Tag: Zen Chic

Happy Halloween

 

Happy Halloween with Elizabeth Hartman & Moda’s Spotted Fabrics!

Hello, fellow quilting enthusiasts!

The spooky season is upon us, and I couldn’t resist diving into one of my favorite Halloween-themed projects. Today, I’m sharing the perfect combo for your October sewing lineup: Elizabeth Hartman’s Happy Halloween quilt pattern paired with the Spotted fabric collection by Moda Fabrics. Trust me—this project will have your sewing machine humming with excitement!

Why I Love the Happy Halloween Pattern

Elizabeth Hartman has a knack for bringing whimsy to quilting, and this pattern is no exception! Happy Halloween is a fun, spirited quilt featuring charmingly spooky characters like black cats, ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns, and more. The playful shapes and detailed instructions make it beginner-friendly while still offering enough variety for seasoned quilters to enjoy. I have always loved Elizabeth’s patterns but was a tad bit scared, I fell in love and a friend of mine highly encouraged me to dive in.

The Magic of Moda’s Spotted Fabrics

Now, let’s talk fabric! If you haven’t had a chance to play with Moda’s Spotted collection by Zen Chic, you’re in for a treat. These fabrics are subtle yet striking, featuring tonal spots that add texture without overpowering your design. The speckled look is perfect for Halloween quilts because it gives off a slightly eerie, mysterious vibe—without going full-on haunted house. Plus, with the wide range of colors available, you can get creative with the way you showcase each spooky character in the pattern.

For this quilt, I opted for a mix of deep purples, eerie oranges, ghostly whites, and midnight blacks from the Spotted line. These colors play off each other beautifully, adding dimension to the quilt and making each block pop. The texture of the fabric also gives the quilt a rich, layered look that you’ll love seeing unfold as you stitch.

Bringing the Characters to Life

One of my favorite parts of this project was choosing which Spotted colors to pair with each character. Here are a few of my choices:.I was inspired by a color option offered by The Quilt Spot. They are offering a Ruby Star Society Speckled version with a pink background fitting my current obsession of anything pink and orange. I decided to dive in using Spotted as my fabric choice. With the wide range of colors I had plenty of choices to create this whimsical option.

  • The Black Cat Block: I went with a dark grey from Spotted, using a eerie green eyes, they make me so happy. The tonal spots add just the right amount of depth to the sleek, spooky cat.
  • The Ghost Block: For the ghost, I used a soft white Spotted fabric. The subtle texture of the spots brings a “misty” feel, giving the ghost a floating, ethereal quality popping of the soft pink background..
  • The Jack-O’-Lantern Block: Of course, no Halloween quilt is complete without a pumpkin! I chose a vibrant Spotted orange for the pumpkin, which gave it a fun, quirky twist. The speckled effect really enhances the playful facial expression of the jack-o’-lantern.
  • The Adorable Witch I was contemplating  whether  the  skin  was  too  green.,never!!
  • Dont get me started on the Spider,. Elizabeth is brilliant on how this is constructed.

Tips for a Wickedly Fun Sew-Along

If you’re thinking of starting your own Happy Halloween quilt, here are a few tips to make the process even more fun:

  1. Mix and Match Your Spotted Fabrics: Don’t be afraid to play with contrast! The subtle tonal shifts in the Spotted collection give you plenty of room to experiment with light and dark pairings. I added a few extra colors than the pattern suggested so I could have options along the way.
  2. Take Your Time with the Cutting: Cutting one design at a time and labeling each piece is key.. It’s worth slowing down here to make sure your don’t miss any pieces. Elizabeth offers instructions to make one of each of the designs for a wall hanging or four of each for a big version. Can you guess which one I choose?
  3. Pace Yourself: This is the first time I have tackled an Elizabeth Hartman pattern. Yes, I have always been scared to tackle something like this. A friend of mine teaches her patterns at a local shop. I love every one she makes.. If you are making the big quilt, make one block first to fully understand the instructions. They are so well written and once you have tackled one, you will be so excited to make the next. There is a lot of sewing but so worth it.

Wrapping it Up!

If you’re looking for a project that combines charm, creativity, and just the right amount of spooky vibes, Elizabeth Hartman’s Happy Halloween pattern with Moda’s Spotted fabrics is the perfect pick. You’ll love the way the fabric’s texture brings the characters to life, and the pattern’s playful design will make you smile with every stitch.

Whether you’re quilting for yourself or preparing a handmade gift for a fellow Halloween-lover, this project is bound to become a seasonal favorite. Don’t forget to share your finished quilts on social media—I can’t wait to see your unique spins on this festive combo!

Until next time, happy quilting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BlockHeads3- Zen Chic-block 19

I have fallen a bit behind on my Blockheads blocks. Between making masks and planning a virtual quilt market there are many balls to juggle. In the pre-pandemic world, I would have just gotten home from Quilt Market. I would have been showing you all the projects I was working on with sneak peeks of what the Moda designers have new for you this fall. Excuses, Excuses, right? How are you doing? The sales of sewing machines have increased during this time which is so exciting. More people of all ages sewing whether making masks, clothing, or crafts. More MAKERS!!

Today is BLOCK 19, Compass Point designed by the uber-talented Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic.

I had fun choosing my fabrics for some odd reason. Normally I would have made each point a different color but when I went to grab fabrics for the block the first ones on the stack were funky geometrics so I went with it.

I wanted to share this video of Brigitte in her home in Germany sharing her studio, projects, and new fabrics. Everything about it is so charming. Enjoy!

To download Brigitte’s Block, visit her blog.

 

Visit each of the designers listed below for their take on the Compass Point block:

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

BlockHeads- Zen Chic- 2-12

Today’s Block Heads post is all about LOVE.

LOVE block by Zen Chic

Love from Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic pictured with some of my pins that are a word and pic combo. No, I am not a train wreck or a drama queen but I am a Lucky Duck to be a part of the Moda Blockheads.

You can find the pattern here.

Last week was applique. This week is paper foundation piecing. Both are a challenge to think outside the box and do something a bit different.
I have become obsessed about this block and will be making it in all sizes, the 4″ block for a pincushion all the way up to the 12″ block for a pillow.

A few tips:

-Print on lightweight paper and tighten your stitch length making the paper easy to tear off. When tearing off the paper make sure you hold on to the seam allowance around the outside edge so the seam does not come apart.

– Lightly color in where you want the colors for the letters to be. It is very easy to get these transposed and end up having a letter E without a middle bar.

-Be sure and adjust your printing of the pattern pages as actual size. Quite often the default setting is fit to print and will make your blocks a tad smaller.

-Oversize all your fabrics. When paper piecing it is crucial to have a bigger piece and trim down instead of coming up short on an angle.

-If you have not paper foundation pieced, print extra pages of the size you need. I messed up on both of the letters V and E and needed to redo them.

-Have fun and experiment.

I was playing around with Brigitte’s newest fabric line, JUST RED to create a LOVE pillow. I was going for negative-positive color placement but was not happy with how it turned out so I will keep playing with color options. Remember when I said print multiple copies of the pages?

Thanks for being adventurous and learning new things!

I can’t wait to see what you create.

Visit each of the designers listed below for their take on the LOVE  block:

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.