Moda Block Heads - Block #15

Hello Everyone,

I really liked the block offered by Corey Yoder in the Moda Block Head program this week.

All of my blocks are 8".  I'm only using fabrics designed by Betsy Chutchian for Moda, and they all work so well together.  Sometimes I don't care for the blocks offered, so I don't make them.  Some are too modern, or too simple. (I sound like Goldilocks!)  The program goes on for over 50 weeks, so I'm not concerned about the number of blocks I end up with in the end.

Yesterday, right before dinner, I was standing in my dining room talking on the phone with my daughter.  I watched a herd of deer run across the street in front of our cabin.....with a mountain lion in hot pursuit.  I was speechless, and my daughter thought something was wrong with me.    There have been so many bear and mountain lion sightings lately.  There are fewer people up here since our sheriff issued a statement telling the owners of second homes to stay away. So, the animals of the forest have moved back into their territory, and become quite comfortable.

I only go for walks now at the Middle School.  No more walks around the neighborhood until there are more people around.

This is day #39 of our incarceration.....I mean self isolation....or shelter in place. The other day, I moved all of the furniture around in our great room.  It was a great chance to do some Spring cleaning.  I moved my desk over by a window so I can easily see the critters passing through the back yard.

I had to cancel my Sew'n Wild Oaks quilting retreat which was supposed to happen next week, which I moved to the 2nd week of June.  It is just too soon, and we don't know yet when our restrictions will be lifted. I hope my August and October retreats are a "go".  I'll miss seeing "my girls" for four days of continuous quilting and laughing.

Now we have to start our massive yard clean-up before fire season begins.  It's a never-ending story of pine needles, twigs, and pine cones.  If we both work an hour or two a day, it breaks the job done to a manageable undertaking.  Wish us luck!

Soon,
Lynn

Moda Blockheads Block #12

Hello Everyone,

 

I'm back on the Moda Blockhead bandwagon.  This block was introduced by Janet Clare for Moda.  Janet featured several different layouts on her blog.  My block will finish at 8" and I'm only using fabrics by Betsy Chutchian for Moda.

 

I made my components and then started playing.  Instead of making a ton of half-square triangles, I made Flying Geese. This eliminated so many extra seams in the block.  If you click on my Virtual Classroom at the top of my blog, you can see how I make my HST and Flying Geese. 

I make my HST 8-at a time, which is so much easier than making them one at a time.  I make my Flying Geese 4-at a time.  If you want to see videos of how I make these components, you can watch my videos for FREE on The Quilt Show by clicking HERE.  In the videos I go over the formulas so you can make the components any size you want.  My HST finish at 1" x 1".  My Flying Geese finish at 1"x 2".  I made a Square in a Square for the center instead of making 4 HST.  The construction method, and formulas are in my videos or in my Patchwork Math book.

 

I can see an entire quilt made with this block.  The hardest part is deciding what fabric goes where.

 

I was off of the Blockhead bandwagon for a couple of weeks because the blocks were simplistic.  The intricacies of this block intrigued me, and I knew it was a perfect fit with the rest of my blocks. 

 

To get this block together, I started at the top row.  I stitched the solid square to the HST.  Then I pressed before I stitched the other solid block on.....and sew forth.  Stitch, press, stitch, press.  Don't wait until you get the entire row together before pressing. Before I pressed, I used my special pen filled with Best Press, and put starch along the thread line. I pressed with a dry iron.

This is self-isolation day 18 for us.  Thank God our governor implemented this early in California.  I sincerely believe his early, decisive actions have helped contain the virus, and has saved lives in our populous state.  Yes, we have a lot of cases, but it could be so much worse.

I look forward to the day when we can all be together in our quilting groups, laughing and hugging.  That day will come, we just need to be vigilant now, and stay put in our homes!

Soon,
Lynn

Moda Block Heads 3

Hello Everyone,

 

Well, I looked at, and tried to make something more intricate with Moda's Block #10....and just couldn't make it work for me.  So I made an alternative block called Lena's Choice.

 



It is comprised of the following components.  The measurements listed, are the finished size of the components.  When stitched together, they will make an 8" square.

8 - 1" x 2" Flying Geese
4 - 1" x 1" Half-square triangles
4 - 2" x 2" Quarter-square triangles.
5 - 2" x 2" Squares

It's not hard, you just have to be very precise and take your time.  I use my the formulas in my Patchwork Math Book all the time.  It really helps me plan out my blocks, and resize other blocks to the required size that I need.

Well, here it is day #5 of self-isolation.  In California, we are only allowed to leave our homes to go to the grocery store, medical appointments, post office, bank, and walk the dog. We can only meet in groups no larger than six, but have to maintain social distancing.  All non-essential businesses are closed.  The economic impact is more than I can grasp.  My community is already living on the edge financially, so I can't imagine how hourly workers will survive.

I cancelled my April Sew'n Wild Oaks retreat and moved it to June. I hope by then we are on the other side of the virus.  Only time will tell.

Mr. Joe, Mazey, and I are doing fine so far.  Two of my children work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and so far so good for them.  My daughter is considered essential, and still goes in to work on a limited basis.  My son is on-call.  My other son works for the City, and he is working only one day a week.  Luckily, they will keep receiving their pay checks.  My daughter-in-law will not be receiving a check and when her vacation time runs out after 3-weeks, that's it.

Hang in there everyone.  After this is in our rear view mirror, we will all appreciate a hug, a touch, and social interactions, more than ever.

The running joke, and we all need a good laugh, is that we are 6-weeks away from learning everyone's true hair color!  For me, what you see is what you get.....gray.

Soon,
Lynn



 

Quilting and Baking

Hello Everyone,

Self isolation - day 3.....the quilting and baking continues.  If you've been following my blog, you know that I'm participating in Moda's Blockhead 3 program.  Here is my version of Block #9.

Last week I made Block #9 as an 8" block, and I wasn't overly happy with it.  You know me, I LOVE intricate blocks and the block below was nice, but not interesting.  So I made four - 4" blocks, changed the center, and I'm much happier now that I re-made the block.  I posted it on Moda's FB page and got a little push back from quilters who thought I changed it too much.  Well, the way I look at it, this is going to be my quilt, and I can change it, and make it anyway that I'd like.  I like to post on Moda's FB page to show quilters alternative ideas by thinking outside the box.  The new block posted today on the Moda site is also very easy.....it is just begging me to change it to my style.

I also did the same with Block #2.  I made four - 4" blocks and stitched them together.

Now on the bread front.  Here is a comparison of loaf #1 and the loaf Mr. Joe made yesterday.  We no longer are in hockey puck status.  This gorgeous, and tasty loaf of sourdough bread took two days to make.  He mixed up part of the ingredients Monday night and put it in the refrigerator.  He proceeded with the rest of the process throughout the day.

This was our dessert last night around 8pm.  The loaf was ready for dinner, but you have to let it sit for two hours before you can cut into it.  What a process!  It sure kept him busy all day.  AND the smoke alarm when off again when he heated the cast iron pan up to 500 degrees.  Our smoke detectors are hard-wired.  It's not like we can remove the battery, we have to listen to the annoying, loud shrieking until the smoke dissipates.  It was 32 degrees yesterday, so it's not like we can open the doors to air out the cabin. 

Making sourdough bread is more like a scientific experiment.  While all of the grandkids are out of school, we should have them put on their chemistry hats, measure everything in grams, and have the water and air temperatures just right, and attempt to make a loaf.  I will never look at sourdough bread in the same way.

Gee, I wonder what Mr. Joe is going to make today?

Soon,
Lynn

Moda Block Head #8

Hello Everyone,

 

I took off my Madam Ambassador hat yesterday, and put on my Moda Block Head hat and made block #8.

 

Here are all of my 8" blocks so far.

I combined four different lines from Betsy Chutchian. The lines are; Sarah’s Story, Harriet’s Handwork, Nancy’s Needle, and Susanna’s Scraps.  They all work so beautifully together.  My next goal is going to work in some of Betsy's purples into this mix.  There will be over 50 blocks at the completion of the program, so I think I will be able to do it.

During this lull in rain and snow, Mr. Joe and I have been out raking pine needles.  Yesterday was a beautiful, crystal clear day with a gorgeous blue sky.  It felt good to be outside and away from the sewing machine for more than a nanosecond.  I'm actually surprised that I don't have a lot of aches and pains today.  Yes, we could hire a yard cleaner, but we are going to keep raking as long as we are able.  If we stop......then that means we are getting old.  I refuse to get old!  I'll take my rake with me to the grave.

Today I'm going to finish up everything I need to get to the tax accountant.  Insert very, VERY grumpy face :( here. I would much rather rake and enjoy the great outdoors.

Soon,
Lynn

 

Moda Blockheads Block #6

Hello Everyone,

 

It's already week #6 of the Moda Blockheads 3 program.  I'm so afraid if I get behind, I'll never be able to catch up.

 

Here are my blocks so far.  All of my blocks are made in fabrics designed by Betsy Chutchian for Moda.

I usually change the directions and make the components a little easier to construct.  I like to make my half-square triangles (HST) 8 at a time.  This way I'm not dealing with small triangles and bias. I began by cutting two 4" x 4" squares.  This will give me 16, beige and brown HST. I only needed 16 because I converted the red and beige HST components in the border to 1" x 2" Flying Geese that I made 4 at a time.

First, I put the squares right sides together, then marked them with a 1/4" ruler using a Frixion pen.  Then I stitched along the lines.

Then I cut them apart.

I then had a pile of 16 HST that were ready to be trimmed to 1-1/2" x 1-1/2".  This is the size I needed for my 8" block.

I used a Bloc-Loc ruler for accurate trimming.

There you have it.  16 perfect HST.  If you want to learn more about HST from the beginning calculations to the end product, click HERE for my FREE videos on The Quilt Show.  All of my videos walk you right through my Patchwork Math book, which is basic quilters survival math. My book is available HERE in my Etsy site.

I'm really enjoying this Moda program, and look forward to the new block every Wednesday. The program will help you challenge and refine your quilting skills.

Have a great weekend.

Soon,
Lynn

Moda Block Heads Block #5

Hello Everyone,

 

Here is my alternative block to the Moda Block Heads 3 program.  I felt the block offered wouldn't be a good fit with what I was trying to achieve.....so I made a block of my choice. I know the program is a mystery quilt, so maybe I'm not too mysterious.

 



I wanted to bring in more yellow, so I did. I will have plenty of opportunity throughout the year to incorporate a lot of different colors.  I love this combination of Betsy Chutchian fabrics.  When I get the time, (she says with tongue in cheek), I would like to design another new pattern and call it Betsy's Medley.

 

The response to my quilt naming contest has been overwhelming.  I'll never be able to decide on a name as there have been so many good suggestions.  I run all of the names by Mr. Joe and Mazey.  They either give me a thumbs or paws up or down.

I'm waiting for my thread order to arrive from Superior Thread, so I haven't put the nameless quilt on the long arm yet.  I'll finish making the backing today.  I may become super proactive and make the binding today too.

In between all of this sewing, I'm working on income taxes.  I'm pulling everything together to get to the accountant.  Insert grumpy face here.  I can only stand to work on taxes a couple hours a day. 

I'm also working on my Sew'n Wild Oaks quilting retreat in April at Snowflake Lodge.  There's a lot of planning, kit making, and class planning involved.

For those of you who are local to the San Francisco Bay Area, I am teaching Country Romance at In Between Stitches on Sunday, February 23rd from 10am - 4pm.  Click HERE for the class information.  The quilt is easier that it looks.  It's just one block that you make over and over again!  The scalloped border isn't difficult either.  It would be so much fun to see someone make this quilt in a different colorway. Come join us if you can.

Soon,
Lynn

Moda Block Heads Block #3

Hello Everyone,

 

I'm trying to keep up with the Moda Block Heads.  Yesterday I put everything aside, and made Block #3.  This block is from Betsy Chutchian, and I am only using Betsy Chutchian's fabrics in my blocks for this program.  This fabric is called Sarah's Story and is available in shops now.

 



Quite often I'm asked how I manage to work with tiny components.  You can learn how I make my Flying Geese, four at a time, by visiting The Quilt Show.com and watching my video for free HERE.
One key tool in my production, is using a Bloc-Loc ruler for absolutely perfect Flying Geese.  The ruler locks into the geese, and then you trim.

Also, after I stitch the square to the finished Flying Geese, I run a line of Best Press right along the thread line with my Clover, fabric folding pen.  I fill the plastic tube with starch, and apply it sparingly.

You can see the threads are just dampened.  Then I press this unit on my wool pressing mat.  Using a wool mat is like pressing on both sides of the component.  The heat radiates back up through the unit.

I also make my itty-bitty 1" HST eight at a time using this method.  The video is available on The Quilt Show.com by clicking HERE.  Two, 4" squares yield eight, 1" HST.  If you watch the video, you will also learn the formula.

Once I get the HST done, I trim them to the correct size with a different Bloc-Loc ruler.  I forgot to take a picture.....sorry.

 

There are several different ways I could have arranged the components.  This is what Betsy suggested.



Here is an alternate layout.  All I did was change the orientation of the HST's.  I also like this layout.  If I get time....NOT.....I will make another block using different fabrics in this layout.

Today I will be grumbling at our glorious state of California Sales Tax website.  I have to pay the sales tax I collected for the last quarter of 2019.  It always puts me in a bad mood.  They say they've made improvements to the site.  I'm not totally convinced that's true.  My son-in-law tried to pay his sales tax online last night for his business, and I could feel the frustration in his voice when he called for advice. The state doesn't make it easy to give them money! 

There have been two different mountain lion sightings in our area this week.  This really makes us nervous when we are out walking Mazey.  A little air horn doesn't seem like much defense against a predator the size of a lion .  The air horn works with bears, I'm not so sure about a mountain lion.  My friend said you have to make yourself look big, and pull your shirt up over your head.  Well, if I did that, the mountain lion would die from laughter if they saw my boobs. Note to self -- Wear bra when out walking...or not! 

Soon,
Lynn

 

Moda Block Heads 3 - Block #2

Hello Everyone,

 

I'm trying to keep up with the Moda Block Heads 3 program.  I finished Block #2 the day before #3 is set to be released.

 

Block #2 was from Sherri McConnell.  We only needed to make one block.  I chose to make four, 4" blocks and sew them together.  I was playing around with placement, and decided to go with the yellow in the center instead of the blue.  Each 4" block is identical, I just rotated them before sewing them together.  When making blocks this small, I press most of my seams open.  I also choose to make flying geese instead of making the entire block out of half-square triangles.  That way I had fewer seams to contend with, and match up when I stitched them together.

Now I have two, 8" blocks finished.  I haven't a clue on how I'm going to do my final layout.  I'll have to wait and see what all of the blocks look like in the end.

I'm only using fabrics by Betsy Chutchian from Moda.  I love her style and all of her lines work so well together.  I'm determined to keep up, even though I know it's going to be hard with my schedule.  I encourage you to join in the program to help grow your quilting skills.

Soon,
Lynn