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...

Thanks to Quiltmania and Simply Moderne I've got TWO patterns to share with you this summer! I love getting my issues in the mail because they provide so much color and pattern and inspiration. I couldn't be more pleased than to have my quilts included with their creative images.

Simply Moderne is showing Constance in Issue 21. The fabric line used here is Abby Rose, currently in quilt shops, and focuses on selecting 4 color families that are grouped with a main print, stripes and stars. Since I like having a large focal print of flowers, I used my cabbage roses and selected the Tangerine, Green, Pink and Midnight colorways. I recently saw Anna Dineen @mywanderingpath on IG do this pattern in patriotic fabrics. It is a good opportunity to give those big and bold prints a place of honor and attention! Danica Willeg worked on piecing this and it was longarmed by Marion Bott.

And another Abby Rose quilt made it into Quiltmania! My Little Bird Song is a wall sized quilt which is great for using scraps or leftover bits. This is made with traditional patchwork piecing from rectangles, squares and half square triangles and its diagrammed out for arrangement. I pieced and quilted this one. I did freemotion quilting on my domestic machine by adding more leaf shapes into the negative background spaces. This is in Issue 138.

The magazines travel to shows to show you the latest in the quilting world. During this unusual time of the pandemic, we've had numerous shows canceled or delayed. I appreciate the connections we have through the internet and social media but it is a unique experience to go to shows like these and be in person with other quilters. There is a vibrant energy and it fills the soul with creative ideas. I was fortunate to go to Quiltcon in February, back when we still were hugging and laughing out loud. I was thrilled to see Carol Veillon, the founder and Executive Director of Quiltmania. It was a surprise to me that my Beanstalk quilt had been selected for the COVER of the Simply Moderne Issue 20! What a fantastic surprise! We are pictured here with Lissa Alexander from Moda Fabrics. What wonderful people!

Beanstalk uses my Painted Meadow line of coneflower fabric from Moda Fabrics. The curved leaves are a great way to get comfortable with curved piecing- its only a quarter circle! I pieced this quilt and it was longarmed by Marion Bott with a beautiful Sand Dollar pantograph. I can't wait to try this one in Thatched Basics and a version in string quilt blocks. Quiltmania has supplied these lovely photos and I hope you can pick up one of the issues on your news stand. They can also be ordered directly from Quiltmania at their website https://www.quiltmania-inc.us/  or www.quiltmania.com
You should be able to order any of these three currently.
Grab a cup of tea and take a moment to yourself to enjoy stitch and color and quilts!

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!

I'm looking forward to 2021 and hanging this colorful calendar tea towel in my kitchen! This design is exclusive to Moda Fabrics and will be sold through quilt shops. I've used colorful quilt block motifs mixed with some of my florals from Abby Rose, Painted Meadow and Solana. A couple of the ladybugs from Solana are bringing some good luck into the day too.

I have heard some people say they will add a calendar tea towel to a back of a quilt to mark the month and year the quilt was made. I think that is such a fun idea! I like to just collect them as a memento from each year and vary the designs. I also hang them for some time in the kitchen from a skirt hanger and I can then switch them out easily. 

If you are interested in getting one of these, let your local quilt shop know you want them to order some. Along with this tea towel (which will be shipped to shops in November), Moda is also making some tote products! They have the same floral and quilt design but instead of a calendar they say SEW HAPPY. I was so excited to see the samples and did this video that shows them more on my youtube channel. 

And this fun fast one to get a feel for HOW MUCH fits into this large project tote! 

The totes have fun red handles and the regular sized tote and large project one have inside zippered pockets to hold those little things that so easily get lost. Or you can pop a zipper pouch inside the tote that holds rotary cutter, scissors, threads, etc. The zipper pouch has a nice strap handle to the side so you can loop it over your wrist. Another lovely feature in the large project tote is a pocket that runs along the width of the tote on the back side. It has a center seam so it doesn't flop open and its a great spot for some of your rulers, books, and patterns. 

This is an example of the types of things I have if I'm taking a class or workshop for quilting, including fabric (did I mention it fits whole bolts of fabric?), cutting mats, rulers, sewing notions, rotating mats, and patterns and quilt blocks or tops. I am forever fighting the long rulers and mats and trying to keep them from sliding out of my arms and piles of stuff as I travel from car to class. I like to have my 24" long rulers and a mat that is at least that wide as well. All this stuff fits in the tote! Of if I'm going to see a longarm quilter, I have my quilt top, quilt back and possibly batting. Or my big embroidery/quilting hoop. 

The totes and zipper pouches will be shipping to shops in December. Wouldn't this be a great gift for a sewing friend? I'm making up my list (and sorry Mom, you now know one thing you'll be getting for Christmas!)

Want to see more videos with fabrics and quilts and fun stuff for sewing? Pop on over to my youtube channel!  https://www.youtube.com/c/robinpickens

Who doesn't love adorable house quilt blocks? I love them! And the simplicity of these lovely homes from Stacy makes them a versatile and fun block to do. To get Stacy's block pattern, visit her blog here:

Color studies for this week are pretty straightforward since I think the houses are so cute as houses and I just did some different play with keeping my neighborhood consistent or varied in colors. First off, the houses look modern and minimalist when just done as the shapes in all a single color. Start adding in different colors for doors and roofs and the houses become more dimensional and have more character. I tried Fall colors or a mix of fun pink, purple, orange and brown colors with variety in my sky blues and separate roof browns. What if the houses are all from a snowy village with night blue skies? Or a Christmas street with red and green houses with snow topped roofs and one with the snow falling softly. However you decide to do your houses, I imagine they will reflect some of YOUR neighborhood.

Here is a little fun extra play with the blocks. These are houses rotating around by the roofs or bases. I think of it as traveling around the block. All of a sudden we see arrows and more interesting shapes from the flying geese and those triangles. 

My blocks this week use the brown colorways. Since I don't have many browns in my collections I've used ombre confetti by V & Co for my print blocks with an Abby Rose orange door. 
Have fun building your neighborhood this week. And guess what...next week is MY BLOCK again! I'm so excited to share it with you. Be sure to check back next Wednesday!
​
Visit other Blockheads designers:
6.24 – Stacy Iest Hsu<–We are Here
7.1 – Robin Pickens
7.8 – Janet Clare
7.15 – Jen Kingwell
7.22 – Joanna Figueroa
7.29 – Corey Yoder
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

Have you been participating in Stacie's Mini Course on being a Creative Powerhouse? It is interesting to me that even after all these years of my own art licensing, I still learn new things or am reminded of the things we need to do on a regular basis to sharpen our skills and become better. I was listening to Stacie talk about setting big goals. I've been so busy working that I haven't taken the time to set some new goals for myself.

So after listening to Stacie's second lesson in her mini-course, I wrote down new goals. I loved Stacie saying "You've got more power about what happens in your life...The dreaming stage is a part of the process of being a creative powerhouse and remember dreams can grow. They can evolve and they can change. The most important thing to know is that you can hold your dreams loosely in your hands and leave room for inspiration and opportunity." 

We often don't know exactly what it is that we are striving for until we start learning, start envisioning, start opening ourselves up to the ideas of bigger and better than what we have right now, and start setting the big scary goals. The notion that you can hold dreams loosely in your hands and leave room for inspiration and opportunity is an exciting and motivating concept. We need to take time to examine and learn and grow and be open to these opportunities.

In lesson 4 Stacie talks about making money from your art. Yup, the business stuff. Multiple streams of income. There is a lot of info to take in. Which is why she has a more thorough course. It's a LOT of stuff. I just might be one of those speakers on a bonus segment in her course too! (which, funny thing is...is one of my goals to do MORE teaching and public speaking). 

If you want more info on Stacie's course "Leverage Your Art", please check out all her info here:

It is an 8 week class, online, and covers lots of information about the many ways to make a living from your art. One thing Stacie mentioned in her mini-course is that she has tried all these methods over the years herself, including licensing, selling direct to consumers, manufacturing and wholesaling, print on demand, commissions, trade shows, illustrating for publishing and more. She's done it and speaks from a place of experience. I'm really glad I've had the chance to get to know her better through Moda as a fellow designer.

Her registration is open through Tuesday June 23rd! 
By the way, ALL the art on this post is by Stacie!

(And can I just tell you how much I love this scene in her house?? )

Okay, happy weekend everyone and I hope you are happy and creating something that brings you joy!
​-Robin