Hey Blockheads! It’s that time of year again… Moda Blockheads 5 officially starts today! Never heard of it? In a nutshell, Moda Blockheads 5 (MBH5) is a a Block of the Week quilt-along that includes FREE weekly block releases, exclusively created for the QAL by a group of Moda’s top designers. The main goal of this annual free quilt-along is to find new ways to inspire quilters of all ages and abilities. This year the series will feature 34 individual designer blocks, with styles ranging from traditional to modern (including one from yours truly)!

For 2023, Moda decided to switch things up a bit by giving us a block theme to work with -“stars!” Anyone who knows me knows how much I love stars so obviously, I’m all for this idea. They also made some changes in the block schedule format by breaking the series into two groups. This will give everyone a brief break over the holidays before we move onto the remainder of the blocks. Doing it this way will also gives you the option to finish a smaller project with the first group of blocks If you want to. You can also combine all the blocks into one large quilt, crank out several smaller quilts, or even make a tote bag if that’s what you’re into. The choice is yours!

As I mentioned above, there will be two phases in the QAL consisting of one shorter phase that starts today – Wednesday September 6th, 2023 and runs through Wednesday, November 15th, 2023, and the longer portion which starts on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024 and runs through July, 2024. New blocks for Blockheads 5 will be released weekly every Wednesday both on Moda’s blog and in the official MBH5 Facebook group. You can also find them posted here on my blog for your convenience. No sign-up is required – simply download the weekly patterns as they are released! Fabric requirements and FAQ’s can be found by clicking HERE.

Here are a few other quick things to know…

• You can bookmark Blockheads 5 Main Page to find a convenient list of all the patterns as they are released.
• If you’d like to sign up for Moda’s newsletter to get blog posts delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up by clicking here: Blog Newsletter Sign-Up
• If you want to quilt along with a virtual Blockheads community, head over to Facebook and join their Official Moda Blockheads Facebook Group by clicking HERE. The group is a great place to be inspired and share pictures of your Blockheads progress. I highly recommend it!
• If Instagram is where you prefer to hang out, be sure to follow Moda(@modafabrics) and the hashtags #modablockheads and #modablockheads5 to see the latest blocks from our designers and other Blockheads.

Today’s pattern is actually a bonus block, and not considered block number one in the series (block number one will release next week). This Autograph Star block was designed by Barb of Me & My Sister Designs with the suggestion that it would make a great label block, and Moda agreed! The idea is to avoid forgetting the quilt label since we generally leave it until the very end. Pretty hard to forget if you start with it. Genius! Moda was even kind enough to include some scripty labeling options on the pattern PDF that you can trace onto your block and embroider, or trace with a permanent fabric pen. Thanks Moda! Remember, you can download the pattern both on Moda’s blog and in the official MBH5 Facebook group. You can also get it here by clicking the button below!

I keep saying that by now you should have enough to do… and then I give you more! Don’t think things will slow down anytime soon either! Tomorrow is Thursday already, which means the next block release of the Joyful Gatherings Quilt-Along is on deck and ready to make its debut. You can find it under the “Quilt-Alongs“ tab at http://www.lisabongean.com.

Alright everyone! Time to blow this popsicle stand. I’ll be on the road to Madison bright and early tomorrow for the kick-off of the 2023 Great WI Quilt Show, and I’m super excited about it. I’m thinking that with all the crazy going on, plus an iffy internet connection I would not count on being able to do a LIVE show tomorrow – BUT – you never know. Make sure you have your notifications for STITCH with Lisa Bongean turned on so that if we do decide to do a little “pop-up” LIVE you won’t miss it! You can watch by clicking the STITCH icon below. Maybe I’l see you there… If not, I will see you all next week. Take care! ~Lisa