February is here, and that means we have Block 1 of the My Favorite Color is Moda quiltalong to share!  There’s still plenty of time to join in; check with your local quilt shop for the pattern and any fabric or kits they’ve put together.  We’ll be sharing a new block or blocks on the First Tuesday of every month for the rest of 2021.

We’re featuring our Primrose Garden Bella Solids colorway with this block, and I just love how bright and happy it is.  Maybe these colors will inspire the groundhog to let spring come early this year!  (For our non-North American readers, and those who haven’t seen Bill Murray’s excellent movie Groundhog Day, today - February 2 - is the day where the US and Canada let a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil decide the weather based whether he can see his own shadow.)

With simple half square triangle piecing, this block is extremely versatile if you adjust the fabric choices.  These color studies all have the same seam placements as the original, and pull from the Primrose Garden Bella Solids. It just goes to show the power of color that the same piecing will yield blocks that feel so different from each other.

If you’ve already made your Block 1 then you know, this block is BIG.  The finished size once sewn in to the quilt is 36”, which is the perfect size for a baby quilt or wall hanging all on its own!  To get an idea, that’s me, a normal sized human, holding up Block 1 from the Pink Lemonade colorway.

One of the benefits of working at a large scale is having a nice, satisfying chunk of a project finished over a relatively small period of time.  Whether you’re making 32-2” half square triangles, or 32-6” half square triangles, you still have to piece and trim all your units.  Why not end up with a nice big block at the end of that?

Large blocks also work beautifully to showcase big feature prints that might get lost in smaller pieces.  The above Block 1 uses fabrics from Moody Bloom by Create Joy Project, and the mix of blender blues with one strong larger scale focal print draws the eye right away.

Make sure to share your Block 1 sewing with us on social media during February using #myfavoritecolorismoda!  

We’re so excited to start seeing everyone’s versions of the block, and we'll be sharing your images posted on the hashtag throughout the sewalong.

If you missed the first two My Favorite Color posts, you can find them here:

• My Favorite Color is Moda 1 - Intro
• My Favorite Color is Moda - Fabric & Cutting

For a PDF download of this post - My Favorite Color is Moda - Block 1

Update:  To make this quilt, you need to purchase the My Favorite Color is Moda Sampler pattern booklet - PS9900 21.  If your favorite quilt shop doesn't carry it, it is available online.  There isn't a PDF download for the booklet.