Art & Craft, DIY ideas and Tutorials - Craftbuds
  • All Craft
  • Needlecraft
    • Crochet
    • Knitting
    • Quilting
    • Sewing
    • Embroidery
  • Jewelry Making
  • Paper Craft
  • Engraving
  • Collectibles
43K Followers
24K Followers
367 Subscribers
Subscribe
Art & Craft, DIY ideas and Tutorials – Craftbuds
Art & Craft, DIY ideas and Tutorials – Craftbuds
  • All Craft
  • Needlecraft
    • Crochet
    • Knitting
    • Quilting
    • Sewing
    • Embroidery
  • Jewelry Making
  • Paper Craft
  • Engraving
  • Collectibles
  • Product Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Book Review: Modern Blocks

  • Lindsay
  • Posted: March 29, 2012 - Updated at: January 9, 2022
Total
1
Shares
1
0
0


99 Modern Blocks book cover

Over the last few months, I’ve had the chance to really dig into a modern quilt block compilation from C&T Publishing: Modern Blocks: 99 Quilt Blocks from Your Favorite Designers compiled by Susanne Woods.

This book was at the top of my Christmas wishlist, and has moved with me from sewing room to every other room in the house while I figure out which block to make. After all, there are 99 blocks to choose from! The blocks represent a wide variety of styles, from patchwork to paper-pieced, appliqued and embroidered. Each block in the book is an original design or a fresh take on a traditional block.

Binary: Modern Blocks

Some of my favorite blocks in the book, including “Binary” (above) and “It’s a Stretch” (on the cover), were designed by the very talented Angela Pingel of Cut to Pieces. Angela was the winner of the recent Moda Bake Shop SLICED competition, and you might have seen winning project, an adorable owl backpack.

Saturn's Rings: Modern Blocks

“Saturn’s Rings,” designed by Latifah Saafir of The Quilt Engineer,  uses bias-cut strips appliqued to a base block. The bold colors really pop and it’s easy to imagine a whole quilt made from this simple yet stunning block.

House on the Hill: Modern Blocks

“House on the Hill” pairs patchwork with applique and creative machine-embroidery. It’s designed by Monika Wintermantel. There are so many blocks in the book that I want to make when I find the time, and they range from beginner to advanced skill levels.

There is also a Flickr group dedicated to this book, so you can go there to add your blocks or see the blocks that others have sewn up in a variety of fabrics! Here are some recent blocks from that group (photos by Seamed Up).

My creation

As you can see, the book has a staggering variety of blocks! So how did I ever choose which one to make first?

My Blocks

Four Acres Block: Modern Blocks

As part of an online quilting bee I participate in, I’m always looking for a good 12.5″ square block to make in a variety of colors. I whipped up these blocks (plus one more) from the “Four Acres” pattern above, designed by Solidia Hubbard. The book gives specific measurements for each cut, so there is no guesswork, and I was happy to be able to pre-cut all of my fabric one night, and sew the blocks the next day following the block assembly instructions.

4x5 Blocks, 1st Qtr

Although I’ve been known to spend as long as 6 hours designing blocks for this bee, I’m happy to report that this book helped me shave 2 hours off of my production time! Whether you are part of a quilting bee or just looking for a way to build your quilting skills, Modern Blocks is an excellent resource for your quilting library.

Have you checked out Modern Blocks yet? If so, what blocks really caught your eye?

Total
1
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Related Topics
  • 99 modern blocks
  • angela pingel
  • book review
  • c&t publishing
  • Latifah Saafir
  • modern blocks book
  • modern blocks review
  • modern quilt blocks
  • Monika Wintermantel
  • quilt blocks
  • quilt engineer
  • seamedup
  • Solidia Hubbard
  • stash books
  • susanne woods
Lindsay

Hi, I’m Lindsay Conner, an author, modern quilter, editor, and founder of the Lindsay Sews blog. I’m a Baby Lock ambassador and Stash Books author who loves writing modern sewing and quilt patterns for beginners and weekend sewists! I live in Indianapolis, Indiana with my husband, son, and two loveable cats, Murph and Chloe. I’ve been crafting for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I saved my dollar bills for trips with my mom to Jo-Ann Fabrics, where I’d find new floss for friendship bracelets or mini cross-stitch kits. Because my mom has always shared my love for crafting, she bought me my first sewing machine, a Hello Kitty Janome.

Previous Article
  • Product Reviews

Book Review: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home + Giveaway and Recipe

  • Mary
  • Posted: March 23, 2012 - Updated at: January 9, 2022
View Post
Next Article
  • Product Reviews

Book Review: Modern Basics

  • Lindsay
  • Posted: April 5, 2012 - Updated at: January 9, 2022
View Post
You May Also Like
Best Sewing Machines for Beginners
View Post
  • Product Reviews
  • Sewing

Best Sewing Machines for Beginners – 7 Top Models in 2023

  • Lindsay
  • Posted: November 24, 2022
Cricut Maker Vs Cricut Maker 3
View Post
  • Uncategorized

Cricut Maker Vs Cricut Maker 3 – A Detailed Comparison

  • Mahnoor Malik Awan
  • Posted: November 17, 2022 - Updated at: November 23, 2022
Brother Sewing Machines
View Post
  • Embroidery
  • Needlecraft
  • Product Reviews
  • Quilting
  • Sewing

Brother Sewing Machines Guide & 12 Top-Selling Models

  • Lindsay
  • Posted: May 19, 2022 - Updated at: November 19, 2022
Best heavy duty sewing machine
View Post
  • Embroidery
  • Needlecraft
  • Product Reviews
  • Quilting
  • Sewing

Best Heavy Duty Sewing Machine – Top 11 Picks 2023

  • Lindsay
  • Posted: May 14, 2022 - Updated at: November 24, 2022
Best sewing scissors
View Post
  • Needlecraft
  • Product Reviews
  • Sewing

8 Best Sewing Scissors – Durable And Reliable

  • Lindsay
  • Posted: May 10, 2022 - Updated at: May 18, 2022
Metal Hole Punch
View Post
  • Craft
  • Jewelry Making
  • Product Reviews
  • Wire work

Metal Hole Punch – Hole Punching Tool – 2023 Buying guide

  • Sheila Mae Pedregosa
  • Posted: April 25, 2022
Best Yarn Winder
View Post
  • Crochet
  • Knitting
  • Needlecraft
  • Product Reviews

5 Best Yarn Winders – Complete Buying Guide

  • Mahnoor Malik Awan
  • Posted: April 11, 2022 - Updated at: November 13, 2022
Best jewelry kiln
View Post
  • Jewelry Making
  • Product Reviews

Best Jewelry Kiln in 2023 – Tabletop – Gas & Electric

  • Sheila Mae Pedregosa
  • Posted: April 7, 2022 - Updated at: May 18, 2022
4 comments
  1. Angela says:
    March 29, 2012 at 12:47 pm

    I love that the book has such a variety of patterns! Thank you for the sweet shout out. It’s been a wild year!

    Reply
  2. Monika says:
    March 29, 2012 at 3:44 pm

    You have chosen some lovely blocks from this book – andthank you so much for including my “house-block”!! I just love to look through this book from time to time as there are soo many different styles in there – but still couldn´t decide which one to do next:)

    Reply
  3. Baye says:
    March 29, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    I’m doing a bee with Itching 2 B Stitching using this book. I’ve posted the two blocks I’ve completed for it on the Flickr page you mentioned in the post.

    I love the floating book one in particular. It was the first pick for the bee. The “queen bee” wanted the center area where the book binding would be to have the signature of the maker as in by (name). I loved that idea!

    Reply
  4. Elizabeth says:
    March 30, 2012 at 2:43 pm

    I’m in a bee as well and some of us have posted our completed blocks on the Flickr page. I’m glad my Queen Bee month isn’t until later in the year – I can’t make up my mind which one(s) to choose! We’ve completed the fabulous Diamond Ripple (on the cover, bottom left)and Boxed In (page 46, I think?) in our first two months. I’m so excited to see what our April block will be!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Social Links
Facebook 43K Followers
Pinterest 24K Followers
YouTube 367 Subscribers

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

Art & Craft, DIY ideas and Tutorials – Craftbuds
  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Contact
Find fun and creative craft ideas and tutorials across various categories such as Knitting, Quilting, Sewing, PaperCraft, Jewelry Making and much more

Input your search keywords and press Enter.