Modern with a Twist "Lean In" Block Design

Discovering online resources for quilting is more important than ever these days and a great place to start is the quarterly e-zine publication Modern by the Yard .   The magazine from Benartex includes free projects and highlights newly released fabrics.  

In the current issue #14, the theme for my favorite section "Modern with a Twist" features the Pinwheel block and I was honored to be one of the three designers included.  Be sure to check out the magazine and keep reading to find out more about my block, "Lean In" .

"Lean In" Block Design

I've been exploring the gentle improv style curve for quite some time now and jumped at the chance to see how it could transform the traditional Pinwheel.  

Lean In - a Modern Pinwheel

Layering fabric before cutting and/or using a hand-drawn freezer paper template like in my Temperature Quilt and Log Cabin for a uniform shape is one way to go.  Because there are no points to match up, each segment could also be done individually using a rotary or scissors freeform with similar but more organic results.

Individual Organic Improv Curves

Mabon is the newest line from fabric designer Shelley Cavanna of Cora's Quilts  and it was hard to narrow down which of her beautiful prints to showcase.   The wide range of values and variety in scale are a joy to mix.  You will find the one at the beginning of this post in the magazine along with my little "blurb", but I just had to share a few others here.  

The richness of the deep Plum and Yellow really glow.  It's easy to imagine using it together in a quilt with the original block.  A classic combination with a modern flare.

Monochromatic

"Lean In" in Blue 

Monochromatic is really fun to explore and a great chance to play with transparency.   I've used five different fabrics in the block above and even more in the quilt design below and yet it reads cohesive, cool and calm.

Expanding the block beyond with pieced sashing as shown above makes for secondary patterns galore.  In this case, the mirrored orientation also add movement living up to the "leaning" part of the name.

More Layout Options 

The two designs below omit the sashed cornerstone portion of original "Lean In" block to create an attention getting center.   Isn't it entertaining to see what catches your eye based on which fabrics are used and where they are placed? 

Seen enough variations? Well to bad, here's a super scrappy one!  I don't know about you but my head is spinning like a Pinwheel with possibilities.  Remember to take a look at what the other designers came up with by visiting Modern by the Yard issue #14 - just hit the READ button or directly HERE, it's free!  You can also find more on social media with @benartex_fabrics @corasquilts #modernwithatwist #mabonfabrics  #modernbytheyard

One last thought about Mabon is that it coordinates well with Shelley's Gloaming fabric line and flashing back to when I designed this quilt for her Blog Hop, I see the influence of the center motif.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Keep in touch on Instagram where you'll find me more frequently.  Happy Stitching!