Moda Blockheads

 Originally started as a Block of the Week in 2017  Carol Thelen has collected links to all of them up to Blockheads 6 (2025)

Click here to go to the archive.

oklahoma twister

Oklahoma Twister is a based upon a 6x6 grid but is in fact easy to put together in quadrants so we are going to include it in the four patch family.

The centre is a pinwheel with "wings" in the outer edges.  All the main colour pieces are HST's with a lot of background colour in the block making it ideal for using up scraps whether you go traditional and have the pinwheel in a single colour and the wings in another (see Carol Thelen below) or you choose to go completely scrappy (see My Sewing Room below)

This page is from Patchwork Square and includes a sample block layout.

 This video is from Carol Thelen and uses Accuquilt

Beth from My Sewing Room also gave this quilt a try using triangles on a roll for her HST's

Generations Quilt Patterns has a chart with seven different sizes here (from 6 to 18 inches)

Pamela Quilts.com used it in a Road Trip Quilt Along here

Generations Quilt Patterns had a second go with three colours rather then 2 and added a layout here

more four patch blocks

Historic Quilt Site

 I stumbled across this site a while ago and then again the other day whilst searching for named blocks for another post.

The Quilt Index

It has over 90,000 quilts documented.

If you want to search for quilts from a particular time period - you can (from pre 1799 to present day).

If you want to search for a named block - you can

If you want to search for a Brackman ID number - you can (especially exciting for me but then I'm weird!)

It even has resources like lesson plans which you can use.

And you can add quilts to this - your own or (if you have written permission) an organisations

Seriously, check it out.

Meanwhile I'm off to create a pattern to recreate this quilt from 1800-1849 that is not just your standard on-point but has a zigzag sashing which I haven't seen before, and it is in several quilts in the time period.

Have fun browsing...

padre island star

A Variable Star centre with an extra border round the outside to allow a chain across the block.  This block is based upon a nine patch.

This version is from Patchwork Square with example layouts included

More nine patch blocks

Chain Star/Chained Star - Nine patch block

 Take four quarter square triangle subunits and 5 four patch units and you get a chained star block.

The two colours of "chains" allow you to form a diagonal lattice with stars at the intersections.  The best layout (in my personal opinion) would be to separate the stars a little using sashing and single corner stones that match the colours of the background and "chains" within the block and continue the illusion.

This version is by Poppy Patchwork

Other nine patch blocks

Tennessee Waltz quilt blocks- a two block pattern

 This is a two block pattern which uses the 54-40 or fight block and a simple snowballed block

This version is by Theresa Downunder

This version is by Beth of My Sewing Room

Squash Blossom block

 This one gives South Western USA kind of vibe and there are several variations depending on colour

This is a supersized version made into the sundance baby quilt by Polka Dot Chair

Patchwork Square includes quilt layouts in their offering here

Crafts for Love includes a little bit of history in their webpage as well as instructions here

This version by Carol Thelen arranges the colours slightly differently and has Accuquilt instructions this uses HST's instead of long rows that are snowballed 

This block can be based upon a 3x3 grid click here for other 3x3 blocks