Hive 2 March Tutorial - Earthy 9 Patch for Mandi

I’m going really easy this month since I’m short on some colors to make this simple quilt I’m working on! It’s a basic 9 patch with 5” squares. Sorry, I know we just did a 9 patch (that was more fun), but I definitely appreciate the help getting this done and done in time for her birthday, and she wants this as her design. I’m actually putting a green slash across the middle as well.

Colors are earth tones, brown, red and orange. Solids are ok but I’m leaning away from them since I don’t have much and I don’t want them to stick out too much. She loves orange, so if you’ve got some orange that is great to use. If you can use a different fabric for each square that’s great, if not, no worries, just don’t have them next to each other.

I found a site for reference for the pattern: https://thesewingloftblog.com/9-patch-quilt-block-sewing-term/

Alternating fabrics; join 3 squares together to create a strip using 1/4″ seam allowance. Repeat to create 3 strips. Nest seams.

Join your 3 strips, nesting seams again. Block should measure 14"x14" when finished.

Hive 1- March Tutorial: Evil Eye Block for Leah

I've been wanting to make an Evil Eye quilt for a while, but with the world being the way it is lately, it feels like it's much more urgent now. We could all use protection and luck, and I would love to get the group's help. Maybe you'll all be able to help me imbue it with some magic!

This design is very improvised. If you see the picture and go "ohh, I have an idea for how to make it!" then please just go for it. But if you could use specific instructions, read on. And if it drives you totally nuts, 1) please let me know and ask about anything that's unclear, and 2) feel free to quit after the first round or two if you need to. I'll be so happy to receive any eyes you're able to make for me, even if they don't make it out to the fourth round.

Colors:

I'd like colors to be in the general realm of naturally-occuring eye colors. Blue, green, purple, gray, brown, gold, etc., mostly. You'll need a dark and a light version of the eye colors, as well as a black and a white. Here are a bunch of fabrics I pulled to show you my thoughts. You should know that I'm not totally happy with everything in the above photo of eye blocks; I think the top right came out a little too zombie! (Too much red in the black center, too gray in the white.) But as long as you avoid my mistakes, there's a lot of flexibility in the colors. I'm happy with solids or prints. Your light color and dark color do not need to be the same color as long as each ring in the eye is the same fabric all the way around.

Cutting instructions:

Please note this will not have precise assembly instructions, and amounts of each fabric will vary depending on how you assemble and trim your block, and how large a square you start with. Strips need not be all one piece and I've given how much fabric I used in assembling mine; you may need a little more or less.

Black: one square of between 2.5 and 3.5"

White: strip of between 2 and 3" wide, about 36" long 

Light color: strip of between 2 and 3" wide, about 18" long

Dark color: strip of between 2 and 3" wide, about 36" long

Assembly:

Sew the light color strip to one side of the black square

Press and trim the strip off, taking off a corner of the square too. We're going for a non-square polygon in the center by the time we're done. I'll be happy with a pentagon, hexagon, really any shape as long as it's a little closer to a circle than a square. You'll be able to rotate the edge you cut to add it to the next side of the black piece. 

Continue pressing, trimming so you have straight (but not square) edges, rotating, and sewing the strip to remaining sides of the black piece. Lots more photos to come:

It'll be ok to trim the black too, if you think it needs it!

Or just sew the strip where you think it belongs, and trim behind your seam after. Continuing to cut corners to make the square a little more hexagonal...

Continue until you've completed your light colored border around the black!

Trim the edges so they're all straight and you're happy with the overall shape, but don't square it up: keep the hexagonal or octagonal or whatever shape you've gotten. 

Then follow all the same steps with the white, completely bordering the light color.

Trim the edges.

And repeat the bordering process one more time with the dark color.

And you're done! Trim your edges but don't square up; I'll be putting all of them together with one background color to keep the roundish effect of each eye. Thank you so much for sticking with me through this. I'm really looking forward to putting it together!

Hive 5 March Tutorial- Purple Stars for Annemieke

 Hi all,

My name is Annemieke and this is the second year I’ve been in a hive. Last year I asked for 12” finished, 12.5” unfinished purple stars. This year I’m asking for 6” finished stars, 6.5” unfinished purple stars. 

These are the 12” blocks from last year.

For the fabric for your 6” finished blocks I am asking for purples. Batiks are fine. I do ask that your background be white or white on white. 

Here a selection of some my fabric choices.

This website has lots of stars to choose from. The star block you select is totally up to you.

Now I’m going to show you a tutorial of a 6” star you could make.

You are going to need 

4 - 2” squares background

4 - 2 5/8” squares background

4 - 2 5/8” squares purple

1 x 3.5” square purple

Now we’re going to make half square triangles. Take a 2 5/8” white square and place right sides together with a purple square. Draw a line diagonally and sew a 1/4” seam on both sides of your line. Cut along your drawn line. Do this four times.

Open up your blocks pressing your seam to the dark side and trim these to 2”.

Sew your half square triangle blocks together as shown. The arrows indicate how I pressed my seams.

Sew the sides to the center square.

Then sew the top and bottom strips on and Voila you have a 6” finished, 6.5” unfinished star.

Now this is just one example. You can follow this tutorial or find another star block you like.

I look forward to seeing what everybody makes.

Annemieke

Hive 1 February Knee Bend Block for Rita

 

Here are my Knee Bend blocks for Rita for February.  I'd never made this block before, but they were easy and fun to make.

Hive 4- March Tutorial- Plait block for Tara

 Hey all, I'm Tara. I picked March again, last year we did the Sunflower block, this year I've decided on the Plait block.

 Sixteen years ago when my oldest graduated high school and went into the Marines, I started teaching bag classes at a local quilt store. I hadn't quilted much. I was more crafts and garments. I'd been sewing since I was a small child at my grandmother's knee, but we didn't do any quilting. My lovely friend Jaleena said, we'll turn you into a quilter. 

The store were gathering orphan blocks for a lady who had cancer to make her a quilt. I decided I wanted to do one, so I looked up free quilt blocks on the internet and found the plait block. I did the block and was very humbled. I took it up there to the store to turn it in and the owner was very sweet and added it to the quilt although it was an absolute mess. I'd picked the seams out so many times, had no idea about a quarter inch seam, most of the patterns I used were 1/2 or 5/8 inch seams, it wasn't square, so many things wrong. This memory popped into my head the other day for some odd reason and I decided I should do it.

 I asked in our group chat about partial seams and the responses were so positive. There are other patterns that work around the partial seam, but it requires a lot more cutting and I really like the look of the block with the partial seam method. 

https://fabric406.com/blogs/fabric406-blog/plaited-quilt-block-tutorial-a-modern-wedding-rings-design?_pos=1&_sid=b724a0288&_ss=r

 This blog is the 406 Fabric blog and is such a good resource. She has a lot of free patterns and blocks, and she's explained everything so well. 

Fabric Requirements: 

This is a three fabric quilt, a dark, medium, and background. For the dark, I'm looking for more medium blues, true blues, no teals, aqua, or pastels. For the medium, I'd like a true yellow, it's ok if it leans lemon or true yellow, but no gold or pastels. I'd like the background to be white. It can be solid or very low volume with a very small print. I used a white with gray or gold to go with the fabrics I pulled.

 I'm fine with prints or solids, I'd just like the prints to be yellow or blues, ie to work with the  palette.

You'll need about a fat quarter for the white, but only a 2.5 inch by wof for the blue and yellow.

 

White:

(4) 4.5 x 8.5

(1) 4.5 x 4.5

(4) 2.5 x 2.5

Blue and Yellow (each):

(2) 2.5 x 6.5

(2) 2.5 x 4.5

(6) 2.5 x 2.5 

 

Corner Units:

 Take two of the yellow 2.5 in squares and match them with a two white 2.5 inch squares. Sew and press towards the yellow fabric. 

 

 Add a 2.5 x 4.5 blue rectangle to the bottom of the the two patch with the yellow on the right, press down towards the blue. You'll have two units.

 You are going to repeat this step with two blue 2.5 and two white 2.5 squares, pressing towards the blue. Add 2.5 x 4.5 rectangle to the bottom with the blue to the right. Press towards the yellow. You'll have two units.

 

Side units:

With the remaining yellow and blue 2.5 squares, and the white 4.5 x 8.5, snowball two corners on each 4.5 x 8.5 rectangle. They should be snowballed on the same side.

 

 

 

 

 

Press and trim.

 

 

 

 

 When finished, you will have two sets of yellow and blue snowballed rectangles.

Center Unit:

You'll need the 4.5 inch white square and the (2) 2.5 x 6.5 yellow and blue rectangles. Lay out as per the following picture:

 First, take the white square and the top yellow rectangle. Place right sides together with the square on top. Sew down seam, but stop an inch from the bottom. This will be your partial seam.

 Finger press towards the yellow strip.

 Next take the blue strip on the right and place it right sides together with the yellow strip at the top.  

Sew and press towards the blue strip.

Rotate to the right and take the yellow strip and place it right sides together along the block with the blue trip at the top.

 Finger press towards the yellow strip and rotate to the right again. Place the blue strip right sides together with the block with the yellow strip at the top and the partial strip at the bottom. Fold the partial strip out of the way and sew the strip to the block.

 Finger press towards the blue. Next, take the partial strip and fold it right sides together with the un-sewn blue at the top. Sew the seam down to match up with the first seam.  Open and press the block. You did it!

 Assemble the block:

Assemble the block and sew together like a nine patch block. Press. The block should measure 16.5 x 16.5. 

I know the top block is reading aqua, but it's not, it's more of a cornflower blue.

I did so much better this time than the first! This is a fun, easy block and a great way to learn a new technique. The blocks go together fairly quickly. I was able to cut all three out, take pictures as the block progressed, and finish in about an hour and fifteen minutes. I had to take a break to watch the USA beat Germany in hockey. 

Blessings to you all!

Tara