Welcome to Blockheads 6 – Block 5: “Dew Drops” by Chelsi Stratton!

Welcome to Week 6 of Blockheads 6! This week, we’re excited to feature Block 5: Dew Drops, designed by Chelsi Stratton of Sherri & Chelsi. With its sweet layout of half square triangles, snowballed squares, and quarter square triangles, this block is full of movement and charm—just like morning dew glistening in the sun.

You can find this week’s pattern here: BH6 – Block 5 – Dew Drops by Chelsi Stratton of Sherri & Chelsi

Follow along with Chelsi!

Instagram: @chelsistratton

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 81,000 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.)

Let’s Get Started

Moda team member Anna is here to walk you through the construction of this block step by step in this week’s video tutorial, embedded below. (Make sure to watch—it’s packed with great tips!) And remember, you'll be making two Dew Drops blocks this week, so double the fun!

If you haven’t already, be sure to download the free pattern for Dew Drops from the Moda blog or our official Blockheads Facebook Group. This week’s pattern includes two coloring diagrams—perfect for visualizing both of your blocks before you dive in.

Anna is using cheerful prints from Jen Kingwell, bringing a scrappy and eclectic energy to her blocks that highlights the possibilities of this design. Whether you go scrappy or coordinated, this block is a great way to play with color values and contrast.

Step-by-Step Block Construction

Half Square Triangles

You’ll begin by making 16 two-inch half square triangles (HSTs) using the two-at-a-time method. Anna recommends using seam guide tape to save time when sewing your diagonal seams, but marking with a pencil works just as well. After sewing, pressing toward the print fabric helps everything nest beautifully when the blocks are assembled.

Once trimmed, group the HSTs into four sets of four, paying close attention to orientation. These will become the corner units of your block.

Snowball “X” Units

Next, you’ll move on to the central X units—made by snowballing the corners of a 2" square with smaller 1¼" squares. These may look a little wonky at first, but with careful trimming, they come together cleanly and add a lot of visual interest. Anna recommends pressing seams in alternating directions so the units nest easily when joined together.

Quarter Square Triangles

The final component is the quarter square triangles. Here, Anna shares a helpful pressing tip: sew with the print you want to press toward on top, making pressing at the ironing board easier later. Once all four units are complete, you're ready to assemble your block.

Assembly & Pressing Tips

When joining the block units together, Anna recommends pressing toward the quarter square triangle units in both the outer and center rows. She also presses the final center seam open for a flatter finish.

Take your time with layout and orientation—especially if you're using a variety of prints—and enjoy seeing your Dew Drops block come to life!

A Few Final Thoughts

“I love how it turned out!” says Anna. “Working with Jen Kingwell’s Lollies and Bon Bons is totally outside my wheelhouse—but that’s what I love about Blockheads. It’s such a great way to explore new colors, patterns, and techniques while growing your skills.”

Looking for a video tutorial? We've got you covered with this week's step-by-step guide to sewing the Dew Drops block!

Thank you to Chelsi Stratton for this delightful design! We can’t wait to see your version of Dew Drops—don’t forget to post your finished blocks in the Blockheads Facebook Group.

Happy sewing!

— The Moda Team