Welcome to Blockheads 6 – Block 8: “Sandcastle” by Sherri McConnell!

Welcome back, Blockheads! This week we’re building something beautiful with Block 8: Sandcastle, designed by Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life. Moda’s own Lissa Alexander is your guide for this breezy and versatile 9" block, which uses quarter-square triangles to create a soft, spinning design that’s both classic and surprisingly playful.

You can find this week’s pattern here: BH6 – Block 8 – Sandcastle by Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life and Sherri & Chelsi

Follow along with Sherri!

Instagram: @aquiltinglife
https://www.aquiltinglife.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 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.)

Subtle Movement, Classic Style

The Sandcastle block comes together with eight quarter-square triangle units arranged in a pinwheel-like layout, and four simple stitch-and-flip corners that add a subtle sense of movement. As Lissa says, “It’s simple, classic, and fun to stitch.” Whether you lean toward traditional color schemes or love to play with scrappy palettes, this block is a great opportunity to try different combinations and fabric values.

Lissa shares her process for cutting and laying out the block, with helpful tips for managing bias edges and keeping pieces organized—because, as she reminds us, it’s easy to twist things around at the sewing machine!

Stitch-and-Flip for a Curved Look—No Circles Required!

One of the standout features of Sandcastle is how the stitch-and-flip corners create the illusion of curved piecing. It’s a great trick: sew right on the line, press, trim—and suddenly you have gentle curves without a single circle in sight. Lissa even suggests quilting with a circular motif to enhance the effect. Want to really see the roundness pop? Squint a little—it works!

Make It Your Own

Lissa's version combines cool blues and soft reds using April Rosenthal and Lella Boutique fabrics, but this block is wide open for personalization. Make a matching set or let each block in your quilt be its own unique color story. However you style it, Sandcastle is sure to be a standout.

Don’t forget to download the free pattern from the Moda blog, and when your Sandcastle is complete, share your work in the Moda Blockheads 6 Facebook group or on Instagram with the hashtag #modablockheads6.

Ready to sew your own Sandcastle block? Follow along with Lissa in this week’s video tutorial!

Happy stitching—and we’ll see you next week for Block 9!

— The Moda Team