Block Heads 3 Week 1

Welcome to Block Heads Round 3!  I am so excited to be kicking off another awesome round of this fun quilt along.

I participated in the last two rounds of Block Heads and they have been such a treat.  It is so much fun to make the weekly blocks and to see the quilts that everyone is making.

This is my round 1 quilt which, gasp, still needs to be quilted. =)

Block Heads Round 1 quilt

And, this is my second Block Heads Quilt:

Blockheads 2 quilt

If you are new to Moda Block Heads, it is a free, sew along hosted by Moda Fabrics.  You don’t need to sign up to participate.  The blocks will be posted each Wednesday to the featured designer’s blog.  This week, that is me. =)  I will have a complete list of the designers, in order, at the bottom of this post so you know where to head each Wednesday for the next block.  The block will also be posted on Friday of the same week to the Moda Block Heads Facebook group if that is more convenient for you.

This is the first round that you can choose your block sizes.  All of the patterns released will include multiple sizes so you can really make the quilt your own.  Because of this, yardage requirements will vary from person to person.  I suggest starting with a favorite fat quarter bundle or working from stash fabrics.  You can add extra fabrics throughout the year as you see fit.  I know I love a reason to pop by my LQS. =)  If you are using a single background, buy several yards.  I always have 9900-200 (Moda Bella Solid in Off White) on hand by the bolt because I use so much of it!

For my blocks, I am planning to use Canning Day (which hits local quilt shops next month):

Canning Day Fabrics coming out February 2020

And Sugarcreek (both wovens and prints) which is in shops right now:

Sugarcreek prints on the left and wovens on the right.

I am also planning on making the 6″ blocks–because of this, I will be focusing on user the smaller scaled fabrics in these lines.

I haven’t nailed down my layout for certain, but this is where I think I will probably land:

Potential Block Heads 3 Lay Out

Once I’ve decided for certain, I will give yardage requirements for the finishing as well as cutting instructions should anyone wish to make the same lay out.  This lay out will use 49 of the 56 blocks that will be released.  This is a great option for me because sometimes my weeks get away from me!

And now, without further ado…this weeks block is Star Chain:

The pink is one of the wovens from Sugarcreek wovens and the gray is from Sugarcreek.  My background is 9900-200.  I really like a “chain” within a quilt and you also see that reflected in the lay out I am considering.

Now, a quick note and a bit of advice about the block pattern.  I made two attempts at sewing this block…my first attempt went a little bit south, accuracy-wise. =)  For my first go, I followed the pattern instructions which include a fair amount of piecing using trickier measurements and triangles.  And my block didn’t turn out as accurate as I prefer.

When we turn in our block patterns for Block Heads, we don’t have to write up the instructions (which is amazing!) so sometimes the block construction might be a bit different than our usual techniques.

When I remade my block the second time, I used the stitch and flip technique for those trickier portions of the block.  I’m providing an additional PDF which outlines this change to the original pattern (as well as cutting guidelines for the different sized blocks) should anyone else also wish to make this change.  I was much happier with my accuracy going the stitch/flip route.  I know we all piece differently and have our own preferences so you can choose which method you prefer.

Star Chain Quilt Block PDF

  Star Chain Optional Stitch/Flip Piecing

If you are unfamiliar with stitch/flip piecing, this reference from the last round of Block Heads goes over various piecing techniques you might find helpful.

And here is how the Star Chain block will fit with the lay out I posted above:

I will be posting my blocks each week and I hope that I will see you back here again next week.  I am combining sharing my blocks with my weekly “Wondering Wednesday” posts where I answer my readers questions.  It has quickly become a favorite of mine (as well as all of you!).  To read some of my previous Wondering Wednesday posts, check here.

I also post regularly on Instagram @corianderquilts and I’d love to see you in my Facebook group!  Thank you for reading!–see you next week.

Moda Block Heads Round 3 Designers (stop by on the dates listed to get the weekly block pattern):

1.15 – Corey Yoder
1.22 – Sherri McConnell
1.29 – Betsy Chutchian
2.5 – Jan Patek
2.12 – Brigitte Heitland 
2.19 – Lisa Bongean 
2.26 – Lissa Alexander
3.4 – Laurie Simpson
3.11 – Vanessa Goertzen
3.18 – Stacy Iest Hsu
3.25 – Robin Pickens
4.1 – Janet Clare
4.8 – Jen Kingwell
4.15 – Joanna Figueroa