Monday, June 29, 2020

Hive 1 Block for Joan

Hive 1 Block for Joan


Sorry this is so late in the month, I finally have some time off of work and I'm trying to play catch up and deep clean my house (not fun!).

I hope I made this correctly, I have to admit even reading through a few times I didn't fully understand the colors (I feel like this is a common occurrence lately, so it is most definitely my brain not functioning 100%). If I did the colors incorrectly please let me know as I'm happy to redo the block.

In the mail to you today.





- Rochelle

Monday, June 22, 2020

Blocks for Joan!

Hi Joan!!
Here's one of you blocks---there's one under that you'll see when you get it! This will be a lovely wonderful gift to honor a veteran!
Stay well!
Liz

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Hive 1 June Block for Joan

Hi Joan,

This block went in the post on Monday and should be on the way to you right now.


I don't have any USA themed fabrics, but hope these little stars just do the trick.

Hope this finds you well and that things are returning 'to normal' where you live. Here in Ireland the Lockdown is being eased slowly, most shops are open again and we are allowed to roam in a 20 km radius from home. The panic is definitely fading a bit, thankfully.

Currently I am enjoying my holidays at home, before starting my new job beginning of next month. This will be exciting, although my work place won't change - still working from home :) .
Being at home all those weeks, I've become much more productive quilt-wise and are halfway through a second quilt within 3 weeks! Only quilting and binding left to do on the current one.
Will have to boost my stash soon - … so sorry about that... oops...

I am looking forward to seeing what you are doing with all those stars. That'll surely be a cheerful quilt.

All the best from Dublin,
Rita.

Saturday, June 13, 2020

Hive 1 Star for Joan

I don't use solids much so really had to search.  But I found a piece of this lovely red.  I have always admired your USA red, white and blue.  This will be a striking quilt.  I will be mailing next week.  Paulette

Star for Hive 1


I've never done a patriotic quilt before, so it was fun to see what fabrics I had that worked well.  It was a fun block to make! ~Amanda

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Hive 1 Block for Joan


Hi Joan.  Here you go.  This was a fun block to make and is a striking, time tested color combination.  Perfect for a QOV.  I'll put it in the mail in the next couple of days.   Karen

Saturday, June 6, 2020

Star Blocks for Joan Hive 1

Here are two of your Red/White/Blue star blocks, Joan.  These were easy and fun to make.  I'm looking forward to seeing your completed quilt!  Happy quilting, Stashbee friends.
Pam

Thursday, June 4, 2020

Hive 1 Block for Joan

This is a timely block for June and puts you in the mood for July 4th.  It’s a nice idea for QOV and someone will be lucky to have it.   (And the red isn’t as dark as the photo suggests.  I should remember to snap it at a different time of day). Hope you’re all doing well.




Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Block for Joan

Hi Joan. Here are my blocks. I love how these came out. I have done quilts for  my three brothers and a good friend in this color scheme . I called mine Brave Brothers. I look forward to seeing them come together with everyone else's Stay safe. Rose

Monday, June 1, 2020

Hive 3 June Tutorial: Pinwheel Star

Hello my fellow bee mates!

If this hasn’t been the craziest year ever, I don’t know what is. That being said, we’ve already made it to June and I am the queen bee this month. My name is Marian. I live in the Madison, Wisconsin area with my husband and three kids (ages 15, 13, and 12) who are about to finish online school. My husband and I are both working from home for the foreseeable future and are keeping to ourselves. Luckily the weather has finally decided to be summer and it provides opportunities to go on bright sunny walks. I hope this post finds you all healthy and finding your way in our new “normal.”  I know that sewing has been helping to keep me happy. I hope you can say the same.

A couple of months back, I saw this block offered for free by Heather over at https://thesewingloftblog.com/. The minute I saw it, it made me smile. So I asked you all to download it so we would all be able to make this block. I am asking you to please make one 12” by 12” block (unfinished 12 ½” x 12 ½”) for me.

I am looking forward to seeing these blocks in a rainbow of colors so I would like you to think ROYGBIV when you pull fabrics. In addition to a standard rainbow I would like pink and turquoise blocks as well. When you pull fabrics, please grab saturated fabrics that scream out your color choice. I invite all types of fabrics, including novelties, as long as they read the color you choose. You may use a solid, but if you choose to include a solid, please only use it as one of your fabric choices. I would like the finished quilt to look nice and scrappy with lots of fun fabrics.

In order to ensure I get a range of colored blocks, I am asking you to please tag me on Instagram (swimmingwith3) to specify which color you will be making. Color selections will be on a first come / first serve basis, so if someone has already claimed the color you want, I will ask you to please choose an alternate color.
Here are the color selections I need:
1 Pink
2 Red
1 Orange
2 1 Yellow
2 Green
1 Turquoise
1 Blue
1 Purple

This block pattern has 4 shades of the color in it. You can play around with this and pull 4-6 different fabrics in your selected color. You’ll need to choose light, medium and dark values of your selected color. Of your selected fabrics you need 1-2 light fabrics to create the friendship star effect in the middle of the pinwheel. The rest of your fabric selections can be medium or dark versions of your color. In addition to your colored fabrics, you’ll need 1 neutral fabric.

Here are some examples of fabrics I’ve pulled:


 (That Tula Pink fabric on the right has a lot of red and pink in it, but when it is mixed with other orange fabrics, it reads as orange so that works.)



For the neutral color (in the block pattern, it’s white) I will accept solid white or cream, or tone on tone white or cream.


The cream and white plaid on the left is acceptable because it’s a combination of cream and white. I don’t want any other colors brought in for the neutral color.

For that reason, the low volume prints below are an example of what I DO NOT WANT used for the background:

Now for the construction!
When you select fabrics, you’ll need to choose light, medium and dark values of your selected color. Once you’ve selected these, you need to cut:
Two 5” squares of dark
Two 5” squares of medium
Two 5” squares of light and
Two 5” squares and one 4.5” square blocks in your neutral color (white or cream).
The eight 5” squares will become eight half square triangles (HST). The one neutral 4.5” block will be the center of the circle.
You will combine the blocks in this way:
One DARK fabric square sewn to one NEUTRAL fabric square
One MEDIUM fabric square  sewn to one NEUTRAL fabric square
One DARK fabric square  sewn to one LIGHT fabric square
One MEDIUM fabric square  sewn to one LIGHT fabric square

My preferred method of making HST is the two at a time method.
Starting with the one dark square and one neutral square, draw a diagonal light on the neutral fabric. Then put the two squares right sides together. Sew a ¼” seam on each side of the drawn line. Use the line as a guide for cutting the triangles apart.



If you want to use more than 4 fabrics, cut the square on a diagonal to make a triangle. Then match two triangles together and sew them on the long horizontal seam. Fabrics cut on the diagonal create a bias edge. The bias (diagonal) can stretch out of shape. To avoid this, just place the two triangles you want together gently, and handle them with care. Do not tug on them as you match them up or sew them together. If you handle the triangles gently, the bias edge should not create any problems.


Once the HSTs are sewn together, open them and press using your preferred method. Because there is a light neutral fabric in the block, I recommend pressing to the dark side, however, pressing seams open works as well.

Then you need to square up the blocks. All eight HST blocks need to measure 4.5” square. Use your ruler to make sure the blocks are trimmed and the dog ears are removed.

Lay the blocks out so that the four corners are white and so that around the white center block a friendship star emerges. The lightest orange fabric in my block creates a four pointed star.
Once you have the squares laid out, sew the blocks together to complete the finished block.

TIP: It helps to iron the seams in the middle row to the right. Then iron the seams in the top and bottom row to the left. This helps because when you lay the rows together to sew them, the seams from the two different rows will be going in different directions so they will nest. When it’s sewn together, iron the block and you are done!

I hope you have fun making this block and I can’t wait to see my happy rainbow come together! Thank you for participating. I really look forward to seeing what you make.

Take care, stay healthy, and be safe!

Marian

Hive 1 June block

Joan, I always have a supply of RWB in my stash, so this was an easy fabric pick.  I made you two blocks, one in memory of my dad, who fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Patton's army, and one in honor of my mom, who was an Army cadet nurse who tended the wounded soldiers that returned to hospitals the U.S.  They were/are wonderful Americans.
Kathie L in Allentown

Hive 1 June Tutorial: Patriotic Scrappy Stars Block



Hive 1 June Block
Patriotic Scrappy Stars

I know you were expecting me to request something purple, lol, but I’m feeling patriotic today. One of the first patterns I saved was Pat Sloan’s Scrappy Stars. This makes a 12 1/2” unfinished block. We’ll use mixed scrappy reds, whites, and blues (solids or prints) for the 9 patch center, solid or white on white for the corners and 1/2 square triangles, and your choice of either solid red or solid blue for star points. Patriotic fabrics would be fine. These blocks will be used for a QOV eventually. Thanks, hope everyone is healthy and sewing up a storm!
https://patsloan.typepad.com/files/pat-sloan-little-wishes-challenge-directions.pdf

Fabric Pull


Similar block from another project. Note the 9 patch can be RWB.



Hive 4 June Tutorial: 2020 Shelter at Home



Hello and Happy Monday. I'm Velda from the Freckled Fox Quiltery and I'm your Queen Bee for June.

Lets get this started with a question....

Have you found Spring 2020 to be a season of chaos and confusion?  I don't think I'm the only one who has a minor meltdown every time I turn on the TV or  read about the calamity that the corona virus is unloading on the planet.

Being a "glass half full" person, I am always searching for something to think about, or do, to help me to remember that where we find ourselves now is not PERMANENT; I tell myself everyday that someday soon we will be looking at this out of the rear-view window.  When that day comes I want to have something that is PERMANENT  to remind me that while this storm was blowing around the world, I was part of a community of "Makers" who weathered it.

That brings me to the June block for Hive 4.   I am piecing a quilt I'm calling "Sheltering at Home".  Its a simple row by row setting.   Although its still in the planning stages I imagine it with 4 rows of big houses or neighbourhourhoods.  The rows will end up approximately 84" wide.  Depending on the block sizes I receive,  I am looking forward to having a quilt that measures between 84"  and 100" square when its finished.

Your mission for June is to make a quilt block about your family's home/neighbourhood.  It can be your home, or the home of someone you love, or care about. I am looking for house/village blocks that measure between 15.5" and 16.5" unfinished.  You CAN make it any size you want--up to and including the maximum that Stash Bee guidelines allow... (max. 16" square blocks that can be pieced in 1.5 hours or less).  It doesn't have to be square, but please aim for blocks to be15.5" wide.  (I will be adding sashing if needed to bring all the blocks up to 18" square later).  The important thing is that your house represents you.

Here is an example of what I mean as rows of houses. As you can see, there are three separate blocks showcased in this row.  I've added sashing to the first two blocks so that each is approximately 18 x 18 (including sashing).



Here is a closer picture of one of the blocks. As you can see, I added a tree, grass, sidewalks and street  bring it up to to bring it up to18" x 18".



I don't expect yours to be the same as mine, and I certainly don't expect you to add appliqué trees (but if you leave a little blank space somewhere in your block, I will add some quirky touches, as a means to bring the whole quilt together).

As you can see the houses are very simple.  The ones I've made so far represent my family.  The one above is my sister Gwen's townhouse in  the Pas, Manitoba.  Without the appliqué and added sashing, it took me a bit less than an hour to piece the houses.  Yours can be as simple or detailed as you like.  

The rules are very simple.
  • Build a block that measures approximately 15.5" x 15.5" unfinished.  It can be bigger (16.5" square is largest block by Stash Bee rules).  I will add borders to bring blocks to 18" size.
  • Build a house, an apartment building, a high-rise condominium, a farmhouse, a streetscape, or a neighbourhood.  Its up to you.  
  • Please use modern bold LV backgrounds to make your houses pop.  
  • Scrappy backgrounds are wonderful and they help to keep things interesting and unique.  
  • Houses should be bright and colourful. (ex. if your house is blue, consider using a bright peacock blue!)
  • If Improv is your friend, then feel free to build your block that way.  
  • If you send me a rectangle of green fabric approx. 4" x 8", I will use it to add an appliqué tree somewhere in the quilt.
Below are some links you can use as a roadmap to help you design your block.  Please don't feel constrained by these tutorials if you don't feel like they represent your home. The goal is to make something that represents your family.

Easy Moda House Block - This is one of my favourite house blocks in the "Be My Neighbour" series.  If you use this block, don't feel like you must make the tree unless you want to.  I can add a tree here.  (The goal is to stay within the 1.5 hrs limit)

A Little Village.  Another really adorable, straight-forward block from the "Be My Neighbour" series for people who want to make a village.

Moda - Be My Neighbour.This link will take you to a blog post by Bear Creek Quilting Company for ALL the Be My Neighbours blocks.  You cannot go wrong, any one of these would be a great addition to my quilt (without the birds, please).

Simple House Block Tutorial.  This one is about as basic as you can make.  I bet this won't take more than 1/2 hour to put together.

Improv? Try this liberated house from Sophie Junction.  It's fun and you get to learn something new at the same time.

Scandinavian Stroll.  Don't forget to check the archives here at Stash Bee.  Here is a tutorial I found by searching "Houses" on this blog.

Cottage Life during the Pandemic?  This is another little tutorial I made when I was making houses for my Summer at the Cottage Sampler quilt.   Two or three of them in a row would make a great neighbourhood.

Cityscape Quilt Block - I love love love this one. Its actually a quilt, but I'm confident it would be easy to use it as a jumping off point for a quilt block. (See my row of quilts above...I made my version of this block in less than 1.5 hours).   If you are inspired by this layout, let me know so I can credit the designer in my blog posts.  BTW, this quilt is a free download by LB Krueger.  Wouldn't it be a fabulous quilt to gift someone who lives in the city.

FreckledFoxQuiltery. If you want to see how I design and piece simple quilt blocks using graph paper, come visit me at my personal blog. Below is a block I made to test my tutorial.





I hope these examples and tutorials will get you started on your house building.  Remember the sky's the limit -- within the limitations set by Stash Bee and your imagination.

One last thing....

I am serious about wanting and needing to keep a record of  life during the Corona Virus crisis.  Spring 2020 will be written in history as the time one of the worst pandemics ever was unleashed on the world.  I know its devastating, overwhelming and awful  as we are living through it, but I want part of the corona virus story to be about friendship, sisterhood, hope and community.  So, when you send me your blocks, I would really really like it if you attached a note with a short paragraph about you and what is going on with you during 2020.  (If you know someone, or lost someone to the virus, then you might want to dedicate your block/story to that person or family).  If you are not comfortable with giving me personal details, let me know and I'll respect your privacy.  

I'll share our community story  on my own personal blog so there will always be a record of how we came together to outlast the bad times and be part of lesson the world learned in 2020.

Stay safe.  I'm excited to hear your story and see your blocks.    











Hive 2 June Tutorial: House Block

Hi all. I’m Carolyn from New Jersey. I don’t know about all of you, but I’m tired of being stuck at home.  I’ve been out walking around the neighborhood a lot and to the stores very little. When coming up with an idea for this month I had a few in mind until I saw what Velda from hive 4 decided on. She is asking for a house block from each of her hive mates and I love the idea. So I’m asking from each of you a block representing your house and neighborhood. Or whatever type of house block you would like to make. 

In this block I used graph paper to draw out an idea for the lake and trees and added a couple houses from the Bee My Neighbor 2016 quilt to represent my neighborhood.  My trees look like Christmas trees because I live in the pine barrens on the Jersey Shore. 



I also have examples of other houses and ideas for if you live in an apartment or condo. 




This block is another from the Be My Neighbor quilt, I just made it a little bit smaller. 



So I would love for you to use bright cheery colors for your houses and neighborhood. The scrappier the better. The background is a mix of low volume fabrics.  Feel free to mix it up as much as you would like. I’m attaching some tutorials for house blocks for you, but if you would like to design your own I would love that, too.  I’m asking the blocks be around 15” (bigger is ok too as I believe I’ll be sashing them when I receive them to even out the sizes). 



Thank you all so much. And if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Be My Neighbor 2016 by Moda

Tiny House with Missouri Star

Quilt Inspiration

Sew Can She

Aurifil 2019 

Sew Preeti

Fat Quarter Shop 1

Fat Quarter Shop 2