Hey gang! Here we are, back at it again with this week’s Moda Blockheads 4 Block #15 release! This time around, “Highland Plaid“ takes the stage with its simple and straightforward plaid motif. “Highland Plaid” was designed by Crystal Manning of crystalmanningart.com out of northern Missouri. Crystal is a graphic/fabric designer who uses her art and design skills to create unique surface and textile patterns. Her style is highly inspired by natural things like the outdoors, flowers, birds, and other animals. She combines these concepts with a bright and cheerful color palette, often resulting in a vintage feel.

I appreciated this block because it was fun yet simple and fast to do. It doesn’t get any more straightforward than working with squares, which makes “Highland Plaid“ a quick and easy block to crank out. Quick and easy is especially perfect for this week, considering I’m sure you’ll all be busy with the holiday weekend coming up. It’s also a great block to do if you’re looking to hone in on your nesting skills. For the complete pattern and instructions for “Highland Plaid” click the button below!

For my blocks I used a combination of grayscale prints and solid orange. The outer corners are done with a tiny black print on mid-gray, while the inner squares are done with a white floral print on light gray. For the center “cross” I chose another black tiny print outlined in the same dark gray. The center square is done in white with a silver and gold star motif.

All of my grayscale fabric choices for these blocks came from my Urban Farmhouse Gatherings II line, which you can find by clicking the button below! If you like the way I pieced my blocks together and want to do the same, you can also usually find the orange color I’m using (“Ochre“) in the shop – which is a bright Bella Solid. Unfortunately we are currently sold out of “Ochre.” It was ordered a while ago but as we all know, with the way shipping works these days it’s anyone’s guess as to when it will actually get here! I do know that it should be in stock soon, so don’t give up!

As always, if you’re just joining us for MBH4 and need previously released blocks, you can find them by visiting the Moda Blockheads 4 Archive. You can also locate the archive in the main menu at the top of my blog page. In addition, bonus blocks can be found on Moda’s Inspiration+Resources Center page by clicking HERE!

Did you get a chance to tune in to, “Stitch with Lisa Bongean“ on Monday? We came to you live on scene from The Gathering during our Hogs for Heroes Mystery Mission Sit & Stitch event – and man, what a turn-out! Stitchers from all over gathered together for the day to help turn all your donated flag blocks into their final masterpieces! Volunteers broke into teams, with each member tackling on an important part of the job like cutting, pressing, pinning, and of course, stitching!

I was in absolute awe when I saw how many fellow stitchers showed up to lend a hand in this important mission. We had people from near and far, both from in-state and out helping to put our Hogs for Heroes quilts together!

Once quilts are fully assembled, an embroidered label that includes all the names of the people who helped to create it will be applied to the back. After that, off to the quilter it goes! Finished quilts will then be donated to recovering injured veterans through the Hogs for Heroes Organization.

I have always said that if I need something done that’s too big to handle on my own, all I have to do is ask my fellow stitchers and I know the job will get done. Yesterday was even more proof that I’m 100% right about that! And it didn’t matter if you came with a group or alone, we all left as friends!

To every single person who either donated a block (or 30!), volunteered to assemble the final quilts, or both – I cannot thank you enough. I want to give a special shout out to our top four flag block contributors. Everyone did an amazing job! Congratulations to Carrie DeCoster, Elizabeth Schraeder, Lisa Bierman, and Ginny Radloff! All I can say is WOW! Excellent work ladies! If Jess has not already contacted you regarding your prize, you will be hearing from her soon!

I am so proud to be part of such a loving and hardworking community of people…words alone aren’t enough to express my gratitude. I am truly humbled! That’s why I will continue to do as much as I can for the men and women who sacrifice so much to protect our freedom. If you’d like more information about this great cause or would like to contribute to Hogs for Heroes directly, you can do so by clicking the link below. If you love swag, we have some really cool t-shirts that feature an American flag quilt block on the back with the slogan, “I Stitched for a Hero.” We also have Hogs for Heroes patches available. All sales from either item go directly to support Hogs for Heroes!

Since we’re in the spirit of giving, let’s give a way some prizes for comments on my blog! Delores R. and Julia D. – Congratulations, it’s your lucky day! As always, I am not posting last names or email addresses for everyone’s privacy, so if you think you’re one of these lucky winners please check your email! You can also contact Heidi at heidin@primitivegatherings.us if you have not already received a prize confirmation letter from her. She will use your email address to confirm that you are in fact the winner (in the case that there is someone with the same initials, she will determine the correct person with matching email credentials)! If you’re not a winner this week, keep trying – your turn is coming!

Alright gang, time to get back over to The Gathering. Bernina Embroidery Manager, Connie Fanders was gracious enough to make an appearance here today as the guest instructor for our, “Perfectly Quilted” educational event. Participants are learning all about how to quilt using a domestic machine, without the use of a longarm. Fascinating! I’ll fill you in more later. I will see you all tomorrow LIVE on YouTube at 1:00PM for “Stitch with Lisa Bongean!“ You can watch by hitting the link below. Don’t miss it – see you there! ~Lisa