Block #7 is GAME BOARD from Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings. Visit Lisa's blog for the free quilt block pattern that you can make in the 4.5" or 9" size. Along with Lisa's blog at lisabongean.com, you can also follow her at instagram @lisabongean. I was surprised to see this block from Lisa since I usually expect a LOT of little half square triangles from her but she has delighted us this time with adorable little squares. This game board gives a center space for good play with color and twinkling checkerboards. I realized the borders can be a single color surrounding the checkerboard or maybe they are a continuation of the rows and lines from the center blocks. Broken color bands, 4 corner quadrants or straight across horizontal bands. Keep the center it's own distinct place or let those blocks share background color to make the perimeter more flowing. Two color families here with pink play in the borders and randomly placed orange squares in the center. Or split it vertically half and half by color groups. The bottom two have more controlled block arrangements in the center with the last one forming a square within a square by darker squares. Thatched rainbow, light to dark and dark to light. And that last one is like a little butterfly or insect buzzing on its merry way. This week my block is a 9" pink version and I chose to make my 4 corners each a different print of pinks. I also used some of my new DOTTY THATCHED from the Tulip Tango line! I am loving the little dots and how whimsical and lighthearted they feel on the Thatched texture. Tulip Tango has this Dotty Thatched on cream, washed linen, princess pink, lighter pink, cranberry, chartreuse and medium and dark gray. Ah, pink and vibrant...I love deep cranberry and that energy of fuchsia. What will next week bring? More orange, more yellow, more pink? We will have to wait and see. Until then, happy sewing!
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Linzee Kull McCray brings us block 6 called "Spinning into Spring" and you can find the pattern through her blog at https://linzeekullmccray.com/blog or click the bar right below: The half square triangles on this block can be shown with light and dark sides to get that feeling of a propeller in motion. They can also mix with the background color to make larger triangles. The plus sign inside is part of the windmill, or bars on large T shapes. The four side rectangles can define space by boxing in or blending into the center. The rainbow versions plus one blue/green combo. I think of these as "Spinning into the Color Wheel" and like how the center plus almost glows out in ones with all color surrounds. This week my block will live in my large pink border. I also made both of the bonus blocks we have received so far. I did turn one side of "Mix and Match" to have the bars go in opposite directions, thinking of leaves as they branch out from their center stem. Here are all my block so far! Summery colors and happy vibes! It feels like a summer party. Happy sewing!
Week 5 and Barbara Groves of Me. & My Sister Designs brings us "Two of Five". I think of this as a Churn Dash but like how those HST corners can give the feeling of rounded corners, leaf points, candy in a twisty wrapping, or framing for a plus sign. To see more of Me & My Sister Designs creativity and quilt projects (and books and cool new work space), visit instagram at https://www.instagram.com/meandmysisterdesigns/. And to get your copy of "Two of Five" pattern visit the MODA blog today in the resources section or click the bar below to be taken there: Another small one for me this week for my smaller orange ring of blocks. Still having some fun with Abby Rose and Thatched. I think my favorite of all the Thatched oranges is still this darker Tangerine. Now I'm hopping back to my secret sewing. I've got a new fabric line to show next month and two new patterns so I'm deep in sewing and pattern writing.
Till next week... happy sewing! Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs supplies this week's block "Spinner." Visit Anne's blog for the pattern. You can also follow her on instagram @bunnyhilldesigns. Have you seen Anne's latest applique quilt project called "The Flower Farm"? It is SO sweet and charming! This block is pieced, and not applique, but I bet the center would be a lovely place to add an applique. You can see the spinner shape showing up with the blades around the center square in the half square triangles. I thought it might be interesting to make the outer small squares in graduated shades of a color to give that feeling of motion or try a white center (assuming a white background fabric overall) and making the emphasis on the outer ring of blocks. Then I tried my rainbow mix of sides with both white or dark center. Another version that Moda showed on the instructions as an alternate is with 4 patchwork squares in the center vs the one large square. I used some of my above ideas with the 4 squares in center and like how a continuation of color emphasizes the blades and the additional pieces can lend nicely to a feeling of transparency. I made the 4 1/2" block so I kept my center as one piece and showed off a Bramble Rose from the Abby Rose collection in it. Oranges play in the outer pieces. This block will live in the middle small ring of blocks on my quilt. Four weeks down! I still plan on making the bonus block from last week. It will be another one of the small sized blocks. The 4 1/2" size is quite sweet.
Thanks for visiting and sewing along! I didn't know what Kouign Amann was so I had to look it up. After seeing photos and reading the description (you can see one here from Food Network), my mouth is watering for the buttery sweet layered treat. So what might my color studies for this Kouign Amann free block design from Laurie Simpson of Minick & Simpson have to do with this pastry? My block is going to live in my yellow center of my quilt so I am thinking of the layers of golden pastry and all that yummy butter. Layers and yellow sound good, but first let's get that free quilt block pattern! (if you need it, the box below will take you to Laurie and the pattern). Triangles of yellow and orange with a big mix of white dance in and out of the shapes for a light and sparkly look. Or try more filled in triangles to make a solid shape, like the sunshine. When making the flying geese unit and the rectangles are the same color, it starts to look like ribbons with dovetail ends. The corners around them look like excited bursts or add in more colored pieces to make those corners into ribbons as well. If we start to play with the background white it brings a whole additional layer of dimension to this block. The dark midnight blue makes those warm yellows and oranges pop. Adding in a gray to some of the outer HST makes the illusion of a jumping jack and really emphasizes the 4 corners. I love trying the color quadrants on these blocks and this one is calling my name in the Thatched colors. I need to make this. This block feels like it is bursting with happy energy. I love it. Thank you Laurie for giving us this new pattern. My block will be living in my yellow center within my quilt. I think the simple sunshine is perfect for my squared off garden theme. I've used Thatched and fabrics from Solana. I love the little sunflower seeds in white against the yellow background in the outer rays. Two happy yellow sunshine/flower blocks. If you are looking for Solana, I have some bundles of blue and yellow Fat Quarters at my shop and I'll also have some precuts that should be listed by this Friday.
Happy sewing! Week 2 with a new free quilt block pattern from Jenelle Kent of Pieces to Treasure and Moda Fabrics. Be sure to visit Jenelle's blog for the pattern download. I learned something new today- what Cooee means (it's on the second page of the pattern) in Australia. Are you sewing with traditional fabric or only solid colored fabric? These color studies can be applied to any prints, patterned or solid fabrics. So lets take a look at this block and have some fun with color placement in this quilt block. I started out simple with a white center and treating the top, bottom, and sides as a checkerboard of two colors. Then tried a subtle shade in two of the center rectangles to delineate the center meeting point. I also wanted to look at all yellows/gold with a glowing white center, or with an orange center, like the center of a flower. The one with orange corners flipped the color and white on those corner HST (third row) so we notice the diamond shape and the T within it more...or is it a T? How about big "L" letters with a shaddow side. I was thinking of using this block in my pink row so I wanted to try that next as a pink flower (thus the orange pollen center). I finished up by trying my favorite color quadrants with shades of colors in four different families in each quadrant. I love how the light and dark variations look like overlapping shading. As I was working on these, I had a thought that the ones with the orange centers reminded me of a pastry with the edges folded over the fruit filling. (And yes, I was hungry for lunch!) So I decided to have a little fun and make one a peach galette! The one to the left reminds me of braiding hair so I'm calling that "Rapunzel's Braid". I DID decide to go with pinks for my own quilt and made it with Thatched in Cranberry, Fuchsia, Primrose and an Abby Rose print in the center. Jenelle's IG handle is @piecestotreasure where she shows all those fabulous things you can do with her beautiful toweling. Check it out!
And for other designers blogging for Blockheads, visit: Vanessa Goertzen – https://blog.lellaboutique.com Corey Yoder – https://corianderquilts.com Joanna Figueroa – https://blog.figtreeandcompany.com Janet Clare – http://janetclare.co.uk/blog/ Sherri McConnell – https://www.aquiltinglife.com Brenda Riddle – https://brendariddledesigns.com/blogs/news Vanessa Christenson – https://vanessachristenson.com/blog/ Betsy Chutchian – http://betsysbestquiltsandmore.blogspot.com Crystal Manning – https://crystalmanningart.com/blogs/blog Chelsi Stratton – https://chelsistratton.wordpress.com Kate Spain – https://kdspain.com/thedrawingboard Lisa Bongean – https://lisabongean.com Brigitte Heitland – https://www.brigitteheitland.de/blog Jackie MacDonald – https://sweetfireroad.com/blog/ Camille Roskelley – https://camilleroskelley.typepad.com Debbie Maddy – https://www.debbiemaddy.com/blogs/musings-of-a-fiber-fanatic Anne Sutton – https://bunnyhillblog.com Linzee Kull McCray – https://linzeekullmccray.com/blog Laurie Simpson – http://minickandsimpson.blogspot.com Robin Pickens – https://www.robinpickens.com Jan Patek – http://janpatek.blogspot.com Stacy Iest Hsu – https://www.stacyiesthsu.com/blog/ Jenelle Kent – https://www.piecestotreasure.com/blog Lynne Hagmeier – http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com as well as Barbara Groves, Deb Strain, Tammy Vonderschmitt and Michelle White through MODA - https://my.modafabrics.com/tags/blockheads-4 So happy it is time for Moda Blockheads again! For those of you are new to Blockheads, it is a quilt sampler sew-a-long sponsored by Moda Fabrics and has a free quilt block pattern each week for a number of weeks to make a sampler. Today, Wednesday March 23, 2022, is the beginning of Moda Blockheads 4. The designers and some wonderful Moda folk come up with the designs for the sampler blocks to share with you. I'm one of the designers but my week will be coming up later. Couple details about the sew-a-long...there will be 28 blocks from designers and 8 extra bonus blocks if you want to make more (so potentially 36 if you make all the free bonus quilt blocks). Each Wednesday, the designer who provided that week's block design will blog about the block (or Moda will release it if they don't do blogs) and you can get the pattern as a digital download from the blog posts shared. How do you find out who to visit? Well, there is a big Facebook group (just search Moda Blockheads) you can join where that info will be posted. And Moda will blog and tell who the designer and block is. Moda will then post the block pattern later in the week. Bonus blocks from Moda will come out on Fridays (about once a month). Moda's blog: https://my.modafabrics.com/categories/quilt-along-0 You can also sign up for their newsletter to get notifications https://modafabrics.com/inspiration-resources/newsletter In past years, I've done color studies with some of the different blocks and I plan on doing that this year as time allows. I love doing color studies with quilt blocks! The possibilities are endless. I do keep a page on my blog with references to past blocks (click on one and it takes you to the post). I love quilt samplers to try out a new skill or a new block. Some of them are complex and challenging and some are simple sampler quilt blocks. There is quite a range. I also have a plan for how I am approaching my quilt and of course, it involves grouping my colors to emphasize the structure of the setting I will use. You can make the quilt blocks in a 9" size or a 4 1/2" size or a combination of those. I think a combination is lots of fun and I like the possibility of using those smaller blocks as a ring or surrounding element around the center block. Using 36 blocks, I plan on making a center with 4 blocks of the 9" size with a ring of 4 1/2" blocks around it and then a ring of 9" blocks around that, with sashing separating the outer ring of blocks. This means 4 big blocks in center, 20 small blocks next and 12 big blocks in the outer row. I'll also make some blocks for my corners of the quilt with a flower bud/leaf theme. I'll provide pattern instructions for the corners when we are about half way through, just in case you want to join me with this design. This plan will make a nice lap/wall quilt of about 56" square. For block yardage, I'm assuming the general fabric requirements (or amounts) that Moda has suggested and am dividing that into 3 color groups, assuming about 20% for center color, 40% for small ring of blocks and 40% for outer ring. I'll post yardage for sashing, outer border and leaves soon. I am making each of my rings with a color family and chose yellow, orange and pink for the quilt I am making. I am using my own fabrics from my past and current collections and might make a few with Carolina Lilies just for fun! I am also mixing in Thatched basics in these colors to help unify the color stories and provide a nice balance of blender fabrics and print fabrics. In my mind, I'm thinking of the quilt background with either all white (actually Cream Thatched, my go-to background) or MAYBE a Cranberry Thatched background with the outer pink blocks. How about some other color stories for this quilt layout? I mocked up a few, thinking of Thatched and mixing it with your other favorite fabrics or whatever you have in your stash. A teal/aqua/green and periwinkle and Dutch Iris in the center could be really serene. Some of the teal/aquas that would work well here are Seafoam, Peacock, Pond, Turquoise, Ocean, Horizon. And the one to the right is envisioning dark Navy or Midnight mixed with lighter blues for the outer part and the inner blocks with green and dark blues on cream. How about a Christmas theme quilt? Thatched Crimson and Scarlet pair with Sprig, Pine, Spruce and Sprout. Or earthy warm fall colors with reds and tans. The small blocks could use soft Washed Linen, Oatmeal and Toast with Pink Grapefruit, Smoked Paprika and Aged Penny. Add a little soft pink with Petal 56. I think this could work well with a center using Chocolate Bar or Charcoal with Cocoa or Stone. If you are interested in some FQ bundles of Thatched in some of these color families, Lisa at the Quilt Emporium is putting together a couple bundles for this sewalong! www.quiltemporium.com I'm including a coloring sheet in case you want to try experimenting with some colored pencils or what to keep track of your blocks within this quilt layout. When you are ready to finish and quilt, you can also sketch out what your quilting plan might look like. Sketching out quilting plans and quilting motifs on paper can be a good way to experiment before sewing. You can download from this pdf link just below by selecting the blue "Download File"
So let's begin with the block color studies! BLOCK #1 is SQUARE WHEEL from Lynne Hagmeier of Kansas Troubles Quilters. You can visit Lynne's blog here to get the block instructions: I'm putting Block 1 in the center and using a cheery yellow like a sun with rays reaching out. The Nine Patch in the center gives a nice place to play with patchwork squares and treat them as a checkerboard, scrappy random light and dark or playing up the plus sign in the center. Split the sides to have the background color or make it a gradation of shades? I like how the last one above looks like a plus symbol inside a plus symbol. Dark corners round off the overall shape. Here I have played with taking the colors through in horizontal and vertical bands, like a plaid. Or 4 corners of color with the center squares reflecting the outer colors. What a fun and simple block to create! I've used yellows from Solana with a number of Thatched shades (Honeycomb, Citrus, Clementine with Rose in the center). Sunshine happiness. Check out the other designers for Moda Blockheads too and share your blocks on the facebook group! Don't be shy about sharing your work because I love seeing the variety of blocks and the different designs that you all come up with it!
Also, as a reminder, block 1 is a free pattern and is part of Moda Blockheads! For this year's Moda Blockheads, there will be 28 blocks and 8 extra bonus blocks that you can download and create. So, make sure you come back to see more quilt block patterns and color studies so you can create your own unique block-style quilt! Whether you are using traditional reproduction fabrics or are going for a more modern sampler quilt in all solid colors, now is a great time to experiment and have fun in the quilting community with this Blockheads sampler. 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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