Hive 1 Tutorial for May - Neon Stroked Flying Geese for Kelli

The Block

Thanks for being on this journey with me. I have enjoyed sewing with you this year! I have been lifting weights for the last few years, and my shoulders have outgrown my quilted coat. You all will help me make a new coat! I am going for bold colors--and the late 80's neon color scheme inspires me. 

For the pattern, I have chosen the stroked flying geese block, a pattern from AGF. You will notice this method makes 4 at a time (and it leaves quite a bit of waste, sorry).

Fabrics:

For the fabrics, I am looking for neon on dark grey. I am using the Sharpie highlighter collection for inspiration. 

Background Fabric: I want a dark background. I prefer dark grey, but medium grey and black are also welcomed. You can use solids, blenders, batiks, and tone-on-tone. Please no light grey or navy. No prints. Here is my fabric pull:

Colored Fabrics: You'll need one main fabric and one accent fabric for the stroke. I recognize that you will likely not have neon fabrics in your collection; I don't either. Please choose colors that are vibrant and will contrast with the dark background. Solids, blenders, batiks, tone on tone, and small prints are all fine. Here is my pull: 

Cutting: 

Neon Main Fabric 

• four (4) 4 1/2” squares 

Neon Accent Fabric: 

• two (2) 4 1/2” x 2” strips
• one (1) 10“ x 2” strip, 

Dark Background: 

• four (4) 3 1/2” squares

Sewing the blocks: 

1. Take the four (4) 4 1/2” main fabric squares, two (2) 4 1/2” x 2” accent strips, and join them into two fabric strips with the contrast bar in the middle. 
   
   
   
2. Take one (1) 10” x 2” accent strip and use it to join two barred strips you created in step 1. You will end up with a 10" block that looks like a plus symbol.  
   
   
   
3. Make a template of a 6 1/2” square using paper or cardboard (I am using an acrylic template from Nancy's Notions), then place it on point on top of the block, making sure it is perfectly centered, align it with the center strips of the block, and trim it to size. You should now have a 6 1/2" block that looks like an X. 
   
   
   
4. Take two (2) 3 1/2” background squares and place them on the diagonal, aligned to opposite corners of the X block. Pin them in place, and draw a line from point to point.
   
   
   
5. Stitch at  1/4” from the drawn line on each side. Cut on the drawn line. Open and press toward the background fabric. 
   

   

   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Take two (2) 3 1/2” background squares and place them on the diagonal aligned to the corner of the X block.  Pin them in place, and draw a line on the diagonal of the background square. 
   
   
   
7. Stitch at 1/4” from the drawn line on each side. Cut on the drawn line. Open and press toward the background fabric. You will end up with four stroked flying geese.
   
   
   
8. Trim: Mine came out to be 5 1/2" x 3"

Here are my final blocks. 

Hive 5 May Tutorial - The House That Jack Built for Michelle

Hello fellow Hive 5 quilters, Michelle from Wisconsin here! For the month of May, I'll have you make the 'House that Jack Built' block.

This is a modern on-point block that I've seen in a few places. I was inspired to choose this pattern after finding this bag (on the left) in the book The Shape of Japan - 750 Patchwork Patterns by Kumiko Fujita:

And from another source, here is the free tutorial I used as a basis for my block: https://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/house-jack-built-quilt-block.html

You can check out the Generations tutorial to see more detailed assembly photos, but keep in mind that my measurements are different (due to not using an on-point ruler), so please be sure to use the measurements I listed below.

Materials needed:

Color A 

- Two 15" x 1.5" strips* of black or charcoal

Color B 

- One 15" x 1.5" strip* of any light or bright color

*14" is the absolute minimum length, but I added 1" extra for safety

Color C (Background)

- One 4.5" square of light or medium gray

- Two 4" squares of the same light or medium gray

- One 3.5" square of the same light or medium gray 

Please no holiday or religious/political prints, otherwise anything goes, solid, prints, batiks etc.

Instructions:

Step 1:

Sew the long ends of the A and B strips together, making sure B is in the middle. You should end up with a 15" x 3.5" strip sandwich. Press towards the darker color (A).

Cut the sandwich into four 3.5" x 3.5" squares. 

Step 2:

Put the 3.5" gray (color C) square aside for now.

Cut the 4.5" gray square in half down both diagonals to make four small right triangles.

Cut the other two 4" gray squares in half along one diagonal to make four large right triangles in total.

You should have now have one 3.5" square, four large triangles, and four small triangles.

Step 3:

Take the ABA squares and the four small gray triangles. Sew the diagonal of a gray triangle to a black edge of each ABA square, to make four house-shaped units. Press.

Note that the triangle will stick out past the sides of the squares. That's correct, just make sure to center the triangle on top of the square before sewing (use a ruler or fold both in half + match the folds):

Step 4:

Tip: If you press towards gray in the next two steps, you can nest the seams easier when assembling the full block.

Take two houses and the C square. Sew the house 'bottoms' to two opposing edges of the square. 

Step 5: 

Take the remaining two houses and the four large triangles. For each house, sew the leg of a large triangle to both of the side edges of the house, lining up the flat edge. Make sure the triangles slope down and away from the house:

Step 6: 

You should now have 3 units- two identical triangular-shaped rows and one 'stretched hexagon' row.
Arrange the 3 units into rows to form a diamond:

Sew the 3 rows together. You can press however you want on this step, but personally I found it easiest to press away from the center row.

You're done! Your block should be somewhere around 9.25" square, but don't stress about the size (it likely won't be exact). Please send it to me like this, without trimming! I will trim your block myself to match the ones I've already made :)

Thank you and please let me know if something is unclear or if you have any questions!

Hive 1 April: Yellow Squares for Julia

Right under the wire! I’m sorry these are coming to you so late in the month. I cut out all the pieces weeks ago, then promptly lost them under a big project I had to finish. These were nice and simple to piece, but fun to put together too! Thank you!

Hive 1 April: Yellow Squares for Julia

 These are my squares for Julia. They will go in the mail tomorrow. I hope you like them 😃

Hive 1 blocks for Julia

 Hello, 

I really liked making these. I was surprised at how cohesive they look together. I do hope you enjoy these gems ;)

Hive 1 April 2026 blocks for Julia

These were fun to make! Hope these fit the vibe!

—Caitlin

Hive 1 - April blocks for Julia

 This was a great exercise to force my brain past normal quilt math!  You know, the usual  2 1/2 strips/blocks.  It took a minute but great use of those scraps.  Julia, hope you enjoy.

Cindy McCurdy

Hive 1 April, 2026 Colorful blocks

I loved making these blocks and it has inspired me to make my own quilt based on your idea.  What a great way to use up scraps!   Jane A. 

 

 

Hive 1 April 2026 - Colorful Squares for Julia

 

These blocks were easy and fun to make.  Julia's idea for Klimt-inspired colorwash-style quilt is great, and I can't wait to see the finished version.

Pam 

Hive 1 April Blocks- Yellow Squares for Julia

 These were so quick to make! I don't use a lot of yellows in my quilts, so there are more off-white yellows and browns here. Hopefully they'll help round out the color wash effect.