Hive 4 January Tutorial- Christmas Stars for Helen

 Hello everyone

Welcome to Hive 4 2021. I am Helen your Hive Mama for this year and I am very excited to tell you a bit about what I am currently working on and how you can all help me get this project finished.

But first a bit about me. I am a partner in a chartered accounting firm in Wellington, New Zealand, the capital city of my country and I live in Lower Hutt with my hubby, Steve and my two Schipperke dogs, Chloe (16) and Cassie (7). Lower Hutt is a city of 90,000 people a 20 minute drive from Wellington around the harbour. The greater Wellington area consists of 4 cities totaling 500,000 people.

I have two grown-up children and my hubby has three grown-up children and we have three grandchildren. Two of the grandchildren live in Australia. 2020 was a hard year for us: one of our dogs passed away with liver cancer at 15 during our April lock down, my father died in Australia in June and we were unable to go over and say goodbye and help my sister with arrangements, hubby had emergency eye surgery for a detached retina and then two months later needed a cataract removed in the same eye, my daughter was ill for 5 weeks (not covid) and my SIL had to have an operation also. However, despite all that, I am so grateful I live in New Zealand and we have managed to get on top of this terrible Covid 19 illness and keep our vulnerable citizens safe. If we had let it go through the population here, we would have had so many more deaths and severe illnesses and our hospitals would have been totally overwhelmed. My heart goes out to you all if you have suffered from this illness in some way.

I have been quilting for 9 years now and love it. I have a stash that I could open a shop with and enough WIPs to keep me occupied well past old age. I like trying new things and being challenged. I like traditional (think French General) and modern (think Carolyn Friedlander) and contemporary (think Anna Maria Horner and Tula Pink) fabrics and styles. I also like colour and solids and intricate piecing.

Now for my tutorial.

I started a Christmas themed saw tooth star quilt at the end of 2019 and I would sincerely love to have it finished by Christmas 2021!!

Here are some blocks I already made:

As you can see they are a variety of combinations of red and white with a tiny bit of other colour int he centre square and as an added bonus if you could fussy cut a Christmasy or cute motif for the centre square that would awesome. 

These blocks are 8 1/2 inches unfinished.

You need the following cuts:

- 1 x 4.5 inch square - fussy cut if you can

- 4 x 2.5 by 4.5 inch rectangles - background

- 4 x 2.5 inch squares same fabric as the rectangles - background

- 8 x 2.5 inch squares contrasting with the rectangle fabric - these are the star points

Scant quarter inch seams used throughout.

I am happy with whatever combination of red and white you choose, just make sure there is some contrast in the block. Here is the fabric pull I have and I have been making blocks from all sorts of combinations of these fabrics. They don't have to be specifically Christmas fabrics though.

Here is my sample block construction process:

1. selecting the three fabrics - see that cute centre

2. To make the 4 flying geese units draw the diagonal line on the 8 x 2.5 inch squares to sew the star points to the background rectangles or you can use the paper pieced method here:

www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/flying-geese.html

to get really accurate units - click on the 2 by 4 finished unit. 

3. The sewn line is just next to the drawn line to allow the fold over of the fabric

4. Trim the wing 1/4 inch from the sewn line

5. Press the red out to the corner as per below x 4

6. Attach the remaining 4 star point squares to the other side of the background rectangle and sew right next to drawn line just like in step 3 and trim like step 4.

7. Completed star points sewn and trimmed ready to press outwards.

8. Nicely laid out ready to sew the pieces together and see how it will look.

9. Press the seams in opposite directions as shown for the star points and the centre so they nest.

10. Make sure you sew the seam just next to the point of the seam as above.

7. All nicely pieced with a quarter inch of seam allowance so when the blocks are sewn together the star points are retained. Block should measure 8 1/2 inches square.

8. And the back of the block to show seam pressing directions.

Hope this all pretty straight forward - if you have any questions send me an email and happy sewing. If you need further instructions you can google saw tooth star - there are plenty of tutorials on line for you to follow if you need further assistance.

Helen

Hive 6 January Tutorial

Hello Hive 6!  I'm excited for another year with Stash Bee.  I've been trying out different blocks and finally settled on one.  I hope you enjoy making it.

FABRIC

I love color and I love scrappy.  Choose your own colors.  The only colors to stay away from are browns and blacks.  I found a picture of this block in a book and figured out the construction in what I thought would be the most manageable.

This block has a snowball center, 8 flying geese, and 8 HSTs, plus squares  

Center fabric - (1) 6.5" square

Flying geese - using the no waste method - (2) 5.5" squares of color, (8) 3" square of low volume/white/off white.  If you have trouble following the pictures or using this method, there are many tutorials.  Below is a link to one by Angela Waters

No Waste Flying Geese

HSTs - I used 8 at a time method.  (2) 6 3/4 squares - (1) color, (1) low volume/white/off white 

NOTE: You can also use 5 3/4 squares for less waste.  I tested this for the second block.  Not much wiggle room.

(4) 2.5 x 4.5 - color

(8) 2.5 square - color

(4) 2.5 square - low volume/white/off white

Let's start with the center.

Use (4) 2.5 squares.  Draw diagonal line on each square.  Sew just to the inside of the line.

Trim 1/4" away from stitching.

After trimming, press seams open.

Half Square Triangles (HSTs)

Draw 2 diagonal lines.  Stitch 1/4" on either side of both lines.

Cut through the center both horizontally & vertically

Cut on the lines between stitching.

Trim to 2.5" 

FLYING GEESE

Using 3" low volume/white/off white squares, draw diagonal lines on each.  Place 2 squares on each 5.5" square.  Sew 1/4" from line on both sides.

Cut on line.  Press seams open.

Using (4) 3" squares, draw diagonal lines, sew 1/4" on each side of the line.  Cut on line & press seams open.

Line up the 45 degree angle along seam, with the 21/4" mark at the point. Trim.

Turn block and finish trimming to 2.5 x 4.5

Assembly

Layout pieces

Sew flying geese to 2.5 x 4.5 rectangles. Sew 2 units to center.
Sew corner pieces. Sew the corner pieces to rectangle units.
Add these to sides.

Finished size is 14.5"


Here's the other block I made.  It came together quickly.  Don't be fooled by the color. It's really burgundy!

The lighting is poor.  And yes, the whites are different.  

Please reach out if you have questions.

Looking forward to a fun year!

Hive 3 Janaury Tutorial - Impossible Churn Dash

Impossible Churn Dash

Do you have fabric that you consider is impossible to match to anything else?  Or fabric that it’s impossible to find a project for?  Welcome to my Impossible Churn Dash.  

Choosing:

You could choose to use that impossible fabric in this block .and add one other print fabric that meets these contrasting conditions or choose any two prints that provide the contrasts suggested.  Here is my pull.  

1.        Size of print:  Large print or Medium print or Small print.  Choose two contrasting sizes.

 

2.       Density or amount of background:  Large print with large areas of background, Large print with small area of background, etc.  Actually, the background helps determine into which color category the fabric will fit.

 

3.       Color:  Complementary colors with expanded ranges.  Basic complementary colors are Red and Green, Blue and Orange and Yellow and Purple.  Expand the range be making it pink and lime, or Aqua and Rust or Lemon and Lavender, etc.  

 

4.       Multicolor prints:  Prints that defy color labels could be paired with different size prints that use the same colors, or a print that has a minimal design from a complementary color.  Like a multi-color print with a two-color print.  

Choose from your stash, I love all colors and think they all match.  I just don’t want any solids, low volumes in this block, or black or white backgrounds.  Choose wild, vibrant, clashing colors and see how adventuresome you can be and I’ll be excited. If you really don’t have prints in your stash, I would be okay with some tone-on-tone blenders or anything with a texture. 

Cutting:

You only need a strip 4” by 20 or across a Fat Quarter width of each of the two fabrics.  Alternately you can successfully use a layer cake square.  You might have some of those languishing in your scrap bin that were too busy, ugly (???) or impossible to use. 

Strips:  Pair the two strips up and Cut (2 sets of 2) 4” squares and then cut (4) 2”  pairs of rectangles across the strip yielding (4) 2 x 4” rectangles.  

Or if you are using a  Layer Cake:  Cut a 4 inch strip and then cut in 2 squares and one 4 x 2 rectangle, then cut another 4 inches and cut 1 square and 3 4x2 rectangles. 

You may need one more 4’ square.  You could cut it last when you decide what you want for a center block.  This could be one of the 2 fabrics or you could find something from your stash to fussy cut, but not a neutral or low volume.

Check Your Quarter Inch:

Remember to use Jackie’s reminder and check your quarter inch seams.  Sew three 2.5” squares together, press, measure and you should get 6.5 inches.  If not, check your cutting and then your seam allowances.  If your piece is too big, widen your seam allowance, if it doesn’t add up to 6.5, make a smaller seam.  My machine can move one -two notches over from center and this usually takes care of it.

Sewing:

Draw a diagonal line on the two pairs of 4’s squares and sew ¼” on either side of the line.

  Cut on the drawn line and you have 4 Half Square Triangles (HST).   Trim these HST to 3.5 inches.  Use any square ruler with a diagonal line. I press seams to one side, but if you want to press open, I am happy with that.  Press toward the darker. 

I love these two rulers to square up, but I have to remember the Simple Folded Corner Ruler uses the finished size which is 3 inches and the Quilt in a Day uses the actual size which is 3.5.  You do have to trim off the edges, which the Clearly Perfect Slotted Trimmer will do for you, but I don't have that.  I just clip them with scissors.  

Sew the rectangles in pairs along the long edge.  Press toward the darker.   These pieces should measure 3.5 inches x 4”

Lay out the HST and rectangle pairs in a nine-patch and determine which print should be on the outside or inside of your block.  Note that this is an uneven nine patch because the center blocks are 4 inches.  This is the time to add one other fabric for the center if you really want to, but it’s not necessary.    These were my options before I decided which print went to the outside.  I might make one in the opposite way just for variety.  

Sew the pieces into rows and the rows into a block.  The center row is pressed opposite from the top and bottom rows for a good nesting of your seams. 

Finishing: 

Give it a good press and remove any stray threads (Because they always show up in a picture).   This will make a 9.5-inch block. However, you don’t have to trim it, send it to me however it comes out.  I might sash these and can always make adjustments for any blocks that vary. 

1.       Take a picture of the block.  

2.       Post it on Instagram using #StashBeeHive3 or #StashBee2021

3.       Mail it by putting it in an envelope.  You could easily fit this block inside a greeting card and mail it to me. That’s usually the cheapest postage. 

If you have questions, or a dilemma or anything you need clarified, let me know. 

Susan

Hive 2 January Tutorial - Orange with white triangles

I'm slowly working my way through some single color quilts, having done red, green, blue, and purple.  The red and purple ones were done with stash bee and I find it a rather nice platform for them.  This time we'll be doing orange!

I find orange to be a hard color because it shifts to brown so easily.  (Fun fact: I recently watched this video about brown.  They talk more why you can't make brown light, but one of the things I took away was how orange and brown relate.  You can have blue and dark blue, purple and dark purple.  But dark orange is brown!)  Therefore, try to stick with bright oranges if possible.  I pulled several from my stash.  Please try to stay away from having other colors in the fabric, with the exception of dark yellow, white, and a bit of black.  Even then, the fabric should read orange.  Solids, while not shown, are more than welcome!  Batiks are fine.  Please try to stay away from novelty prints.

 

For the white, I'd prefer solid white but white on white is fine too.

Cut:
*16x: 4.5" x 4.5" orange squares.  You don't have to go scrappy, but if possible please have at least 4 different orange fabrics.
*16x: white squares between 2"-4".  (I.e., 4 x 4, 2.5 x 2.5, 3.75 x 3.75, etc.) (If desired, you can cut all 4x4 squares, but it results it more waste.)

Sew:
*Put a white square on top of an orange square.
*Mark a line from one edge where the fabrics line up to the other.  Don't mark all of them at a 45 degree line, but vary them up a little bit.

*Sew on the line.

Square up:
*Trim off the extra part of the squares, leaving about a 1/4" seam.

*Press the seams toward the orange fabric.  (If you accidentally do it toward the white, it isn't a big deal.)

*Square up to 4.5".

Put together
*Sew together in rows with the white triangle in the bottom right.  Press in the direction shown below.  (I underlined where the seam should be in case the arrows are confusing.)

*Sew together the rows.  Do not do the last press so that I can nest the blocks together at the end.  If you didn't end up with many different oranges, please skip this step and I'll mix them in when I'm putting the quilt together.

 

 

~Amanda

Hive 1 January Tutorial- Disappearing 9 Patch Block

 Happy New Year, Hive 1! I am so excited to get this year started with a new quilt. This year's Stash Bee quilt is going to be a quilt for my husband. Wanting to keep it somewhat simple for everyone in the hive, especially since we have quilters of varying skill levels, I've decided to select a disappearing 9-patch block. What will ultimately make it look more complex will be me setting the layout on-point. Of course, this is something I've never done before so it will be a new learning experience for me too!

Here is an example of what the quilt might look like: 

The focal color fabric will be red - it can be a solid red or a blender red, just as long as it looks red. The other fabrics I am looking for will be black (or something that reads black), black-on-white (lighter b&w fabric), and white-on-black (darker b&w fabric). Here is my fabric pull. 

Now I've been collecting these black and white fabrics for a while so if you don't have anything like this in your stash and don't want another excuse to go out and buy fabric, let me know. I can come up with an alternate option or I'm more than happy to mail you some!

Cutting Instructions:

Red Fabric: 1 - 5"x5" square

Black Fabric: 2 - 5"x5" squares

White on Black Fabric (darker b&w): 2 - 5"x5" squares

Black on White Fabric (lighter b&w): 4 - 5"x5" squares - these can be up to 4 different fabrics

Sewing Instructions

Please use a true quarter-inch seam allowance when doing any sewing for this block. It will make a huge difference if it's not accurate, so please measure, especially if you are one that typically sews with a scant quarter-inch seam. It is up to you how you press your seams. Do whatever is most comfortable for you in order to get an accurate block. I tend to use a combination of pressing to the side and pressing open in order to reduce bulk.

Lay out your squares like below and sew them together. Your red block will be in the center, your black blocks will be on opposite corners, your dark b&w blocks will be on the other opposite corners, and your lighter b&w blocks will be in the remaining positions.

Once sewn together, your block should measure 14" square. Don't worry if it's a teensy bit off but if you're seeing a measurement that seems to be much smaller or larger, please check your seam allowance and your initial cutting of the 5" squares.

Now you are going to cut the block in half, lengthwise and crosswise. Because your block might not be 100% square (which is to be expected with fabric) you are going to measure your center red block to make your cuts. 

It should measure 4.5" square. This means the center point of that block is going to be 2.25" so that is where you are going to make your 2 cuts, one vertical and one diagonal.

Cut 2.25" from the edge of the red block.

Once you make your cuts, your block should look like this:

Our last step is going to be to rotate just the blocks that have the solid black so that they are toward the center like this:

Sew the 4 blocks back together and your final block should measure 13.5" square. 

It took me about 70 minutes total to make these 2 blocks so you should have no problem making one block in the allotted 90-minute timeframe. 

I look forward to all the wonderful blocks that my hive mates create for me. 

Thank you!

~ Diana @ Red Delicious Life

2019 StashBee Finish

 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