Welcome to Blockheads 6 – Week 18: “Sweet Pea” by Heather Briggs!

Welcome back, Blockheads! We’ve reached Block 18: Sweet Pea, a charming design from Heather Briggs of My Sew Quilty Life. As always, Heather’s block blends traditional elements with her signature soft and playful style.

In this week’s tutorial, Moda Marketing Director Lissa Alexander shows us how this block—while it may look complex at first glance—comes together with just a few building blocks: a unique new unit, flying geese, and a square in the middle.

You can find this week’s pattern here: BH6 – Block 18 – Sweet Pea by Heather Briggs of My Sew Quilty Life

Follow along with Heather!

Instagram: @mysewquiltylife
mysewquiltylife.com

If you’re new to Blockheads, here are a couple of quick things to know:

• This is a free quilt-along. No sign-ups are required. Just download the pattern and you’re ready to sew!
• The PDF patterns will be posted on the Moda blog and in the official Facebook group every Wednesday by 8:00 AM CDT.
• You can also bookmark this page: Blockheads 6 main page to find a convenient list of all the patterns as they are released.
• If you’d like to sign up for our blog newsletter to get blog posts delivered to your inbox, you can sign up here: Blog Newsletter Sign-Up 
• If you want to sew along with a virtual Blockheads community, head over to Facebook and join our official Moda Blockheads Facebook group. Our group is an active and vibrant community of 82,000 quilters and counting! It’s a great place to be inspired and share pictures of your Blockheads progress.
• If Instagram is where you prefer to hang out, be sure to follow us (@modafabrics) and the hashtags #modablockheads and #modablockheads6 to see the latest blocks from our designers and other Blockheads.

(Looking for a little more information about Blockheads? You can check out the Blockheads 6 archive HERE.)

A Unique New Unit

Sweet Pea introduces a unit you won’t find elsewhere in the Blockheads 6 series. It starts with a square, then adds triangles to opposite sides. Because you’re sewing bias edges together, careful handling is important to keep everything straight.

Lissa demonstrates how trimming a tiny bit after the first seam helps ensure crisp points and smooth alignment for the next piece. She also shares her favorite technique: if sewing bias to straight, put the bias edge on the bottom so the feed dogs help control stretch. When sewing bias to bias, guide gently without pulling—patience makes all the difference.

Pro Tip: When sewing bias edges together, let the machine do the work. Place the bias edge on the bottom so the feed dogs guide it through, and avoid pulling or stretching as you sew.

Flying Geese Made Easy

This block also features classic four-at-a-time flying geese. If you’re new to the technique or want a refresher, check out the detailed video from Block 12 (Flight Path). Once the geese are sewn, trimmed, and ready, they combine with the new units to frame the center square.

Fabric Choices and Finishing

Lissa shows two different versions of the block: one with a light background and one with a medium background. Depending on your color choices, Sweet Pea can read as soft and circular or bold and striking. It’s a block that rewards experimentation—so don’t hesitate to try out different colorways.

Ready to make your own Sweet Pea block? Download the pattern and check out this week’s video, hosted by Moda Lissa!

Thanks to Heather Briggs!

A big thank you to Heather Briggs for adding her signature style to the Blockheads mix. We can’t wait to see your Sweet Pea blocks! Be sure to share them in the Moda Blockheads Facebook group or on Instagram with #modablockheads6.

— The Moda Team