Hive 1 May - Flying Geese for Kelli

 This was a fun one to make! 

Hive 1 Neon Stroked Flying Geese Blocks for Kelli

 

Hi Kelli,

These were fun to make! Hope they are neon enough for you :).
These Geese will be starting their journey to you flying via Post this afternoon.

Looking forward to seeing your new Quilt Coat!.

Happy sewing,

Rita

 Hive 1 May 2026 Stroked Flying Geese for Kelli

This is a great block!  I found my most neon fabric and darkest gray and put them together for you.

Ooooo Hearts for Emily

 

Hive 4 May Tutorial- Ooooo Hearts

I n case you missed the convo- Doretta in May and I in June swapped months due to life being life. So please make sure you mail these to Emily in Richland Hills, Texas and not the other lovely Emily or Doretta just yet. 

I’m actually NOT a hearts and pink and lovey-dovey kinda person. I even struggled to find fabrics from my stash for this because this kind of thing is so far out of my normal realm- so I apologize for the meagerness of the fabric pull examples. But something about this pattern just made me go Ooooo….so here we are.

It’s a slightly modified version of the Candy Boxes pattern by Heather Davis in the February 26 American Patchwork and Quilting magazine- issued in December 2025. My version of the pattern should finish at 15 ½” square for you (including seam allowance). Inspo photo of her quilt here, note lighter/pastel-ly hearts with brighter/darker ribbons & bows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fabric pull:

This quilt is really for blenders and solids, or subtle patterns. No words, holiday prints, novelty fabric, large or bold patterns. Try to think “subtle” with both color and pattern choices.   See the inspo image above for the feel I’m going for, though those are all solids and I’m ok with blenders and subtle patterns- especially for the hearts themselves.

Primary Heart pull                                                                                 Ribbons/Bows pull

Need 4 colors-

1.      Background: cream, white, light tan…. something very light. I used a Moda Grunge cream for example.

2.      Primary: light to medium pink, peach or lavender- needs to be non-directional and not too medium/dark or dark toned. Needs to read clearly as the primary color. Think soft candy-like colors-  muted pastel. Note: Like my soul, photos in my sewing room are always darker than reality- at least for light colors. The actual primary colors are much more pastel or pale than what you see here. The INSPO picture provided is far more accurate. Think soft pastels like those little candy hearts for Valentine's Day.

3.      Ribbon: medium or medium/dark tone red or purple or pink, preferably something that reads as a solid- strong enough of a difference from the primary fabric that it pops out obviously.

4.      Bow: Dark or medium/dark tone red or purple or pink, preferably something that reads as a solid- and is a little darker than the ribbon fabric.

  

Cutting:

Assume quarter inch seams for all sewing- already included in the cutting instructions

 

Background fabric (white-ish)

A  A.  6 ½” squares- need 2

B. B.     3 1/2” squares- need 4

C. C.     2” x 12 ½” rectangle- need 2 for sashing

D. D.    2” x 15 ½” rectangle- need 2 for sashing

 

Primary fabric (pastel)

E. E.   6 ½” x 7 ½” rectangle- need 1

F.  F.    3 ½” x 7” rectangle- need 1

G.G.     2 ½” x 7” rectangle- need 1

H.H.    4 ½” x 6 ½” rectangle- need 1

I.   I.     3 ½” x 4” rectangle- need 1

J.   J.     2 ½” x 4” rectangle- need 1

K. K.     6 ½” x 7 ½” rectangle- need 1

L. L.     1” x 2” rectangle- need 2

M.M.   1” squares- need 4

Ribbon fabric (darker solid-ish)

N. N.    1 ½” x 7” rectangle- need 1

O. O.    1 ½” x 6 ½” rectangle- need 1

P.   P.   1 ½” x 4” rectangle- need 1

Q. Q.     1 ½” x 2” rectangle- need 1

R.  R.    1” x 1 ½” rectangle- need 2

 

Bow fabric (dark solid-ish)

S.  S.     2 ½” squares- need 2

T.   T.   1 ½ square- need 1

 

 Let’s get the hardest part done first- Let’s make a Bow!

Start with the 4 M blocks- draw a diagonal line corner to corner on the backside of each of those. Place them right sides together on 2 adjacent corners of each of the 2 R squares. Sew along the line, trim off ¼ inch from the outer corner side of the seam, press open. Make 2 of these half snowballs.

 

 

Now the 2 R ribbon pieces are sewn to opposite sides of the S square.

 

The 2 L background pieces are sewn to opposite long sides of the Q rectangle

Press all of these flat an open and then arrange them to make the bow in this order, then sew them together

 

Whew- hard part done! It’s pretty easy from here on out!

 

Unit AA

Need pieces I, J and P. Sew the 4” side of I to one of the 4” sides of P, then sew J on the opposite side of P. Pres flat and Unit AA is now done!

 

Unit BB

Need pieces F, G and N. Sew the 7” side of F to one of the 7” sides of N, then sew G on the opposite side of N. Pres flat and Unit BB is now done!

 

Unit CC

Need pieces E, H and 0. Sew the 6 ½” side of E to one of the 6 ½”  sides of O, then sew H on the opposite side of P. Pres flat and Unit CC is now done!

 

 

Combined Unit AA/Bow/BB

Next you need unit AA, unit BB and the Bow

You will sew the units together with the bow in the middle- be sure to add AA and BB to the bow by starting you stitching on the side where the bow lines up with the edge.

Tip: try to line up the ribbon in all 3 pieces so it looks like the ribbon runs straight through the bow.

There should be a little bit of extra ribbon hanging out to the right when it’s all together. I did this intentionally so that you could then trim that off for a nice straight side. It only works if you start sewing both of these joins from the bow end though. Press open and trim off the little bit of extra ribbon on the right.  Done!

 

Next we make the left half of the heart

You will need unit CC, 1 of piece A and 2 pieces of B.

Draw a diagonal line corner to corner on the backside of each of the background squares. 

Place piece A right sides together at the bottom of unit CC. Align it so the diagonal starts in the middle of the left side of the unit, and finishes in the bottom right corner. Sew down the diagonal, trim off the extra outside fabric and press open.

Place 1 piece of B right sides together at the top left of unit CC. The diagonal should start on the left side and finish in the middle of the top. Sew down the diagonal, trim off the extra outside fabric and press open. Complete this before adding the 2^nd B piece as there is some overlap and if the first one isn’t completed and pressed open- it will get stuck behind the second one and won’t open properly.

 (forgot to take a picture of the left side, but here it is on the right side.)

Place the other piece B right sides together at the top right of unit CC. The diagonal should start on the right side and finish in the middle of the top. Sew down the diagonal, trim off the extra outside fabric and press open.

Left side of heart is now complete!

 

 

Now right side of heart is pretty much the same as left side but using the AA/bow/BB unit.

You will need unit AA/bow/BB, 1 of piece A and 2 pieces of B.

Draw a diagonal line corner to corner on the backside of each of the background squares. 

Place piece A right sides together at the bottom of unit AA/bow/BB. Align it so the diagonal starts in the middle of the right side of the unit, and finishes in the bottom left corner. Sew down the diagonal, trim off the extra outside fabric and press open.

Place 1 piece of B right sides together at the top left of unit AA/bow/BB. The diagonal should start on the left side and finish in the middle of the top. Sew down the diagonal, trim off the extra outside fabric and press open. Complete this before adding the 2^nd B piece as there is some overlap and if the first one isn’t completed and pressed open it will get stuck behind the second one and won’t open properly.

Place the other piece B right sides together at the top right of unit AA/bow/BB. The diagonal should start on the right side and finish in the middle of the top. Sew down the diagonal, trim off the extra outside fabric and press open.

Right side of heart is now complete!

Sew the 2 halves of the heart together. Press flat.

 

 Add the 2 C sashing pieces to opposite sides of your heart- be careful with your points! Press open. Finally sew on the 2 D sashing pieces to the remaining sides of your heart.

 

Give everything a good press-  That’s it!! Thank you!!

Hive 1 May 2026 Neon Stroked Geese for Kelli

 

This block is a fun variation on the traditional Flying Geese, and Kelli's color choices make them modern.  Thanks Kelli for sharing a fun and easy to follow tutorial.

Pam 

Hive 2 May Tutorial- Flowers for Kim

 Greetings all. This will be a simple block using black and white fabrics as the background and bright colors for your flowers. You will select a background fabric that is either black with white print or white with black print. Here is a sampling of my selection. Note that my fabrics include brights, which you will use to make your flower. Next, from your background fabric, cut a rectangle 7.5” x 5.5.” Then simply add a flower of your choosing which you will appliqué onto the rectangle as pictured, leaving at least 3/4” all around for the seam allowance. 

Here is a separate link to a Missouri Star Quilt You Tube tutorial if you have not done appliqué before. I cut my flowers pieces and used fabric glue to keep them in place and then just used a zigzag stitch to stitch my flower in place, but you can use wonder under, needle turned or raw edge appliqué. It does not matter which way you do it. I used fabric glue and raw edged because I’m at a quilt retreat and left my facing at home. That’s it! 

I hope you have fun making wild and crazy or soft and pretty flowers-it’s up to you. Be as creative as you want. You do not have to include stems and leaves with your flowers. You choose how you want your flower to look.

https://youtu.be/9vKcyymFkyk?si=vrzRMI4Tqlqw3MXi

 (Posted by Gayle for Kim)

   

Hive 1-MayTutorial - 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!