Almost to the End…

Hello stitchers… Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I hope you’re in a “sewcial” mood this holiday because it’s time once again for another Sewcialites 2 block release! This week we’re featuring Block #20 – “Fascinate by my friend Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life. You’ve probably heard of Sherri and her blog sometime along the way in your quilting journey but if not, I definitely recommend that you check out her work. She is part of a mother-daughter quilting design team based in southern Nevada along with her daughter Chelsi Stratton. Fitting, considering Sherri has always found inspiration in her rich family heritage, passed down through generations of women who loved sewing and creating. Keeping the familial tradition alive, her life-long stitching career led her to start her highly successful quilting blog, A Quilting Life in 2008, and eventually to publishing her designs in magazines and books as well. On top of all of that, she’s also a talented Moda sister who has designed over 16 fabric lines under the Sherri & Chelsi name since 2015. Busy lady!

Sherri describes her favorite designs as typically involving scrappy squares or star blocks of some sort. Fascinate is an intricate mix of four-patches, half-square triangles, and squares that creates an advanced skill level look within a beginner level block.

To make things easier for you while working on Fascinate,” Sherri recommends used strip piecing for the four patch units instead of cutting small squares. This makes the block not only easier to piece, but also more accurate (especially when working with very small pieces). Color wise, if you follow the pattern as it’s written, be sure to pay attention to the direction of the darks and of your half-square triangles. Speaking of half-square triangles, as always I highly recommend using triangle paper where you can when doing this block to make sure your half-square triangles are accurately sized. If you need to stock up, you can get my custom Primitive Gatherings Triangle Paper by clicking HERE

If you’ve been following along you know that for my blocks I’m using my Garden Gatherings fabric line, leaving out the five tans. For this block I chose to go with dark navy for the outer half-square triangles, and green, yellow and pinks for the four patch units. For the background I used a selection from the Garden Gathering Shirtings Collection, #49176 15 – a cream fabric with an adorable tiny mustard/orange floral print. It’s looking pretty sharp, if I do say so myself!I keep saying that one of the things I love most about this quilt-along is that you can do it on your time, however your schedule allows. In fact, please don’t let the fact that we’re closer to the end of this QAL than we are to the beginning scare you off. Many of the blocks are fairly simple to make and can be done in an afternoon, so catching up is a snap once you find the time. You can always grab patterns for previously posted blocks on the Sewcialites 2 Landing Page by clicking the button below. You can also visit the Sewcialites 2 Block Archive on my blog which is listed in the main menu of links at the top of the page.

Newly released blocks are posted on Kim’s blog The Jolly Jabber, along with a video tutorial on her YouTube Livestream the same day. Each designer will also post their own block to either their blog or their website on that day as well. I will also be posting each block release here on MY blog every Friday for your convenience. Fabric requirements and all block patterns are on the  Sewcialites 2 Landing Page, which you can access by clicking the link below. If you’d like to get automatic updates on Sewcialites 2 you can subscribe to the blog by signing up in the Email subscription box by visiting the Landing Page, or by subscribing to the YouTube channel by clicking HERE.

It seems like only yesterday that we were starting this QAL so it feels a bit on the unbelievable side that we’re getting ready to wrap it up in just four short weeks – truly just in time for spring. The timing really couldn’t be better if you ask me. I think it’s a pretty quilt, who’s cheerful palette fits the bill for spring and summer décor nicely – I have several thoughts on how I might display mine…

Well gang, that’s about all I have for you today. I’ll admit I’m ready to relax after starting out the week dealing with a nasty kidney stone that my doctor reports was about the size of a pea (no pun intended – ha ha). It didn’t help matters that there was a ton of activity going on here at PG that I really didn’t want to miss out on. Sometimes though, it can’t be about what our brains want because our bodies simply object – and this was just one of those cases. 🙁 If you’ve ever had a kidney stone before you know they are no joke. The pain is some of the worst I’ve ever felt! I tried to power through but even I need a break sometimes. Needless to say, I’m super grateful to finally be feeling better after all that, and looking forward to resting up as much as I can over the weekend with my sweetheart.

Before I head out I want to say Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to all my friends and supporters out there. It’s been a great year so far and I have you to thank for much of it! Today in honor of the holiday and to say thanks for all your great comments here on the blog, I thought it would be a great day for double prizes… So let’s do it! Congratulations to Mary Lou D., Sylvia M.,Catherine D., and Alice V., it’s your lucky day! Please check your email for a message from Heidi (Note: I do not post last names or email addresses for your privacy, so if you think you’re one of the lucky winners this week please be sure to check your email. You can also contact Heidi at heidin@primitivegatherings.us if you have not already received a prize confirmation letter from her. If you think you are a winner but have not received a prize confirmation email, be sure to check your spam folder – it’s not often but our emails will sometimes end up there)!

Alright everyone, that’s a wrap! I hope you have a wonderful weekend and that you’re able to spend some time doing whatever it is that makes you happy. Maybe that’s getting outside for some fresh air and sunshine. Or maybe you enjoy going for a drive to see the sights, shopping til you drop, or staying INside to stitch while you watch the replays of all my past STITCH with Lisa Bongean episodes all weekend… Whatever it is, enjoy yourself, be safe, and I will see you next week! ~Lisa

Moda Blockheads 4 – Block 22 “Star Patch”

Happy Wednesday quilters! And what a beautiful day it’s turning out to be. We’ve been blessed with some really lovely weather over the last couple of days here in WI, with lots of late-summer beauty all around us. It’s maybe not as warm as I like it to be, but I’m certainly not complaining. The sun is out and the sky is blue. Perfect weather for pretty much everything! As you know, I love being outdoors as much as I can be, so this kind of nice weather is a real treat. I’m doing my best to enjoy it while I can before it starts to get cold again.

Well everyone, it just wouldn’t feel like Wednesday without a little Blockhead action, so let’s talk about it! This week’s project is Block #22 Star Patch by my friend Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life – a mother-daughter quilting and design team based in southern Nevada. Sherri finds inspiration in her rich family heritage passed down through generations of women who loved sewing and creating. Her stitching career eventually led her to begin writing her quilting blog. She started A Quilting Life in 2008, and has also been publishing her designs in magazines and books since 2011.

For her contribution to MBH4, Sherri chose a good old fashioned Ohio Star block design. The pattern combines this classic block with a nine-patch center and contrasting corners, allowing for a variety of fun secondary patterns. These were popular blocks amongst pioneer quilters because they are great way to learn quarter square triangles. They also allow the quilter to be frugal by using up a lot of scraps to create a stunning and unique block. Gorgeous angles and wonderful movement within these historic patterns are the reasons why they’ve stood the test of time and remain popular today! To get started on yours visit Sherri’s blog A Quilting Life for the pattern and full instructions by clicking the link below!

If you know me at all you know I love all things stars, so needless to say I was excited to do this block. For my version of Star PatchI stuck with the same color scheme I have been using in previous weeks. I continue to use a medium orange Bella Solid called “Ochre” as my background color combined with a mid-gray floral print on black from my Urban Farmhouse Gatherings II line for part of the center squares. I also threw in some light gray Zen Chic for the remaining smaller squares, and white with gray stars for the large center square. I also used a light gray squiggle pattern over black for the outer elements of the star to help pop the center portion. There’s definitely a lot going on!

If you’re still debating on whether or not to do this quilt, what are you waiting for? The blocks are simple and fun, and they goes by super fast if you stick to a block a week commitment. Plus, it’s easy to find all the information you’ll need including previously released MBH4 blocks in the Moda Blockheads 4 Archive listed in the main menu of links at the top of my blog page. You can also visit Moda’s Inspiration+Resources Center Page for more information, along with all released bonus blocks by clicking HERE! If you’re having trouble keeping all the details straight, you can also sign-upo to receive Moda’s weekly Blockheads blog posts via e-mail at the Inspiration+Resources Center as well.

I hope to see you all tomorrow when I go LIVE on STITCH with Lisa Bongean at 1:00PM CST on YouTube! I’ll be discussing the latest round release of the Meet Me in the Garden stitch-along, with special guest and pattern designer of this SAL, Val Krueger. Val will be tuning in via live stream all the way from Vegas to help answer some questions that have come up about Meet Me in the Garden,” and to highlight some changes to the pattern that she’d like you to be aware of. We’ll also be talking a little bit about what’s going on around The Gathering next week as we welcome Moda to Primitive Gatherings during Moda week. You don’t want to miss it! You can tune in by hitting the STITCH button below!

As if you needed more incentive, don’t forget there will be some prize give-aways to a couple of lucky commenters during the show, so make sure to leave us one! You can also let me know how you’re doing right here on the blog. I love to hear from you. Plus, you might just win a prize. This week I want to say congratulations to Jennifer R. Thanks for your comment last week! As usual I don’t post last names or email addresses for privacy’s sake, so if you think you’re the lucky winner this time around, 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!

Alright, that’s all for today friends. Take care and make sure to make some time to stitch today, and EVERY day! See you tomorrow!  ~Lisa