Tag: Block Heads

Blockheads 6 – Block 4 Kiley Ferons

Moda Blockheads 6: Block 4 – Cat’s Cradle by Kiley Ferons

It’s Blockheads Wednesday again, and we’ve got a fresh face joining the circle—say hello to Kiley Ferons, the designer behind this week’s block: Cat’s Cradle.

Now back to Blockheads…If you love blocks with movement and a modern twist, you’re in for a treat. Kiley’s Cat’s Cradle is playful and sharp all at once—a clever composition of half-square triangles and half-rectangle triangles that criss-cross like the string game we all played as kids. It’s balanced but dynamic, and every seam adds depth and direction.

A Playful Block with Purpose

The Cat’s Cradle block combines clean geometry with a sense of motion—those angles really do feel like loops of string pulled tight between careful fingers. The HSTs and HRTs dance with each other in a design that’s both structured and lively, perfect for adding visual interest to your quilt layout.

For mine, I leaned into soft geometrics to let the block take on a vintage feel. I’m still building my faded vintage palette, and this block was a great reminder that even subtle colors can create big movement with the right design. I can’t get enough dots, stripes and retro shirtings.

And yes, I may have stared at the finished block longer than usual… there’s something mesmerizing about how the shapes nest together, like a quilted puzzle.

Meet Kiley Ferons of Kiley’s Quilt Room

Let’s talk about the creative force behind this block—Kiley Ferons, a newer face in the Moda designer family but already a standout in the quilting world. Kiley is known for her approachable patterns, fresh aesthetic, and passion for helping quilters of all skill levels build confidence through intentional design. Kiley’s debut fabric line, Potted will be in stores October 2025.

Based in Utah, Kiley is not only a quilt pattern designer, but also a tech-savvy creative who, along with her husband created MY QUILTS APP..  that help quilters map out their projects digitally—hello, organized layouts and easy fabric planning! Keep track of, journal, and organize all your quilt projects!

You can explore more of her work and connect with her here:

Give her a follow—you’ll find tons of inspiration, helpful tips, and maybe even your next favorite pattern.

Cat’s Cradle – Tips & Tutorial

As always, Moda’s got you covered with a video tutorial walking through this week’s block. If you’re new to half-rectangle triangles or just need a refresher, it’s a great resource to have on hand. The TRI-RECS Ruler 8823753A was huge help in piecing the half rectangles. ( be sure and check out my friend Alison Dale in the video)

And don’t forget to hop over to Moda’s blog to read all things blockheads each Wednesday. it’s always fun to compare interpretations and find new ideas for your own version.


Show Us Your Cradle

Have you made your Cat’s Cradle block yet? Did you go classic, colorful, or modern? Share your version using #ModaBlockheads and #ModaBlockheads6 and be sure to tag @modafabrics and @kileysquiltroom—let’s give Kiley a big Blockheads welcome!

This sew-along is turning into such a thoughtful blend of tradition and innovation, and I’m loving every block. See you next week with another design and another opportunity to stitch something beautiful.

Follow each of the designers listed below.

Kiley Ferons- This weeks feature
Chelsi Stratton

Robin Pickens

Joanna Figueroa

Sherri McConnell

Barb Groves

Janet Clare

Lisa Bongean

Corey Yoder

Betsy Chutchian

Camille Roskelley

Crystal Manning

Debbie Maddy

Jessica Rose

Heather Briggs

Jackie MacDonald

Jenelle Kent

Vanessa Goertzen

Stacy Iest Hsu

Laura Muir

Sarah Thomas

Vanessa Christenson – Download the pattern here.   

Lynne Hagmeier– Download the pattern here.  

Anne Sutton– Download the pattern here.  

If you are not a member of the Blockheads 6 Facebook group, you can join here.

I can’t wait to see your progress each week.

-modalissa

 

Blockheads 6- Block 3- Bunny Hill

Moda Blockheads 6: Block 3 – Sunday’s Best by Anne Sutton

Blockheads, it’s time to roll out the tablecloth, fluff the cushions, and polish the silver—it’s week three, and we’re sewing Sunday Best!

This elegant block is brought to us by the ever-gracious Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs, whose soft, classic style always brings a touch of timeless charm. Sunday Best is exactly the kind of block that makes you want to slow down and enjoy the process.

A Block with Sunday Charm

The Sunday Best block pairs crisp flying geese with four-patch units, all arranged in a way that feels thoughtful and intentional—kind of like setting the table for a big family meal. The shapes are clean and balanced, but the layout has a quiet movement that keeps your eye dancing across the block.

It evokes that feeling of calm you get on a slow Sunday afternoon—everything in its place, sunlight coming through the window, and something sweet baking in the kitchen. There’s a sense of preparation and celebration built into this design. And honestly? I really like how mine turned out. So much so that I didn’t stop at just one—I made a few! And then ready for a Sunday afternoon nap!

Keeping the Vintage Vision

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I’m going for a faded, vintage look with my Blockheads 6 quilt. The soft tones I added last week are really starting to come together in a gentle wash of light. For Sunday Best, I continued with that theme—working in the reds and blues with touches of mediums. I used strips and dots to continue to work on the vintage feel.

The repeat blocks let me play with subtle shifts in color, keeping things cohesive but not too matchy. I’m not sure yet how many of them will end up in the final layout, but I love the idea of sprinkling a few throughout.

Get Inspired & Get Stitching

Anne has shared her version of Sunday Best over on the BunnyHill Blog, and you’ll definitely want to see her take on the block—it’s graceful and polished, just like her entire Bunny Hill aesthetic.

Need a little help assembling those flying geese and four-patch units? This week is my turn to do a video on the how to make the block. Check out the step-by-step video tutorial  staring ME!! to guide you through the block construction. Whether you’re sewing along at your own pace or keeping up week by week, the resources are there to make this journey joyful.


Sew Along with the Blockheads

 Are you going classic, scrappy, or experimenting like me? Be sure to post your blocks on social using #ModaBlockheads and #ModaBlockheads6—and tag @modafabrics and your favorite designers too! You can tag me also if you want. #modalissa

Every stitch we make is part of a bigger story, and I love seeing how each of you interpret these blocks through your own fabric choices and styles.

Let’s keep sewing together—one beautiful block at a time.

Details about this program, click here.

Follow each of the designers listed below.

Anne Sutton

Kiley Ferons
Chelsi Stratton

Robin Pickens

Joanna Figueroa

Sherri McConnell

Barb Groves

Janet Clare

Lisa Bongean

Corey Yoder

Betsy Chutchian

Camille Roskelley

Crystal Manning

Debbie Maddy

Jessica Rose

Heather Briggs

Jackie MacDonald

Jenelle Kent

Vanessa Goertzen

Stacy Iest Hsu

Laura Muir

Sarah Thomas

Vanessa Christenson – Download the pattern here.

Lynne Hagmeier

Block #3 and I made 3. I could make an entire quilt of just this block. Yes I do say that about all the blocks!

If you are not a member of the Blockheads 6 Facebook group, you can join here.

I can’t wait to see your progress each week.

 

 

Piece and Quilt- month 3

We are back again with month 3 of the Piece and and Quilt Sampler project.

There are 3 different blocks this month and there is quite a bit of sewing. Don’t worry, take your time. Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings once gave me this advice and I am going to share it with you here.

– When you are working on a BOM, no matter what you do, go ahead and cut it out. This way when you have a few minutes you can sit down and sew a few pieces together. This uses different brain power than the concentration needed to cut. It really does work!

Shoreline by Camille Roskelley. Aren’t these fabrics yummy?!

I rarely use the same print in one block but the blue dotted fabric and the white dotted background almost make this a dainty delicate block.

To create this sampler with different sized blocks, I had to combine some of the blocks into larger ones creating a completely new block. I love how this one turned out. I love the look of using plaids. The navy here is a printed fabric so it was easy to use and still achieve the geometric look and feel.

 

My all time favorite block is the sawtooth star. It can be colored in so many different ways. This one with scrappy points adds a whimsical look and sparkles throughout the quilt.

I cannot get enough of this fabric. I am making this sampler and also my  Moda blockheads5 quilt using the whites, light blues and greens.

Be sure and visit the following people as they sew along also.

to download the worksheets and details for this QAL, click here.

Enjoy and be sure and PIECE and Celebrate everyday.

-Modalissa

 

Blockheads 3- Block 15-Corey Yoder and a giveaway

Welcome to Blockhead’s Wednesday. If you have been following from the beginning you have visited each of the designer’s one time. Each quilter sharing a quilt block pattern, color inspiration and tips along the way and we get to do it all over again.

This week’s block and we are back at Corry Yoder of Coriander Quilts. To download the pattern, visit here.

When picking out my fabrics for this weeks block, I loved the combinations but once I got it all sewn together I was not thrilled with the choice for my center block, so I auditioned a few other fabrics to replace the centers. Should it be green, how about blue, maybe I should go with the navy pindot?

 My little treasures this week are an assortment of old wooden spools. Nothing fancy, just classic treasures.

All of the blockhead designers have a little treat in store for you this week. Our friends at Martingale Publishing are sponsoring a giveaway of a Blockheads Ebook.  I am not sure what social media platform each designer is doing their giveaway through, so check them all out, their blog, maybe Facebook or like me, maybe their Instagram account.

I collect block books and this is a good one. 48 different quilt blocks and several different quilt setting options.

Just a few of the blocks shown here.

Such wonderful inspiration for setting of the 6″ blocks.

Which of the block settings is your favorite?

TO enter , visit Instagram @modalissa.

Visit each of the designers listed below for an additional chance to win Blockheads.

Be sure to check out the Block Heads Facebook Group and look for Block Heads 3 on Instagram – #modablockheads and #modablockheads3.

Thank you for stopping by,

-modalissa

Block Heads 3 – Corey Yoder

Welcome, Welcome to day 1 of the Block Heads 3.
My friendship group from several years ago was called the Blockheads, so when the idea of this type of project came up, we knew the name Block Heads was perfect for a group of like-minded people who are passionate about learning, making and sharing.

I am excited and nervous about being a part of Block Heads 3. I hope to keep up!

Each designer has supplied their block in an assortment of sizes.

Which size do I choose?

How do I know what blocks I am going to use?

How do I know how much fabric I am going to need for a year-long sew-along?

These and many other questions I am going to answer along the way but the most important thing is to have fun, be creative and enjoy the experience. But first, I have assembled a few of the “really would be great if you have” notions to make the process flow.

   + Oil up your machine, change the machine needle and thread using a neutral color of thread. I lean towards a light tan, light blue, silver or pink as my neutrals. The thread just disappears in both light and dark fabrics. Using high-quality threads does make a big difference in your project.

   + A small iron to keep handy by your sewing machine helps speed up the work no matter whether you press your seam allowance opened or closed. Even the larger blocks are made up of many small pieces so pressing is important.

+ A rotary cutter and small mat to square up sections as you go. Generally, when a 1 7/8″ square is called for, I round it up to 2″, then cut and sew into half-square triangles, press and square the blocks. This is also where the 1  1/2″ and 2″ bloc-loc rulers come in handy.

+ When more than a few half square triangles are needed for a block I use Primitive Gatherings triangle papers. The papers are fast and accurate. NO additional trimming is needed because they finish at the exact size needed. Give them a try!

 + Simple Folded Corners ruler by Antler Quilt Designs is also one of my must-have rulers.

+ Small portable design boards. Layout your fabrics as you cut them to audition your fabric choices or to keep the fabrics in order when it is time to sew. You can make these yourself by using any size of the cardboard, batting scraps, and fabric binding or fabric duck tape works nicely also. I often use the cardboard piece that comes with layer cakes. Fat Quarter Shop has a variety of sizes already made also.

+ Thread cutter by Sunflower Quilts is perfect to have to quickly cut apart all the chain piecing.

What fabrics am I going to use? When doing a mystery project like this, you want to make sure you have quite a bit of each fabric or a large variety of fabrics. I opted for a large variety. Picking fabrics is one of the hardest things to do. Trying to decide on the perfect 18- 24 fabric is a tough one, so I wanted to share my trick. I like to pull all the fabrics that I think may even be close to what I am looking for. Lay the fabrics out in color order and start eliminating. It is much easier to take fabrics out of the stack than to build only the perfect stack with no rejects. This frees you up to choose some fabrics that may add a pop of color, a little clash fact, or or a variety of scale. Also, keep in mind how many colors you want. Odd numbers work best. Shown above is the beginning of my first fabric pull. I added the medium blue as my 3rd color, so I would have the option of creating a medium. I also choose lots of different lights for my background, keeping in mind that I would need small scale prints.

Once I started sewing, I added many different fabrics and took away some that would not work. Don’t be afraid to change along the way. The quilt is a work in progress.

Star Crossed by Corey Yoder

For the instructions to Corey’s Star Crossed block – Coriander Quilts.

Corey’s block was tons of fun to make. I choose to make the 8″ size.

Many of the blocks are available in a range of sizes from 4″ to 12″ so I am planning on making all 8″ but playing around with a few 4″ and throw in a 12″ from time to time.

One of my favorite things to collect is quilt block patterns, whether they are in books or online. Each week I will also share a few of the other trinkets that I collect. This week I am sharing a few cards of vintage buttons in greens and blues.

Be sure and visit each of the other blockheads each week for their blocks, tips, tricks, and additional info. Some of the designers already have given layout options, so that should help guide you in what size blocks you want to make. Moda will also be supplying a few possibilities of layouts for mixed sizes of blocks.

There are fourteen different designers:

Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to check out the Block Heads Facebook Group and look for Block Heads 3 on Instagram – #modablockheads and #modablockheads3.

Enjoy,

Modalissa