Hive 3 May Stash Bee Tutorial

Celtic Family Ties

I fell in love with the Celtic Family Ties quilt shown in Quiltmaker March/April 17. http://www.quiltmaker.com/patterns/details.html?idx=26122  I started making some blocks and it was so much fun   These are my first blocks I created.  

I thought I would love to get my Stash mates in on the project.  I contacted quilt designer Maria Umhey from Montana and she gave me permission to share this with you.She made a picket fence border and it really is stunning.  But I’m not going that route.   The larger project is also available as a digital pattern from Quiltmaker.  

Fabric:
Choose 4 happy, fun fabrics that you love and that play nicely with each other.   

Pop color, four happy ones and white.  

I have gotten glimpses into your stash on Instagram, so I know you have really cute fabrics. I want a scrappy happy look, so no color parameters from me.   I love all colors, I love novelties, I love patterns, I love geometrics, I love metallic,  I love fabric!  I don’t have many batiks in my stash, but I’m good with that as well.  I really hope you will choose from varying fabric lines so that your final block shows a range of designs and colors. 

A.  From each happy fabric, you need a 2” strip by <20” ….so across the width of a Fat Quarter is plenty.
B.   Now choose a solid, or looks like a solid that really pops or is totally unexpected or that makes you go “What!!!!”  Tone on tone is good, or small designs. Again, a 2’inch strip from a fat quarter is plenty.
C.  Background fabric:  white, cream, ivory, taupe.    Whatever is on top of your neutral pile.  Again, could be tone on tone.  Total needed is 22 inches, so a 2” strip Width of Fabric is more than enough. 

Cutting:

                From each of the four 2” strips of happy fabrics cut:

One (1)      2” square

Two (2)      2 x 5” rectangles

One  (1)     2 x 6 ½“ rectangle
 Keep the remainder of these strips handy for a leader/ender if you would like. 

                From the solid Pop of Color:

Four (4)     2 x 3 ½“ rectangles

I don't know what made this picture so dark,  chalk it up to operator failure.

  

                White Background Fabric

Four (4)       2 x 2” squares

Four (4)      2 x 3 ½” rectangles

Sewing: 

                What made this fun is to challenge yourself to chain piecing at your very best.  Can you keep a chain going all through the block?  I admit I initially made some placement errors and had to clip my chain, but finally was able to keep it in one long chain with only one “leader/ender” in between the last two sections. Of course, use a 1/4 " seam and press to dark.  

                Sew a background square onto the solid Pop of Color, repeat for 3 more times.

              Keep those under the needle.    Sew a “happy” square onto the white background rectangle.  Repeat for each happy color.

                Clip the first seven pairings and leave the last one as a Leader/ender.  Press toward dark.

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                Sew the two pieces together, keeping the pop of color on the bottom right hand corner.Repeat for all colors

                As soon as you sew one pair together, you can clip the previous pairing, press and join it to the rotation. 

                Next add a happy 5” rectangle to the matching pair and keep the pop on the bottom corner.  

Repeat and keep going like a log cabin with the second 5” rectangle along the left side and the final 6 ½” rectangle on the bottom.

 When you are down to only 4 small blocks you may want to use a scrap of leftover strips as a leader/ender.

Lay out the 4 blocks keeping the “pop” of color in the center, join like you do a  four patch with a leader/ender between the last seam if you would like to.  If you sew your scraps from the happy fabric end to end, you could send that along with your block and I might use it for borders.

Can’t wait to see your fabric choices and how successful you were with the chain.

Susan

Oh, here’s another request.  Snap a picture from your sewing space door so we can see where we all create our masterpieces. 

My space doubles as a garden room, card room or a party room, depending on the week.  Don’t straighten, don’t organize, just snap a picture on the day you sew this block.