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Block 25, Sparks, designed by Jessica Dayon, brings a wonderful personality to the Sewcialites 3 sampler. This block is a beautiful example of how thoughtful piecing and a small unexpected detail can transform a more traditional design into something memorable.  The construction of Sparks draws attention to the relationship between symmetry and balance. While the overall composition has a calm and harmonious feel, one intentionally rotated corner unit creates a subtle shift that adds interest and keeps the eye engaged. This small design choice introduces a sense of playfulness, showing how a slight departure from expectation can bring a fresh perspective to a classic quilt block.  For my version, I selected Masala Spice, Caramel, Buttermilk, Sugar Rose, and Pink Grapefruit all from Thatched Basics. This palette creates a soft, inviting composition with warm neutrals and gentle rosy tones. The overall feeling is calm and balanced, while the variation between the colors provides enough contrast to define and highlight the individual elements within the block. In a design like Sparks, fabric placement plays an important role in emphasizing the structure of the block. Each color contributes to the way the shapes interact, allowing the details of the construction to remain visible while maintaining a cohesive overall look. The combination of subtle contrast and thoughtful placement gives the block depth without overpowering its delicate design.  With all 25 blocks now complete, it has been exciting to see how each individual design contributes to the personality of the finished sampler. Each block brought its own unique approach to construction, color, and composition. Next week, I’ll be sharing the completed quilt and how these distinct designs come together as one cohesive piece.
Happy Sewing! -Robin
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Block 24 brings us a beautifully intricate design by Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings. Star Light is a block filled with detail, where the relationship between color, value, and placement plays an essential role in the overall composition. With so many elements working together, thoughtful fabric choices help define the structure of the block, allowing each shape to emerge while creating balance and movement throughout the design.  The complexity of this block makes the interaction between fabrics especially important. The contrast and harmony between the colors determine how the eye travels across the block, how the individual pieces are distinguished, and how the smaller elements come together as a unified whole.  For my version, I selected Buttermilk, Caramel, Pink Grapefruit, Smoked Paprika, Burgundy, and Primrose from Thatched Basics. This palette brings together soft neutrals, warm mid-tones, and deeper accents to create contrast while maintaining balance. Each fabric has a specific role, helping to define the individual components and allowing the intricate piecing to remain clear and cohesive.  Star Light is a wonderful example of how thoughtful construction and intentional fabric choices can work together to create a design full of detail and character. Each seam, shape, and color choice contributes to the final composition, making the process of building the block just as rewarding as the finished result.
Happy Sewing! -Robin This week, Sewcialites 3 brings us Block 23, With Love, designed by Jackie MacDonald of Sweetfire Road. As I continue building my sampler quilt in the 3-inch finished block size, I’m continually amazed by how much detail and design can be contained within these small compositions.  With Love is a beautiful example of a block where every piece plays an important role. With numerous small units coming together, the construction requires careful attention to precision and placement. Working at this scale means those already-small pieces become even smaller, but the result is a finished block filled with intricate detail, balance, and visual interest.  For my version, I focused on how the fabrics interact within the smaller scale of the block. The relationship between color and value helps define each piece, creating clarity within the intricate piecing while adding depth and dimension to the overall design. Sugar Rose, Pink Grapefruit, Burgundy, Cranberry, Fuchsia, Primrose, and Early Dawn each play an important role, balancing contrast and harmony throughout the block.  With Love beautifully demonstrates that scale does not limit creativity—a small block can hold just as much artistry, personality, and thoughtful design as a larger one.
Happy Sewing! -Robin This week, Sewcialites 3 brings us Block 22, Down To Earth, designed by Wendy Sheppard of Ivory Spring. At its heart, Down To Earth is a square-in-a-square-in-a-square block, but Wendy's innovative piecing method creates the illusion of two additional outer squares. This fresh interpretation of a classic design introduces a clean, balanced composition. Each successive frame naturally guides the eye toward the center, making the block an elegant study in geometry, value, and proportion.  Its versatility is a qualities I appreciate. The design readily adapts to a wide range of fabric choices—bold contrasts emphasize the nested shapes, tonal palettes create a quiet sense of depth, and scrappy combinations bring an entirely different energy. The block responds beautifully to each approach, revealing a new personality with every color palette.  For my version, I selected Early Dawn, Sugar Rose, Fuchsia, and Cranberry. Rather than relying on dramatic contrast alone, I focused on the relationship between color and value to distinguish each nested square. The interplay of these fabrics gives every layer its own identity while establishing a gentle visual rhythm that draws the eye inward and highlights the elegance of the block's geometric structure.  One of the joys of a block like Down To Earth is discovering how much influence fabric selection has on the final result. A subtle shift in color or value can completely transform its character, making it a wonderful reminder that quilting is as much about composition as it is about piecing.
Happy Sewing! -Robin This week's Sewcialites 3 block, Dreamy, is designed by Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life. It's a lovely tulip block featuring straight piecing and half-square triangles that allow the color and fabric choices to take center stage. When I looked at where this block would sit in the sampler, it felt like it needed a little breathing room. A lighter palette let the flower stand out while keeping the overall quilt balanced.  For my block, I used Thatched fabrics in Caramel, Buttermilk, Early Dawn, Primrose, and Sugar Rose. The neutrals became the stem and leaves, while the soft pinks brought the flower petals to life. This lighter palette fits nicely into the overall layout of my sampler while giving this delicate bloom a soft, airy feel.  I enjoy working with Thatched, and this block is a great example of how a near-solid fabric can add interest without overwhelming a design. From a distance, Thatched reads much like a solid, making it easy to define the shapes of the petals and leaves. Up close, however, the subtle scribble texture adds movement and depth. Texture doesn't always have to come from busy prints—sometimes a quieter fabric can give a block just the right amount of character.  As the sampler continues to grow, it's fun to see how each designer's block contributes its own personality to the quilt. Be sure to stop back next week for another Sewcialites 3 block as we get one step closer to seeing the finished sampler come together.
Happy Sewing! - Robin This week's Sewcialites 3 block is Gazebo, designed by Doug Leko of Antler Quilt Design. I'm not sure Doug envisioned this block dressed entirely in shades of pink, but I have to say—it is absolutely delicious! This palette gives the design a fresh, unexpected look while allowing the striking geometry of the block to take center stage.  The Gazebo block is perfect for playing with color. With just a few different shades of pink, it takes on an entirely different personality—from bold and dramatic to soft and understated. Whether you choose a soft palette, high contrast, or a rainbow of prints, the design offers endless possibilities for creative expression.  The Thatched fabrics used this week are Early Dawn, Sugar Rose, Fuchsia, and Primrose. By working within a single color family, the focus shifts from color to value, allowing the varying shades to define the design. From the soft, delicate Early Dawn presented as the background fabric to the bold Fuchsia at the center of the block, each fabric plays an important role. Sugar Rose provides a medium value that gently frames the center, while Primrose creates a soft outer border, bringing the entire composition together. This block is a wonderful example of how subtle shifts in value can create depth, and visual interest without relying on contrasting colors.  One of the fun parts of making a sampler quilt is watching the larger composition unfold. Each completed block contributes its own character, while the collection gradually comes together as a unified design. There are still a few weeks ahead, and I'm looking forward to seeing the final composition take shape.
Happy Sewing! -Robin Week 19 of Sewcialites 3 is here, and this week we're sewing Pinwheel Dash, designed by Bev McCullough of Flamingo Toes. As the name suggests, Pinwheel Dash is a delightful combination of two classic quilt blocks—a pinwheel and a churn dash. It's always fun to see familiar elements reimagined into something fresh, and Bev's design does just that.  For my version, I used Thatched in Fuchsia, Burgundy, Masala Spice, and Caramel. The construction is a bit more involved than it first appears, requiring careful piecing and accurate seam allowances. Bev's design is a wonderful example of how color placement can completely change the character of a quilt block.  The pops of Fuchsia naturally draw your eye to the pinwheel, making it the focal point of the block. I chose to use more Burgundy than the pattern suggests, rather than introducing additional colors, and it completely changed the overall look. The larger areas of Burgundy give the block a more unified appearance while allowing the pinwheel to shine without overwhelming the design. By simply moving color around you can transform a quilt block without changing a single seam. A different color choice or value placement can give the very same block an entirely different personality.  It's fun when a block surprises me, and Pinwheel Dash did just that. It's a wonderful example of how experimenting with color placement can create an unexpected and beautiful result.
Happy sewing! - Robin It's Friday, which means it's time for another Sewcialites 3 block reveal! This week we're making Block 17, Flutter, designed by Sandy Gervais of Pieces From My Heart. At first glance, Flutter might look like a nine-patch block, but take a closer look and you'll discover a clever twist. Not that we don't love a good nine-patch, it's a classic for a reason, but this block has a little fairy dust sprinkled on it. The construction is all straight piecing, making it approachable and enjoyable to sew, yet the design feels anything but ordinary. Oversized corner squares and pieced outer middle units create movement and interest, transforming a familiar layout into something fresh and playful.  What I especially appreciate about Flutter is how Sandy Gervais took a traditional block structure and gave it a different personality. It's a great reminder that sometimes the most creative designs come from reimagining the basics.  The Thatched fabrics I used this week are Early Dawn, Primrose, Sugar Rose, Pink Grapefruit, Smoked Paprika, Masala Spice, Caramel, and Buttermilk. I chose the darker Smoked Paprika for the center square and combined the remaining colors throughout the block to create a balanced, lighter overall look. The contrast helps draw your eye to the center while allowing the surrounding colors to flutter around it.  Flutter is a wonderful example of how thoughtful construction doesn't have to be complicated to be effective. A few clever design choices are all it takes to turn an everyday block into something memorable. See you again next week, friends.
Happy Sewing! - Robin It's Friday and that means it's time for another Sewcialites 3 reveal! This week we're making Block 16, Florabelle, designed by Heather Briggs of My Sew Quilty Life. Florabelle is as pretty as it is intricate. Rated at an intermediate skill level, this block is constructed almost entirely with stitch-and-flip units. While stitch-and-flip is a straightforward technique, working at a finished size of just 3" means there are a lot of very small pieces to manage.  This is one of those blocks where accuracy really matters. Trimming, pressing, and maintaining a consistent seam allowance all help keep the units the correct size as they come together. With so many stitch-and-flip corners packed into such a small space, even a slight variation can add up by the time the block is assembled.  For color, I used Burgundy, Fuchsia, Pink Grapefruit, Sugar Rose, Primrose, Early Dawn, and Caramel. That's the majority of my color palette represented in a single block! Because Florabelle contains so many small pieces, it provided a great opportunity to incorporate a wide range of fabrics without any one color overwhelming the design. The combination of warm pinks, rich burgundy, and soft neutrals really helped bring the design to life. Despite its small size, Florabelle makes a big impact with both color and detail.  One of the things I'm enjoying most about Sewcialites 3 is how each block presents a different challenge. Some weeks focus on color placement, while others test accuracy and construction. Florabelle definitely falls into the latter category, making it a satisfying finish once all those tiny pieces come together.
Happy Sewing - Robin It’s Friday block release day for Sewcialites 3 and this week’s Block 15 is the beautiful Split Star Block designed by Lissa Alexander of ModaLissa. This design is delivering the look of two blocks in one, as the background becomes a design element itself in addition to the main sawtooth star motif. The layered illusion is the diagonal half-square triangle divide that creates a two-tone background, allowing your eye to move between foreground and background depending on fabric placement. One moment the star shines forward, and the next the background creates a striking secondary pattern.  Color placement becomes especially important in creating contrast and depth within this block. Strong value differences between medium, and dark fabrics, chosen here, help separate the look of “overlapping” shapes and emphasize the layered effect. When the background has good contrasts with the star, the sawtooth star feels bold and dimensional. But when similar tones are placed beside each other, the secondary patterns begin to emerge more subtly, creating a softer and more intricate visual texture. It’s a block that completely changes personality depending on how colors are arranged.  The colors I used this week, from top to bottom, are Sugar Rose, Cranberry, Burgundy, Smoked Paprika, and Pink Grapefruit. Together, this combination paired with the Split Star Block feels like the epitome of warmth and depth. The darker Smoked Paprika, Cranberry, and Burgundy tones pull the design forward, while the softer Sugar Rose and Pink Grapefruit create an almost glowing background that lifts the block. It’s tempting to make an entire quilt using this palette — perhaps with the background split diagonally throughout the whole design to frame the star blocks!? So many ideas, so little time!  Every week of sewing along has been inspiring and fun, and I always love seeing how different fabric and color choices completely transform each block. This one especially feels like it could go in so many directions depending on the fabrics you choose. It is becoming a fast favorite, like so many of the others!
Happy Sewing! -Robin |
About ROBINDesigner of colorful florals and Thatched basics for Moda Fabrics . Modern to transitional quilt designer, cross stitch designer, sewist, crafter. I am proud to be a designer for Moda Fabrics!
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