Hive 1 August Bookshelf Block for Abby

Popping this in the mail this afternoon! I thought the fabrics looked a bit like Jane Austen/ L.M. Montgomery-ish books 😊

—Caitlin 

Crashing Hive 3 - Halloween Bear Paw block for Maree

 Halloween fabrics are my obsession and I loved making this bear paw block for Maree.  Sorry it's a bit late.

CRASHING HIVE 6 - Halloween no point star for Susie

 You had me at Halloween! I have a pretty extensive stash of Halloween fabrics and I live for spooky quilts. Happy to send off this no point star (and corresponding triangle off cuts) for your project. 

Spookily yours, 

Nicole P

Hive 1

Book shelf blocks for Abby - Hive 1 August

 I did a book shelf quilt with Reddit a while back and it's easily my favorite quilt top ever. While I still haven't finished it, I have it hanging up and everyone who comes by comments in how great it is. I love these blocks, so ended up making 3 of them. I hope they play nice with your books. Enjoy!

Nicole P

Hive 1 Gnome for Beth

 

A noseless gnome coming your way! -Julia

Hive 2 Tutorial for August – Community Block for Jai

 

Get ready to dive into your scrap pile and try something new. This month we’re making the Community block, by Eli Hazard. If you’ve never done applique before, don’t worry—I hadn’t either. This block is beginner-friendly, colorful, and a great way to explore new stitches while keeping things low-stress.

Why You’ll Love This Block

• It’s a great way to use up scraps, especially solid-colored ones
• The shape is simple and fast to assemble
• It’s a fun introduction to applique, even if you’re brand new

I first made this block during the True Colours Quilt Along2025. I was surprised at how something could feel both simple and a bit tricky at the same time. I learned a lot, and I think you will too.

 

Fabric and Color Guidelines

Background Fabric

Choose any shade of gray, from light to dark. Gray blenders and tone-on-tones are perfect.
Please avoid holiday prints, novelty prints, or anything that feels too busy.

NOTE: My block shows a white background instead of gray since that was the background color for the Quilt Along that I chose. I am wanting to do another quilt with the gray background for some variation.  

Applique Circle (Outer Circle)

Use solid color fabrics, or fabrics that read as solid (tone-on-tones or subtle textures are fine).
You will need one of each of the following colors:

• Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Light Blue (baby blue), Medium Blue (robin’s egg), Purple, and Pink

Cutting Instructions

The finished block should measure 12.5 inches by 12.5 inches.

If you're new to applique, you may want to start with a slightly larger square—13 inches or even 13.5 inches—to allow trimming after stitching. It doesn’t need to be perfect. My own block certainly wasn’t.

Template Note: The applique template for this block can be found in Eli Hazard’s original Community post. Please reference it for the correct shape and sizing.

Cut each applique piece out along the dotted line, and then fold under along the solid line before applying to your background fabric. 

Assembling the Block

This block took me less than an hour to complete. I simply dug through my scraps until I found a piece of colored fabric that covered the applique template. I didn’t measure—if it fit, I used it.

Important: The applique pieces do need to be folded under along the solid line. This gives your shapes a finished edge and helps prevent fraying.

This is where Steam-a-Seam fusible tape is especially helpful—it keeps the pieces in place after you fold them under and allows you to position everything securely before sewing.

NOTE: There is no right or wrong way to do applique. If you prefer a different method of doing it, please feel free. The vision of this block is to showcase the diversity of skills, color, and technique that makes us all special even if we are all the same.  

Layout Order
The colors should be placed in the same position as the example picture on the first page of the Community Block.  (as shown in the example photo):

Applique Stitching Tips

Choose thread that matches the background fabric. If you don’t have a perfect match, go with something neutral that won’t draw attention away from the design.

Use any stitch you’re comfortable with. That could be a straight stitch, edge stitch, decorative stitch, or a proper applique stitch.

When I made mine, I tried a decorative stitch. It looked nice, but it did make the corners a bit bulky and pulled in the background fabric, which slightly shrank my finished block. If you’re new to applique, an edge stitch or straight stitch is a safe place to start.

Final Thoughts

Once your applique is sewn down, you’ve finished your block. 

• You’ve made a circle
• You’ve used up some of your scraps
• You’ve learned or practiced a new skill

No matter how your block turned out, you’ve taken a creative step forward. That’s worth celebrating.

I look forwarding to seeing the amazing colors. 

 Jai 

Hive 1 - August Tutorial - Book Shelf Blocks for Abby

Hello, Bees! I hope you're all having a great year! I've loved making each and every one of your blocks (even though I know I haven't been the most timely about my posts or my trips to the post office 😬), and I'm excited to see what you whip up for me!

Last year (geez, where did the time go?) I participated in another quilt swap and got a bunch of these lovely bookcase quilts. I want to get the quilt up to around a throw size, so I'm hoping you all will help me make a few more. 

I am a lifelong book-lover and my shelves are always stuffed to the brim, so a bookshelf quilt has been a goal of mine for a while now! I'm really excited to see how this turns out.

Size

My current blocks are all around 10 1/2" tall (unfinished), so please target that height for your blocks as well.

The width on these blocks is pretty flexible, so if you want to make several skinnier blocks with a few books each instead of one square/rectangle block, that's fine! Just please make sure the total width adds up to at least 10 1/2" as well. Feel free to go over that width too!

For the individual book size, I just ask that you not go bigger than 2 1/4" wide for a single book. I do love a big book myself, but I think the proportions start looking weird above that.

Background

Please use a solid black fabric (or as close to a solid black as you can get) for the background. Most of my current blocks have Kona Black as the background, so if you already have some in your stash, that would be a bonus! Otherwise, any very dark grey or mostly-black print would work great. If you want to use a few different black-looking fabrics within the same block, that's also fine.

Colors/Fabric/Content

There are very few rules with this block! Go as scrappy as you like with the fabric. I would love for the blocks to be a reflection of the quilter who sewed them, so feel free to put some of your personality and your own creative touch into it. 

If you want to get creative with putting additional items on your block or putting your books in new orientations, feel free to do so, but honestly I'd be happy to just get blocks with a whole lotta regular upright books. Whatever you want to try out!

I only ask for no religious or overly patriotic fabrics or themes in your block.

Tutorial

There are several tutorials out there for bookcase block, including here on the Stash Bee blog! A couple I liked were this one from Emily in 2016 and this one from Adrienne in 2022 (which doesn't have the background pieces but has a lot of great ideas for putting together book blocks). This tutorial also works too! Basically any tutorial you find when you Google "bookshelf quilt block" will probably be fine, just remember the 10 1/2" height restriction and the black background.

Thanks in advance! I look forward to seeing what you all come up with!

Hive 5 - August 2025 - Cat in the Corner Block for Ruth

This is my 4^th year participating in Stash Bee and I have made lasting friendships along the way. I think, it is fabulous being part of creating multiple quilts every year and seeing them come together.

 

This year’s inspiration comes from AGF’s ‘Tangerine Lookbook’. Here is the link, in case you haven’t seen it.

 

https://liveartgalleryfabrics.com/tangerine-project-fabric-catalog/?utm_source=Consumers&utm_campaign=3e9a2024a7-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_05_14_05_36&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-3e9a2024a7-223426010

 

I have been insanely busy at work the last few months and therefore decided not to ‘reinvent the wheel’ this year and designing my own block. Instead, I am using the Cat in the Corner block form the Riley Black 2025 RBD Block Challenge, designed by Janet Wecker Frisch. 

 

Here is the link to the instructions, although I would like you to use four different fabrics, not three as per the original instructions

 

https://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/assets/images/sewalongs/RBDBlockChallenge/2025/CatInTheCorner.pdf

 

Fabric choices:

 

Here are my fabric choices. Anything orange, tangerine, purple, mauve lavender with patterns that read as the main colour. Please use white or off-white low volume/plain fabric for the background. 

 

 Cutting Instructions (please note that the Riley Blake instructions only have three (3) fabrics):

 

Fabric 1 (dark):

A – (1) 3.5” square

C – (4) 2” x 3.5” rectangles

 

Fabric 2 (light):

E – (4) 2.5” x 3.5” rectangles

F – (4) 2.25” squares

G – (8) 2” squares

 

Fabric 3 (dark). :

H – (2) 4.5” squares, cut half diagonally once

 

Fabric 4 (background):

B – (4) 2.75” squares, cut in half diagonally once

D – (8) 2” squares

The letter codes are as per Riley Blake instructions.

 

Cut the B and H squares in half diagonally

 

 

Assemble B triangles and F squares and then sew onto H triangles. Trim to 4” square.

 

 

Make flying geese with D squares and E rectangles and then with G squares and C rectangles. Sew together.

 

 

Lay out your units

 

 

And assemble your block. Unfinished block measures 10.5 x 10.5”

 

Thank you for making my block. I can’t wait to see your creations. As in previous years this will be a charity quilt for foster children in crisis care. 💜🧡

Hive 6 - August Tutorial - Halloween No Point Stars for Susan

 

I am obsessed with Halloween fabric 🎃.  This month we're using the same Cluck Cluck Sew No Point Stars pattern that was posted by Meghan last month, except we're celebrating a different holiday - Halloween 👻.  The original tutorial can be found here.

 

                                                       Halloween fabrics of many colors

Fabric

• Halloween prints please; no solids, batiks or licensed characters (Marvel, Peanuts, etc.) with one exception - Jack Skellington is allowed. 
• Option 1 - two Halloween fabrics of any color/pattern, one for the star and one for the background; there should be obvious contrast between the two. The center square of the star should feature the same fabric as the points - this is different from the original tutorial.
• Option 2 - one Halloween fabric for the star, and a background print that reads black, gray, orange, black and white or something similar (it can be a combo of these colors), see palette below for inspo.
• PLEASE save and send the trimmed star point corners! 

 

Cutting

Star  Halloween fabric	1 - 4 inch square    8 - 3 inch squares
Background Halloween or coordinating fabric	8 - 4 inch squares

Construction

A note about pressing:  I tend to press seams open but will mix it up as I see fit; do as you like.  Please use 1/4 in. seams throughout. 

1.  Draw a diagonal line on the back of the star fabric 3 in. squares, or use whatever method you prefer in order to sew a line along the diagonal.  The fabric shown happens to be directional, so I marked half the squares one direction, and half the opposite direction. 
   
    
   
2. With right sides together align one of the marked squares with the corner of a background square, the line reaching from raw edge to raw edge, and sew along the line.  

   

   
   
3. Towards the outside corner, trim 1/4 inch away from the seam; flip and press the star  point. 
   
   
   
4.  On the opposite corner, complete steps 2 and 3 again 
   
   
   
5.  Repeat these steps 3 more times for a total of 4 star point blocks.   Please save and send the trimmed star point corners
   
   
   
   
6.  Arrange the squares in a 9-patch pattern; sew the 3 squares in each row together, then  sew the rows together.  Press the seams as you like.  Your block should measure around 11 inches square.  
   

And you're done!  Thanks for sewing for me 😊

 

 

PS: when sewn together the small scrap triangles will make 2.25 inch (unfinished) HSTs that I plan to use for a postage-stamp type quilt inspired by this Halloween masterpiece.

Starry Cabin Bee Blocks for Tracy Hive 3

Good Morning Friends!

I’m so excited to be Queen Bee this month!

We are going to be making the Starry Cabin Bee Block from Mary @mary.stitches and my color palette is grass green and bright pink.

Block: 

Color Inspiration: 

To find this free pattern you are going to head to Mary’s Instagram page, follow her link to her Etsy page, scroll down to “Announcements”, open the link to her free patterns and then download the block called, “Starry Cabin Bee Block”.  I’m including some screenshots to help find it, as it took me a few minutes of hunting around the first time I downloaded one of her freebies.

Mary’s Instagram page: 

Click the link to her Etsy page: 

Now scroll down until you see her “Announcements”:

Click on this link and it should give you the option to “Open link” 

*If you don’t have the option to “open link”, you will need to copy the link and open it in a browser*

Now you will see all of her free pattern blocks:

Download the “Starry Cabin Bee Block”:

Great! Hopefully you don’t have any trouble finding the patterns.  I love her scrappy patterns and have already completed a quilt using the Starry Heart.  I’ll share it at the end.

Let’s get started!!

As I said, I’m requesting grassy greens and bright pinks - my obsession with this color combo started sometime in the 80s and has held tight. :). 

For the star points please use white - it can be solid, white on white or tiny prints on white as long as from a distance it reads white.  You can see in my first sample that I used a white with tiny strawberries on it.  

Block should be 12.5” unfinished

12” finished

Ta-da!

And here is another example…

Being a child in the 80s, I loved Strawberry Shortcake.

I found a piece of vintage fabric a few years ago, so I like to include her in my quilts when it is appropriate. :)

The center square of fabric can be either green or pink - just have it match the top color.

* And it does not need to be a fussy cut piece of fabric, although that is always fun. ;)

And as promised, here is a quilt I finished with one of her other patterns:

Thank you for making blocks for me!  I hope you have fun!

 

Hive 4 August Tutorial

Thank you all for understanding earlier this year that I was very sick and needed a couple months off and those that shuffled so that I could have a month later in the year.  So, now it’s my turn and I created this block to use up scraps and keep it bright and cheerful. I’m calling the block, Dots.  Because that’s what it is!  Just some background with appliqued dots however, I do have a specific color scheme and applique method to use.

The color scheme uses a Split Complementary scheme of Red/pink, Blue-Green, and Yellow-Green.  The color wheel picture has the colors outlined in black and the other picture is my fabric pull. A 16” square of white on white, or white, or mostly white low volume is needed as the background. Various sizes of scraps are needed to make the 5-8 dots to be appliqued on the background.  For the color dots, I prefer prints rather than solids and the prints can combine colors as you see in the middle of mine as long as it “reads” one of the colors in the split-complimentary choices.  The dots should be about 1” to 4”. The largest dot should be in the centerish of the square and all the other dots are placed randomly across the background square.

 

This applique method requires a lightweight fusible which is one side with the bumps/glue and the other is smooth.  I am using Pellon Featherweight Fusible -911FW or Pellon SF-101 is also very popular.  If you do not have a one sided lightweight fusible, I can send you some.

This linked tutorial shows the method for applique to use; however, the shape is various circles rather than an orange peel or melon shape.

Here are some detail instructions with pictures.

Use templates or everyday objects no bigger than 4” for the largest circle in the centerish portion of the block (eyeball it is fine)– you can have multiple larger circles or small circles – totally up to you and your scraps you have available.

• Draw circle on smooth side of interfacing.
• Put interfacing glue/bumpy side down on right side of pretty fabric.
• Shorten stitch length to 1.5
• Sew with needle going through the drawn line
• Go slow Reposition presser foot often
• Trim to scant 1/4” around circle 

Pull up interfacing and snip middle to make slit for turning inside out 

Use purple thang (yes mines mint green) or bamboo stick or chop stick with dull end to smooth out circle

Remember to place your largest circle in the centerish part of the background square and all other circles place randomly.

Press to background – follow your interfacing instructions - If circle does not hold - use glue to attach to the white square while you stitch around to secure to background fabric

Topstitch close to edge of circle – no more than 1/8^th inch in from edge – straight stitch - Aurifil colors as follows if you have it, if not any white thread for the top stitching. Natural White - 2021 or White - 2024 to top stitch around circle.

5-8 circles per square - Other circles random placement

Leave 1.5” around space at edges of block - I’ll be trimming to 15.5” so they finish at 15”.

Thanks Everyone!  I retire on 8/15 and I'm looking forward to putting this one together with all of your beautiful fabrics!

Lisa...