Blockheads 3 Update

If you follow me on Instagram or FB, I have been regularly posting the blocks I've made in the BH3 sew-along. Facebook has a group dedicated to Blockheads, and on Instagram, using the hashtag modablockheads3 will yield all the varying blocks being made all around the globe.

I have not, shared here for awhile, though, so let's take care of that today.

My most recent block is #16, Dream. It was an easy one to make, and I am sure I took more time making fabric choices than making the block.

Just as a reminder, let me show you the fabric pack I am using, along with a few added pieces to extend the options.

Faith; Collection for a Cause by Moda

The original group along with additions.

I have now made 14 blocks; only 16 to make and I will be all caught up, as block #30 was released earlier today. I will not ever be caught up, though, because I won't be making all the blocks they offer. Some of them just don't appeal; I am being a bit selective.

So far, all my blocks are 6.5 inches. I reserve the right to add in some larger blocks along the way, if I so desire, and if it is necessary in order to make my size work out right. I will just have to play it by ear as we see the remaining blocks. How each individual quilter finishes the quilt is entirely according to one's preference. Wait and see; that's the ticket.

I am late posting a blog today as I undertook a very large project - for me anyway. I cleaned the garage. It still has a ways to go, but my car is parked in it, and that hasn't happened in many, many months.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Another BH3 Block - #18 Alternate

Today we have recovered from our Sunday reunion. I had the kitchen cleaned up (except for the mopping) before 9am, the trash taken out, the floors vacuumed, and then I sat down. And sat a lot. I actually put my teacher hat on for most of the afternoon, checking  out alternative delivery methods. *yikes!*

After finally doing the mopping, I rewarded myself by going upstairs to see what I could sew. I was greeted by a block all ready to stitch together. A happy surprise! With all the preparation and excitement for the family gathering, I had totally forgotten that I had cut out a BH3 block. What fun to just sit down and sew.

 

I loved this sweet alternate block for #18 that designer Betsy Chutchian offered participants. Hers was in blue and cream (a dreamy combination!), however, in keeping with my fabric selection, I elected to use pink with the cream. 

This pink fabric is one that I recently bought to augment my very limited original fabric grouping. It seems very obvious to me that it is different, but I hope when all the blocks are pulled together, the pinks will look very natural together.

I think I have now made 10 blocks for BH3. Still a few more to do until I am caught up.

Hope you have had a wonderful Monday!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

BH 3 - Catching Up A Bit

It was inevitable that I would get behind on the blocks for Blockheads 3. I was thrown a bit when the applique block came out - week 3 or 4, I believe. Then that paper-pieced block, then that heart-shaped block. My tendency to prefer traditional pieced blocks revolted at all this variety.

After some reflection, though, I decided to chill out and reign in my judgmental side. I am perfectly free to create other 6.5-inch blocks to replace any I don't want to make. I can take my time when necessary like with the applique, but in the end I should just try to stay caught up.

And that is how I spent much of yesterday. It just so happened that it was National Quilting Day; DH was out during most of day, and I had nothing more pressing than to catch up with Blockheads 3.

I started with that heart-shaped block, number 7. I picked out some pretty fabric options and whipped this up in no time at all. So simple. I really don't mind it now that I've made it, and even though it's not "traditional," I will like having it in this quilt.

Then I tackled block 9. I'd selected the fabrics earlier in the week, so it was just a matter of accurate cutting and sewing, pinning when necessary, pressing carefully. All matched up reasonably well. Nice block.

The seven blocks I have made so far are laid out here on my cutting mat. The aforementioned applique block is started; I need to get it back out and finish it. I don't think I want the paper-pieced block in this. I don't object to paper-piecing; it's more a matter of how modern it looks with the rest of these blocks. My plan is to substitute another block in its place. No problem. I've got plenty of options.

I still need to make the latest block, too, which might just happen today.

On the working side of my life, I officially begin remote teaching this week. Yikes! I am quite uncertain about it, but I figure that my students are as well, so we will get through together. Everyone is dealing with different issues, and all of us are doing the best we can, right?

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

Blockheads 3

I have been trying to stay caught up on Blockheads, although I have skipped a couple. Here is my most recent progress. Currently, we are in week 9, a block I am eager to make. A couple of days ago, I finally got the week 8 block made.

I have made all my blocks according to the 6-inch directions. That makes those tiny squares in the center block finish at 3/4th of an inch. Gracious!

As I said, I have skipped a few blocks and have 5 of the 9 finished. Here's my little collection.

I am enjoying the process, and I will eventually get caught back up.

Short and sweet, today, my lovelies! Heading off for some stitching with the Frankfort Girls! After that, I might go over to the OU branch for instruction on offering videotaped classes. This coronavirus hysteria is forcing me into "alternate delivery options."

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Blockheads 3; Week 6 Block

Plodding right along with my numerous sew-alongs, on Friday and on Sunday I finished Magic, the name of Lisa Bongean's block for week 6 of Blockheads 3.

This block finishes just shy of the 6.5 inches it's supposed to be. It was totally intimidating to make such a small block with so many tiny half-square triangles. The designer recommended starching the fabric to eliminate nightmarish results, and I heeded that advice.

I made the center portion of this block on Friday when I attended Frankfort friend Terry's sewing day with the rest of the gang. I would say that every single part of it was 'unsewn' at least once. After one mistake would be fixed, then I would go straight into another mistake. Time and time again. I take total responsibility for the repeated mistakes. I thought I knew how to construct the center section, yet if I'd properly read the instructions I could have saved myself much aggravation. Oh well, live and learn.

As I faced the prospect of adding the outer border of HSTs, I planned ahead a bit - I made them larger than required, and trimmed them to size - 1.25 inches. Did you count? There are 24 of those tiny HSTs. Whew.

On Sunday evening, at last, I finished the block, and while it does measure slightly small, I don't expect that it will give me any trouble. Seam allowances can hide many irregularities, you know?

Here are my four finished blocks. I have the appliqued birdhouse block from week 4 in process; I am still undecided about adding the paper-pieced block from week 5. I will continue to think on it. I read that some participants are subbing in blocks from previous BH sew-alongs, and I very well may go that direction myself.

I do like how my blocks are looking; I sure hope I can continue to stay (relatively) caught up with this sew along through to the end.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Big Blockheads Plans

In keeping with my optimism to stay till the finish of a Blockheads sew-along, I am diving in on this BH3 version currently in week 6. And I am doing reasonably well. I will need a bit more time to finish the applique block of week 4, and I made an extra block for week 5, but will get to work on the one for my BH3 group, and I have the current block to make. I am hoping that tomorrow will see weeks 5 and 6 finished off. (Keeping all that straight??)

I sorta' started off at a disadvantage, though, when the fabric I chose to use was a fat-eighths pack from years ago. I wrote about the limited fabric in this post. An out of print line, and only fat-eighths. Good grief. Could I have made a worse decision? But get this! I believe I have solved my dilemma.

Yesterday, DH and I took a pretty drive across a bit of southern Ohio to McArthur Quilt Shop. Pretty day for a drive, too! Such sunshine! I had some hope that I would find a fabric for a project, so I figured I could also look for suitable fabrics to substitute in to the pack shown above.

Before we left, I dug into the stash and found a stack of potential add-ins for this grouping. Those are stacked at the top of the picture. The only one I bought new is the brown on the right. I feel as thought these additions will work just fine, and I will be sure to check that some of those from the stash are pink and not peach or orange. I'm feeling pretty good about how this is going to work.

Now, the title says big plans, and so far nothing I've described here has been out of the ordinary.

Since BH3 started in mid-January, I decided that I would work on BH1 from 2 years ago, and do those blocks week-by-week as well. That is going very well, and I am staying relatively caught up - about the same as for BH3. I am using my stash of French General fabrics for BH1 and I believe I have enough of that to make things work. Fortunately, if I should run short, I know I can easily get more.

Aaaannnddd...what about BH2? I really did get that one started on time, and I had two quilts going at once - one in a bright historic fabric grouping, and one in a muted floral calico grouping. By week 8 of that sew-along, I threw in the towel. I was entirely unprepared for the unexpectedly large blocks, and I was running out of fabric, especially neutrals - same story for me, right??

So, I figured, why not go ahead and see what fabrics I could find - first from the stash, and then in McArthur - to at some point try to finish both of my BH2 quilts? Sure! Why not? Every quilter needs to have about a dozen quilts going at once, right?? *good grief*

This picture is the grouping of bright historical prints. I am willing to bet that it is hard to tell which is newly added and which is from the original pack. The blue, red, and cream fabrics folded at the top left of the picture are the new pieces. I think I got pretty lucky with these finds. It gives me renewed interest in getting back to work on those blocks.

My muted floral grouping also has some new additions - they are the five fabrics folded across the top of this picture. Again, I am feeling pretty good at how these appear to work so well.

With that, I believe my fabric shopping trip was successful. I found "fillers" for 3 quilts. I will give my best effort to stay caught up. I know I run the chance of the classes and grading to cut into my stitching time, but I believe I can always get caught back up if that should happen.

So, yes, I do have big plans. We shall see if I can accomplish them! If you'd like to see some of my previous Blockheads efforts, here are a few links - BH3 week 2, BH3 week 1, BH2 week 2.

Oh, guess what?

Last night, I cut out a baby quilt.

Yeah, I know. Too many quilts going at once! But I do love it so.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Blockheads 3 totally rocked the Valentine's Day option for me with this week's block. I felt compelled to make the block in the 12" size, and use typical red/white-ish colors; here's what I ended up with.

It has been years since I last did foundation paper-piecing, so I did this as a refresher for the process. I admit to ripping out a few bits. It may become a pillow, or perhaps a mini quilt. I just don't rightly know what to do with it, but it was fun to make, and now I am ready to make the 6" block in the fabrics I'm using in the sew-along.

My sweetie and I are going for Mexican tonight (no surprise; we do that every Friday!), but we are bringing along our friends John and Dorothy. That will be fun. And we will play cards afterwards.

Hope all you Valentines have a great day!

Blockheads 1 and 3

I have spent this entire day working on Blockheads. I did the easy one first - from Blockheads 1, week 3.

The tub of French General fabrics contains a wide variety of lines, so I am trusting that my final quilt will all meld together. The three blocks above are not as cohesive as they will eventually be. I hope, anyway.

Then I tackled the week 3 block of the current Blockheads 3, quite a complex block, to be sure. Took me quite a while, but I eventually prevailed, and not once did I need the ripper! Win!

 

 

I am making 6.5" blocks for this Blockheads round. The reason is because of the fabric I am using; my Collection for a Cause fat eighths pack limits me to small blocks. I think I will begin looking around for comparable additions.

Short and sweet today.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Blockheads 3 - This Week's Block

Wednesday is the big day. That is when the new block pattern is revealed for quilters who are participating in the Moda Blockheads 3 sew along. There is a huge community of quilters involved, and I am following both the FB and the IG groups. I enjoy seeing the variety of blocks being made.

I print out every pattern whether I plan to make it immediately or not. It seems easy enough to do them as they come, pop the copy into a sleeve and file in a 3-ring binder. I did that with BH1 and BH2, even though I didn't make either of those quilts.

I am going to do BH3 for as long as my fat 8ths bundle holds out. If I can locate any additional yardage, I will get some, but I am not fretting about it. I am using a very out-of-print Moda line called Faith from a Collection for a Cause. I have always been drawn to pink and brown quilts, and the blocks I have so far made do not disappoint!!

Here is the block for this week, called Sunshine Star.

This week's block is tons less complicated than last week's, thankfully. I don't mind working on compex blocks, but I don't want a steady diet of them. Especially on a sew along, which I treat as a side project that can be done in spare moments here and there.

I cut my pieces out on Thursday evening, and took them to Terry's for a sewing day yesterday. It was fun to make this while still being able to visit with the girls.

Back here at home last night, I pulled the first block out to show the two of them together. See what I mean about a less complex block? That top one from last week, called Star Chain, was a doozy! My seam ripper and I became entirely too friendly for that block, let me tell you. All complaining aside, though, I love how it looks, and the combination of complex and simple blocks is sure to make my BH3 quilt all the more interesting.

Today, I am off to have lunch with a dear friend from my elementary and high school days. We both have January birthdays, and are getting together to celebrate today. Probably won't be any celebrating; just talking and catching up.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Follow Through

Back on Wednesday I said I was going to make the first block in the now-up-and-running Moda Blockheads 3 sew-along. I did follow through with that plan, made my block, but have had rather a lot of other things preventing me from posting about it.

First, I should know better than to cut out anything late in the day. I am a morning person, and from previous experience, I know that cutting projects after 6pm generally results in mistakes. Yes, I made mistakes. And then, to make matters worse, I cut my finger on the rotary cutter. I should have stopped. I should have known better, but I plowed on.

Second, I was scheduled to host the Frankfort Girls on Friday (yesterday) morning, so when I might have been making the block or blogging about the completion of the block, I was prepping for the girls, tidying up and planning refreshments.

Third, this week was my birthday for which a variety of plans had been made, so I was really limited in the time available for cutting, sewing and blogging.

Finally, I am back to teaching at the branch (Ohio University-Chillicothe), and obviously, this also consumed a good bit of my week.

Since I didn't even know if I would participate in this round of Blockheads, I hadn't given a single thought to fabric selection. This could end up being my eventual downfall in completing the sew-along, but I will go for as long as I can. I went to the drawer of precuts, and pulled out a fat-eighths bundle from many years ago called Faith, from the Collection for a Cause.

I have always been drawn to browns and pinks together; it is a combination I find quite appealing. Since I know going in that a fat 8ths bundle won't be nearly enough for a 50-week sew-along, I will go for as long as I can. Maybe I can be on the lookout for additional yardage of this fabric, too. Regardless, if I only have enough fabric to get partially through this sew-along, I will end up with enough blocks to put together something that I will love. Heaven knows I don't mind not finishing things!! That, at times, seems to be my preferred method!

Participants in this round of Blockheads have the option of making 6" blocks, 8" blocks, or 12" blocks. Because I have such I limited amount of fabric, I went with the small size. Had I planned ahead a little better, I imagine I would have liked the 12" blocks, and since I am saving all the patterns, I could always come back sometime and make them later.

The thing about small blocks is that they are made with even smaller pieces! What a time. I cut things wrong (not good when conserving fabric is essential!), and then I nipped my finger with the rotary cutter. Gracious! What a mess! I did not get blood on my block, though, just the pattern. See smudges below. And that was with the bandaid on, believe it or not! See what I mean when I say I should have stopped?

I kept right on going, though, and eventually, I finished the block - it measures right at 6.5 inches, just as it should. Whew. I am rather pleased with the look, too.

My record with finishing sew-alongs has not been stellar, yet each January, I find myself joining yet another one. Time will tell.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Blockheads 3 Begins Today

Any of you who follow Moda designers on FB, blogs or Instagram surely know that today is the official start of Blockheads 3. Being a flunk-out of Blockheads 1 and Blockheads 2, I am reluctant to tell you that I am considering trying again. Maybe the third time will be a charm!! Regardless of my track record, it hasn't stopped me from following all the buzz leading up to this big day.

Blockheads 1 was held in 2017. I printed off every single pattern - like maybe 40 or 50 total - and made exactly one block. I could still make that sampler if I want. The patterns are organized neatly in a 3-ring binder in the quilting room. Here is the one block I made from round one.

Blockheads 2 came in 2018, and I really did intend to participate in that go-around. I actually decided to make two of each block using very different fabrics which would have resulted in two completely different quilts. One was a colorway that was strong and bold; the other was a colorway that was far more subtle and muted. However, I must have missed an announcement somewhere along the line telling us that blocks would be in varying sizes.

Above are two blocks from round two in the bold colorway. Below are some blocks made in the muted colorway.

I stayed caught up in Blockheads 2 for maybe 8 weeks, but when a week came along featuring a ginormous 24" block, I knew I would never have enough fabric to make it work. I needed more background fabric.

And that's when I stopped. Cold turkey.  On both colorways. I still have the bits within arm's reach in the quilting room, buried deep on my cutting table.

But, by gosh, I continued printing out instructions for each and every week right to the end of Blockheads 2. If I were to find some suitable background fabrics, I could actually finish. And maybe I will.

And so here we are on Day 1 of Blockheads 3. It will be another sampler quilt. It will have more Moda designers participating. There will be options for blocks of varying sizes or consistent sizes - participants decide. And, yes, I am considering getting into the game.

Will I flunk out again? Can I even consider that I will be so organized that I could go back and do the blocks from the earlier Blockheads in the corresponding week of this current one? That would be a fun challenge. Maybe I am a glutton for punishment. Maybe I just like a challenge. Maybe I am just off my rocker.

At this very moment, I don't know which way I will go.

I do know one thing: as soon as I tap the 'publish' button on this post, I am heading upstairs to make the first block of Blockheads 3. It is called Star Chain, and it is featured on Corey Yoder's blog today. The instructions are available for downloading. I have seen some beauties posted on the various social medias today, and I want to add mine to the mix.

Happy Quilting, Friends!