Betsy's Basket.  A Basket from Betsy.

Basket of Triangles - and there are plenty.  Betsy's beautiful Basket can be made with two fabrics or twenty prints and one background.  Or more backgrounds.  It's really a versatile block with a lot of options.  That alone makes it a favorite.

To get the pattern for Basket of Triangles - CLICK HERE for Betsy's Blog.

Those pieces... the half-triangle squares finish at 1".

This is Tammy's block - she loves teeny, tiny pieces.  Three fabrics - perfection!

The gold in the triangles for the basket make the basket stand out beautifully.

For piecing the base, I do one thing a little differently so I can still do some trimming.  The B triangles in the pattern, I cut the squares a 1/4" bigger than specified so there is excess seam allowance.  (Picture 1.)  Then using a ruler with a 45-degree angle line and good 1/4" markings, I trim the edge to leave a 1/4" seam allowance.  (Picture 2.)

Lisa Bongean's Itty Bitty Eights in the 6" square is perfect - perfect! - for this kind of trimming because the lines are continuous.  They're dotted but continuous.  Because the long edge is bigger than the ruler, just align the 45-degree line along a seam line to complete the trimming.

The square for the C triangle is also cut a 1/4" bigger so the finished piece can be trimmed square.

The seam it stitched with the pieced triangle on the top so I can see the seam junctions for the points.  Press to one side and square up the pieced triangle.  This isn't revolutionary, it's just what works best for me.  (Just wait until Blocks 11 and 14.)

Basket of Triangles ~ Fig Tree & Co. Farmhouse.  With a little Minick & Simpson for the lights - Ann's Arbor and Lexington.

Once again - for the instructions to Basket of Triangles - CLICK HERE for Betsy's Blog.

Question of the Week ~ Pins!  Do I pin?  How much do I pin?

Yes.  It depends.  There are blocks, rows and quilts where I pin just about every single seam, and others where I might pin only a half-dozen times in a whole quilt.  If I'm having a good day and things are going well, I seem to require fewer pins.  But there are days when it seems like the only way to get - and keep - seams matched up is with a whole lot of pins.  When there are a lot of points to match and the pieces that need to be joined to each other aren't quite the same size... lots of pins.

My favorite pins?  Little House pins - those in the cute little tin.  I first started using these about ten years ago and they are the only kind I use.  They're very fine, very sharp and they don't bend the way some of the other super-fine pins can.

Do I sew over pins?  <insert one of those rolling eyes emoji here>  I know I shouldn't but I do.  I shouldn't eat a Bacon Cheeseburger with everything on it including jalapeños from Five Guys either... but I do.  I don't do either one very often but everybody needs a few bad habits, right?

Did you make Lisa Bongean's bonus block from Week 7 - the Winged Star?

I really should have just taken the picture with these side-by-side... then maybe they wouldn't look so wonky.  For the record, on those 2" finished stars, I managed to chop off the points on two of the eight points on each block.  Consistency!  That's the key.

For the instructions to make Lisa's Winged Star - Lisa Bongean's Blog.  And don't miss her date-day with her sweet husband, Nick - they spent the day in Milwaukee at the Harley Davidson museum, shopping and then an Eric Church concert.

That's all the Blockheads news that's fit to print for today so be sure to visit Lynne, Jo, Jan and Lisa to see their baskets and what other good things they might have made:

• Lynne’s Blog / Facebook / Website
• Betsy’s Blog / Facebook / Instagram
• Jo’s Blog / Instagram
• Jan’s Blog / Website
• Lisa’s Blog / Website / Instagram

And don't forget to check out the blocks popping up in #modablockheads on Instagram and Facebook for more pictures.  The Moda Blockheads Facebook group is also busy with folks sharing tips, suggestions and support.

Happy Blockhead Wednesday!