Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Week 5 Moda BlockHeads BOW

I cannot believe it. The week flew by and here we are for Block 5, designed by Lisa Bongean.  It's fabulous, but I want to prepare you for tiny pieces and lots of them. Starch! Do you hear me?  Starch! LOL. 
Below is my version of this week's block. 
Keep reading for tips and the 3"  Mini Penny block.

Coronation by Lisa Bongean


 Click HERE to find the pattern on Lisa's blog.

Lisa may have an alternate piecing technique on her blog which will include tips I'm sure. Take care with pressing. Stagger seams where you can, flipping open the intersections and clipping as needed.  Pressing seams open is also an option and I did press open the tiny HSTs. My fabrics are from Hope's Journey and Rachel Remembered.

Below, are links  to all the designers, don't forget to visit their blogs for 
their fabric choices and their tips. Each week one of us posts the pattern we designed.
Our facebook group has 3768 members at this writing Tuesday evening.
BlockHeads are posting pictures there and on Instagram....and they are so cool!  What variety and creativity!  Follow the #modablockheads

Did you finish your bee skep?  I thought that was great fun,
 and such a nice break from piecing.  Break's over!!!
Look for 7 more appliques from Jan, applique is her speciality...her super power! Last week,
Lisa offered an alternative to applique and my 3" pieced block from last week, could easily make a 6".  So keep the 3" blocks in mind, 4 of them make a 6" and alone they are easily upsized for piecing. So no worries, ok? There are options for those who don't care for the 'A' word.



Before I show the 3" mini, here is the question of the week....Needles...
 How often do you change them?
Guess my answer....
Some of are cheating and know me...


I count 8 or 9 machine needles on this side of the pincushion.  
Now, guess how long they have been there...No prize involved.
Answer....I change needles when they break. I dispose of those.   If  I've hit too many pins, yes I sew over them, and I notice a thread popping sound, I might replace, hence the needles in the pincushion.  On rare occasions, stitches start skipping as I piece, and I'll replace.  Full disclosure, Needles in this pincushion have been there for years.  I bought the pear pincushion in Missouri, in 2009, when Gone to Texas was published. FYI, pins on this side of the pincushion are bent...Yes, I know, I could clean this up.  r i g h t .

The mini this week...1/2 size Coronation?  No.
The HSTs in the 6" are the same size as the little HSTs I've been using in my 3" blocks...3/4" finished.
I saved the extra triangles cut away from the flying geese/starpoint units, for another time.
Here is what I made...

It's the center of Lisa's Coronation block but a darker center.  I have a couple of starpoint backgrounds improperly placed which I didn't see until I was pressing and no way was I unsewing! This dark version looks quite different to me. Corners and center parts are 3/4" finished.  Flying geese units are 3/4" x 1 1/2" finished. 
There are a LOT of seams in this block and in the 6" block..

Then I tried sewing with HSTs instead of flying geese.
And left the center square plain. Center is  1 1/2" finished. corners and HSTs are 3/4" finished.
In case your corners come up a little short after stitching, try upsizing your corners a little, then trim excess away when you finish. Trim to 3 1/2" finished.

 Slightly bigger than needed! LOL


The back.

Hope you are enjoying the blocks of the week!
I love hearing from you and seeing your blocks.

Until next time ~
Betsy



Lynne - 
Blog - http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com/ 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KansasTroublesQuilters/ 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lynnektq/ 

Betsy - 
Blog - http://betsysbestquiltsandmore.blogspot.com/ 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/betsy.chutchian 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/betsy_chutchian/ 

Lisa B - 
Blog - https://lisabongean.com/ 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/primitivegatherings.quiltshop/ or https://www.facebook.com/lisa.bongean 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lisabongean/  or https://www.instagram.com/primitive_gatherings_quiltshop/  or  https://www.instagram.com/primitive_gatherings_ca/ 

Jan - 
Blog - http://janpatek.blogspot.com/ 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jan.patek.79?fref=nf 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jan_patek_quilts/ 

Jo - 
Blog - http://jomortonquilts.com/jos_journal/ 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jomortonquilts/?hc_ref=PAGES_TIMELINE&fref=nf 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joquilts/ 

Moda - 
Blog - http://blog.modafabrics.com/ 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/modafabrics/ 
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/modafabrics/ 

14 comments:

  1. I probably to not change my needle as often as I should. When my thread breaks or I feel my machine need oiling , I change the needle

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love your little blocks Betsy!!!
    LB

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you Lisa, I do love tiny pieces! thanks for the Great block!

      Delete
  3. I really love your little 3 inch blocks. And I am amazed at precise piecing. The instructions for your block a while back really help. Thanks for your inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am indeed enjoying these little blocks. Both the 6" and the 3". I am a week behind, but that is no surprise. I change my needle every 3 or 4 weeks depending on how much I cram though the machine in a week. Thanks for a great post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you for the tip on the corner block. This is going to be very useful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love both your mini blocks they are so cute! I'm with you on the needle changing why fix something if it's not broken;-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Regarding applique...I do needle turn applique and do love the look but am not really really "good" at it. What I did for the bee skep is eliminate the bench. This still left the skep and 'door" to practice my needle turn applique. It is still an adorable block and I am so glad to have some applique blocks to include in my sampler.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for the corner squares tip! Now, why didn't I think of that?!? And, thank you for sharing in this blog hop! ALL of you gals are amazing! HUGS... and stitches

    ReplyDelete
  9. let me tell you what I do with my broken sewing machine needles, I use them to hang: calendars (the holes in the top are too tiny for the nails I find!), or small pictures on a wall. leaves a smaller hole due to shaft of needle smaller near the point.

    ReplyDelete