When you have a lot of half square triangles, there is opportunity to play within the angles to show shapes within shapes. I did some background colors that defined the quadrants of the block and also highlighted the white triangles to create diamonds, corners, and compass points. Try squinting to see the shapes more clearly. I also tried making a lighter center with radiating light going out. Also, how about that cute little star in the center? On a few a made them accent colors or warm tan color and others just left them full white. 

My Thatched block uses a light purple version that is from the Sweet Pea & Lily group. And that is also the group I used for my scrappy block, with a little flower in the middle! I made the 8" size and was really pleased with the little half square triangles. 

Hope you are finding your own fulfillment from this journey! Thank you Lisa Bongean for this rich and beautiful block design. Be sure to check out her blog at https://lisabongean.com/2020/09/02/moda-block-heads-3-block-34-fulfillment/ Happy sewing everyone!

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

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!

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....

We are half way through the blocks at this point! It is so fun to see them all come together as a group. This is a cheery block from Corey Yoder to kick off round 3, RING AROUND. The pattern is at Corey's blog:

This week's block has a ring of squares that surrounds the center diamond. You can keep the "ring" around the center fairly straightforward (like the first one and the one below it) or treat the small squares as more of a checkerboard (second image). Playing with shades of light and dark can make a glowing square overlaying the horizontal and vertical bands running through the block. Dropping out the corners to white emphasizes the octagonal shape that the block can take. And that last image treats each corner as it's own color group.

I was intrigued by dropping out a couple opposite corners and how the shape can look like a leaf out of a Minecraft world. I also experimented with the dark outside going into a light inside as well as creating more of a hashtag shape within the center. So many possibilites!

At first I thought I was going to try one of those giant pixelated leaves but when I tried it with the other blocks it looked a little out of proportion. However, someone commented on Facebook at the leaf could look good with the circle one next to it (middle of bottom row) as a big bloom. That could be a fun pillow! So I'll still try it on another project. 

I had fun with the center being a little picture frame for my scenic print from Solana (shipping in October 2020 to quilt shops) and a mixture of prints from Abby Rose and Painted Meadow surrounding it. Thanks Corey for the fun block!

More Moda Blockheads Designers:
7.29 – Corey Yoder- we are here!
8.5 – Sherri McConnell
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

Happy Wednesday! I enjoyed making Joanna Figueroa's block this week. I had just finished the little 1" HST from Janet Clare's block design so those corners came together so fast after all that practice! If you haven't gotten Joanna's pattern, you can go to her blog through the link below:

Color studies for "Broken Dishes" start out with a few shades of blue with white, then progress to include green, along with playing with light and dark. The four corners of the block look very different depending if they are white, dark color or lighter colors. I like how the right image on the top row has the look of bows or baskets on angles in the corners. And directly underneath that block, the bands of colors of teal or blue run through in horizontal and vertical bands. The first image on the second row has a "rounder" or more octagonal feel, while the one next to it has strong square side borders. 
In the bottom row, the first image is a graduation of light in the center, radiating out. And the two images next to it assigns colors to each corner, creating shaddow and light bands within the colors. 

My blocks this week will live in my blue row. The all-Thatched has Royal and Sky blues, utilizing some backs for more light shades. The scrappier block uses the warmer Seafoam blues from Abby Rose with an additional "Varietals" print from Solana added in. If you have Abby Rose, the blues carry through very nicely to Solana.

Can you believe we have finished the second round of the sewalong? Next week we will go back to Corey Yoder and start the rotation over! Happy sewing and have fun visiting the other Blockheads designers!

The lovely block "The Proposal" from Jen Kingwell brings back memories of a sparkly diamond ring glinting out in the moonlight with a question that warmed my heart from my dear husband (husband-to-be at that moment). I will be doing my block this week in white and light gray shades, just like a diamond. But what if you wanted to try something else?

This paper-pieced pattern can be done with gradations to give that 3 dimensional look. Or maybe treat it as a graphic, light and dark bands with more contrast. The third image plays off dark on light background on the top with light on dark background mirroring on the bottom. In the bottom row, when you accent the middle side angles with another color, it starts to look more like an emblem. The last image also suggests some transparency and light coming through on an angle. 

Teresa on facebook asked about ideas for this on point and it is an interesting block to think about that. Since I still had my file open I tried modifying and rotating a few. I like how a grouping of 4 can point to a center area. For the one on the right, I took the two halves of the block and joined them on the opposite side to make rays coming out of the center.

I'll post my block when its done. Right now I'm STILL making HST from Janet's block from last week! Almost there...

This week's block can really be interpreted SO MANY different ways so I just picked a few for color studies. But first, linking to Janet's blog for the pattern if you haven't gotten it already:

Half Square Triangles. Lots of them. I think it's interesting that Janet's block size uses one size of half square triangles no matter which size block you are making for Moda Blockheads. So if you are making a 4" block you will just have fewer rows. If you are making a bigger block, they are the same size pieces, just more of them and you add rows. I am making 8" blocks so I've only done color studies with the configuration for 8". I'm sure you can imagine more or less!

I've started with the basic idea that Janet has on her instructions. Zig Zags have light and dark sections with solids running in between as a solid chevron color. The image next to it is a similar idea but with a scrappier mix of colors and the inside chevrons using different lights and darks. I've got a row of dark green triangles that crops the zig zag on the outer row. If you don't "see" it, squint your eyes to see the banding. The last image on the first row plays with light towards the center and darker colors around the outside perimeter.

On the second row I've put light in the middle and am gradually making the colors darker going towards the top and bottom. And with that last one, I started playing with a vertical band within the half square triangles and bringing a column of arrow points down. I thought this was pretty fun so how about if the whole image did a play of contrasts like that? 

Keep in mind that the half square triangles are all still going in the same direction as diagrammed originally. Its just playing with the placement of light and dark. I see arrows going up and down in vertical motion with a row of dark blues between. Or even zig zags in the background (large) behind the columns. Or how about we make the separating columns in color? On the second row I've rotated between light and dark arrow heads by column, all lined up. And the last image staggers the placement of the arrow head in the dark row AND brings in another color. Because the arrow heads are made from half square triangles and not flying geese, they feel more dimensional in their light and dark subtle variances. 

This image keeps the chevron zig zags and plays with the half square triangles in the center as a composition within a composition. You could use flying geese for the perimeter blocks or still play with the subtlety through scrappier colors and breaking up the solid zig zags with accents. 

One more...you would need about 8 shades of blue to do this. I started with white on the right and paired it with really light blue under and in the row next to it. As I moved left I kept pairing the triangle with a darker shade and making it one of the triangles in the next column (the pieces I added are in that right column). I get my illusion of zig zag with a green and light center band, with just two shades of green and the white and lightest blue. It would be tough to have enough shades of blue for this but I wonder if it could work with ombre fabrics??

For my block I started by looking through my leftover half square triangle box and bag. I sew an extra seam often when making snowball blocks or flying geese and rummage through for times like this to see if I have some ready pieces that might just need a little extra trimming to be the right size. The other thing that would be great for this week is Triangle Paper! I didn't know about that until I did Moda Blockheads last year and read Corey Yoder's blog about it. When I have a lot of half square triangles to make it sure makes a difference in efficiency! However, for my scrappy version I found about half my triangles in my HST scrap box and I made the other half. For my all-Thatched version I made all new pieces. 

For the Thatched version, I used a combination of Flying Geese and Half Square Triangles. The center area is the focus with the contrast and accent colors. I love home this looks like a composition within a composition. And I am considering just making this into a little wall mini vs putting it into the sampler. I like how it looks standing alone. After joining it and pressing it intensely, I saw the Flying Geese unit at the top middle being "off" a little. I'm thinking I might just live with it. We'll see... Janet Clare says to not point out your mistakes, so I think I'm just pointing out "the personality of the block!"

And here is my scrappy version added to the mix! I used the composition of all HST and a darker zig zag running through horizontally. I made this one in the 6" size and since my quilt is using 8" blocks I will probably add an inch border going all the way around the block. I like the size of this one the way it is and did not want to make more HST. 

I hope you all had fun with this block!

I've got a lot to cover today so keep reading! There is a book giveaway included from Martingale at the end! New block pattern, color studies and book giveaways...sounds like a good Wednesday to me!

I'm very excited to share my block this week "CORNER GARDEN"! This block came out of the leaves in my Bird Talk quilt with a desire to do a simplified floral bloom. I think this block would be adorable in the corners of a pieced border of a quilt, plus it plays off the 4 corners of the block, thus the CORNER part of the garden name. The pattern is here in the gray link box right under this paragraph, but keep reading for color play and a BOOK GIVEAWAY from Martingale Publishers!

Big square flower blooms and leaves....simple in flat colors or you can try them with a color ramp from light to dark. Change up the colors and contrast from one bloom to the next and switch up the leaf colors. I also played with the negative and positive shapes in the last one, with a change in leaf backgrounds too. 

Since the corners of the pattern are made up with stitch and flip squares, why not try greens to the center to make a base for the flower bud with two of the corners? And you can play with varying shades of color to give the illusion of angle and perspective on the flower sides. The bottom images also play with the rectangles that border the leaves. If you make part of those the leaf colors it creates an image of stems weaving together in a flower twist.

Then I started to break down the shapes to be less literal as flowers, and to emphasize the triangles to the sides of the leaves. They start to look like supergraphic stripes and boxed in angled stripes vs leaves. I also explored a blue/cream/green palette. The last image starts to play off the faceted corners of the octagonal shapes.

And this last one breaks down the shapes even more to the churn dash idea and graduated stripes. These feel graphic and can work well if you are more focused on shapes and don't want blocks that suggest flowers and literal objects. 

I think this block has lovely possibilities to explore pairs and reflected units, playing off rainbow colors or just simple groupings.

These are my all-Thatched and scrappy versions of Corner Garden. The scrappy one uses Abby Rose and Dandi Annie plaid with Cream and Tangerine Thatched. These are 8" blocks. I tend to make my corner pieces a little larger and trim them down to size. And if all the HST corners are the same, I make my HST with an 8-at-a-time method vs individually.

The 4" block I made in V& Co Ombre Confetti. I just love doing these little blocks!

And I thought it would be fun to try making a block from strip/string quilt pieces. The block below is a 12" block using strips from Solana, Dandi Annie, Painted Meadow, Sweet Pea & Lily, Blushing Peonies and Abby Rose. I used the Ombre Confetti for centers since I thought the dots reminded me of big pollen filled flowers.  There are lots of ways to have fun with this block!

The other exciting piece of news today is the Martingale giveaway of some of the Moda All-Stars books! You can enter to win a digital download version of one of the quilt books. I am taking names here on my blog to be entered into a random sweepstakes for a digital copy of Lucky Charm Quilts. Sales of this Moda All-Stars book benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand, a Foundation for kids with childhood cancer and has funded over 1,ooo research projects. TO ENTER TO WIN A DIGITAL COPY OF THIS BOOK, enter a comment below telling me your favorite color to sew with! I'll be drawing a winner on Friday and will contact the person through their information on the blog comment. Thank you for supporting the All-Stars books that benefit wonderful charities!