Hive 1 Changing Squares for Jennifer

One of these blocks includes a very slightly stretchy fabric (it's the solid terra cotta) that didn't really hit me until it started feeling a little wonky when I pressed it. I suspect if may have snuck into my stash from a garment. I'm very sorry! So you've got a second block that better meets the standards, but if you don't mind the content, or if you're interested in only keeping selected bits of it, I hope you can make use of both! These were a lot of fun to make; it's so exciting when something very simple comes together to look a lot more intricate. They'll be on their way to you tomorrow.

Hive 5 June Tutorial – Irish Chain Bunting Block for Denise

 Hive 5 June Tutorial – Irish Chain Bunting Block for Denise

Hello Ladies,

I’m Denise and this is my first year participating in a stash bee.  I’m loving it so far, as I get to make some cute blocks and converse with some interesting ladies. I live in Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. We grow avocados, and at the moment we are in the thick of winter. My most hated season, but good for sewing. We have two daughters, one who is married, and lives in England, and the other who lives in Vancouver, Canada. My goal was to bring up strong independent women, and I have succeeded too well.

For this month, I have called on the resources of a past block posted by @evannonearth, last year. It is called the Irish Chain Bunting Block.

For the background fabrics I would like a scrappy mix of low volume, white or off white.  Small patterns and little bits of colour are fine, but as the other colours are medium values, the background needs to be as light as possible. The main colours of the bunting chain in the block are orange and teal. Any orange and teal will be fine, but I’m aiming for a softish look in the finished quilt. Prints are fine, but no Christmas or ‘American Patriotic’ prints please.

Here is my fabric pull for inspiration.

Cutting instructions

From both Orange and Teal fabrics cut

1 - 3” x 3” square (this will be for the centre pinwheel)

4 - 2.5” X 2.5” squares

From the Background White fabrics cut

2 - 3” X 3” squares

8 – 2.5” X 4.5” rectangles

4 – 4.5 X 4.5 squares

All Seams are ¼” and pressed as directed. 

Step 1.   Draw a diagonal line on the back of all the orange and teal squares.

Step 2.   Pair each 3” colour square with a corresponding white 3” square. Sew a scant ¼” either side of the drawn line. Cut along the line and press open with the seam to the colour side.  You will have 4 half square triangles, which now need to be arranged in a pinwheel. Sew together and if possible, press the seams in the back so they form a spiral.

Trim this part of the block down to 4.5”, ensuring that the centre of the pinwheel is in the centre.

Step 3.   Place one of the coloured fabrics that measures 2.5” right sides together with a background rectangle and sew on the line. Trim ¼” from the seam and press the seam towards the coloured fabric.  Make 8; 4 x Orange and 4 x Teal

Step 4.   Arrange all the units and background 4.5” pieces to resemble the bunting block.  Press towards the background squares. Then sew the rows together to form a 12.5” block.

Finished block

Changing Squares for Jennifer

Hi Jennifer,

I'm glad I had the chance to contribute to your quilt that has been two years in the making! This was a fun pattern😁, thanks for introducing me to "Changing Squares"!

Marie

Hive 1, June, Changing Squares Block for Jennifer

 

Hi Jennifer,

I love the graphic look of those blocks!

They'll go on their way to you this coming week.

Happy sewing,

Rita

Hive 1 June Tutorial - Changing Squares for Jennifer

 Howdy, hive mates!

I'm going to request the same block as I did last year. It's actually one I copied from another member, Cathleen, with only a change to the color scheme. Her excellent tutorial can be found here. I'm happy with either completed blocks, or just pieces as she originally requested!

My color inspiration is deep jewel tones like plum, deep green, and tangerine with cream or tan as possible contrast colors. I'd prefer to avoid black, white, and bright red. If you have them, all solids are great! However, tone-on-tone, blenders or even pops of patterns might add interest. 2-, 3-, or 4-color blocks are all welcome as well. Whatever you have within the color palette works for me! Thanks!

My original post from last year is here. Thanks again!

Hive 6 -June Tutorial - Swallows in the Window

 The Inspiration:

My grandmother is a badass lady. She raised four daughters as a single mom. Like most women in my family, was a prolific sewist. For many years, she made her living working at a furniture upholstery factory. She later went on to work for a country western wear designer. She made curtains for all her kids and many of her grandkids. She also used to crochet—she made everyone in our family a crocheted blanket in their favorite colors. Many of these skills were passed down in the family. As she got older and didn’t want to “put as much stress on her body” she started working as a corrections officer at a prison. She retired from the prison at age 75, but she continued to raise her granddaughter in her home until she graduated from high school. Now that she’s in her 80s and retired, she spends her time renovating houses. She also travels regularly to Yuma, Arizona—where she recently renovated a garage into a 1-bedroom apartment--to spend time with her older sister who lives there in a nursing home.  

Grandma and me at my recent graduation

Grandma lives in a small 1-bedroom house that she has been renovating for the last year and a half. She has several homemade quilts on her beds—antiques that are wearing out. Despite her skills for sewing, she has never been a quilter, only an avid fan of quilts. I want to make her a new bed quilt.

At one point, some 15 years ago, she bought these fat quarters. I think she said they are from Walmart. She wanted to learn how to quilt and make herself a nice bedspread. However, she gave them to me when I started quilting. She told me that she doesn’t sew anymore and did not want the fabrics to go to waste. I have had them for 4 years. This bundle is the inspiration for the fabrics!

The Pattern:

My mom inherited a collection of quilt square patterns that were cut out of the Kansas City Star newspaper in the 20s and 30s (even a few in the 10s). These squares are now out of copyright, so they are in the public domain! Yay! Last summer, we spent hours looking through this box of hundreds of antique quilt square patterns and admiring them—quilters used to trace templates onto tracing paper, cut out the individual shapes, and then stitch these diamond shapes together by hand! Ain’t nobody got time for that these days.

Swallows in the windows is one of my favorite squares from the collection. It was originally designed by Eveline Foland, and it was published in the Kansas City Star in 1930. Luckily, I found a video by Sunrise Quilt Studio that shows you how to make the square with modern sewing techniques. If you prefer a video tutorial over my written one, please see the link below. I used the video to make the tutorial. The measurements are the same.

Sunrise Quilt Studio Video: 

Fabrics

We are using a blue monochrome color scheme. If you have questions about “is this good?,” it’s probably great! I am not picky about fabrics.

• One Feature Fabric: This is a large square in the center of the block. This great for showcasing fabric—pick a pretty pattern to show off. It can be any color as long as it contains blue somewhere in the pattern. Blue can be a dominant or an accent color. I do want this one to be a print, not a solid or blender. 
• One White: (background): This can be solid white, white-on-white, grey on white, or blue on white. After making two test blocks, I might suggest selecting a white that is low-contrast/not busy.
• Three Different Blues: Pick three blues. They can be dark, medium, or light blue. They can be solids blenders, or patterns. They can also contain other colors, as long as they read as blue.

Feature Fabrics

Whites

Blues

Cutting

• Feature Fabric (the window): cut one 8½  inch square (piece A).
• Blue 1 (the window frame): Cut two 6 5/8 square, then cute them in half on the diagonal. My cutting mat and ruler does not have 1/8th makers, so I rounded up to 7inches You should have four triangle pieces (pieces B)
• Blue 2 (the swallows): Cut four 3 inch squares. Cut 2 on the diagonal. Now, you have two 3” squares and four small triangle (pieces C)
• Blue 2 (the swallows): Cut eight 2½ squares in the same color (pieces D)
• Blue 3 (the swallows): Cut four 3 inch squares. Cut 2 on the diagonal. Now, you have two 3” squares and four small triangle (pieces E)
• Blue 3 (the swallows): Cut eight 2½ squares in the same color (pieces F).
• White (background): cut four 3 inch squares, then sub cut them on the diagonal. You now have eight triangles (pieces I). 
• White (background): Cut eight 2 ½ x 4 ½ strips for flying geese (pieces G).
• White (background): Cut four 2 ½ inch squares (pieces H)

Piecing the Block

1.     Make the Economy Block:

a.     find the center of pieces A and B. Fold piece A in half and in half again. Finger press or lightly use your iron to leave a crease in the center of all four sides.

b.     Then fold piece B in half and crease to mark the center. Be careful not to stretch the fabric on the bias.

c.      Line up the center of piece B and the center of piece A. Sew right sides together. Start by sewing piece B to opposite sides of piece A. Then add remaining pieces B to the other two sides of A. Press toward pieces B.

d.     Square up the economy block by lining up the seam with your 45 degree angle on your ruler and cutting so that piece B is 1/4 inch wide at the centers of the sides. (This is hard to explain see the picture below) This ecomemy square is now 11 3/4 inches square. 

finding the centers

first sides sewn

four sides sewn

squaring up on the 45 degree mark

2.     Make Flying Geese Units:

a.     Pull out pieces G, F, and D.

b.     On the wrong sides of D and F, draw a line horizontally.

c.      Sew piece D onto the left corner of piece G along the line you drew with right sides together.

d.     Trim off the excess and press toward the dark side.

e.     Repeat for Piece F. Each Flying Geese block will be made with two colors and have the same orientation, D on the left and F on the right making a point at the top of the flying geese.

g.     Square these units to the original 2 ½ x 4 ½ size.

First line of the flying geese

second line of the flying geese

completed flying geese

3.     Make Half Square Triangles:

a.     Pull out the C and E squares.

c.      Matching right sides together, carefully line up piece C and E. Sew them together 1/4 from both sides of the drawn line.

d.     Cut them down the line you drew and press to the darker Fabric.

e.     Square these to 2 ½ inches

HSTs sewn and cut apart

HSTs squared

4.     Assemble the swallows unit

a.     Pull out C and E triangles. In this step, pay attention to the orientation of colors--this is where I messed up and had to rip seams.

b.     Sew triangle E to the each HST with right sides together. Sew the straight side (not bias) onto the side HST with the opposite color. Press toward the triangle pieces.

c.      Sew triangle C to the each HST with right sides together. Sew the straight side (not bias) onto the side HST with the opposite color. Press toward the triangle pieces. Each Swallow should be shaped like a bigger triangle with an HST in the middle. All of the swallows should be the same.

5.     Assemble the four corners of the block

a.     Lay out each of corners of your block. You will need one H square, two H triangles, two flying geese, and a swallows unit for each corner. You will place the H in the position that forms the right triangle. You will use the H triangles to flank each corner and form the two 45 degree angles.

b.     With right sides together, sew the H squares to the smaller side of one of your flying geese. Press toward the Flying geese unit.

d.     Sew the swallows unit to the flying geese unit without the corner square. Trim off the dog ears. TPress toward the flying gees unit.

e.     Nest the seams to sew the assembled triangle to the corner row with right sides together. Press however you’d prefer.

e.   Sew the straight sides of the H triangle onto the other side of the flying geese units.  Press toward the triangle

f.       Square up each corner by trimming 1/4  inch from the corners of the HST and flying geese (see image). You now have a window (economy block) and four corners with swallows.

6.     Assemble the block.

a.     Use a pin to link up the seam of the HST with the corner of your window.

b.     Sew the first two corners on opposites sides being careful not to stretch the bias edges. Press open or toward the window (whichever feels less bulky to you). Remember to be careful because the seams are on the bias.

c.      In the same manner, sew on the other two corners. Press toward the window.

d.     Don't worry about squaring up. The video said they would come out to 16.5 inches, but mine were 16.25. 

Finding the center of the corners

two corners sewn on

You did it!

Hive 3: June Tutorial - Twirling at the Disco - For Amy

 

June is here! I love June, it’s my birthday month, when I was a kid it meant summer vacation was finally here, and the long days are just good for the soul!

I have had this block on my Pinterest board for years and when I saw someone in another hive used it for their block this year, I decided to give it a shot, finally.

Here are links to the Hive 2 tutorial with excellent instructions: http://stashbee.blogspot.com/2024/04/hive-2-april-tutorial-for-kim.html

Here’s a link to the original pattern: https://www.sameliasmum.com/2020/02/twirling-at-disco-quilt-free-pattern.html?m=1

This is a super easy block to assemble. There are a lot of pieces, but it goes together quickly and is a great use of those small scraps you’ve got laying around.

I used this advanced chain piecing also known as web piecing (and probably other things as well) for the 16 patches. Assemble them however you prefer, but I thought I would share for anyone who is interested and hasn’t tried this method. https://youtu.be/qE7KKaS5p-8?si=ADB0Qz5b-0JStY7n

You will need the following fabric:

Forty (40) 2-1/2” squares in a nice mix of colorful prints. Just about anything goes but I would like to avoid browns, blacks, greys, and anything that reads mostly white. Batiks are cool. Licensed fabric are fine. Holiday is acceptable (preferably not majority holiday).

Two (2) 4-1/2” squares from low volume fabric with white background or white or white on white.

Two (2) 4-1/2 “ by 8-1/2” rectangles  from low volume fabric with white background or white or white on white.

Here’s my pull of prints:

I played and moved things around and tried out a bunch of layouts and even did a few (unnecessary, but really fun) fussy cuts to show of some of my favorite scraps.

I sewed each of the 4 patches to a white square

And then assembled the block in two rows and the two rows into a block:

I hope you have as much fun putting this together as I did! Enjoy!