Hey, everyone! Looking for a new quilting challenge to sink your needle into? While we were elbows deep in the whirlwind of The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show last week, block releases from not one, but TWO ongoing quilt-alongs quietly made their way into the world, and are now available and ready for you to enjoy!

Blockhead stitchers are going to love this sweet and sassy little number brought to us by Crystal Manning of Crystal Manning Art. Her block, Petal Pusher, is the 15th release in the Moda Blockheads 6 series, adding an interesting mix of shapes and clever design twists that immediately catch your eye. It combines foundation paper piecing with half-square triangles and a square-in-a-square center, to create a super cool, “retro-looking” design that definitely falls into the eye-candy category. Peaky and Spike units form soft, petal-like shapes, making it fun to sew and even more fun to look at! Best of all? Despite the fact that Petal Pusher is a simple block to make, it still looks like you put some time into it when finished.

When it comes to this versatile block, the real fun starts with picking fabrics — every choice you make turns into a mini creative adventure! Just a quick reminder for anyone just joining us… here are the fabric choices I’m using for my blocks throughout this series. My entire quilt is being done in reds, whites, and blues in honor of my latest fabric line, American Gatherings III’s debut, coming this December! I will also be using two gray Bella Solids for the background: Steel 9900 184 (in place of the white in Moda’s original design) and Graphite 9900 202 (instead of the Navy). You can grab both on our website by clicking the buttons below!

If you love how quick and easy Petal Pusher goes together, you’re going to have a blast with this month’s Weekend Edition quilt, Fireside Star! At 80″ x 80″, everything about this quilt is big, bold, and about as simple as it gets, making it an excellent candidate for a weekend project or last-minute gift. There aren’t any tricky instructions here, but I do recommend starching your flannel before you start. I also suggest using a nice, large square ruler (or even two) to get your pieces cut just right. The simple layout makes it fun to mix up colorways too, whether you’re going patriotic, school colors, or just whatever fabrics make you happy. Quick, easy, and endlessly versatile — that pretty much sums it up!

I should mention that, unlike most of our Weekend Edition quilts, we’re doing this one a little differently: the pattern for Fireside Star is in my Flannel Gatherings book, so there’s no download available for purchase at this time. That being said, as a special thanks for quilting along with me and my Weekend Edition Series, for a limited time you can get the book for only $12.50 by clicking the button above! In addition, if you purchase the kit for Fireside Star from us, the book is included at no extra cost. Already have a copy of the book? Hot tip… it makes a perfect gift for a fellow quilter!

So, which one of these sweet babies are you diving into first??? The one and done Petal Pusher block, or the full-size, big-and-bold Fireside Star quilt? I can’t wait to see how you make each of them your own — whether it’s by swapping colors, playing with layouts, or changing up the size — let’s see what ya got! Whatever you plan to do, just make sure to keep those needles busy, and I’ll be back later this week with more great things from PG. See you soon! ~Lisa