Hive 8 August Tutorial

Happy August, bee mates!  The weather  is hot, the kids are going back to school, I turn 35, and I am your Queen, Queen Lee of Central Connecticut.

We are going for fun , quick and easy this month, with some slashing and sewing.  I missed out on that gorgeous washi tape fabric from a couple years ago.  I can't find it, I want it, and y'all are going to help me make my own.  

You need: 9 5" or larger squares of dark grey to light black fabric.  Think Kona Steel or darker:

And a pile of strings.   You know those "too skinny to use for anything else" scraps you've been hoarding?  Well, now you can use them.  Don't have any?  Okay, weirdo, cut a bunch of bright fabric that contrasts well with your grey about 1 inch wide by about 4 or more inches.

Construction:

Take a grey square with a string RST and sew a quarter inch in on the side you plan on slashing. Then cut along the edge of the string. Press open. 

Take the grey piece that you cut off when slashing and lay it RST on top of the sewn in string.  Especially if you have a 5 inch square, be careful with placement, as we want these to remain 5 inches square when finished.  If you have opted to start with a larger square, then there is more leeway for trimming the square down.

Sew that bad boy down and press as before.  Want to add another string?  Cool, me too.  Rinse, lather, and repeat:

Make nine of these blocks, squaring them all up to 5".  You may choose to make the background greys scrappy or use a single fabric.  You may choose to add one or two strings to each five inch square.

Finished block with a single fabric:

Here is a finished block with different grey background fabrics:

To be honest I like the single background fabric better, but once all the blocks are pieced, I think they will all come together nicely. 

Let's have a Q&A:  is there a fabric or fabric line that you missed out on that you wish you hadn't?

Happy sewing bee mates!