Moda Blockheads 4 (Block 21)
New block day is here and this one offers a fun new challenge for Moda Blockheads 4 free block of the week. Block 21 is “Shiny Bauble” by Janet Clare. (Love this fellow Moda designer across the pond!) Be sure to check out her blog today to download the free pattern and get tips and tricks to making this one.
Block 21 “Shiny Bauble”
This one’s a little different… it involves foundation paper piecing (FPP) mixed with traditional piecing. Have you used this technique before? If you’re new to it, I hope you’ll give it a try. I avoided FPP for the longest time but learned when I took a class from Melissa of My Fabric Relish. I was super happy and surprised at how fun it was. I felt very accomplished and would love to spend more time doing FPP.
My biggest tip on making this block is to use the “Add a Quarter Plus” ruler. Its purpose is twofold. The tapered end makes it easy to fold the paper pieces against, and the other end rests on folded paper edge 1/4″ away for easy trimming. I’m honestly not sure how people do FPP without it! If you’d like to see a demo on using this ruler, I did a quick reel on piecing block 21 on IG here but have a more in-depth tutorial on FPP in an IG reel here.
Fabrics
The first group of blocks is made in Flower Pot fabric. I’m not sure I should have used unidirectional prints just because it’s hard to get them aligned straight (but I love them anyway).
The other block is made in Love Note fabric. I started laying out my blocks to play around with layout and realized I really want to go heavy on the pinks and greens.
Quilt Along
For more information about Moda Blockheads 4 free block of the week, visit my original blog post here. At the bottom, you’ll find a running archive of blocks released thus far. You can also join the Moda Blockheads Facebook group to be the first to see new block releases and lots of inspiration – not to mention, post your own progress and interact with thousands of other quilters in this community.
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12 Comments
Patti McConnell
August 10, 2022 at 7:39 amI would love to see a FPP tutorial! I made a log cabin quilt with FPP but that was all I have ever done!
lellaboutique
August 16, 2022 at 1:58 pmThanks, Patti! I’ve added a reel on my IG and there is also an “FPP” highlight on my instagram profile as well, for a more in-depth look at the technique. I’ve included direct links up in the post 🙂 Hope that helps!
Julie Richelderfer
August 11, 2022 at 5:48 amI would also love to see a video tutorial on how to do this block. I watched Janet’s, but I’m more confused!
lellaboutique
August 16, 2022 at 1:59 pmHi Julie! I’ve added the direct links to my tutorial up in this post. I did a quick reel (way too much info squeezed in there) to show how I made this specific block. But I have a more in-depth reel highlight on IG called “FPP.” Hope that helps!
Rosanna
August 11, 2022 at 7:13 amI would love a video on foundation paper piecing! I’ve only just tried on a couple blocks, and enjoyed very much.
lellaboutique
August 16, 2022 at 2:00 pmThank you, Rosanna! I’ve added links in the post for my reel on making this block, but also to my “FPP” highlight reel that shows much more about the FPP piecing technique. Hope that helps!
Joan TUBBS
August 11, 2022 at 10:04 amI would love to watch a tutorial using the add a quarter ruler, to make this block. Tips are always great. Thank you.
lellaboutique
August 16, 2022 at 2:02 pmThe ruler is amazing! I’ve added links to the post for a direct link to the reel of making this block – although it is a lot of information packed into a reel. So I also recommend checking out my “FPP” highlight in my Instagram profile (also linked in this post) where I give a much more in-depth tutorial on piecing using FPP techniques.
Lisa Giesfeldt
August 11, 2022 at 3:59 pmQuestion: I know you’re doing the flower pot version in 4 1/2” finished blocks, did you also do block 21 in a smaller version, or use the original 9” paper piece version? If you did the smaller version, I’m assuming you resized the paper templates by 50%?
lellaboutique
August 14, 2022 at 5:18 pmThe template sheet includes both sizes! I just printed the page twice and cut out two of the smaller ones.
Pat Crawford
August 12, 2022 at 8:13 amShe has a video on her Instragram page. She makes it look so easy.
lellaboutique
August 16, 2022 at 2:02 pmThanks, Pat! Once you get used to the process, it definitely feels a lot more “doable.”