Hive 3 April Tutorial - Double Diamond

 

Hello Stash Bee Hive 3! Welcome to your April Tutorial. We are making this 16-inch finished (16½ inch unfinished) double diamond block. I'll have you leave the two halves separate, please, as I might decide to stagger the diamonds when I put the quilt together. 

I was supposed to be your lead bee for March, but life is rather more chaotic than usual at the moment, so I'm happy to have swapped months with Joanne, who apparently has her ducks in a row. Have you seen this meme: 

Yeah, that's a pretty accurate representation of how I'm feeling right now. 

Anyway. Color palette. We're doing cool colors. Prints or solids, whatever you've got. Green, mint, teal, aqua, turquoise, blue, indigo, periwinkle, violet, lavender ... you get the idea. Please stay away from greens that lean into the yellow-green or lime territory and purples that have a lot of red (NO magenta, fuchsia, etc.). 

Accent fabric will be black solid, or a black and white or black and gray print that reads mostly black. 

CUTTING DIRECTIONS

Choose 4 fabrics from the cool color palette. From each of these 4 fabrics, cut TWO (2) 5" x 9" rectangles. (Note: if you want a little more wiggle room for trimming you could cut the length at 9.5 inches, but I found this size large enough for these blocks.)

From black or black prints, cut EIGHT (8) 1½" x 12" strips. These can be all the same. They can be all different. They can be some the same and some different. I do not care. 

Stack up ONE of each fabric from the cool tone rectangles you cut out above. Cut one stack diagonally bottom left to top right. Cut the other stack diagonally top left to bottom right. 

SEWING DIRECTIONS

Choose one fabric for the inside of a diamond, and another fabric for the outside of the a diamond. Rotate the half rectangle triangles so that the layout shows one fabric forming the inner diamond shape and one fabric forming the background. 

Place a black strip between each diamond-background pair. 

Sew a black strip to the long side of each of the half rectangle triangles that make up the background of the half-block. 

Flip each of the inner half rectangle triangles (the 4 that will make up the inner diamond) right sides together with the pieces you just sewed and line up the long edge on the other side of the black strip. Be sure the tip of this triangle does not extend beyond the base of the outer triangle or your rectangle unit will end up too short. 

Sew the long edge of each of the inner half rectangle triangles to the other side of the black strip. Press open (or to the side, whatever feels right to you). 

Trim each section to 4½" x 8½", unfinished. 

Sew four sections together to make one diamond, and one half of the 16 inch block. It's absolutely okay, and probably expected, if the pieces don't line up exactly right. This is a little bit improv-y when it comes to alignment. 

Repeat for the other half of the block, but please keep the two halves separate. I've not yet decided on final layout for this quilt!

Done! Great job!

Hive 1 April Tutorial: Yellow Squares for Julia (AKA the not-so-colorful color wash quilt)

Happy April, hive mates! For my Stashbee project this year, I was inspired by color wash quilts. Many people say these quilts remind them of Klimt paintings--I'm running with that idea and going all-yellow with mine. Terry Rowland popularized this design, and you can see her talk about it here.

Please make 6 5x5" blocks.

Colors:

You'll need shades of white, yellow, and black fabric for this. Anything in this gradient is fair game. Solids, blenders, batiks, and prints are all welcome! Just make sure it reads as being these colors. 

Here's an example fabric pull. I love that black-on-mustard-yellow print: it really helps to tie things together. I'm especially grateful for any prints you have that are a combo of white/yellow/black.

You'll also need some little scraps of bright or jewel tone fabrics. Please, solids or blenders only for this. (In my photo at the end you can see some squares with obvious print centers. This was before I realized that solid-only centers really make a difference for a cohesive final look.)

Cutting:

I don't have super specific cutting instructions for you, as I expect each square to be a little bit different. I usually start by cutting 3 strips of my main fabric, each 2.5x5.5(ish) inches. I then cut one strip in half. This results in an oversized block that I trim down--you could be leaner if you need to.

The center accent fabric can be rectangular or square. I recommend keeping this center piece between 1-2.5". Remember that if your center piece is super-skinny, it will eat up more seam allowance than width it adds so you'll need to start with a wider strip.

Assembly:

You should have something that looks like this: 

Assemble the middle strip first, and then attach the sides. Press however you prefer. 

Repeat for a total of 6 5x5" blocks! 

Here's the vision:

Thank you everyone!

Hive 4 - April - Chicago Geese for Emily

Chicago Geese Quilt Block for Emily

There’s a certain kind of homesick that doesn’t show up all at once—it sneaks in. In the colors you reach for without thinking. In the way your body remembers a place before your brain catches up.

For me, its Chicago.

Not just the skyline or the lake (though I’d take a gray, wind-bitten walk along Lake Michigan in a second), but the feeling of it. The noise, the closeness, the rhythm of neighborhoods stacked on top of history. The kind of place that teaches you how to be loud, loyal, and teaches you how to work hard.

I didn’t expect the Chicago Bears colors to hit me the way they have. That deep navy. The orange. It’s more than a team—it’s memory. Even when they were losing (especially when they were losing), it feels like belonging.

Being away makes you notice what mattered. The small things. The loud things. The colors that never really left you. So this year I wanted to make a Chicago-inspired quilt; I found a Chicago Quilt Block and I have my StashBee community.  

I hope that you will be able to help me be a little less homesick.  Thank you to my StashBee Hive and thanks to Chicago, you are still stitched into everything I make.

Fabric Requirements for Chicago Geese Quilt Block:

Colors:

Orange: Any shade, hue, or tint of orange you have in your stash. These are some of the oranges I have.

Blue: Any shade, hue, or tint you have. As you can see any navy, cornflower, or royal blue is fine.

Low Volume: Any shade, hue, or tint but please no holiday or religious writing (quilting or academic writing is ok). You can either use all one low volume for the whole block, or one per row, or scappy as I did in my sample block.

Cutting:

Orange:

1 - 5" square

1 - 4.5" square

Blue:

1 - 5" square

3 - 4.5" squares

Low Volume:

1 - 2.5" x 4.5"

2 - 2.5: x 6.5"

2 - 2.5" x 8.5"

2 - 2.5" x 10.5"

1 2.5" x 12.5"

Sewing Directions: 

Take the 5" Orange square and the 5" blue square and put them together right sides facing. Draw a diagonal line on the orange square from corner to corner. Sew a .25" away from the line on both sides. Cut along the diagonal line. Press to the blue fabric. Trim to 4.5". You will only need one of these half square triangles.

Place the HST (Half Square Triangle) with the orange side facing left:

Take one low volume 2.5" x 4.5" and sew it to the left side of the HST then take one low volume 2.5: x 6.5" and sew it to the top of the HST

Then take the blue 4.5" square and draw a line corner to corner.  Place it on the low volume corner on the upper left hand side.

Sew on the line.  Trim .25" from the sewn line. 

You will end up with piece that looks like this:

Take one low volume 2.5" x 6.5" and sew it to the left side of the block you just created then take one low volume 2.5: x 8.5" and sew it to the top.

Then take the blue 4.5" square and draw a line corner to corner.  Place it on the low volume corner on the upper left hand side. Sew on the line.  Trim .25" from the sewn line. 

Take one low volume 2.5" x 8.5" and sew it to the left side of the block you just created then take one low volume 2.5: x 10.5" and sew it to the top.

Then take the blue 4.5" square and draw a line corner to corner.  Place it on the low volume corner on the upper left hand side. Sew on the line.  Trim .25" from the sewn line. 

Take one low volume 2.5" x 10.5" and sew it to the left side of the block you just created then take one low volume 2.5: x 12.5" and sew it to the top.

Then take the orange 4.5" square and draw a line corner to corner.  Place it on the low volume corner on the upper left hand side. Sew on the line.  Trim .25" from the sewn line.

And your Chicago block is complete! It should measure 12.5" unfinished

Hive 5 April: Sawtooth Star with Quilter’s Choice Center

 

 

First and foremost, double check that you're looking at the post for the right Emily! I'm Emily J in Hive 5 :) 

 

I love giving the talented quilters of Stashbee a lot of freedom to create. I’m asking you to make a 16.5 in sawtooth star with a bit of a twist: the center 8.5 in square is pieced in any way you’d like! Pick your favorite pattern and make a unique center that speaks to your quilting style. It can be modern or traditional. Then just add the flying geese star points, and send it my way. There is a plethora of free block resources online. I’ve linked to a few below, but you are not obligated to use these resources. 

Patchwork Square

Quilter's Cache

Generations Quilt Patterns

Because the stars themselves will have a variety of styles, I’d like to keep the colors in the same neighborhood. The background should be a solid white or white-on-white (no off-white, cream, or tan). The sawtooth star should have blue points in a solid or blender. Lastly, the exciting part: the center square should be any shade of blue. Cornflower, teal, navy, royal…They are all welcome. Be aware of color contrast if you want to use multiple fabrics in your pieced center. Use white or light grey to help balance things; patterned fabrics are ok here. I recommend taking a photo in black and white to see if the contrast is there. Please avoid holiday and cartoony prints. 

Fabric requirements for a 16.5” block:

• Background (solid or white-on-white)

• (4) 4 ½” squares

• (4) 4 ½” x 8 ½” rectangles

• Star Points (solid or blender blue)

• (8) 4 ½” squares

• Star Center (blue, pay attention to contrast)

• Final Measurement: 8.5” square

1. Make your 8.5” center block.

1. If you want help finding, choosing, or making a pattern please let me know. I’d be happy to assist.

2. Make 4 Flying Geese

1. Draw a line from corner to corner down the wrong side of the blue 4 ½” square

2. Place a marked square on one end of a background fabric rectangle with right sides together.  Stitch on the marked line. Trim 1/4" from the line.Press seams open.

3. Repeat steps 2.a-c on the other side of the strip. Orient your second diagonal seam so that you form a triangle of white in the center of the rectangle.

4. Trim the flying geese to 4 ½” x 8 ½”, taking care to keep ¼” on the point for seam allowance.

5. Repeat steps 2.a-d until you have 4 flying geese.

3. Assemble the final block like a 9-patch

1. Nest seams for easier alignment

2. Your final block should be 16.5”.