Hive 1 August Hot Air Balloon for Caela

I hope the stars fabric is okay - it didn't seem as dark before I made the balloon.

Hive 1 August Block

This block was super fun! 

 

Hive 1 Block for Caela

 I hope this looks good. Between applique curves and zigzag stitch, it hit all of my weakest quilting spots. Eek! 

However, it was pretty fun to experiment, especially as I just got a new machine. 

Hive 1: Hot Air 🎈for Caela

Hello!

This was fun and satisfying!! I did manage to find a much more appropriate blue in my stash — Kona Cloud, which I managed to remember we used as a background in a recent swap.

I'm not 100% thrilled with it, though, so.... we'll see =)

Can't wait to see all of the balloons together!!

- Molli.

Hive 1 Hot Air Balloon for Caela

 What a fun block! My machine started acting up with the zigzag stitch (time to get it in for maintenance!) but I was able to finish the block. Can't wait to see the finished quilt!

~ Diana

Hive 1 Hot Air Balloon for Caela

This was a fun jump into the world of appliqué! Thanks for introducing me to it, Caela. I know this one looks very Grateful Dead-ish, but believe it or not it’s a coincidence. My daughter had very strong opinions on the colors and orientation of this tie dye balloon. I’m hoping it’ll go to a baby who can tolerate the reference!

Hive 1 August Balloon for Caela

 I enjoyed making these blocks, and can’t wait to see the cheerful quilt you create!

Chris

Hive 1 - Hot Air Balloon for Caela

 

Hi Caela! I really enjoyed making this block, but unfortunately my old, hand-me-down sewing machine did not. I was able to muscle through this block, but sadly I don't see much more machine applique with a zigzag stitch in my future 😔

Thanks for a great block, and excited for this to go towards a good cause!

Hive 1, Hot Air Balloons for Caela

 

Hi Caela,

The Balloons are flying over the pond to you tomorrow. They were fun to make 🎈

Happy sewing,

Rita

Finished Quilt, Hive1, 2024, April

'Rose Arbor'

60" x  72"

Finished Blocks: 6" square

Hi All,

I've managed to finish this year's quilt one month ahead of the deadline! Yay!

Yes, I was naughty, Hive 1! I've sliced all of the lovely blocks you sent me, once more - to get more 'petals' on the roses. Hope you're not too wroth with me... I used all of them, though!

A heartfelt Thank You, again, to all of you, for sending those beautiful blocks to me. Especially to everyone, who ventured into curved piecing for me the first time! And also, not to forget, the 'Angels'!! 

As I promised in my tutorial post, 'wonky is good' - They all got a special place on this quilt. 

I will be giving this to my 'Bestie' for her upcoming big birthday. 

Ten years ago, I gave her a queen sized quilt, (only) the 3rd quilt I ever made. The first 2 were baby-quilts, so, I naively thought, 'how difficult can it be to make a bigger one?' 😂 Surprisingly, she still uses it on her bed... Hoping, she'll use this one on the sofa.

Happy quilting everyone,

Rita

 

Hive 1 Hot Air Balloons for Caela

Hi Caela!

I was touched by your initiative for this quilt and I am honored to contribute. 

Thank you for introducing me to this technique. It was my first real project using interfacing. 

I will mail everything this week!

Marie

Hive 1 - August Tutorial - Hot Air Balloon Appliqués for Caela

 Hi, Everyone!

This is my first year with Stash Bee. I am loving it and am so excited for my turn as Queen Bee. This month we will be working on a hot air balloon baby quilt using raw edge appliqué, but before I get into the tutorial I want to tell you a bit about the recipients of this quilt.

There is a church in my area that runs a program for unwed mothers. These women have little to no support system. They have no village to help raise their children, so to speak. This program seeks to fix that. They help to provide healthcare, food, education, and other needs. Twice a year they throw a baby shower for the expectant mothers, making sure they have things like diapers, cribs, and clothing for the impending arrivals.

When I first heard about this program through the organist at my church, the Stash Bee had just started. I was in the process of brainstorming what I would do come my month, and a lightbulb just went off. I quickly volunteered to make a baby quilt for them to raffle off to the moms as a sort of door prize. If I could make a quilt for every mom in the program, I would, but alas I can't. I decided on hot air balloons because they're bright and fun, but can be made gender neutral since we don't know which baby will get this. I hope you have fun helping me with this quilt, and that it will become a treasured possession for a family in need.

Fabric Dos and Don'ts:

For the background, I'd like light blue solids or blenders. You can use tone-on-tone as well, or even a pretty ice-dyed fabric like the one in one of my examples. As long as it looks like the sky on a beautiful day, I'm happy.

For the balloon itself, there are a few options. You can use a single piece of fabric with a bold pattern, a crumb block, stripes, or pretty much anything you can think of. Whichever method you choose, I want bright, saturated colors in order to stimulate the baby as he or she grows.

The basket should be made out of neutral colors, so black, white, brown, tan or cream. It can be solid, tone on tone, a soft pattern, or a textured print like the black one in my example. Don't be afraid to make this too plain. I will be adding extra details when quilting. You only need a small piece, so raid your scrap bin for this.

You will also need a lightweight fusible interfacing. I prefer Pellon Heat and Bond Light, but you can use any equivalent product you want as long as it's intended to sew through. Alternatively, you could pin the appliqués to the background fabric, but I think the interfacing holds better when sewing.

I really just have one don't for this quilt. Do not choose fabrics with patterns or colors that are traditionally gendered. I personally have no issue with giving a girl dinosaurs and a boy pink, but many people do. It's important that this quilt be something most people would like. With that said, if you're putting together scraps, you can use these fabrics if you won't be able to make out the pattern, or if there's a tiny splash of pink that gets lost when you look at the bigger picture.

Cutting Instructions:

1 - 11 1/2" square of background fabric (You can leave this larger if you want and I'll trim down.)

1 - 6" x 7" piece of interfacing

1 - 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" piece of interfacing

1 - 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" piece of basket fabric

Scraps for balloon, or a single piece of 6" x 7" fabric

Appliqué patterns: Hot Air Balloon Appliqué Pattern

Tutorial:

Step 1: Download, print, and cut out the appliqué patterns.

Step 2: If you're using scraps for your balloon, sew them together into a piece big enough to cover the balloon appliqué, about 6" x 7". 

Step 3: Iron interfacing to wrong side of balloon and basket fabric. Leave paper backing on.

TIP: Use parchment paper to protect your iron and board from the adhesive.

Step 4: Trace appliqué patterns onto paper backing. Cut out.

Step 5: Peel off paper and arrange on background. You do not need to center the appliqués, but make sure to leave at least 3/4" from the edge all around.

Step 6: Iron appliqués in place.

Step 7: Using a tight zigzag stitch, sew around the edges of appliqués. This should have a stitch length no larger than 0.5 mm and a width between 3.50 - 5.00 mm. A wider stitch makes it easier to sew and cover the raw edges.

Step 8: (Optional) Using a marking pen or pencil, mark lines connecting the basket to the balloon. Use a decorative stitch to sew the "ropes" of the balloon. I've included a picture of some decorative stitches I liked for this.

Thank you all in advance for the wonderful blocks. I can't wait to see them.

-Caela

P. S. After I took the photos for this tutorial, my mom really got into making these balloons. Here's some of my favorites that she made in case you need some ideas.

Hive 2 – August Tutorial - Canyon Beauty Quilt Block

My inspiration for this month is Palo Duro Canyon. Palo Duro Canyon is located in the Texas Panhandle near the cities of Amarillo and Canyon. As one of the largest canyons in the United States, it is roughly 25–40 miles long and has an average width of 6 miles, but reaches a width of 20 miles at places. If you've never been there, here's a photo of me in front of the Lighthouse. It is one of the most iconic formations within the canyon. The Lighthouse is not visible from any of the canyon roads. It is roughly a seven mile round trip hike, but it is very much worth the effort.

You can see below my fabric pulls for this block. We will be using creams and earth toned fabric. For this block you may use 2 1/2" strips or scraps in varying lengths. 

Fabric requirements: 

Creams, and low value tans are preferred, with light/medium contrast.

Earth tones; rust, browns, golds; subtle prints; anything indicative of what could be found in nature. Please use 6 different prints, if at all possible. 

Cutting Directions:

Cream or light cream print  

6 squares 2 1/2" X 2 1/2"

Earth toned prints

2 squares (A) 2 1/2" X 2 1/2" [matching the colors of the (C) strips below]

2 rectangles (B) 2 1/2" X 10 1/2" [Each a different color]

2 rectangles (C) 2 1/2" X 8 1/2" [Each a different color]

2 rectangles (D) 2 1/2" X 4 1/2" [Each a different color]

2 rectangles (E) 2 1/2" X 6 1/2" [Each a different color]

* (A) Earth toned and (C) are sewn on the same rows, thus the colors should match across the row.

* (D) and (E) are sewn on the same rows, thus the colors should match across the row.

* If you have a fabric with an obvious stripe or direction, it should be cut horizontally.

Helpful color information:

The diagram below will help to explain how the block is pieced with corresponding color placement. Note: we will NOT be using the blue or green colors in this example.

Block piecing:

1. Row 1 and row 6 should be of different earth tone colors.
2. Row 2 and row 5 should be different from each other, but using the same color per row.
3. Row 3 and row 4 should be different from each other, but using the same color per row.
4. Please use a scant 1/4" seam so that the block will measure at least 12 1/2" square.
5. Press all seams toward the dark print so that when sewing the rows together you will be able to "nest" the seams together so that they will match perfectly.

I think this block will go together rather quickly. I hope you enjoy making this "Canyon Beauty"!

~ Kathryn

Hive 7 August Tutorial - Midnight Garden Adventures

 Hi everyone!  My name is Meghan (@missprissquilts) and this is my second time participating in the Stash Bee.  I thought for sure I was going to choose a scrappy theme, because I am TERRIBLE at scrappy, so block swaps force me to be random.  But after seeing how creative my hive-mates have been during "Choose Your Own Adventure" months, I decided I couldn't possibly choose one block!  So I hope you'll all forgive me for yet another sampler quilt... over the last few years I've become a very keen gardener, so it only seemed right to choose a garden sampler.  

The Blocks

I'm open to blocks of any size, but ideally in finished sizes that are multiples of 3, so I don't break my brain trying to put them together.  (So unfinished, think 3.5", 6.5"x12.5", etc.).   

As far as design goes, I think anything you'd find in a moonlit garden is fair game, and I love whimsy, so I'm here for a toadstool and gnome, moon and stars, and of course every flower, snail and lightning bug you can imagine.  I found tons of inspiration on Instagram (#midnightgardensal is a treasure trove) and even went so far as to make a Pinterest Board of blocks I found interesting, since I'm sure I'll make quite a few to supplement what my hive-mates come up with.  As you can see from the sample pics I chose, my favorite designs tend to be FPP, but any technique you like is fair game!

Colors:

I'm envisioning VERY high contrast, so think black/deep midnight blue/deeeeeeep purples for background fabrics (low-mid volumes are my fave, but solids are good too), and BRIGHT colors for the main elements, but please lean towards pinks and away from red.  

And some sample layouts to give you a sense of what I'm going for...

I hope this sounds like a fun challenge!  I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Hive 6 - August Tutorial- Barbie's Favorite for Josie

 Hi Barbies!  First time StashBee participant, and I have had SO much fun so far! For August, I'm requesting a straight up explosion of pink. It's my favorite color and I love dynamic, pointy blocks, so I'm asking you all to put on your best Elle Woods glasses and Barbie shades and send some pink my way. We're doing the Mother's Favorite block, and I relied on this tutorial from All People Quilt, which is printable if you'd prefer to do it that way.

For your fabrics - you probably figured this out already - we're going all pink-to-coral.  I lean towards stronger pinks but if you're more of a pastel Barbie, don't let me hold you back.  Corals and light oranges are also a lovely add.  If you're really feeling spicy, you can also add in some touches of green or blue in the prints, but please try to keep pink the dominant color.  For your background color, I'd prefer smaller scale print or solids. If you're second guessing yourself, feel free to send me a pic! Here's what I pulled out of my stash:

Okay, if everyone has gotten their fabrics organized, let's get started!  I usually draft out my quilt plans, and I did so here:

I have done my sample block with four pinks but if you want to add a fifth (maybe you have a fun thing you could frame or fussy cut) in the center, absolutely go nuts. Your cut list is as follows:

• Pink #1:
• Cut two 2 7/8" squares, then cut them diagonally into triangles
• Cut one 4 1/2" square (this is the center and can be changed to an additional fabric)
• Pink #2: 
• Cut two 4 7/8" squares, then cut diagonally into triangles
• Pink #3 (background frame):
• Cut four 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles
• Cut eight 2 1/2" squares
• Pink #4 (background):
• Cut four 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles
• Cut six 2 7/8" squares, then cut them diagonally into triangles
• Cut eight 2 1/2" squares

Let's get BLOCKIN'! Grab your Pink #1 triangles and your Pink #4 triangles and sew them together along the diagonal to make four squares.  Press as you like, and trim 'em up.  

Next, add your remaining Pink #4 triangles and sew them on either side of the Pink #1 triangles to make one big triangle.  Press as you like.:

Now that you have your pink Voltron triangle, grab your Pink #2 triangles and sew them together to make a square.  Press as you like.: 

Set those bad boys aside and we're gonna make some flying geese.  One set is Pink #4 rectangles and Pink #3 squares and the second set is Pink #3 rectangles and Pink #4 squares.  I like to mark my diagonals on the back of my squares, and I did all of them in one batch, but if you're confident in your corner to corner sewing, you can skip this step.:

Then you'll start by aligning your squares on one side of your rectangles with the marked line going from the extreme lower left corner of the rectangle to the center.  Sew along your marked line, then trim the excess corner 1/4" from the sewn line.  Press as you like, then do the same process on the right hand side.  Here's my Pink #3 rectangles/Pink #4 squares set:

Once you've done your first set, go ahead and do the same process with the other set.  Here's my Pink #4 rectangles/Pink #3 squares set:

Now that you have your flying geese done and have not been bitten or chased by an actual Canada Goose, you can put these blocks together.  The geese with the Pink #3 rectangles will be on top, and the geese with the Pink #4 rectangles will be on the bottom. It should look kind of like elevator indicator arrows!:

Great news, we've now arrived at the "everything is a square, no more diagonals!" phase! Take all those jawns and line them up into three strips:

Finally, we're going to sew those strips together and VOILA!:

Your finished block should be about 12"x12".  Don't worry about trimming them, I can do that.  Thank you so much for enabling my pinkstravaganza!