Hey Blockheads! Welcome to the official half-way point of the first round in the Moda Blockheads 5 Quilt-Along! We’re ringing it in with a fabulous and fitting design by Jenelle Kent of Pieces to Treasure Designs out of Australia. Jenelle named her block, “Southern Star” after one of the most recognizable constellations in the southern hemisphere. Commonly used for navigational purposes throughout history, the “Southern Cross” (or Crux) constellation can only be seen from New Zealand, South America, and her home country of Australia. It is made up of four stars, each at the point of the cross. Its likeness is commonly used to represent Australia and is even featured in the design of the Australian National Flag. Interesting! Here is my version of “Southern Star” finished…

Just like someone else we know, Jenelle recommends starching your fabrics prior to cutting – particularly when you are working with small pieces. She uses woven checks and stripes a lot and finds they can curl up a little when you press them. Spray starch will definitely help to prevent this. Ready to give it a try? For the pattern, full instructions, and more hot tips from Jenelle on how to tackle the “Southern Star” block, please visit her blog by clicking the button above!

Of course, you can use whatever fabric you’d like for this quilt, which is one of the reasons it makes a great scrap buster. Or maybe it’s just the quilt you need for that certain fabric stash you’ve been hoarding away for just the right project. Personally I decided to stick with all Bella solids for this project. I’m using Bella Solid Silver (9900 183) for the background, and Bella Solid American Blue (9900 174) consistent throughout the entire quilt. The rest will be done with selections from the same soft, muted collection of Bella Solids that we put together for this project called “Sundown.” The entire collection is available for purchase on our website by clicking the buttons below!

As always, if you have any questions regarding this block please feel free to leave me a comment here on the blog! You can also visit the Blockheads 5 Main Page for more information on Moda Blockheads 5 and how it all works by clicking HERE. I also recommend hooking up with the virtual Blockheads community for even more support by checking out their Official Moda Blockheads Facebook Group.

I will see you all tomorrow LIVE from the studio for STITCH with Lisa Bongean at 1:00 p.m. CST with our next CommentSold adventure directly following (show starts at appx 2:15 p.m. CST). Don’t forget that we’ll be celebrating our 20 Year Anniversary all month with sales happening throughout the month! This week get 20% OFF all printed patterns (cross stitch charts included), PDF download patterns, and books NOW through Sunday, October 15th, 2023!

Whether you’re looking for a specific pattern or are just on the hunt for your next big project, we have hundreds of options to get your creative juices flowing! Choose from full size to mini quilts, table runners, wall hangers, banners, cross stitch projects and more… How’s you’re Christmas décor coming along? Now’s a GREAT time to grab any last minute projects you’d like to see on your mantel this year! And if project books are more your preference, don’t worry… We’ve got that covered too! We have a large selection of books featuring multiple projects, including MY books, which are written, designed, photographed, published and printed right here at Primitive Gatherings! So if you’ve had your eye on a certain book for a while, NOW’s THE TIME!!! Alright, everyone. Enough about all that for today! Have a great afternoon and do your best to make time to stitch… See you all soon! ~Lisa

d