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Are you ready for a little applique this week? It's Jan Patek's week and that means it's time for a sweet applique design. But keep reading all the way down since we also have an AWESOME GIVEAWAY this week for a lucky quilter- a MODA BLOCKHEADS T-SHIRT!! But first...the block...this week's block has a charming Beeskep with stripes. Color studies are simple, just showing light on dark, dark on light with some little alterations (flowers and bee). The pattern is at Jan's blog:  I decided to make my flower more of a group of circles. I added extra circles on the Bird and Urn block and liked that and thought this would tie in well with that block. Instead of a star, I liked the idea of a bee on this block. My blocks will be living on the lighter end of my brown row so I'm staying closest to the last color image.  The all-thatched block has a soft tan background from flipping the Oatmeal Thatched to the backside and letting that chambray look be the whole background. Chunky stripes for my beeskep with a nice fat bumble bee. For my block with a mix of fabrics, I've used Ombre Confetti for the beeskep darker stripes and the background. I cut graphic flower circles from my Stalks print in Solana and used the charcoal leaves from Dandi Annie for the hive base. The bees are little ones cut from one of the coordinates in Painted Meadow. They are small but I sewed them on along the black rows on their tiny bodies (and these all use fusible material too).   So I mentioned a GIVEAWAY! Moda has some BLOCKHEADS tshirts with a sampling of blocks from this 3rd year of the sewalong. There is a block from each designer. I'll be doing a random drawing for one lucky person to get one of these tshirts of their choice. To enter, scroll down and leave a comment telling me what you liked best about the start of the school year! For me, it was new clothes, new lunchbox, the excitement of possibility for the year ahead, and the smell of fall leaves!  This is the image from the front of the tshirt. The back has the designer's IG names. You can purchase one of these shirts if you'd like and Moda will donate money to local food banks. There are three styles- short sleeve, long sleeve and 3/4 sleeve baseball tee. If you want to buy some, use the links below to order. The short sleeve v-neck is $29.50, long sleeve is $34 and baseball tee is $3o. I will draw a winner from my blog comments on Sunday, August 23rd.    Happy sewing everyone!!
-Robin
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Fair and Square has a special place in my heart because it was in the first group of patterns I designed. I've learned a lot since then and ended up completely rewriting the instructions. This quilt continues to be a learning experience for me!  I made a revision to the design from the original quilt. I wanted to show this quilt with a soft, buttery yellow background to go with my big bright sunflowers. Sometimes with a pale color mixed with prints needs a little more defining contrast. I loved how a thin white border gave a little additional crispness to the block centers. I decided to carry that thin white sashing around the border to define the space.  The first time I made this quilt I thought the process of making half square triangles went on FOREVER! Now I just enjoy seeing those big blocks come together from a fun mix of little triangles. This quilt can be a fun way to use up some of your extra half square triangles (I save all my extras for scrappy projects) or pieces at least 3" square. Yup, got a lot of those. This pattern specifies a layer cake but can also be made with scrappy pieces approximately 3 x 5" with background fabric added.  Part of my learning experience this time on the quilt was doing the longarm quilting. My system is computerized and I put the sewing designs into the individual blocks vs going with a continual pantograph that is edge to edge. I did a different border design and two designs rotating between the two types of block styles. Aligning the design, staying centered, working out what looked right with the blocks...I did numerous tests on scraps first. I can say I have SO much respect for the amazing longarm quilters out there that I see doing incredible custom work. It's not easy and requires patience and expertise, even when its guided by the computer. I'm glad I pushed myself to try this. It's not perfect, but I think I gave up the quest for perfection a long time ago! I quite enjoy seeing the areas that have mistakes because it records learning and improving for me.  The back of this quilt has the print from Solana of little ladybugs. I just couldn't wait to try this on a backing since it is such a fun little print and I love ladybugs! They seem like good luck and fond wishes coming from busy little bright ladies. This print is great for a backing since the ladybugs have little dashed lines of curvy walking paths in a subtle texture in the background so its very forgiving if you make mistakes while quilting. Yes, I know that from personal experience.  In case you were wondering what yellow this is, its Moda Bella Solids Baby Yellow 31. I paired it with Bella White Bleached 98. This is the original Fair and Square quilt I made with Poppy Mae, my first Moda Fabrics line. It was quilted by Gina Siembieda.   If you want to check out other quilts made with Solana, visit these posts: https://www.robinpickens.com/blog/simple-solstice-on-a-sunny-day https://www.robinpickens.com/blog/solana-patterns-here-comes-backslash or visit my shop! Have a sunny, happy sewing day!  The other new pattern I've released to go with the Solana fabric group is Simple Solstice. This quilt can be done with a Layer Cake or Charm Pack for a small or large quilt! I love the cheery sunshines in sunflower Solana warmth.  The original plan was just the larger quilt, but when I tried blocks in the smaller, Charm Pack, size, I fell in love with the scale of the sunshines. It makes a lovely wall quilt or baby quilt and can have another row nicely added to make it a square.  This quilt pattern uses a mix of stitch and flip corners to make snowball blocks, with rays from half square triangles and flying geese. Because the HST and flying geese are spaced apart, there is minimal corner and point matching to do, so this is really a very forgiving quilt if you don't like having to match lots of points and seams exactly.  I also like the combination of using the scenic print from Solana for the back of the quilt against the white of the front background fabric. For the small version I used the white on white print of the sunflower seeds and it gives the quilt a slightly lacy feel.  Fun fact: this Windsor chair was my Grandmother's. It has traveled with me from home to home and almost always lives in the corner of my bedroom or a guest bedroom. There is something comforting about having a quilt draped over the arm of this chair and I love the smooth wood of the well worn chair arms.  My little visitor friend seems to like these quilt blocks quite a lot. On two separate visits, she claimed them as the place she needed to sit. She knows what she likes!   Simple Solstice will be shipping to shops and the Solana fabric will be shipping in October. If you want to check out this and the other patterns shown with Solana, visit my previous post or my shop. Happy sewing and enjoy the sunshine!  There are rectangular pavers leading up to the front door so the sound of the UPS man with boxes and a dolly have a "Clunkity, clunkity" sound as the wheels drop into the open spaces between the pavers. I know that sound well around here and today it was the sound of PATTERNS ARRIVING!  There are three new patterns for the Solana group of fabrics and this one, BACKSLASH, was the last of the three to arrive from the printer! Tonight we will be bagging patterns while watching tv and tomorrow I will box up some orders going out. Of the three patterns, this one feels the quickest to do and I really like how much fun stuff is in it due to all the print fabrics. It's a little bit of background, a lot of prints.  ThI've made Backslash in color stories- shown here in blues and yellows and one in coral, yellow and green. I liked the flow of movement I got with using a family of fabrics in consistent yardage cuts. This quilt is shown with 11 print fabrics. For the Lap size, you would use 1/3 yard cuts, for the Twin 1/2 yard cuts and for the Queen 3/4 yard cuts (plus background). This quilt can also be made with a Layer Cake. That gives it a busier, scrappier look but could be really fun too! The forward slash and backslash thin sashings on the angled blocks combined with the smaller/grouped in 4 half square triangle blocks provide lots of angles for your eye to travel around the quilt.  This quilt is suitable for more novice quilters or is great to use to showcase a lively group of fabrics together. I hope you have as much fun with Backslash as I did and that you will also check out my other Solana patterns of Simple Solstice and Fair and Square at my shop! (Solana ships to shops in October) Happy sewing! It is such fun to see the differences you can come up with for Basket blocks. Last year's Blockheads sampler had one that ended up being one of my favorite blocks in the group (although I couldn't pick just one favorite). I like to see the variations on them. Visit Betsy Chutchian's blog for this weeks lovely basket block that she has provided! For color studies I looked at the outer triangles going from light to dark on the outsides, light basket on dark background and more variations of scrappy grays to make a sparkly mix of light and dark. When I introduced another color I did a light to dark gradation and one where background ramps darker going in the opposite direction of the basket getting darker. Then I just played with the triangles to see what forms I could get that broke out of the basket theme. They feel very graphic to me. The very last one reminds me of corners of paper folded over and touching in the middle, almost like folding origami paper.  My baskets will live in the brown row so I'm staying with the more traditional basket theme and making the top part of the basket in lively oranges while the base is a lovely oatmeal color.  For my scrappy version I've got some Solana, Abby Rose and some Ombre Confetti to add some pattern play and some roses in the center of the basket. I thought the ratan/caning look of the Solana print had that basket feel in the print.  For those people placing their blocks on point, the basket is especially nice. I can't wait to see the versions of ones that people make on the facebook group!  Be sure to visit other Blockheads designers for more inspiration and happy basket collecting!  8.12 – Betsy Chutchian- we are here!
8.19 – Jan Patek 8.26 – Brigitte Heitland 9.2 – Lisa Bongean 9.9 – Lissa Alexander 9.16 – Laurie Simpson 9.23– Vanessa Goertzen 9.30 – Stacy Iest Hsu 10.7 – Robin Pickens 10.14 – Janet Clare 10.21 – Jen Kingwell 10.28 – Joanna Figueroa 11.4 – Corey Yoder 11.11 – Sherri McConnell Doesn't it just make you happy when the block is about love? It does for me! Visit Sherri's blog for her sweet Love at Home block instructions: The hearts are adorable and I think it is absolutely perfect that there are 4 of them and we have four in our family! I think the color studies are fairly straightforward.  What I've tried here is alternating colors of hearts, playing with color in the background with lighter hearts, making the hearts multiple shades of red (reminiscent of shading) and trying a single switched out heart to light on dark within the composition, or with neutrals and one pop of reds! How about tucking a little accent in there to reflect the reds? And the last one was an idea...remember Stacy Iest Hsu's Won't You Be My Neighbor block? What if ONE of those houses took up a quadrant of this block to signify the "Love at Home"! I just love it when blocks can play together!  My hearts this week will live in my purple row. Purple Heart Honor? Royal heart? Or just the majestic feeling of purple theatrical drama. Paired with pink it is romantic and pretty.  For my scrappy quilt I used fabrics from my Sweet Pea & Lily line. Did you know the two purples in Thatched Basics are from that particular line? AND in August there is a Basics Bundle that Moda is showing on instagram and that Aster purple is in the basics bundle. It makes such a nice lively color combined with the greens and blues of the group (and oranges too) So would you like a peek of how my quilt layout is progressing so far? When I jump around each week from color family to color family it is hard to tell so here is a preview:  For reference, below is a computer image with blocks I've filled in as I've done them. I am working on making a darker/more color saturated left side gradating to a lighter, less saturated right side, while keeping rows of rainbow color. Can I say rainbow color when I have brown and gray in there? A spectrum of color, I guess, is a better description. It is very interesting to see how it is progressing as I work along. I do have some things in advance but not everything so I keep working with a large part of this being a mystery to me too!  Have fun with your hearts and lots of love this week! Visit the other Moda Blockheads designers: 8.5 – Sherri McConnell- we are here! 8.12 – Betsy Chutchian 8.19 – Jan Patek 8.26 – Brigitte Heitland 9.2 – Lisa Bongean 9.9 – Lissa Alexander 9.16 – Laurie Simpson 9.23– Vanessa Goertzen 9.30 – Stacy Iest Hsu 10.7 – Robin Pickens 10.14 – Janet Clare 10.21 – Jen Kingwell 10.28 – Joanna Figueroa 11.4 – Corey Yoder  Yes, my proposal was years ago and I am still happily married to Mr. P, my sweetie! But the "other" proposal, "The Proposal" quilt block designed by Jen Kingwell for Moda Blockheads, well that finally happened.  Sometimes on the facebook Moda Blockheads group I see someone post their block that is, let's say, less than perfect and they express how they were frustrated making it. I just wanted to share that you are not alone. We all have those days. This block really kicked my butt! I just don't seem to "think" the way that paper piecing comes together. I have to concentrate really hard and mark the paper with what piece is going there and double and triple check. Yet still I ended up completely throwing away one section and starting it over. And boy that seam ripper was out. A LOT. One seam was ripped out four times. I found myself muttering "don't cry, its only a quilt block."  The block wasn't THAT hard. But sometimes we should just put the sewing down and come back to it the next day. But that was not the mood I was in. I was in the mood to conquer and overcome and tough it out. After the fourth time ripping out the one seam I finally got the piece big enough (I swear I thought my piece was big enough and positioned right). And I finished it. I am quite happy with the result. I wanted to try for the look of light on one side of my diamond and shaddow on the other. I like the softness of the grays. I like the subtlety of the Thatched used on front and back sides for lighter shades. But could I really do a second one for my other, scrappy quilt? When I have trouble with a block I wonder WHY I decided to do TWO quilts. I could give that up now, even though we are more than half way to the end. But now, I will make another block. Yes, the desire to tough it out and overcome is deeply entrenched.  But this is where the advice I sometimes give other people kicked in...you don't HAVE to do every block. You can pick and choose if you don't like something in Moda Blockheads. There is no quilt police that will throw you out if you skip a block. So I decided to make a block and JUST MAKE IT UP! That's right. I just used scraps of fabric I had from Thatched and Ombre Confetti from V & Co and did some half square triangles to mimic the feeling of angles and stayed true to my palette and I quite like how they look as a pair! So maybe some day with more practice the paper piecing will "click" and be easier. But for now I am happy with my "improv make-do" additional block! If you would like to make an alternate block similar to mine, I don't have a pattern made up but I can share the sizes. The corner half square triangles are 3 1/2" unfinished. I made them from two 4" squares that I make two HST from and trim to 3 1/2" (for a finished size of 3"). You will need (4) of them. The center HST is 2 1/2" finished, made from 3" squares. You need (1). The rectangles between the HST are each 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" inches (for 1 x 3" finished sizes). This block uses (8) of those rectangles. I joined in rows, then join rows together.  Now I can breathe a sigh of relief that I am caught up (for now!) Just in time for a new block tomorrow....
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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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