Hive 5 August 2026 Tutorial Quirky Shoo Fly for Susan

This one is hopefully fun for you.  It is rather improv which is one of my favorite techniques.

I like bright colors with lots of contrast.  This makes a happy cheery quilt.  

Start with the center.  It can be a square, a rectangle (vertical or   horizontal)  It can be fussy cut or a plain piece of fabric.  It's one of a kind.  Only one of this in the block, because it came from your stash and thoughts, I already love it.  Quirky is special.  

If you love to fussy cut, or want to experiment, that is perfect.  You have the opportunity to create a fussy cut that is not restricted by size.  I hate it when I have the cutest image and it falls outside the block size required.  I suggest cutting 1/2 inch beyond the image on all four sides.  2 sides should be parallel, but the other two could be slanted.  Then if you have an unregular size, use the center to cut the other blocks for the block.  Measurements are not required.  

The other eight pieces of the block  are the same fabric or the same color fabric, but different prints.  Like the two yellow fabrics in this one.  My block did not come up the right size, so I will be adding another yellow fabric strip to this to bring it up to size.  That's called a coping strip and if you use the same fabric, no one will be the wiser....except you guys because I confessed my error to you.  So don't tell!

Also you will need some scrappy snowballs for the corner blocks.  We are going to snowball one corner of each corner block with.....again options:

A. Four different fabrics or colors

B.   Four different sizes or 

C. Four different shapes or

D.  Your own idea for a snowball!  I'm sure I haven't thought of all the possibilities.  Also, any combination of these options will also work.  It's improvisatory, no rules, no rigidity, no negatives.  

The easiest construction is make everything 4.5 inches square....yielding a 12.5 inch block.  And that's great if you choose that...then the fabrics are the focus.  So pick something you love that reads a solid, and something for the center that is different.  The quirky thing will be the snowballs.  I would snowball the four corner blocks (4.5) with a 3.5"square, a 3" square, a 2.5" square and a 1.5" square.  Any combination or pattern will work.  Just place the square on the correct corner and sew a diagonal line and trim.  Sew the block together like a nine patch and send it to me.  

If you center is not a square, here's the method I used.  Lay your center on the edge of your background and cut a strip the same width as your center.  (The background strip needs to be at least 13-14 inches long.  Then cut that strip in half...that's your center top and bottom.  Then lay the center strip horizontally and cut the your background the same  width (it actually is the same length as the center, but you just laid it down horizonitally so the definition changed.  Hope that made sense)  as your center piece  This is your two center sides.  Make your corner blocks from the same fabric.  Make them oversized but should match the height of the top center block and the width of the middle blocks.  

Next easiest method would be to keep the 4.5 inch squares and then snowball with a rectangle instead of a square.  Or a combination of rectangles and squares.  If you use a rectangle, start with a larger piece of fabric and place the edge of the fabric on an angle that is not a 90-degree angle. Like these two upper blocks.   Then trim.  

If you want to be daring, you can play with the proportions and make the centers smaller or larger than the 4.5" block and make it rectangular.   You will need to make your other blocks correspond to the different size.  You can use math, or you can wing it.    If you are totally improvising this, add an extra inch or so to the outside blocks so you can guarantee it will reach 12.5 inches.  

Stitch together,then trim to 12.5:

You'll notice that I tried improve curves here for my snowballs.  It was okay, I think it was cute, but I'm not the one to teach you how to do that.  I will say that I sewed them and then trimmed them to fit the block.  So if you are feeling Quirky...do this .  I can definetly press better than this appears, but I was just playing with fabric.  

The goal:  send me a 12.5 inch block with a cute center and four triangle-ish fabrics pointing to the center.  I don't prefer any color or design, or type of fabric.  Just what is near your cutting table and I will enjoy it.  

Thanks tons! I hope you have fun playing with fabric!!!

Susan

Tutoral: Hive 2 August Block for Diane

Hello, I am Diane your Queen Bee for August.   I am personally on a mission to make a dent in my numerous boxes and bags of scraps. If you are anything like me, you may enjoy the following. It is brainless sewing, ideal when listening to a good book or your favorite show on tv.  

Warning: this may be addictive!   

This month we will be making scrappy adding machine tapes.     

-First, I will not ask that you buy a calculator roll; they are way too expensive and usually come in box of 8 or 16 rolls. Therefore, you will find any thin paper in 11” or 18” long and cut the sheet in strips of 3” wide x the length. I use draft paper in 18” long and lengthen it as needed. By all means, if you have 3" adding tape on hand and want to use it, go ahead. Paper you have on hand, even thin printer paper, will work. The paper is used as a foundation; think of paper piecing but way easier.        

 I bought this art pad at a dollar store for $1.25 a few years ago and it is perfect. 

-Second you will take a bag of scraps in a colour of your choice. Yes, I store my scraps by colours. Keeping with one colour theme, any scrap works as long as it contrasts with charcoal, the background colour I will be using to make the quilt. 

 

Here how it works:

I first took my TEAL bag of scraps. Your scraps should be at least 3 1/2" long or you can sew smaller pieces together to get to 3 1/2". Don't fuss, just eyeball it.

Cover a 3” ribbon with a small scrap right side up. Sew another one to it right side together, flip and press. Then repeat, repeat and repeat until you have covered a long strip. When it is time to extend your tape: overlap the 2 ends of the paper, using a glue stick, lightly glue the ends together and continue sewing on top of the paper. If you don’t have a glue stick, you can stitch the two strips of paper together or simply overlap the paper strips under one fabric strip.  

Preferably the finished ribbons would be no shorter than 12”long, and as long as you want to make them, 18” to 24” being the ideal lengths.   

Starting in the middle of the tape is a good idea, as you can press both seams at the same time. Use an iron or a roller to press the seams. Another good idea is to chain piece if making more than one strip.   

The scraps should not be wider than 2” (to finish at a max of 1 1/2”) and they can lay straight or on an angle, you decide. My scraps are often not straight cuts, so I use the angles to make it interesting, but do as you wish.    

You can repeat the fabric as long as it is not too close to each other.    

You can make as many ribbons as you wish, in whatever colour you wish contrasting with charcoal.   

*Please sew with a very small stitch, this is to avoid making a back stitch at the beginning & end of the seam and also to make the removing of the paper easier.     

**Start sewing on the fabric and finish your seam on the fabrics also (extend your seam further than the paper) 

***Do not trim the ribbon, leave as is.

 ****Do not remove the paper. 

Have fun with it, 

Diane  

   

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Here are 2 YouTube videos for references:   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnmcqgGHLU0   https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&hs=E8yp&sca_esv=4939a1393f783df3&hl=en-us&udm=7&sxsrf=ANbL-n5NvRm8SBX0zOiJ-

8BHhaRDCeKV6A:1780148472511&q=adding+machine+tape+quilting&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwitzOfqkeGUAxXZqisGHXmmIAAQ8ccDKAJ6BAgaEAQ&biw=1180&bih=755&dpr=2#fpstate=ive&ip=1&vld=cid:999af57d,vid:lWXJ_IyZyEg,st:0 

     

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Here are just a few of the many designs ideas to included these ribbons in a quilt. My final design will depend on what I will receive from you to play with. 

 

Hive 4 August 2026 Dogs in Ugly Christmas Sweaters for Paula

 Hive 4 Dogs in Sweaters Quilt Block

August block for Paula

#stashbee2026

#stashbee2026hive4

 

 This is a scrap friendly pattern which is my favorite. For this one, the dogs will be wearing an ugly Christmas sweater so have fun with the fabric selection. I started writing this in December, so Christmas is still on my mind. I have a collection of ugly Christmas sweater ornaments that fill one Christmas tree. This quilt will go perfectly.

The main color for the dogs will be brown to remind me of my pup, Ollie. No need to use solid if you have anything else that reads mostly brown, feel free to use Christmas fabric, novelty fabric, florals, stripes, etc, all is welcome but please use all of the same brown. The background will be white or low-volume white on white.

You will be making left facing puppies. Stitch and flip is the main technique.

Here are some of the Christmas and brown fabrics selected. I may do some ugly sweater applique on some of the white and red fabrics.

 

Cutting:

Christmas Fabric

(1) 5”x6-1/2”

Brown   (4) 2”x2” Draw a stitch line, corner to corner on the wrong side of (2) squares

(2) 3-1/2”x3-1/2”

(1) 2”x8”

White   (1) 2”x5-1/2”

                (6)  2”x2” Draw a stitch line, corner to corner on the wrong side of the squares

                (2) 3-1/2”x3-1/2”

                (1) 2”x3-1/2”

                (2) 3-1/2”x5”

Sewing:

Place a 2” x 2” brown square in the upper left corner of a 5” x 6 1/2” Christmas fabric, right sides together, and stitch from corner to corner as shown. Trim excess leaving a 1/4” seam and press block open. This is piece “A”

Sew a 2” x 2” brown square to the end of a 2” x 5 1/2” white rectangle. . These will be piece “B”

Place a 2” x 2” white square in the corner of a 3 1/2” x 3 1/2” brown square. Stitch a line diagonally across the white square. Trim excess leaving 1/4” seam allowance and press open. Place another 2” x 2” white square in the next corner and sew diagonal line as shown. Trim and press. These will be piece “C”

 

Place a 2” x 2” brown square and a 2” x 2” white square right sides together. Sew on the drawn  diagonal line from one corner to the other making a stitch and flip half square triangle. Trim excess leaving 1/4” seam and press block open. C Place another 2” x 2” white square on top of the finished piece. Sew a line from corner to corner, the opposite direction as the diagonal seam on the first piece. Trim and press open. This is piece “D”

Place a 2” x 2” brown square in the corner of a 3 1/2” x 3 1/2” white square, right sides together, and sew on the drawn line from corner to corner as shown. Trim excess leaving a 1/4” seam and press block open. This is piece “G”

Place a 3 1/2” x 3 1/2” brown square and a 3 1/2” x 3 1/2” white square right sides together. Sew a diagonal line from one corner to the other. Trim excess leaving 1/4” seam allowance and press block open. This is piece “H”

For left facing puppies, align a 2” x 3 1/2” white rectangle at the end of a 2” x 8” brown strip. Instead of laying it off to the left, this time lay it off to the right as shown. Stitch a line from one corner to the other as shown. This is piece “J”

 

Construction:

 Section Layout

Begin assembling the preppy pup block by sewing pieces A and B together to form the first section.

Down to four sections. Nose does not line up here, but I will fix it later.

Sew pieces D and E together. Then attach to piece C. Next, attach piece F to complete this section.

Sew pieces G, H and I together for another section.

Sew section A/B to section C/D/E/F. Then attach section G/H/I

 Two sections remaining

Lastly, attach piece J to complete the right facing puppy block.

 

Finished block should measure 9 1/2” x 12 1/2”. I will be adding sashing later.

 

 

This is a free Michael Miller pattern. Clicking the link below brings you directly to a PDF download.

 https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=5d16c5454227cedc592588b9b19d9fec68e0f031074454394a1941972f36e941JmltdHM9MTc3NTAwMTYwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=1eaa3571-7bbd-6f4f-1092-20827adf6e59&psq=michael+miller+preppy+dogs+pattern&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubWljaGFlbG1pbGxlcmZhYnJpY3MuY29tL2ZpbGV1cGxvYWRlci9kb3dubG9hZC9kb3dubG9hZD9maWxlPWN1c3RvbS91cGxvYWQvRmlsZS0xMzk4MTgwOTI5LnBkZg