Blockheads, you might know that I like to play around on my computer and do some color studies of the blocks. I (almost) always leave the pieces as they are in the diagram but change up the colors and light and dark placements to see what variations I might get. I can't promise every week, but I'll try!  Our block #1 comes from Bev McCullough of Flamingo Toes and is called "Perennial." I was really intrigued by the little extra line from the rail block and how it makes that center pinwheel smaller. OR it could give an opportunity to have an accent stripe within the flower center. I think it is fun to treat the outside corner blocks either as leaves or as another layer of flower, suggesting the ways that petals overlap and are layered underneath other petals. Thank you Bev for giving us such a lovely, interesting block to start this Quilt-Along!  I've been getting ready for Quilt Market so I've been busy making quilts with my newest line that is showing to shops now...Wild Blossoms. This fabric will ship in March 2023 but since I have some sample fabric, I'm planning on making my blocks with it and mix it with my basic line from Moda, Thatched. Here is my Perennial block made with the Little Wild Things print in red and green and Crimson, Maize and Sugar Rose Thatched. I'm making the 3" blocks for this project, which is the same size I sewed last time. That is when I learned that I really like to make these littler blocks. They are so cute!  Wouldn't it be lovely to do a whole Christmas quilt with this block? It feels like a festive holiday flower and those pointed ends of petals are reminiscent of Poinsettias.  Tune in next Friday for the next Socialites block.
Happy sewing! Last week of Moda Blockheads 4 with block 28 from Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree & Co. Her free quilt block pattern can be found at the Fig Tree & Co blog: For color studies I went with the cheery bloom suggested in the block layout and then played with the center band, the negative space, diagonal colors, a 3d look to the little triangles and a color quad with different color families in each quarter.  And my sewn block is the last of the big pink blocks. Sigh. Although I am happy to get to the finish line, I also am sad since this has been something I have looked forward to each week. Which makes me think about why I like sewalongs...skill building, trying new things and community. Because Quilty friends are the best. Thank you for the wonderful comments on the facebook and instagram posts each week. You have made me smile.   Till next time...happy sewing!
Happy Wednesday and Moda Blockheads day! Today Michelle White from Moda brings us "Threaded" for our free quilt block pattern! Visit Michelle on instagram @MichelleWhiteMakes and get your THREADED quilt block pattern at Moda's site: https://my.modafabrics.com/tags/blockheads-4  Michelle's design is shown with the angled ends all going in one direction, however the pattern also showed an alternate that faced the angles together, so I did some in the last row with that and took some liberties of flipping the last one as two mirrored angles. I like how treating the ends with the middle color of the bar next to it creates a bulging line. Or only playing the outer ends, having graduated shades of colors in the bars, or play with different colors. The bottom middle really plays with negative and positive space to form a strong O shape. Thanks for this versatile block Michelle!  My block is living in a green corner of my small row so I'm treating the shapes as a leaf idea. Two of the other green corners have leafy blocks with Autumnal and Clover.  My little butterfly that has rested on the leaf is from Sweet Pea & Lily with the little drawings next to it from Carolina Lilies. Thatched greens bookend the leaf.  Last week I had not blogged about my color studies. There was just a lot to catch up with at home plus needing more naps from Covid. Feeling much better but I'm behind on a couple of things. So this was my color study that I shared on the Moda Blockheads Facebook group for Block #26, POSTAGE STAMP!  This weet Postage Stamp is from Corey Yoder! The link is through her blog @CorianderQuilts. I think this would look adorable with "Forever" embroidered on it. Those little dashed edges would be cute as colored lines of playful hues. Corners the same color as the background make it round off the shape more.  A little orange stamp for my orange row. Abby Rose has a bud for the center!  And I've got a couple more small orange blocks from the bonus blocks that I had not posted yet. These are bonus block 6 STEP TO IT and bonus block 7 STAR TURN.    All of my orange and yellow blocks are made so I can start joining them. ONE MORE BLOCK TO GO! I have one space left in my big pink outer ring. Till next week...happy sewing!!  |
About ROBINDesigner of colorful florals for Moda fabrics. Modern to transitional quilt designer. Illustrator, sewist, crafter. I am proud to be a designer for Moda Fabrics!
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