Hive 1 Wonky Hashtag Blog for Pam

 

Hi Pam,

These were so much fun! Thank you for asking for this Hashtag this month! Hope you like them, they'll be in the post to you this evening.

Happy quilting,

Rita

Hive 1 August Tutorial -- Sorta Wonky Hashtag Block

 Hi, I'm Pam in Hive 1, and this is my 9th year participating in Stashbee.  I've loved every quilt I've made with my Stashbee blocks--it's so amazing seeing the variety of designs and fabrics I could never achieve using my own very small stash.

I've wanted to make a hashtag quilt for a while, but wasn't feeling the measuring and seam-matching, so I decided to make a slightly wonky and easier, faster version. I love the look of a quilt where the blocks are all a bit different, even if the concept is the same for all of them.  

Here are the directions for my version of the hashtag block:

Fabrics:     One 12.5 inch square of dark grey or black fabric, either solid or print, for the background.

                  Four 1.25 inch strips of bright (print or solid) fabrics, at least 14 inches long

Assembly:    Using a ruler and rotary cutter, make a cut off one side of the background square.  No rules for where to make the cut, and it can be parallel to the edge or slightly at an angle as I did with my sample blocks. 

Take one of your bright strips, and sew it into the square, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  I sewed the strip onto the bigger background piece first, and then sewed the smaller background piece onto the strip, but it doesn't matter what order you do this.  I pressed my seams toward the strip, but however you want to press is fine.

Don't worry about the edges of the background square lining up perfectly on both sides of the strip.

Next make another slice on another side of the square, and insert the next strip the same way.

Strip number one won't line up perfectly on both sides of strip number two, and that's okay.

Continue to slice and insert two more strips the same way.

Yay, you're done!  PLEASE DO NOT "SQUARE UP" THE BLOCK!!  

The block will be roughly 13.5 inches square, but the edges are not going to be straight or parallel, and THAT'S OKAY.  The blocks are not all going to be the same size, and I can trim them to a uniform size before I assemble the quilt top.  If you can't stand those overhanging strips, roughly cut the excess off, but don't trim down the crooked edges of the block. 

THANKS AND ENJOY!  

August Hive 1, Book Shelf Block for Abby

 

Hi Abby,

I couldn't resist adding some titles... I read voraciously since my early teens, but I haven't made a book shelf quilt yet, probably, because it would remind me of the many, many boxes of books I left behind, when I moved to Ireland over 20 years ago.

Hope you're going to enjoy snuggling under all those 'fabric books' :).
These books are shipping out to you today.

Happy quilting,

Rita

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.

Hive 1: Hot Air 🎈for Caela

Hello!

This was fun and satisfying!! I did manage to find a much more appropriate blue in my stash — Kona Cloud, which I managed to remember we used as a background in a recent swap.

I'm not 100% thrilled with it, though, so.... we'll see =)

Can't wait to see all of the balloons together!!

- Molli.

Hive 1 Hot Air Balloon for Caela

 What a fun block! My machine started acting up with the zigzag stitch (time to get it in for maintenance!) but I was able to finish the block. Can't wait to see the finished quilt!

~ Diana

Hive 1, Hot Air Balloons for Caela

 

Hi Caela,

The Balloons are flying over the pond to you tomorrow. They were fun to make 🎈

Happy sewing,

Rita

Hive 1 Hot Air Balloons for Caela

Hi Caela!

I was touched by your initiative for this quilt and I am honored to contribute. 

Thank you for introducing me to this technique. It was my first real project using interfacing. 

I will mail everything this week!

Marie

Hive 1 - August Tutorial - Hot Air Balloon Appliqués for Caela

 Hi, Everyone!

This is my first year with Stash Bee. I am loving it and am so excited for my turn as Queen Bee. This month we will be working on a hot air balloon baby quilt using raw edge appliqué, but before I get into the tutorial I want to tell you a bit about the recipients of this quilt.

There is a church in my area that runs a program for unwed mothers. These women have little to no support system. They have no village to help raise their children, so to speak. This program seeks to fix that. They help to provide healthcare, food, education, and other needs. Twice a year they throw a baby shower for the expectant mothers, making sure they have things like diapers, cribs, and clothing for the impending arrivals.

When I first heard about this program through the organist at my church, the Stash Bee had just started. I was in the process of brainstorming what I would do come my month, and a lightbulb just went off. I quickly volunteered to make a baby quilt for them to raffle off to the moms as a sort of door prize. If I could make a quilt for every mom in the program, I would, but alas I can't. I decided on hot air balloons because they're bright and fun, but can be made gender neutral since we don't know which baby will get this. I hope you have fun helping me with this quilt, and that it will become a treasured possession for a family in need.

Fabric Dos and Don'ts:

For the background, I'd like light blue solids or blenders. You can use tone-on-tone as well, or even a pretty ice-dyed fabric like the one in one of my examples. As long as it looks like the sky on a beautiful day, I'm happy.

For the balloon itself, there are a few options. You can use a single piece of fabric with a bold pattern, a crumb block, stripes, or pretty much anything you can think of. Whichever method you choose, I want bright, saturated colors in order to stimulate the baby as he or she grows.

The basket should be made out of neutral colors, so black, white, brown, tan or cream. It can be solid, tone on tone, a soft pattern, or a textured print like the black one in my example. Don't be afraid to make this too plain. I will be adding extra details when quilting. You only need a small piece, so raid your scrap bin for this.

You will also need a lightweight fusible interfacing. I prefer Pellon Heat and Bond Light, but you can use any equivalent product you want as long as it's intended to sew through. Alternatively, you could pin the appliqués to the background fabric, but I think the interfacing holds better when sewing.

I really just have one don't for this quilt. Do not choose fabrics with patterns or colors that are traditionally gendered. I personally have no issue with giving a girl dinosaurs and a boy pink, but many people do. It's important that this quilt be something most people would like. With that said, if you're putting together scraps, you can use these fabrics if you won't be able to make out the pattern, or if there's a tiny splash of pink that gets lost when you look at the bigger picture.

Cutting Instructions:

1 - 11 1/2" square of background fabric (You can leave this larger if you want and I'll trim down.)

1 - 6" x 7" piece of interfacing

1 - 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" piece of interfacing

1 - 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" piece of basket fabric

Scraps for balloon, or a single piece of 6" x 7" fabric

Appliqué patterns: Hot Air Balloon Appliqué Pattern

Tutorial:

Step 1: Download, print, and cut out the appliqué patterns.

Step 2: If you're using scraps for your balloon, sew them together into a piece big enough to cover the balloon appliqué, about 6" x 7". 

Step 3: Iron interfacing to wrong side of balloon and basket fabric. Leave paper backing on.

TIP: Use parchment paper to protect your iron and board from the adhesive.

Step 4: Trace appliqué patterns onto paper backing. Cut out.

Step 5: Peel off paper and arrange on background. You do not need to center the appliqués, but make sure to leave at least 3/4" from the edge all around.

Step 6: Iron appliqués in place.

Step 7: Using a tight zigzag stitch, sew around the edges of appliqués. This should have a stitch length no larger than 0.5 mm and a width between 3.50 - 5.00 mm. A wider stitch makes it easier to sew and cover the raw edges.

Step 8: (Optional) Using a marking pen or pencil, mark lines connecting the basket to the balloon. Use a decorative stitch to sew the "ropes" of the balloon. I've included a picture of some decorative stitches I liked for this.

Thank you all in advance for the wonderful blocks. I can't wait to see them.

-Caela

P. S. After I took the photos for this tutorial, my mom really got into making these balloons. Here's some of my favorites that she made in case you need some ideas.

Hive 2 – August Tutorial - Canyon Beauty Quilt Block

My inspiration for this month is Palo Duro Canyon. Palo Duro Canyon is located in the Texas Panhandle near the cities of Amarillo and Canyon. As one of the largest canyons in the United States, it is roughly 25–40 miles long and has an average width of 6 miles, but reaches a width of 20 miles at places. If you've never been there, here's a photo of me in front of the Lighthouse. It is one of the most iconic formations within the canyon. The Lighthouse is not visible from any of the canyon roads. It is roughly a seven mile round trip hike, but it is very much worth the effort.

You can see below my fabric pulls for this block. We will be using creams and earth toned fabric. For this block you may use 2 1/2" strips or scraps in varying lengths. 

Fabric requirements: 

Creams, and low value tans are preferred, with light/medium contrast.

Earth tones; rust, browns, golds; subtle prints; anything indicative of what could be found in nature. Please use 6 different prints, if at all possible. 

Cutting Directions:

Cream or light cream print  

6 squares 2 1/2" X 2 1/2"

Earth toned prints

2 squares (A) 2 1/2" X 2 1/2" [matching the colors of the (C) strips below]

2 rectangles (B) 2 1/2" X 10 1/2" [Each a different color]

2 rectangles (C) 2 1/2" X 8 1/2" [Each a different color]

2 rectangles (D) 2 1/2" X 4 1/2" [Each a different color]

2 rectangles (E) 2 1/2" X 6 1/2" [Each a different color]

* (A) Earth toned and (C) are sewn on the same rows, thus the colors should match across the row.

* (D) and (E) are sewn on the same rows, thus the colors should match across the row.

* If you have a fabric with an obvious stripe or direction, it should be cut horizontally.

Helpful color information:

The diagram below will help to explain how the block is pieced with corresponding color placement. Note: we will NOT be using the blue or green colors in this example.

Block piecing:

1. Row 1 and row 6 should be of different earth tone colors.
2. Row 2 and row 5 should be different from each other, but using the same color per row.
3. Row 3 and row 4 should be different from each other, but using the same color per row.
4. Please use a scant 1/4" seam so that the block will measure at least 12 1/2" square.
5. Press all seams toward the dark print so that when sewing the rows together you will be able to "nest" the seams together so that they will match perfectly.

I think this block will go together rather quickly. I hope you enjoy making this "Canyon Beauty"!

~ Kathryn

Hive 7 August Tutorial - Midnight Garden Adventures

 Hi everyone!  My name is Meghan (@missprissquilts) and this is my second time participating in the Stash Bee.  I thought for sure I was going to choose a scrappy theme, because I am TERRIBLE at scrappy, so block swaps force me to be random.  But after seeing how creative my hive-mates have been during "Choose Your Own Adventure" months, I decided I couldn't possibly choose one block!  So I hope you'll all forgive me for yet another sampler quilt... over the last few years I've become a very keen gardener, so it only seemed right to choose a garden sampler.  

The Blocks

I'm open to blocks of any size, but ideally in finished sizes that are multiples of 3, so I don't break my brain trying to put them together.  (So unfinished, think 3.5", 6.5"x12.5", etc.).   

As far as design goes, I think anything you'd find in a moonlit garden is fair game, and I love whimsy, so I'm here for a toadstool and gnome, moon and stars, and of course every flower, snail and lightning bug you can imagine.  I found tons of inspiration on Instagram (#midnightgardensal is a treasure trove) and even went so far as to make a Pinterest Board of blocks I found interesting, since I'm sure I'll make quite a few to supplement what my hive-mates come up with.  As you can see from the sample pics I chose, my favorite designs tend to be FPP, but any technique you like is fair game!

Colors:

I'm envisioning VERY high contrast, so think black/deep midnight blue/deeeeeeep purples for background fabrics (low-mid volumes are my fave, but solids are good too), and BRIGHT colors for the main elements, but please lean towards pinks and away from red.  

And some sample layouts to give you a sense of what I'm going for...

I hope this sounds like a fun challenge!  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!