Hive 4 Block for Carolyn

It took me a while this month, but the block is done, and has already been received!

Looking forward to October!

Meredith

Hive 1 block for Kathy

Hi Hive 1

Rose here with my fun blue block. 

This was a great block, I cut out my blocks and was ready to make my block when I pulled my back out. That darn flower bed. 

I have not been able to sit at the sewing machine for over 2 weeks. 

My wonderful daughter, Carolyn , came to my rescue. She is in hive 4 and she made my block for me. She is my Angel. 

Hope you like it. Enjoy!

Hive 4

I finished the block!  A bit later than normal, but it got out in the mail yesterday.  I think I made this one last year too...I tried changing up some of the fabrics but I don't have a huge selection.

Hive 1 block for Kathryn

I have had Kathryn's block done since the beginning of the month. 


Unfortunately, before I could get it packed up and shipped I got some kind of intestinal virus and was laid up.


But, it is now in the mail to Kathryn.


This was another "new to me" block but it was fun to make.

Kathryn's block










I hope it works well with your other blocks.


Sherry V.

September for Carolyn, Hive 4

I'm having deja vu!

I'm excited to see Carolyn's finished quilt, and to put together my own quilt out of these cute blocks!

So happy to be able to participate in this great bee!  We're almost to the finish line!  Going in the mail (from WA state where I am visiting my best friend and her seven week old baby boy) today.   :)

Another great cause!

Kathie is making blocks to make a quilt for a child at Camp Erin--for children who experience bereavement!

My package went out in the mail to you on Friday, so you should get it early this week.
I look forward to your finished quilt!
Liz

Fun to make this again, and practise my flying geese. :) It will be in the mail on Monday morning. Hopefully it doesn't get caught in the possible Canada Post strike.

Enjoy!

Carolyn's block

Finally got this posted. I did make it at retreat last weekend. Hope you like the combination of colors.

It had already been folded to mail, sorry.

September Hive 1 block for Kathy

I promise these blocks are white and green.  They are finished and will be in the mail tomorrow.  Hope they work in the quilt you’re making.

Pinwheels for Carolyn

Its like Deja Vu.... happy to make another for you Carolyn.  Tried to make sure I didn't use all the same fabrics as last year.  Had to use a couple of the same mustards because I have very little.

Can't wait to see these pinwheels when they're finished!

Hive 4 geese for Carolyn

What took me so long?  This month has been so busy.  Although we all did this block only a few months ago I still found it difficult.  First, I am not sure my mustards are the right shade, then my dark grays are too dark.  But I think I got the navy right.  Ya hoo........
We are a modern bee but if you look closely you will spy that I sneaked in a couple of vintage fabrics.  I hope you like it Carolyn.  Will be mailed on Wednesday.  Thank you for making me practice sewing the geese.

September Pinwheels for Kathy

Something about pinwheels that make me happy, and these blocks were no exceptions.  The green is a true green even though my camera makes it look limey.  They will be in tomorrow’s mail.

Hive 1 September block

          I have spent a rainy day in my sewing room.  (Thank you, Florence.)  This block was a fun distraction.  I thought of making a block with cats and and another with dogs in honour of the rain, but my fabrics weren't blue or green.  My frogs, though....

          I hope you're able to use these!

~Kathy

Hive 4 - finished quilt

I finished the quilt from my hive this year and I love it!

My hive was awesome; they got me all the blocks in time to get the quilt out to the baby.  It arrived on their doorstep the same day the baby came home.  I saw a picture of him on it and he wasn't even two blocks tall.

More details can be found here: https://fabricengineer.blogspot.com/2018/09/stash-bee-2018.html

September - Hive 1 - for Kathie

This one was fun!  More HSTs - by the end of this year I might actually like them  :)

Think these will look great together.

Hope you like!

August - Hive 1 - for Kathy

So at the risk of cracking up (pretty sure I'd already posted these pics - but looks like they vanished into the ether!),

Blocks for Kathy.

I have to say I didn't look forward to this one, too many HST for me - but really pleased with the challenge and the new way to do things!

Hope you like!

Jo....

September Block for Hive 1

I had a really, really hard time settling on a fabric for these fun pinwheels.  I finally settled on one of my favorite batiks.  I love this one because it reminds me of light shimmering through the trees in a forest.  Enjoy!

September for Kathy

Here is my block, quickly cut out and easily made too! A real winner of a pattern.

September Block for Kathie

I was so excited to make this block when I saw the tutorial. It's just so fun and was very fast to make. I'm definitely keeping this block in mind for future quilts, maybe even suggesting it for my local guild to make.

I hope you like this one, Kathie!

~ Diana @ Red Delicious Life

Hive 6 September Tutorial: Pam's Improv Spinners and Hourglasses

I impressed myself by sketching my block and making my sample squares in MARCH even though I’m Queen Bee in September.  It's a rarity for me to be so beforehand with any craft project, so YAY ME.  

Completed block

I wanted to come up with something easy, scrappy, and modern, and this block fills those requirements.  The 12 ½ inch (unfinished size) block is made of four foundation-pieced units, with triangles sewn and flipped to opposite corners of each unit.  Each unit has one blade of the spinner (a tall pointy right triangle) in one corner and one segment of the hourglass (or quarter-square triangle) block in the opposite corner.  There are no measurements given for the triangles, just eye it. I want a kind of wonky look.  It IS important to have the spinner blades and hourglass corners in the correct orientation on the squares, so the spinners will all spin in the same direction. 

COLORS:  For the foundation squares, use any light neutral or low volume fabrics (preferably no bright white).  To make my four test blocks, I picked out some light gray and stone solids and a few beige and gray low volume prints.  For the spinner blade and hourglass triangles, use a variety of bright modern prints or solids (preferably no batiks).  I was able to use up some odd-shaped scraps for the triangles.

Random bright scraps are good

Neutral solid or low volume background squares

Use up odd sized scraps

HOW TO MAKE: 

FABRICS: To make one block, you’ll need four 6 ½ inch foundation squares of the neutral solid or low volume fabrics, preferably all different fabrics.  If you want to use the same foundation fabric for all four units, that’s fine, just don’t sew them together into a block when you’re done. That way, I can mix and match your units with other ones to get a scrappy random look.  You’ll need a selection of bright scraps for the triangles.

SPINNER BLADES:  For each unit, place one bright scrap over the lower right-hand corner (THIS ORIENTATION IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE SPINNERS GOING THE SAME DIRECTION) of the foundation to make the tall spinner blade.  I placed my scrap face up on the foundation to “rehearse” it to make sure it was more than big enough to cover the corner.  I didn’t want the top of the tall triangle to reach the top of the foundation block, and I wanted the base of the triangle to be a couple of inches wide, but I didn’t measure anything.  Make sure the edge of the scrap that will be sewn down is straight, because you’ll be using that edge (the hypotenuse of the triangle) as your guide when sewing. 

Rehearse to make sure the scrap covers corner

After rehearsing my scrap fabric, I flipped the scrap over, making sure that the ends of the scrap extended at least ¼ inch beyond the foundation, and then sewed the straight edge of the scrap down to the foundation, lining the straight edge of the scrap up with the edge of the presser foot. 

Stitch 1/4" from edge of colorful fabric

After sewing, flip the triangle over and press it towards the corner, then turn the square over to press the back. 

Fold toward corner and press

Trim the excess scrap fabric with the back of the foundation square facing up, trimming evenly with the edges of the foundation.  

Trim wrong side up

DO NOT TRIM THE FOUNDATION FABRIC FROM UNDER THE TRIANGLE.  Leave that in place to give the block stability when sewing the units together. 

Leave foundation fabric in place

One finished spinner blade

HOURGLASS CORNERS:  The hourglass corner triangles are made the same way as the spinner blade triangles, in the opposite corner from the spinner blade.  For the hourglass corners, I aimed for a triangle with two equal sides, but again I didn’t measure, just eyeballed and placed a scrap, then stitched and flipped as with the spinner blade.

Rehearsing hourglass corner

 

Finished blade/hourglass unit

Make four of these units, then sew them together to make one 12 ½ inch block.  If you used the same foundation fabric for all four units, don’t sew them together, so I can combine them with other units to get a variety of foundations in each block.

Four units laid out before sewing

THERE ARE NO MISTAKES:  Despite my rehearsing and eyeballing, some of my scraps did not cover the corner of the foundation.  When that happened (more than once) I just found another small piece of fabric and stitched and flipped it to cover up the naked part of the foundation. 

Oops!

Fixed the mistake

PRESSING:  I found that it was best to press the seams to one side rather than open when sewing the four units together.

LAYOUT:  When I finished making my units, I played around with them to see which ones looked good together, and then sewed them into four blocks for this demo.  I haven’t sewn the four blocks together, but I laid them out to show how the wonky hourglass block is created where four blocks meet. 

I hope you enjoy making this block.  Happy stitching, Hivemates!

Hive 1 September 2018 tutorial

Hello to all my hive mates.  This is my first year participating in the Stash Bee, and I hope it won't be my last.

I live in eastern Pennsylvania with my husband of 25 years.  I'm looking forward to a big family party this fall to celebrate.  I married into a family of 6 kids and 6 grandchildren, and a lot has happened over the last 25 years.  I retired 12 years ago and turned a spare bedroom into a sewing room, and hardly a day goes by that I don't spend some time there.  I chair the community service committee of my guild and sewing for others is one of my passions.  Like several prior Queens, I am going to donate the quilt I make with your blocks.  Each year I make a quilt for a child attending Camp Erin, a summer camping experience for a child that has experienced a bereavement.  Because I don't know if the quilt will go to a girl or boy, I only ask that your fabric choice would appeal to either gender.  Thank you.

Block - I don't know the name of this block, only that it has many pinwheels, so I'll christen it Many Pinwheels. It will be 12-1/2 inches when you send it to me, but will finish at 12 inches when sewn together in the quilt.

Color Theme - Use white (or white on white) along with fabric that is blue or green.  The blue or green can be a solid, a tone-on-tone or a print that from across the room would 'read' as blue or green.

Cutting Directions - 

• 4 by 4 inch squares.  Cut 4 blue/green and 4 white.
• 7 by 7 inch square.  Cut 1 blue/green and 1 white.

Construction -

Step 1 – You'll be making half square triangles out of all of your squares.  Be sure to square them to the correct size before combining them in Steps 2 and 3.

• Pair the 4 inch dark and light squares, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line, and sew one-quarter inch on either side of the line. Cut on the drawn line. Press the seam open and square up to 3-1/2 inch half square triangles.
• Pair the 7 inch dark and light squares, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line, and sew one-quarter inch on either side of the line. Cut on the drawn line. Press the seam open and square up to 6-1/2 inch half square triangles.

Step 2 - Lay out the 3-1/2 inch half square triangles as shown below and sew together to make two 6-1/2 inch pinwheels.  Take care that the color and white parts of your block match the locations as shown below.    The pinwheels should measure 6-1/2 x 6-1/2 inches at this point.

Step 3 - Lay out the 6-1/2 inch pinwheels and the 6-1/2 inch half square triangles as shown below and sew together to make the final block.  Take care that the color and white parts of your block match the locations as shown below.  The block should measure 12-1/2 x 12-1/2 inches at this point, so that it will finish at 12 by 12 inches. 

 

Thank you all for making blocks for me this month.  I'm sure that the combined blocks will make a terrific quilt for some child at next summer's Camp Erin.

Kathie L in Allentown, PA

Hive 2, September Block for Dawn - Modern Trees

Hello Hive 2!  I have a quick and simple block request for September.  It is Modern Trees by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter.  Yes, I am getting ready for the holiday season, but you can save your amazing holiday fabrics for your own projects, the request is for these blocks to be made with a modern bright fabric and a black and white fabric!  (this block also  happened to be the November 2017 VMQG block lotto that I loved so much, but didn't win!)

Here is a link to Amy's step by step tutorial, with added notes and photos by me below.

This tutorial will make me a pair of blocks, they are very quick to make and have minimal waste.

For colours, think BRIGHTS!   Here is a selection of bright colours from my stash, a lot of these are two-toned - but go crazy with multi colour too!

For black and white, please select fabric with a read more on mid to high volume, not a fabric reading as super low volume white.  If you don't have all black and white, please choose something with only a little bit of colour if you can.  Preference is for white, or offwhite background.  I think you get the idea! 

Select your two fabrics for the pair of blocks, with contrast to one another.  I did my best on my sample blocks.  For a pair of blocks you will need:

• one 8.5" x 8.5" square in the bright print, and one 8.5" x 8.5" square in black and white print
• one 2" x 8.5" strip in the bright print, and one 2" x 8.5 strip in the black and white print

(I found it much easier to cut these 10.5 x 8.5, then to sub cut the 2" strip off that piece. Make sense?)

• two 1.5" x 2" pieces in brown solid.  Any brown solid will do, light, dark - whichever suits your fancy.  If you don't have brown solid, maybe a grey?  or tone on tone brown? 

Getting ready to cut the trees, you stack your two 8.5" squares on top of one another as we cut them at the same time.  If you are particular about directional prints, pause and check before cutting. 

Get your improve on, we are going to make just two random cuts!  Think tall, think short, think wonky -
Here is your first:

For your second cut, DO NOT cut your triangle point to the top of the block, leave lots of room for seam allowance.  This is where you can play with height, a tall-ish, or short-ish tree:

 
Now, we sew.  Swap out the tree pieces, with the contracting background pieces.  Sew the tree onto the second cut, making sure to give room for seam allowance at the tip of the tree:

Press.  Then sew the other half of the background on, again hanging the end over to allow for seam allowance. 

Press and then trim the bottom in line with the edge of the tree, like so:  (please do not trim the other sides)

For the tree truck, simply cut your background strip in half (4.25"), and sew the brown piece between the two background pieces.  Yes, in half.  I am going to ask you to center the trunk as best as possible on the tree itself - as the tutorial says there is enough wiggle room that you should be able to center it on the tree.  Close is good enough!  It will make sense once you get to this step. 

Sew the trunk on with the corresponding background, press and voila!  Easy peasy, a pair of blocks done!  I'll ask you to NOT square up the tree blocks.

Here is a selection of samples I have sewn (not yet squared up), and the trees look to be mostly all the same height 'cause I suck at this improve thing!  Don't hesitate to go short and wide or tall and thin, and different angles!  Have fun with it.  I think once you make this quick and easy block you'll want to make a quilt for yourself! 

Thank you!!

Dawn 
@dimestorefloozie