Sister's Choice Quilts

Moda Blockheads 5, Block 3

These two blocks are from the current Moda Blockheads 5 block of the week sew-along. The one on the left was designed by April Rosenthal and is the block featured this week. The block on the right was a previous block submitted for this sew-along and was designed by Joanna Figueroa. They are essentially the same block. The difference is that the middle square is slightly different and the pinwheels are going in opposite directions.

I guess I could have made them more dissimilar by making the four star points look more solid for more of a star effect rather than a pinwheel. Oh well, I will think of it as a design element in two different sizes.

My Snowman Gatherings quilt is coming right along. I have gotten more border strips attached to the top and sides, and am working on the 10 blocks that make up the pieced border. I have decided to attach my borders to the sides of the quilt rather than the top and bottom. I like it when the sides of a quilt drape over the sides of the bed, so that will work better for me. If I have enough fabric I could make the pieced borders on all four sides of the quilt, but I think I may not. 

See what I mean? I think having the borders on the top and bottom is just weird. But, that's me.

Hope your week is going well. Eva and I made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies yesterday and had a bit of a disaster. We were using parchment paper on the cookie sheet and when she was putting a tray of them into the oven the paper slid off the tray and all the cookies ended up on the bottom of the oven. What a mess. Her poor face was priceless. The horror of it all. We actually salvaged most of them and no harm was done. Except now when the oven is on, there is kind of a burny small going on...

 

Moda Blockheads 5 Switch Up and Search for Fabric

Moda Blockheads 5 started back up with 30 blocks to go in the sew-along. And I have decided to change up the fabric I have been using. My palette had been rust and black, but even though I had a great selection of fabric, I think it was too limiting in terms of how often I would use a quilt with those colors. 

When rummaging in my sewing closet I rediscovered a fat quarter bundle of an older Lella Boutique collection called Harvest Road. I absolutely love the navy, brown, sage, and light blue colors in this group. The background is an eggshell color, and I had several pieces in my stash that will work perfectly.

These colors would coordinate beautifully in my main bedroom and would make a quilt I would use and cherish for years. 

My problem is, I do not think I have enough fabric to make 30 more blocks. It was a popular collection around 4 years ago, so of course finding any for sale online is like searching for hen's teeth. 

The main fabric is the navy floral. The other pieces that work best for my blocks are the ones to the right.

Do any of you have any of this fabric that you would be willing to sell me? If you happen to have a fat quarter bundle, I'd be willing to purchase the whole thing if you are of a mind to part with it. I'd like to use the floral for the border, but only have a yard and a half of it, and I would probably need at least that much more if anyone has it. 

Please do let me know if you have any of this fabric you would be willing to part with and what your price would be. Thanks, friends!

 

 

What a Struggle

What a struggle this week's Moda Blockheads block 8 was for me. I made one and wasn't happy with it. So I wasted a ton of fabric trying to make a second block that was better.

I made square in a square blocks umpteen ways. And they were all the wrong size, or when trimmed to the correct size, there was no seam allowance left so the points would be cut off. I tried the Doug Leko trim ruler, the Deb Tucker ruler, I tried foundation paper (the wrong size it turns out), and one or two other ways. I finally got tired of wasting time and fabric, and just followed Sherri McConnell's cutting instructions (2" center square, 1 1/4" corner squares) and used my Angler2 as a guide for the stitching line. I didn't draw lines or anything. 

The units came out ok, but still I am not thrilled with these blocks. This would have been much better for me in the 12" size instead of the 6"! Anita pointed out that FQS does make foundation paper for square in a square blocks in the 1 1/2" finished size, so that is an option should I ever want to try this again.

Just not my block I guess. Fingers crossed I do better next week!

Happy weekend everyone. Thank you all again for the prayers and encouragement for my nephew. He continues to be more alert and is interacting with his family.

 

 

Moda Blockheads Block 8

I actually LOVE this Moda Blockheads Block 8 by Robin Pickens. My execution of it?  Mmm, not so much.

I had a devil of a time with the square in the square block units. First off, I made four perfect units in the wrong size. And of course, you can't trim those down. I am experimenting with other methods. The unfinished size is 2" square, which is kind of unusual. There aren't foundation papers that size to my knowledge. 

I tried the Doug Leko Mini Simple Folded Corner ruler and failed miserably. Do any of you know of a tutorial for making square in a square units with his ruler? I watched several YouTube videos, but they focused on flying geese and snowball units.

Any way, I am not happy with the block. I will take another stab at it today and see what happens.

My nephew continues to improve!  He is off the breathing tube and has spoken to his parents and his brother. He is still pretty out of it, but it doesn't seem that he suffered brain damage from his ordeal. He must recover a bit before his heart issues can be addressed, but things seem to be moving in the right direction. Thanks to all of you for your kind words, prayers, and messages of encouragement.

Moda Blockheads. Week 7 and a Little Change Up

Week 7 of Moda Blockheads 5 was designed by Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life, and I love it. This is a great block and I will definitely be making it again for other projects. 

I am making a little change to my color palette for this project. I was originally using some brighter oranges in the blocks and I decided I just wasn't loving those tones. The bright orange seemed a bit jarring, which wasn't what I was going for. Then a kind lady commented on my Instagram post that she loved my "Halloween quilt" and that pretty much cinched it for me. Halloween is not what I want this quilt to be. I want to play up the darker rusts and butternut colors and take the bright orange out.

This is what I am talking about. I absolutely love this block, but the colors aren't working for me. If you compare it to the block in the top picture, you can see the difference. I plan to remake it, but it will take a bit of effort, as it is all paper pieced. Man, that one came out great too...

These are the fabrics I took out of the mix.

This is what I am left with. I also ordered some butternut shades from a Pam Buda collection called Butternut and Peppercorn that will work in well.

Do you ever do that? Jump headlong into a project and after making a few blocks, decide that your color mix needs changing up? A quilting instructor once told me that if a color you are using in your quilt seems jarring to your eye, you either need to take it out or add a lot more of it!

Moda Blockheads Block 5 and Archie Graduates from Puppy School

Thanks for all your comments on the patio cushion covers I made for my son-in-law this week. Many of you asked for a tutorial. I followed the directions on this YouTube video exactly and my covers came out great. Just be sure you measure accurately and follow the math formula. 

Wednesday was Moda Blockheads day, which is always fun for me. The blocks are published pretty early in the morning, so when I get up, the first thing I do is to check it out. Unfortunately, this week's block wasn't my cup of tea. That is never a problem, though, because finding a great six-inch block to substitute is a cinch.

Instead of going through my own collection of block patterns from past sew-alongs, or using a reference book, I went to the Moda website to do some searching. Moda has done many sew-alongs over the years, and their website is full of great free block patterns. 

In 2019 Moda hosted a sew-along called "Countdown to Christmas", that had all sorts of holiday-themed blocks in both a six-inch and a twelve-inch size. The block I chose to make was published on Dec. 8, 2019, and is called Christmas Flower. 

The blocks for Moda Blockheads 5 all have a star theme, but I think this block is starry-looking and works well with the others I have made so far. 

If you ever are in the need for a quilt block idea, I highly recommend the Moda Fabrics website for ideas. Go to the Moda website, and click on "Inspiration and Resources". Finally, click on "Quilt Alongs" and there will be lots of choices under "Popular Choices". You may have to do some digging, but there are loads of blocks and entire projects to inspire you.

This Countdown to Christmas 2019 project is one I may have to look into more closely!

In other news, Archie graduated from his first session of puppy school!

Moda Blockheads 5, Week 3

Wednesdays are Moda Blockheads days, and they have not disappointed. This is my Week 3 block, "Stellar Elegance" by Brigitte Heitland of ZenChic. And, guess what? This is a first for Blockheads: a paper-pieced block! It was super fun to make, especially after watching the instructional video that was provided by Anna Dineen. Do you avoid paper-piecing? No worries, a couple of designers provided alternate block options that do not use that method. 


The blocks have been first-rate so far, and I've enjoyed making them. It isn't too late to join in, and the weekly patterns are free. All are designed by Moda designers and there will be a number of setting ideas provided. You can make the blocks in 6-inch or 12-inch sizes, or even both if you like. Fig Tree will be providing a setting using both sizes of blocks. There is also an option to make a smaller-sized quilt or table topper with a holiday theme (Xmas, Halloween), and a second larger quilt with the remaining blocks in another fabric collection. The sky is the limit with this sew-along, and there is plenty of opportunity to exercise personal choices. 

There are so many options to making this quilt, and I get lots of inspiration from seeing what other people are doing. I wanted my block to be slightly more simple looking than the one pictured on the pattern sheet, which I accomplished by focusing on the star shape and using more background fabric to make it stand out. 

I think this is a great sew-along. If you have been thinking of sitting it out, it isn't too late to change your mind or do a smaller project out of it.

 

Moda Blockheads 5 Has Begun!

I am very excited about the latest Moda Blockheads sew along. I pulled all my fabrics from my stash, didn't have to buy a thing. I chose colors that give me a pumpkin spice latte vibe, in butternut, black, rust, orange, and cheddar. Are you sewing along? The patterns are free, so at least be sure to download the latest one every Wednesday!


This is the first official block to kick off the sew-along. It is "Bright Star" by designer Betsy Chutchian. Betsy made the block entirely out of half-square triangles and squares, but I am a flying geese girl and substitute those in when I can. Joanna Figueroa did her version with flying geese and what she calls "ribbon blocks". A ribbon block is essentially the same as a flying geese unit, only with the corner squares sewn on to form a diagonal of center fabric rather than a triangle. 

All of the blocks in the sew-along are supposed to have some sort of star design, which would make this sew-along fun to do in Christmassy fabrics. 

I think things are off to a good start!