What a Blockhead!

If I hadn't already cut flying geese rectangles from nearly every snowflake fabric in my blue scrap box, I might have left last week's Impact block from the Moda Blockheads 2 at 16 inches square instead of 24 inches square because I think this is such a dynamic layout. But that's part of the fun of a quilt-along, right? Getting inspired by blocks, falling in love with blocks, taking the quilt map and going your own way?


I've loved every block we've done so far. Like many other Blockheads, I now look forward to Wednesdays, when each new block is announced.

The Impact Block from last week is expected to be a centerpiece in the final quilt because it finishes up at 24 inches square. I think a lot of the coming blocks are going to be itty bitties - six-inchers.


Last week's block called for five 8.5-inch squares of fabric, plus four 8.5-inch flying geese squares. Many quilters improvised and did their own thing with the solid squares. It was so fun seeing all the different interpretations of Impact!

Now that we are six blocks into the quilt, it's fun seeing the different fabric choices and colors from other quilters, too. I think I look forward to other Blockheads' finished blocks as much as I look forward to the new block each week. And I'm simply amazed some quilters have their new blocks done before I get home from work on Wednesdays!


Initially, I wanted to make five snowflakes to add to my five solid Impact block segments. I might do that with a new scrappy quilt one day in the future, but for this one, I decided to break up the four corner segments because I joined this year's challenge to empty my scrap box. I didn't have many scraps big enough from which to cut 8.5-inch blocks. I decided adding four more geese segments would add additional impact to my snowflake and my block.

I drafted the corner segments using recycled typing paper and a ruler. It's a good thing my first attempt was paper because I drafted the large corner triangles too small. No fabric was injured during this experiment. However, the next two attempts also weren't quite right, and they joined the scrap box.

Finally, on the fourth try, I got my diagonal geese figured out, and two nights later, my huge Impact block was finished.


I think I'm going to begin layering and quilting my blocks now as a Quilt As You Go project. I've got a pretty awesome idea for joining the quilted blocks. So today may be the last time I share all my blocks together in one photo until the quilt is finished. I don't want to give away my surprise ending!

Linking up with Busy Hands Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict and My Quilt Infatuation.

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