Earlier this year I was finally able to finish my StashBee quilt from 2019. While the blocks were super easy for my hive mates to make, having to cut them up and rearrange them into this illusion took a bit more effort on my part. Overall, though, I'm pleased with the result. It will finally be gifted for Christmas this year.
~ Diana @ RedDeliciousLife
Not sure if these look less like trees and more like rocket ships, but there you have it. I hope this will get to you before the new year, sorry for the delay. I wish you all the best for this holiday season.
Wonky wow is all I can say! Spent some time with my seam ripper 😩 but I think it’s ok. I can’t wait to see your quilt. Will mail this week. Have a safe and Happy Holiday!
Rita,
These blocks were such fun to make!! Mine are on their way across the pond to you--they went in the mail on Thursday.
It was another fun stashbee year!! Thank you Amanda! And all beemates!
I wish you all a safe, healthy holiday season and New Year---let's hope this all gets better in 2021!
Keep on sewing!
Liz
Pam
Thanks for the wild and wonky ride, Rita! It was great fun to choose fabrics and to make random slices. I'm dropping two blocks in the mail today. Can't wait to see the finished quilt. Karen
What an appropriate block for this time of year. It was fun to make. Mine certainly fit the description of wonky!
Kathie L in Allentown
Greetings Hive 4
What a year! I have really appreciated the structure and creative energy Stash Bee has provided in 2020.
This year my quilting has revolved around scraps, circles and helping. I found a way to incorporate all three of these into my tutorial.
I was completely inspired by Carolyn's Stash Bee quilt that she finished a year ago. http://stashbee.blogspot.com/2019/11/finished-circle-quilt-from-stashbee-4.html
I also want to create a quilt with two elements - a low volume background upon which I will hand appliqué many circles. The background will represent the layers of community that are essential for my wellbeing. Adding the circles by hand will provide moments of calm and focus and remind me of the larger picture.
I’d like your help building the background with low volume black & white or gray scraps. Please build a block anywhere between 12.5” - 16.5” inches. It can be a square or a rectangle with untrimmed edges. You can even send me bits (explained below).
Step One - Pull your low volumes. It’s okay for these low volumes to also include small pops of color. Here’s a picture of my black and white low volumes. I wish I had even more, especially geometrics.
Step two - Spread your fabrics and scraps to see what odd bits are available.
Step three - Now you get to play. Place low volumes next to each other to see who plays well together. You can build your block by sewing together pairs that have approximately the same size on one side. Then continue to sew pairs together to keep building. Or you can build the block log cabin style if you have some lovely strips of low volumes.
When I was building my sample block, I started with seven bits. I joined the two easiest pairs first, then worked by quarter sections.
I have lots of curved pieces remaining from a huge unfinished project, so decided to incorporate some of those. You are very welcome to just use straight seams.
I've also built some rectangular units that I'll incorporate as I build the top with your contributions. You are welcome to send sets of these instead of a joined block.
This is the retro fabric from Japan that I will use as my backing. I've begun to pull solids to use for the circles.
Hi Hive-mates,
My name is Rita, I live in Dublin, Ireland. This is my first
year participating in StashBee and I’m having so much fun, that I want to join
again next year, if the Bee is continuing.
So, this is my first time as Queen Bee (Hive 1), I’m all
excited. For the last 10 months I was agonising what I want to request from
you. I’ve now settled on requesting a ‘Christmassy’ block. So far I don’t have
a Christmas Quilt in the house, so, that’s what I want to do.
Personally I always struggle with matching points and sewing
accurately – probably, because I have to be so particular in my job, that I’m a
bit rebellious with my quilting.... (Thanks to sewing for you guys this year,
I’ve gotten better, though.)
Therefore I’ve designed a little block, that doesn’t need
point-matching at all!
Also, I love ‘wonky’, that’s why I’m asking you to do a
‘Wonky Christmas Tree’ block for me.
A note in beforehand:
I’ve tested the block a few times and think it should come out at about 12.5”
square – However, if your block turns out smaller/bigger, please do not
stress!!!
As I said, I love wonky,
and will use the blocks as I get them! Promised! – If it goes "wrong", blame my
tutorial! J
Here is what I have in mind for this block:
Fabric pull:
I would like you to use at least two different green fabrics
for the Trees, mid- to dark-green, a mid- to dark-brown for the tree trunk and cream/beige(y)
off white background (please no whites/white-on-white).
Anything goes, really. Go as simple or scrappy as you like.
If you want to get rid of some scraps, please do so! Below is a picture of my
fabric pull. Note that this is all my mid- to dark-green and all my browns (no
idea, why I haven’t more...).
Don’t match my fabric pull! Just in the contrary! If you have something
I don’t have – brilliant! Christmassy fabrics and Novelties are welcome!
You will need:
Green (please at least 2 different
green, which makes at least 3x each):
Here is a quick overview of where the different pieces are needed. Shuffle around the same colour fabrics as you like!
For the whole block I am assuming a ¼” seam allowance, but don’t worry about it too much – I won’t!
We’re starting with Row 1
Use two Green 4”x6” pieces and two Background 4”x4.5”
pieces. Lay all pieces Right Side up on the Cutting Mat. Overlap one of the Background pieces with one Green piece on the 4” sides
by 3.5” on the Right of the Green piece and the other ones on the Left
of the Green piece as shown in the picture below.
Now make a cut anywhere within the overlap, the top of the cut leaning towards the middle of the Green piece. See picture below for guidance.
Take the resulting matching pieces and line up the just cut edges for a ¼” seam allowance (Right Sides together). I found lining them up on the cutting mat, using a ¼” line as guidance helpful. No perfection needed!! See picture below.
Sew. Press seams open or to the darker fabric as you please.
I tend to press open, but do what works best for you!
Take those Green/Background pieces, lay them Right Side up and overlap the two Background 4”x5” pieces on the straight 4” edge of the Green pieces by 3.5”. See picture below for guidance.
Now make a cut anywhere within the overlap, the top of the cut leaning towards the middle of the Green piece. See picture below for guidance.
Take the resulting matching pieces and line up the just cut
edges for a ¼” seam allowance (Right Sides together). Sew. Press seams open or to the darker fabric
as you please.
Now lay out Rows 1 to 3 on your cutting mat, all fabrics Right Side up. Line up the Green 4”x6” pieces of Rows 2 and 3 about middle of Row 1 and overlap the Background 4”x3” pieces to either side of the Row 2 and 3 Green pieces by 2”. See picture below for guidance.
Now make a cut anywhere within all the overlaps, the top of the cuts leaning towards the middle of the Green pieces. See picture below for guidance.
Take the resulting matching pieces and line up the just cut
edges for a ¼” seam allowance (Right Sides together). Sew. Press seams open or to the darker fabric
as you please.
Straighten up the bottom side of the Row 1 pieces, the top and bottom sides of the Row 2 pieces and the top side of the Row 3 pieces, in preparation for sewing those rows together. No need to have them parallel.
Sew the Row pieces together. Press seams open (I think this is best at this stage...).
Straighten the right side of the left Row 1-2-3 piece and straighten the left side of the right Row 1-2-3 piece.
Sew together. Press seams open. Straighten the bottom side of the finished Row 1-2-3 piece.
Sew the Row 4 pieces together in the following order from left to right on their 2.5” edges (Right Sides together):
Background 2.5”x3”, Brown 2.5”x1.5”, Background 2.5”x5.5”, Brown 2.5”x1.5”, Background 2.5”x3”.
Press seams open or to the darker fabric as you please.
Sew Row 4 to the bottom of the finished Row 1-2-3 piece.
Press seams open.
Finished!
No need to trim to size. You can straighten the edges, if you absolutely want to. As I said, the block should now be roughly (!) 12.5” x 12.5”.
I hope you enjoy sewing this block and won’t stress about my haphazard tutorial.
If you have any questions, please contact me via my yahoo
email address or as a comment on this post.
Please note that my postal address on the address list has changed since beginning of the year.
Thank you all already, I’m looking forward to see what you
come up with.
Happy Sewing,
Rita.
This was fun and easy to put together. Can’t wait to see the finished quilt.Joan
Fun blocks to make Karen---although I did mix up placement because I was trying to put them together too quickly😞! I fixed them!
Can't wait to see how your quilt comes out!
They should go in the mail this week.
Liz Horgan
Hi Karen,
Hope these blocks will work for
what you have in mind.
They were so easy to make, so I
just made two at once. I like the idea of the log cabin effect you were writing
about.
The blocks went into the Post on
Wednesday, so they hopefully arrive with you soon.
Stay safe.
Greetings from (not surprising)
rainy Ireland,
Rita
Hello to all my Stash Bee buddies. Today is an wildly meaningful day because its the day I get to share my finished 2020 Stash Bee Quilt.
But First...
Many of you know how vital I believe it is that we document our lives in 2020 because these are, in all likelihood, the most extraordinary days any of us will ever witness. You perhaps also know I spent bags of time this spring searching for some way to remind myself that everything going on in the world right then was not PERMANENT; I wanted something joyful to look forward to during the really bad, terrible, awful days when it seemed possible that the worst outcomes were gonna happen.
When I realized I was part of a wonderful world-wide community of "Makers", each with a story to tell, I knew exactly what I needed.....a quilt to celebrate our lives in 2020 and to remind me that we are all in this together.
I imagined a quilt that would tell our stories of "Sheltering at Home" so I asked my hive-mates to stretch their imaginations and make a big quilt block about their home/neighbourhood and to share a bit about their life during the early days of Covid-19.
I was simply blown away by how everyone in Hive 4 reached out and went so far above and beyond my wildest expectations to make something personal for my quilt...some of you made more than one block....and I even received blocks from folks in other hives. My heart is full. Here is our quilt.
A nice easy sew. I hope these will fit in. Will be mailing this week. Paulette
Kathie in Allentown, PA
