Hive 2, January 2016

 Hello Hive 2! I am SO excited to be your Hive Mama this year! This is my 3rd year as a Stash Bee participant, after watching for an additional 2 years. The first 2 years I knew exactly what I wanted, and boy, was I SUPER happy with the results! This year was different...I had to really stop and think about what I wanted.

I love to have each personality shine through, I love variety.....

There are several blogs I follow (as I'm sure we all have our favorites). I wish I could say I have time to really follow the ones I love like I'd like to, but with a 3.5 YO little man, a 5 YO princess that we home-school, a full-grown son that has given me a beautiful grandson, a husband, a part-time job, 2 dogs, 3 cats & any number of foster dogs at any given time (and a partridge in a pear tree......) ....there's not a lot of time to follow the blogs I'd love to read daily. However, I do make the time to peek in from time to time.....

I was SO excited when I saw the following Scrappy Rainbow Star from Melissa Corry at Happy Quilting. I've followed her for quite a while, but I'd missed this one until I was poking around.

http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/2012/12/scrappy-rainbow-star-tutorial.html

This is an amazing tutorial and there is NO point to me reinventing the wheel when Melissa has done such a fantastic job!

For the background feel free to use a low volume, or a white on white through a creamy white or a combination of all. The goal is scrappy, but I want the star to POP! Please no grays as I'll be adding an additional setting block that will include gray.

This is a great chance to scrap-bust and use those bitty pieces. The scrappier the better.....just make sure each blade of the star reads the main color when you are done.

For anyone who is curious, this is my setting block:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51787081@N05/9025697482/in/pool-1507657@N24/
or
 http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/2013/05/star-value-tutorial-for-between-heaven.html

I'll be doing the centers scrappy to match the stars & using a variety of gray. They show it as part of the original block, but I'll just make them separate and set them in (unless I make stars of all different sizes...... I never know for sure what I'm going to end up with until it's about halfway done, a happy accident makes up my mind, or it does it's own thing!).

I'm looking forward to getting to know you ladies throughout the coming year! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me!

I'd love to know more about you ladies. I guess since I'm the hive mama, I get to ask a bunch of nosey questions?

1. Do you have kids? If so, how many/ages
2. Do you work outside the home?
3. Do you buy fabrics because of the designer or because you fall in love with them?
(I'm not a "label" shopper, mainly because I just can't be at this point, but do find that there are several designers heavily represented in my stash = happy accident!)
4. Please share your favorite blogs that you follow
(I'll be sharing mine throughout the year, this post has one, if no one shares the others on my list, I'll keep adding to the list).
5. How often do you get into your sewing room? Do you find certain seasons easier than others?
6. How long have you been sewing/quilting?

Okay.... I have a ton more I'd like to know...maybe throughout the year we will have little share-a-thons.

I am SEW excited! (Yes, I'm a dork with bad puns....you can groan, as long as you are smiling!)

Can't wait to see what the mailman brings!!!

Karyn

Finished quilt Hive 4 2015

Just a quick note - wanted to share these pictures of the finished quilt.  My mom loves it!

Thank you all so much!!
 

Angel block for Rose Hive 9

This block is a angel block for rose in hive 9. I hope it will go great with the blocks you already have.

 

It is on its way to you.

HIVE 4 2015 FINISHED QUILTS

This year was my first year doing the stash bee. I have really enjoyed making everyone blocks and getting out of my comfort zone. during my month I ask for  a criss cross scrappy block in either orange or blue. These blocks went into  quilts for my grandsons because their mom who had passed away loved orange and blue.  My hive went out of their  way and made extra blocks for me so that I did not have to add to many of my own. I would like to thank everyone from Hive 4 who made my blocks. I have attached the pictures below with my 2 grandson. Thanks again.

End of 2015, Start of 2016!

Hello all!

As today is December 1st, the 2015 round of the bee is now done -- if you have outstanding blocks, please get those made and mailed ASAP.

Today also marks the unofficial start of the 2016 round! I have sent out hive assignments to about half of the hives and will be sending out the hive assignments to the remaining hives later today or tomorrow.

2015 participants: if you are not participating in 2016, your blog permissions have been removed. Please email pics of your blocks to your Hive mama and Queen Bee.

The new 2016 participants are also being added as authors, so a gentle reminder is in order.

Do not post ANYTHING on the blog that is not a finished block, a finished quilt, or a Queen Bee's tutorial relating to the Stash Bee. Extemporaneous posts WILL be immediately deleted.

UPDATE:
If you did not receive an email telling you who is in your hive and what hive number you are in, you are currently on the waiting list.  We had nearly 150 people sign up and only 99 slots to go around.

November Block for Laura Hive 3

Hi again! Here is Laura's block for November.  Her colors were right up my alley. I love pink! And have the others in scraps, too. Can't wait to see all the blocks in your finished quilt!  After making this block twice, I am thinking I might need to make a few for a quilt of my own.

So, I'm pretty far off from retirement, but I would love a small house by the water, maybe the bay, to enjoy sunsets. And of course it would have an amazing sewing room. I love living living on the east coast on the Jersey Shore.

Happy sewing!  

October block for Bianca Hive 3

Hi all! I know I've been a slacker on posting. But guess what, new computer! Now it gets easier again.

Here is Bianca 's block   I changed my mind on the blue a few times and I am so glad I used this one. This turned out really fun. I can't wait to see it all together. 

Bianca asked what our favorite thing to watch while quilting. I love Project Runway and Face Off as creative shows. Others are Doctor Who and syfy shows. I do love to listen to books on cd or MP3, too. 

Happy sewing! 

November Block for Andrea

Renae from Hive 4 here. Andrea had us make these cute little pumpkins for her block this month.

Andrea asked us our favorite holiday memory. My favorite memory to date is from last Christmas. My husband and I gifted our daughter a big wood Barbie house for Christmas. When she opened up her gift I explained to her that we had to be very sneaky not only in hiding it from her for 3 months, but also by the fact that we had snuck the fully assembled doll house into the car when she was there. Her response was lots of giggling and her proclaiming with great joy "you and Daddy are magic!" I hope that everyone gets to have a magic moment this holiday season! 

Block for Rozsamaria Hive 7

We got to do a quilt valor block for Rozsamaria! I do not usually have these colors in my stash, but I dug really deep and I hope what I have here will work.

This is the only gold and crimson color that I had in my stash. 

The question of the month is: What is your favorite quilt you have quilted for yourself and the second is what is your favorite quilt you quilted for someone else?

I have to say the most favorite thing I have quilted for myself would be a quilt be my halloween quilt that I did and had help with my beehive blocks from The Bees Knees a Quilting Bee. It was super fun to see it come together.

The quilt I made for my husband has to be my favorite so far. Also had help with my bee blocks from the same quitting bee I mentioned up above. I got to surprise him last christmas and it was super fun!

Thanks for you a great year! I'm still trying to finish up my quilt tops I just haven't had a chance to complete yet. :) 

Bev's Block, Hive #1

The end of the month always bring the sounds of deadlines...wooshing by most generally.  But not today! Bev, this block is enroute to you today.  And this brings 2015 to close for me!

November block for Laura

Laura asked us for the Ripple block in pinks/purples and reds and pulling fabric for this was a lot of fun.

 The instructions gave a very generous allowance for trimming which I thought was too much when I last made these blocks so I used 3" squares to start with and got this lovely pile of trimmings when squaring up the half square triangles.

 I tried not to put two colours the same together but somehow managed to do just that when piecing!

 Laura asked us what our retirement plans are.  Honestly I have no clue but living near the atlantic coast and having a few basset hounds around that G and I can walk on the beach with seems pretty good to me!

Finished Stash Bee Quilt Hive 4

My month was last March and I have finally finished my quilt. In August, I went to visit my best friend in Ithaca and we put the top together. She took this photo up at the falls there. 

 I finished quilting it in September but it has been sitting around waiting for the binding. I finally finished and took it up in the mountains when my family went to pick out Christmas trees this past Friday.

My friend's photography skills are definitely better than mine in the rainy, windy  mountains. 

 But Yay! its done and can go on my bed :)

Hive 1 blocks for Lyssa and Bev

Due to extenuating circumstances, I sent both blocks this month. Here are the blocks I made for Lyssa:

I really had a great time highlighting some of her interests.

and for Bev:

Lyssa asked where in my hometown I'd take her if she visited... I live in San Jose, California. We have lots of great hiking around the valley that result in awesome views of the valley. Plenty of great local wineries as well! Specifically, we like Picchetti and Ridge.

Bev, as far as favorite color combination, I'm really excited about my swoon project in navy, lime, teal and aqua (with low volume background). I worked on the fabric pull for quite a while before I decided just what to do with it. It's a slow moving project (giant block with tons of pieces!), but I look forward to having it done. It'll be the largest guest quilt in the house. :-)

It was so much fun participating in Stash Bee this year. A great big THANK YOU to Alison for organizing our hive and the whole group!

-Sarah (Sarah Goer Quilts)

September Blocks for Grace - Hive #9

Hi, this is Christina.  I volunteered to make a few blocks for Grace earlier this month, and only just got to them this weekend.  I hope you like them, Grace.

These were fun and easy to make.  I was able to use my scrap bins for most of the fabric.  Yeah!  Can't wait to see this quilt all put together.

I will have them in the mail for their long journey around the world on Monday.  

TTFN!
Christina

November block for Andrea

Hi everyone!

The last block of the year (tear :( ) is done!  I finished a little while ago, and hopefully Andrea will receive it in the next two days.

These pumpkins are so cute!  I'm excited to see the end result!

For my memory, I grew up in South Carolina (Clemson to be exact) and we would spend Christmas in Ohio with my dad's family every year.  My dad liked to get up early in the morning to leave, so we would always leave at 4 am to make the drive.  We've done this for the last 25 years continuously, and I have lots of fond memories of being awoken early, getting in the car, and leaving in the middle of the night to go to Grandma's house (literally over the hills and through the woods!).  Since I've moved to Connecticut, I haven't been able to make this trip, but those times in the car with my family are precious to me.  Happy holidays everyone!!

Hive 7 November

Yay! Here are my last Stash Bee blocks for the year.  Rozsamaria, I hope these work for you.  I'll send you some of my extra fabrics in case you can use them.  I'm planning on posting them before I go in to work this morning.

As for my favorite quilts ... that's a bit hard.  Most of my quilts have been for other people; I've only actually finished one for "myself" and that was my Stash Bee quilt from last year.  The only reason it is done is because I sent it out to Heather to be quilted.  It lives on my sewing room couch and I have to fight my kids for it when I actually want to lounge around.

I guess the ruffle quilt I made for Sarah's birthday a couple of years ago would be another favorite.  It's not pieced, but it is loved and it makes me smile every time I see her drag it off her bed and into another room to snuggle.

Hive 4 June Quilt Top

Hello Everyone,
This is Diana from Red Delicious Life. I wanted to share my finished quilt top for Hive 4 before the end of this year's bee. I was queen in June and couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out. Maybe it's just the light from the windows behind me but it reminds me of a stained glass window.

With the holidays in full swing, I'm giving myself lots of time to finish it. My goal is to be snuggling under it by New Year's Eve.

Hive 2 November block for Helen

Here goes with my last block of the year - courthouse steps, with a strip of selvedge for Helen.

Helen asked what we do when we make mistakes: my answer is find a way to make it work.  I don't think I've ever abandoned a project and because I'm making it up as I go along it usually seems to come together in the end.

November block for Bev

Happy Thanksgiving to all the U.S. Participants! For those elsewhere, It's a great time to think of the many things for which we have o be grateful . On that note, I am grateful that each of you shared fabric, time, thoughts and ideas with me this year. Thank you for letting me be a part of the hive. It was a great experience!

To answer Bev's question, my favorite color combinations for quilts change with my mood and the season as well as for whom I'm making a quilt. Sometimes I like brights, sometimes I like hues with more charcoal in them.  Red is probably the color I use the least.

Bev, your blocks were mailed 2 days ago. Enjoy your new home in Oklahoma! Lyssa

Hive 1 blocks for Bev

Hi Bev! This is Alison and here are three blocks for you! I made them out of the scraps from the Wallflowers line!

Hive 4 November Block for Andrea

Yay! I posted this on time :) This month's block for Andrea was quick, easy and cute. She asked for pumpkins. These are literally the only orange fabrics I own so I hope she like them! Andrea asked us our favorite holiday memory. My favorite memory is every year my family drives to the mountains in NC and picks out our Christmas trees. We are all adults now but still go every year. My mom always has to get a huge tree (like 12-13 feet). I always enjoy watching my dad and brother wrestling to get the tree indoors. Fun for me, maybe not so fun for them :)

Hive 9 November Block for Erin

The first half of November totally got away from me, but this morning I was finally able to sit down and do your block Erin. It came together nicely thanks to the lovely little ruler you sent to each of us.

Then in my rush to post your block, I forgot to take a picture of it. <eye roll>

My cat, Spooky provides the visual.  He is ever willing to share his opinion of the humans that serve him. In this shot he is letting me know that I can at least show you the fabrics I used, so here is a snap of them.

November Blocks for Erin - Hive 9

It is so hard to believe that this year's bees are almost done. I've had a great time and love the blocks that our hive got to do this month. I've always been a fan of rainbows and rainbow colored quilts and I can't wait to see what Erin does with these blocks.

I want to thank her for the wonderful fabric she sent (and she was very generous) and the great little ruler. I had just started a project where that ruler was a big help!!! Plus I think this is my favorite block this year, just because it was so bright and cheery.

The pattern basically makes two blocks and they go together very quickly.  I think this is going to go onto my to do list, and maybe in rainbow colors.  Here are my blocks. They went into the mail this morning, so hopefully they will arrive very soon.

Now for Erin's question, What experience have you had that initially seemed like it would be a great burden in your life but ultimately it transformed your life in a way that you are now grateful for? I've been very blessed in my life, but in 2006 I had to make some dramatic changes in my life. My parents started having some severe health issues and it became clear that they wouldn't be able to live independently for much longer. So I sold my home, their home and my sister and I bought a house together and moved them in with us. It was hard, but I know that it made the last years of their lives so much easier/better. And I was blessed to know that I gave back to them for all the wonderful things they gave me as a child.

Bee Block for Bev

we made these great blocks for Bev this month -- I sure hope that she loves them. 

This was a great way to end the year -- can't wait to see how we start 2016. 

Julia's Block for November - Orange you glad!

Brrr....Its starting to get cold outside and its a good a time as any to stay in and sew....  For this month Julia (#2) has asked us to get our orange on!  I love Orange but have struggled on how to use my stash of it...so this was a perfect opportunity to dig in and find some fun prints.

this was a nice simple block but has infinite possibilities.  I made one for me and one for Julia...  My sampler quilt is going to be funky!!!!  I'm using my blocks that I made duplicates of from my Stash bee experience as well as the Bee Hive.... So many blocks and color choices.

Julia asked what was your favorite part of participating in the bee? As this was the first bee I've participated in....I loved it all.  I loved getting to know everyone's personalities by their fabric and pattern choices.  I can't wait to see the finished products of this years bee.  Can we post our finished projects after this year ends?  I hope so.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Tori

November Hive 4 block for Andrea

Laura here with Andreas's pumpkin blocks, take# 1.  Yes, I had to remake them after I re-read the directions and noticed that I had trimmed them to 8".  No worries, they are quilted and waiting for binding and will make the most adorable pot holders for Thanksgiving.  Andrea, yours are similar but I forgot to take a new picture of take #2 before sealing them in the envelope. 

My favorite holiday memory is going to get a Christmas tree with my brothers.  We surprised our parents who were traveling home from my dad's stay in the hospital two hours from home.  Little did we know that we had chosen the proverbial "Charlie Brown tree" as the needles began dropping on the packages under the tree a few days after we put it up.  We took it down and got another one because we could not turn the lights on for fear of fire. We still talk about it years later when we are together.

HIve 7 -- November finish!!

It's hard to believe we've finished year together.  It's been fun to make blocks for everyone and to get all those lovely birds you made for me (still waiting for their turn on the work wall).

 

Here are the final two blocks -- for Christina -- she is make a Quilt of Valor.

It's an easy block to piece and as I was looking at it on the work wall, I got to thinking it will be fun to experiment with the layout -- seems like there would be some interesting variations!

 

 

She asked us what was our favorite quilt we've made for someone else -- a picture helps -- this is one of three quilts I made for my adult children last Christmas with some help from their great, great grandmother!! 

I told the story of the blocks and the quilts last winter on my blog -- read it HERE!

 

And the favorite that I've made for myself -- much harder question.  It's always the one I'm working on at the moment, but I have to say this scrappy tumbling block I made while developing the script for my DVD, Set-In Piecing Simplified is pretty special.  My favorite part of this quilt is that it has such a wide variety of fabrics -- a good scrapbook of my deep, deep fabric stash!!

 

 Being part of Hive 7 has been a pleasant experience.  I'm sitting out 2016 -- too far behind on too many things. 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. 

Mary Huey

www.maryhueyquilts.blogspot.com