Hive 3 June block

Hi, Bianca here again,

This is Sylvia's requested Christmas in June block which I loved making!

My favorite quilt I've ever made is coincidentally also Christmas themed!  It's a bed runner (and cushion cover) I made for my Nana last Christmas.  It was so great and special to be able to make and gift something like that to the lady who instilled the love of sewing  (and in general, a love of making) in me.  I love that she puts it on her bed whenever she has guests over, regardless of the season!

Hive 3 May block

Hi Ladies of hive 3, it's Bianca here,

First I apologize for not being involved on the blog side of things.  There was a bit there that I had no Internet and then no computer and a dead phone, followed by a bit of procrastinating.  (Sorry again)

I figured I'd post my May & June blocks, though they've long since arrived at their homes.

First up,  May's churn dash for Jennifer.

Jennifer asked where we do most of our sewing.   Right now, and until we renovate the spare bedroom, that's where I sew.  I love it because it's spacious and has plenty of natural light.  Soon enough, I will be moving back to my regular crafty room, which is a somewhat cramped crawl space.  I'm hoping when we have our second child it'll be another bow and that way I can have the nursery!

Hive 9 - July Block for Tiffany

I love the 5-Star block that Tiffany chose this month.  It really speaks to this Texan's heart!  Her directions were much easier to work with than the original tutorial, so I am glad that she provided those.  I am also glad she gave us the option of doing the gray/black and cream 9 Patch block.  There have been several large projects going in my sewing room and time just got away from me, even though I pulled my fabrics and printed the pattern right away.  So while there will be a star block, it will be posted and mailed after I return from vacation.  Time got away from me and I just don't have the time to finish it up.

I did get a 9 Patch block done though and will share that today.  The color combination was great and it was fun to put together.  It will be on its way to you tomorrow, with the star to follow later in August. 

Tiffany asked if we have always lived in the same area, or have we moved.  I've definitely moved my entire life.  Growing up I lived in 3 states (6 cities) and attended 9 schools before I finished high school.  Since getting married 38 years ago, we have lived in 4 states and 6 countries, for a total of 18 moves to date.  Retirement is on the horizon for us and I am not really sure how I will handle staying put.  It will definitely be a novel experience for me!

Hive 9 block for tiffany

Hi everyone, Grace here from Hive9. This month I had planned to be so organised, I printed the pattern out as soon as I saw the tutorial. But didn't actually get around to making it till last weekend. I didn't look at the tutorial post again until I had mailed to check what this months question was. I was horrified to see I had missed an additional step not on the paperpiecing pattern.

As for the question, I have moved around a bit, including living in Indonesia for a few years when I was little. My husband and I have just recently moved into our first home, previously we were renting. It's such a different feeling owning your own place. We are busy renovating at the moment and trying to take the DIY approach as much as possible. I can't wait to finish the room that will be my sewing room as all my fabrics are in boxes and it's really hard to find anything!

Hive #5 - July Block for Kelly

Here is my July block for Kelly!

I actually had a really hard time finding good fabrics for this block in my stash.  First, I sew with a lot of saturated colors and don't have a lot of the softer "sherbet" colors Kelly was looking for.  I hope my block doesn't have too much pop.

She also said she prefers the background to not be bright white.  But I don't have any creams / ivory / etc in my stash.  I tried to pull a couple of my white on white low volume prints that don't read quite so bright and a couple super soft grays.  Hopefully it will blend in well with other blocks.

As for my favorite tool for a new quilter - Elmer's Washable School Glue.  I've really taken a liking to glue basting for getting perfectly aligned points!

I mailed my block out a couple days ago so Kelly should be receiving it soon!

Hello again!  It's Heather of QA Creations and Quilts Actually Longarm Quilting.  This month we made string blocks for Martina.

She asked us what machines we sew with, and I sew with too many!  I have antiques - my Singer 201 and Singer 221.  They are my workhorse (201) and travel machine (221).  I do my main sewing on a Bernina 530.  I quilt for myself and others on my longarm - I have an APQS Millennium.  So, if you need something quilted, let me know!

Hive six block for Julia I

I am one of the Julia's from hive six, and this is my block for the other Julia:

I am not very good at making wonky blocks because they end up looking kind of the same :(

Hopefully Julia can mix these up with the other beauties made by our other fabulous bee mates :)

As far as fabrics, I love color and monochromatic prints. I am not very good at knowing the names of everything I use. 

That's all for now!

Julia 

Hive 2 July block

I really enjoyed making these flags and this is one of those blocks where the first one takes a few minutes, but the second one goes super fast.  
We've had a busy fun summer starting with having our home on the Garden tour in early June which was a ton of work to make everything pretty, but we sure are enjoying it all now.  I drove 500 miles to Savannah to drop my son at a college program there (SCAD), and that was fun and Savannah is beautiful, but crazy humid in July.  August brings up a week at the lake in New Hampshire, and a week at the Ocean in Maryland.  In between all the fun, I've had work trips to MA, PA and CA keeping me busy.
On a related note, my son wants to be an Industrial Design major, and he picked the fabrics/colors for these blocks.  He is really good with fabric colors and the first thing he asked about these blocks is if it should be complementary colors, and by that he is talking about the color wheel which he knows better than I do.
-Jennifer

July Hive 4 Block for Pam

This is Renae from hive four. This month Pam asked us to make a wonky scrappy cross block for quilts for her grandsons. I decided that they were so quick and simple to make, I would make two of each color. I hope they work well for your quilts! I did not trim the blocks down, I wanted you to be able to trim them in a way that worked best for you.

Pam's question was "Where do you shop?" I love going to a brick and mortar store so I can touch the fabric, but I love the convenience of online shopping too. I love shopping at Crimson Tate when I visit Indianapolis and I also love Hawthorne Threads.

Hive 8 July Block for Karyn

The end of July already?! Where do the days go? 

I hope everyone is having a great summer!

Amanda

Finished Quilt "up north at the cabin"

Stash Bee April 2015 Hive 8

2015,Stashbee,hive8,finished quilt

I am so excited to see my stash bee quilt for 2015 all done and ready for gifting!! 

My original plan was for 12 cabins and larger sashing but the ladies in my hive were so generous!! I received more than the 11 blocks planned. So that idea was scrapped a new design undertaken and wallah!

But what did remain from the original plan was the handquilting using #8 Pearl cotton. I just love how fast the quilting goes with those big stitches and I adore the results!! 

As for the backing fabric I used two different cabin in the woods themed flannels that I pieced. It was so warm to sit under and quilt! Maybe not such a great July plan?!?!

My label is on but that I can't show because this is a surprise gift. Spoilers dearie 😄

It's all packed up and waiting for its recipient!

And finally a huge shout out to the wonderfully talented sewists of hive 8 for helping me create this family treasure. 

Melodee 

Hive 4 July block

Laura here.  Pam has the blocks I made but I had not posted them yet.  Even though blue is a favorite color, I find I have very little blue in my stash, but with children that are Clemson fans, I do have orange.  Both blocks are alike and I found it difficult to line up the strips.  After some quality time with "Jack the Ripper" I think I finally figured it out.

Pam asked where we bought our fabric.  Since I have to drive 50+ miles to get to a brick and mortar store, my fabric is mostly purchased online from The Intrepid Thread, Fatquarter Shop, Hawthorne Threads and Quilthome.  They all have great customer service and have been helpful when it comes to color matching fabrics.

All the Little Birdies

Hi, Jane here, aka Current Girlfriend. Sewing Mary's Bird blocks was sew much fun! I had such a good time that I sewed a whole flock, some to keep, some for gifts and 3 for Mary. I decided that the personalities come out in the beaks and the legs, so I tried some variations.

Spotted Grosbeak

Starry House Wren

Buttercup Bunting

Here is a photo of my flock:

I ran out of the wire print in the top row, so I borrowed the idea from the tutorial to use sky fabric. Those blocks will be for me. I think any low volume print would work for the background, and I want to try lots of different fabrics now that I have "bird flu".

Mary's question is what am I passionate about. Of course quilting and sewing, I do that every single day. Sewing is my happy place. But my passion is healing. Emotional, Spiritual, Physical. I was a nurse for 25 years. I have done a lot of personal work on my own healing. I never promote my abilities, but rather live by example. My latest healing endeavor has been to apprentice and become an herbalist. It gives me a lot of joy to work with the local plants.

Hive 3

I have three Babylocks the newest is the Tiara ii and I am still learning.

Hive 2 July Block for Kristen

Well, they're finished! I hope everything is flipped correctly following the tutorial but I don't have the heart to check into it too closely! Thank goodness Kristen mentioned several times that she likes wonky!
As to summer, mine has been busy with grandkids and family and enjoying time spent in the lake that we live on. No big travel plans as the trip to Quiltcon in Austin, Texas last February was my yearly splurge. And it was well worth it!

Sue

Hive 8 July Block

This is my attempt at the book shelf blocks for Karyn, hope you like them!

Karyn and I were in the same Hive last year, so this will be my second addition to her quilt!  I think it will be a fabulous quilt!

Bonnie

July {Hive 6}

Hello there! Just taking a quick second to check in about July's Hive 6 block. This month Julia asked us all to make up some wonky stars. These little guys are only 5 inches square and super cute! I couldn't resist making up some extras! 

Julia also asked us what's our fabric guilty pleasure.  Mine is low volume prints and solids, with some polka dots and geometric prints mixed in. 

Chelsea @ Patch the Giraffe

July Block for Hive 4

Andrea here. What a fun time I had making these blocks for Pam! I love using scraps and improvising when quilting. And orange and blue are my favorite colors- Go Gators!

Honestly, I don't buy a lot of fabric ::gasp:: I try to use what I have and only buy when I am absolutely in love. When I shop it's at our local quilt shop- Stitch Craft in Boca Raton. Occasionally I buy on Etsy.

Hope you like the blocks Brenda!

July Block for Julia - Hive #6

Hello!

Julia asked our hive to make wonky star blocks this month. This is one of my favorite blocks to make, and I love her color palette! I've been doing a lot of improv and wonky piecing lately, so this block was right up my alley.

Julia asked us which type of fabric we find ourselves buying the most of. Lately, I've been buying a lot of solids and some basic prints that fit in with a lot of things, like Alison Glass' sunprints and Lizzy House. I love saturated colors, and I like to buy things that will fit in with the rest of my stash.

I really like the colors that Julia chose for her blocks, and I can't wait to see them all together!

Happy Saturday!

July block for Sarah, Hive #1

Thanks, Sarah, for a fun block! It was a great block to make and I'm sure your quilt will be bright and cheerful once assembled. This will go in the mail on Monday.

As for our WIP's, my oldest is a Gypsy Wife quilt that I started a while back.  It just stopped speaking to me and so I put it away for a while.  However, I just recently pulled it all out and put it back on my design wall to start anew.  I've always felt compelled to finish things. I have found, though, that as I quilt longer, it's more about the process.  This has allowed me to step back when needed while I muse on a project.  Hopefully, this will create quilts with more depth.

Stash Bee, Hive 2, July

I must admit I laughed when I opened my email for July, Kristen had asked for a quilted version of the Union Jack. I laughed because I live in N Ireland, and in July there is an abundance of Union Jacks. Some folks would say there is an abundance, or maybe even not enough,  some folks would say an over abundance, it depends on what side of the fence you sit on. We have my flag and your flag, his flag and her flag, our flag and your flag.

Day 1
And so I began to make my very own Union Jack. My first version was to be traditional colours, red, white and blue.

 

The combined flags of England, Scotland, Wales and N Ireland. And fiendishly difficult it turned out to be too. Like all things that is a contradiction in terms. I have made squares which have been more fiddly, that have been more difficult, yet this was fiddly and difficult enough. The first one turned out to have one quadrant upside down. I know Kristen said she didn't mind this, she was happy with wonky. But, I felt honour where its due, the Union Jack will be done the traditional way. Got it all finished, feeling rather pleased. Just one thing, Molli Sparkles, whose tutorial Kristen used, says flip the fabric rather a lot. I was saying flip rather a lot myself.

Day 2
I began my second Union Jack in non traditional colours. Red, white and purple. This is when I realised that the purple was to be stitched in 0.5" at one end and 0.25" at the other end. No biggie. No biggie indeed. It just means the stripes are slightly low in the flag, but a galloping horseman etc etc.
I found the second flag, or fleg, as we pronounce it made up much quicker.  Oops, the right hand quadrant is upside down again. This time I left it.

Day 3
To balance out the mistake in the others, I thought I would make a third fleg. A rather fetching pink, white and green number. I think this worked out ok, after I sewed one half on the wrong way.  Maybe we should adopt this as our new flag. Rather funny, Kristen and I had had a little laugh on IG about things being the wrong way round and inside out, and I came home from work to discover I had had my t shirt on inside out all day. For the second time in recent years.

For the photo opportunity I bought my very own Union Jack in the pound shop. I laid them all out on the floor, was going to use the caption "spot the difference" or as they used to say in Sesame Street, "one of these is different". I thought the flag pole/stick looked better on the left, so flipped the flag over. Duh...... The three squares are facing the right way, the actual flag is reversed. How was I to know the Union Jack isn't reversible!

Hopefully Kristen won't think you can have too much of a good thing, as three of these flags will be winging their way to her on Monday morning. The other one I will hold on to, might be useful some time .............anyone going to a flag protest? I'm just wondering .......... will I have to get permission from the Parade's Commission to walk to the post office with my parcel of three flags?


And where do I sit on the flag/fleg issue? On the fence of course. Not on the pointy end of the flag pole anyhow, far too uncomfortable.

PS On a Saturday afternoon in Belfast the visitors are surprised to see the flag protestors, the goths and the gospel singers all queuing up at the City Hall to take their turn to congregate.

Hive 9: July Blocks for Tiffany

Hi, all, Shauna here. Today I'm going to show you the blocks I made for Tiffany. She asked that we either do a 5 pointed star block or a nine patch block. Being a native Texas girl, that star just jumped out at me. I just I had read all of her instructions. I did it the old fashioned way and had more trouble with it than if I had followed her lead.  But I love how it looks, and I had fun going through all of my reds and creams.

Sorry the lighting is so bad, but I just can't seem to get it right. The reds are really more red than this photo shows. I also did a nine patch block for her. I have lots of grays in my stash because I'm working on a quilt with grays and low volume fabrics. I think the hardest thing for me to find in my stash for these were the cream/tan fabrics. I did manage to eek out enough.

Now Tiffany's question was have I always lived in the same area. My answer is yes. I live in the same town where I was born, and have lived my whole life within about 20 mile range. My parents lived in the same house for over 45 years, and I guess I inherited that trait of not liking to move. Now I've traveled and love visiting other places, but home has always been the same area.

Hive 4 July Block

July block for Brenda, Hive 4.  What a fun project! Pulling out bits and pieces of this and that and not worrying about if they 'match' or not. Fun in my book!  I'm sorry, but I didn't have any orange at all in my stash - just not one of the colors that has crept into my closet.  Hope this will go together with the others.

As for fabric shopping? Where don't I shop?  I love to visit our LQS, the Sun Valley Fabric Granary, and also every quilt shop along the way when we travel. You just never know what will strike your fancy. I do a lot of online shopping, too, and Green Fairy Quilts, Hawthorne Threads, Pink Castle, Cotton Bliss, Southern Fabric, and probably more, are my favorites. LOVE free shipping.

Barb Neiwert
Mountain Quiltworks

Hive 8 July Bookshelf Block

Happy Summer!!

The heat and humidity are finally really kicking in here in Western Wisconsin and I am enjoying staying comfy in my home sewing today!!

We were asked to make a bookshelf block, 16. 5 inches high, however wide we wanted to make it. I don't know about you, but my kitties like to get into my bookshelf so I thought I would share a piece of my life and my bookshelf with you.

I also really enjoyed searching my selvage stash to find what represented book titles to me and I hope our July queen enjoys it. I always enjoy a good book myself, wish I had more time for enjoyable moments of leisure myself for books. 

we were asked what is a tool that we really love. I would have to say it is those little sticky leather dots that I can put on my finger that act as thimbles. When I hand sew/bindings they sure do a great job protecting my fingers and are very sticky and reusable. 

Well, enjoy the Robins singing as they will leave us soon. And enjoy the warm weather as it is so fleeting, at least in this part of the world. :) 

July Hive 4 Block for Pam

Hi its Amanda from Hive 4. This month Pam asked us to make wonky scrappy cross blocks in orange or blue for a quilt she is making for her grandsons.

She also asked where we shop. I do a little of local shopping and online shopping. I shop locally at Cary Quilting Company. Online I have shopped from Pink Castle, Hawthorne Threads, Stash Fabrics and Pile of Fabric. 

Hive 5 July Block

Hi, again. It's Liz. I love the color scheme that Kelly chose this month.

Kelly asked us what one tool is helpful for a new quilter. I love my Creative Grids ruler - I find them so easy to keep straight and steady.

Hive 9 July Block

HIVE 9 JULY BLOCK 

FOR TIFFANY

    Tiffany asked us to make either a paper pieced Star block, or a 9-Patch block to help her finish a quilt for friends that helped her move.  I thought that was a lovely idea and had fun making both of them! 

Tiffany's question was about if we had moved often or stayed put most of our lives.  Well, I'm a combo I guess.  I've always lived in Michigan, within the same 50 miles or so, but I've moved 8 times, 4 of them within the last 10 years.  Hopefully I'm done for awhile!  

Thanks Tiffany for a some great blocks this month!

Hive 3 July Blocks

Hi, Here are my blocks for Martina. I had fun with these, finding a lot of summery colors. The foundation paper is newsprint packing paper which worked out well. The blocks are still a little over-sized, so you can trim them as needed.

My machine is a Viking Designer I. Overall, it's a great machine. The needle up, adjustable feed dogs, and selection of stitches are great features. What I don't like - I should have taken the free classes when I purchased the machine. I feel like there are a lot of features that I don't take advantage of. Also,the needle position is not fully adjustable.

My dream machine would be a machine with a longer throat, and another lighter machine for taking to retreats and classes. Also, I would like to have 2 separate machines, so I could leave one set up for FMQ, and one for piecing. But overall, I'm pretty satisfied, so I'll stick with my current machine for a while.

Happy Summer!!

~ Laura

Union Jack blocks for Kristen

Hi!

I completed these blocks for Kristen almost 2 weeks ago and can't believe I never posted them. I just walked in my sewing room and found them still on my design wall! (My schedule has been so crazy that I haven't walked into my sewing room since making these. I honestly thought I mailed them ages ago.)

This was a challenging block but I love the results when it's all done. Scant quarter inch seams get me every time. When I remember to move my needle over a tick, the sewing goes well. Unfortunately, I had a little unpicking to do on that first block. The second one was SO much easier to do once I had the hang of it. I know this is going to be a fun quilt!

This summer, I am going to be very busy with work. As an online teacher, my schedule is the opposite of traditional teachers because we get the most enrollments in the summer. In the fall, we can relax a bit more and that's when I take my vacations.

Hive 1 Catchup!

Jennifer here, later than planned.  I'm now caught up, both blocks will go out in evening post!  One I loved, one I still don't feel is fabulous, but is the best I could do after many attempts.

Hive 7 - birdy block

I love this little bird, I actually made some a year or so ago for my mother in law, and made it into a table topper.  I cannot wait to see them all together!

I am not real creative with names, but I called this one a small beaked purple peacock.  

My life long passion is quilting.  I haven't been doing it all my life, but it's what I would rather do now than anything else.  I used to love to read, but it's difficult to run a sewing machine and read a book at the same time, so I have taken to audio books to be able to listen while I sew.  

July block for Karyn- Hive 8

Bookcase block for Karyn

This was such a fun block to make.  I have it on my to do list, but heaven only knows when I'll get around to working on it.  Thank you for the gentle push to get me to build at least one of these blocks.

I hope this block is what you had in mind.  I just love to have tiny figurines on my bookshelves and this quilting angel looks to me like she fits right in here.  Hopefully this block meets with your approval and feel free to disassemble as needed.

Sorry about the lack of a cropped photo.  Technical difficulties with my brain. The block is hanging over a painting in my breakfast nook.  The block does not have a frame.

You asked about our favorite tool.  Well, I love making flying geese and usually use a method by Eleanor Burns.  The older style rulers were smaller and were difficult to keep properly oriented. She has just come out with a new cutting ruler called Calling All Geese.  This new ruler is super simple to use and the geese are all perfectly cut.  Love, love my new flying geese ruler.

Hive 6 July Blocks

Lets start by cheering.... I am on time ( actually early !)

I love a wonky star. I am a huge improv girl so always lean towards the wonky blocks.

I had an issue with two blocks though but thought if I change them takes away from their wonkiness.

These lovelies are one their way.

The question was what is our favorite fabric. Because I like improv I am a scrap hoarder. I try and buy bulk scraps as well from various sellers. So I have a huge selection. If I had to choose one designer it would be Leah Duncan.

July block for Kelly

JULY BLOCK FOR KELLY


Hey Kelly finished my blocks for you and really enjoyed making them.  I used a lot of  Fresh Cut material since I knew you liked that line.  I love the quilt these blocks make up from your example picture and can't wait to see yours finished.  I mail these out 2 days ago so they should be arriving soon.

To answer your question, my favorite tool is all the multiple size rulers and templates I have.  When you have the exact size what a pattern calls for it makes it so much easier and all your block should be uniform and then go together much easier.