Hive 1 Economy Block for Ruth

 

My printer did not want to cooperate with the FPP, so I also went the traditional piecing route. Hope this works well; going to the post office tomorrow!

--Caitlin 

Hive 1 Economy Block for Ruth

 Hi Ruth,

I had a good time choosing colors for the economy block.  Thanks to those of you who provided traditional piecing tutorials.

Jane

Hive 1 Economy block for Ruth

 I used the tutorial for a regular economy block. I am generally not a bright color person but I love how these turned out! Might be a bright quilt in my future :) 

Will mail out Tuesday. 

Hive 5 Wonky Star Block for Becca

Happy September everyone! 

This month’s block will feature some warm, autumnal colors. Hope you have as much fun putting this together as I did.

For the background color, please select peaches, apricots, raspberries, burnt oranges and pinks. The star fabric is pure white, or white on white (no cream, ivory, off white, etc.).

Patterns in colored fabric should be small scale, with no cartoons, figures, animals, sports, or novelty. Just patterns - they can be floral, geometric, random…whatever makes you happy!

Select 8 colored scraps from your stash and cut them into 3.5 inch squares.

From the white fabric, cut one 3.5 “ square, and then you have a choice! You can either cut four or eight 4” squares. Read on for directions.

Place your white square at a wonky angle as pictured on top of the colored square. Sew with a 1/4” seam along the edge of the WHITE square. Press toward the white fabric.

Repeat the same process on the right side of the square, creating a point in between the two. Pay attention to where the white sections intersect; if the intersection isn’t at least 1/4” from the bottom, you won’t be able to see the point in the finished block!

Here’s your white fabric option: I just used the selvages from the four white squares after the first trim, so I only used four white squares. If you are more comfortable using two full squares per star point, that’s fine too, you will simply need all eight squares! Feel free to start with four and see how your first set of points goes before committing fully.

Lay out your block like this:

Your (untrimmed) block should measure 9.5“ and be full of happy warm colors!

Hive 1: 9" Economy Block for Ruth

 

Hey, Hive 1 🥰

I honestly can't remember how many years I have been participating in Stash Bee (probably about 5 or so 🙈), but this year must be the one I am the least prepared for!

Hubby and I just had to move out of our rental. Our son and daughter-in-law have kindly made some space for us in their backyard for a granny flat. Unfortunately, the granny flat isn't finished yet, so most of our stuff (including the blocks I prepared for Stash Bee 😩) has gone into storage.

I can't believe I did this! 🤦‍♀️

OK, enough complaining! 😂

I would like you to make a 9" FPP block. It is a very simple one and is from the Aussie Tula Pink Block Swap 2025, organised by my favourite fabric store, My Fabricology. I have a few of these blocks already, but nowhere near enough to make a whole quilt.

Here is the template to print on A3. Please make sure you select "no scaling" when printing and check the 1" test square.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/55vb4b6aokic8u5j86zsk/Swap-block-on-A3.pdf?rlkey=j21sz62fatzy5in6e8nefiw75&st=ma665ozi&dl=0

Please use bright coloured fabrics (they don't have to be Tula Pink) and mix the colours up. 🌈

Here are a few more examples to give you an idea of the colours and combinations I am after.

  

Fabric requirements:

- A1 - (1) 5.5" x 5.5"

- A2 to A5 - (2) 4" x 4" (cut diagonally in half)

- A6 to A9 - (2) 5.5" x 5.5" (cut diagonally in half)

Tool requirements:

- stiff card (approx. 7" long)

- Add-a-quarter ruler

- Fabric glue

- Rotary cutter

- Iron

Instructions:

1. Take your paper template (print down) and place A1 (right side up) on top. Once you are happy with the placement (by holding it up to the light) use a bit of glue to hold it in place.                                                                                                                           
2. Set your stitch length to 1.5mm, this will make removing the paper later a lot easier.
3. Use your stiff card and place it along the line between A1 and A2. Fold the paper over and using the Add-a-quarter ruler, trim the seam allowance to 1/4"      
4. Add your next piece of fabric RST and sew along the line between A1 and A2. 
5. Turn over and press.                                                               
6. Repeat for all sections A3 to A5.                                             
7. Repeat for outer sections A6 to A9.                                          
8. Turn over and trim edge to 1/4" seam allowance. (Mine is a bit smaller. My A3 printer is in storage and I had to print out in a smaller format)                         
9. Remove paper                                                                           
10. This is how it should look from the back.                                                            
11. And this is the completed block.

Thank you so much! ❤️

Hive 1 Friendship Star for Caitlin

 Here are my (late) stars! Thank you Caitlin for being so understanding with the delay--I'm happy to have my machine back from the repair shop. 😊 -Julia

Hive 1 September Friendship Star Block for Caitlin

 Don't mind the floral background. Hope you like this one. Will get it in the mail tomorrow. 

 

Jai 

Hive 1 Friendship Star for Caitlin

 

I loved making these! Thank you for the color freedom; lots of input on one of them from my five-year-old. We had fun! They’ll be on their way to you tomorrow. 

 

Hive 1 Friendship Star for Caitlin

Here are the two stars that I made this month.  I am making a quilt for my daughter that is made up of a number of pinks so I had some extra squares already cut and was inspired to use them for this project!  Hope they work with the rest of the quilt.  They will be in the mail today.

Beth

Hive 1 September Friendship Stars for Caitlin

 

These were super fun to do and I love a good scrappy star. Can't wait to see your finished starry blanket. 

Hive 1: 2025 September Friendship Star for Caitlin

 

I loved how quickly this came together. The color is a bit off in the photo. I like when there is freedom to pick whatever. Thank you for allowing us to showcase colors and scrappy. 

- Tasha

Hive 5 September 2025 Tutorial - Rainbow Scrappy Chain Blocks for Erin

 Hi All!

It has been a little rainy around here over the past few days, so I wanted to brighten things up!

This is a fun block to make with the scraps you have laying around! 

This tutorial is based on the Scrappy Chains block by Cynthia Brunz

                    See her tutorial ---> here

We're going to change up the colors for a fun twist!

Soon you’ll have a ‘chain” of white/low volume squares

running through a rainbow of scraps.

COLOR INSPIRATION

Interesting Low Volumes

        White/gray-based low vol fabrics

        Fun/interesting prints are welcome!

Bright & Cheerful Colors

You don't need to stick to exactly these colors

         Plan to pull some clear bright colors

          Use your scraps! your colors don't have to perfectly match on either side of your lv square

COLORS TO AVOID:

    Red, Brown, black, muted colors, pastels

PRINTS TO AVOID:

    Christmas, patriotic, sports, batik

CUTTING LIST:

Low volume/white

(6) 2.5" x 2.5”

Pink -

(1)  2.5" x 10.5" rectangle

Purple

(1) 2.5" x 10.5" rectangle

Orange - scrappy, different fabrics for cuts

(1)  2.5"x2.5" square

(1)   2.5" x 8.5" rectangle

Blue - scrappy, different fabrics for cuts

(1)  2.5" x 2.5" square

(1)   2.5" x 8.5" rectangle

Yellow- scrappy, different fabrics for cuts

(1) 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle

(1)  2.5" X 6.5" rectangle

Green- scrappy, different fabrics for cuts

(1) 2.5" x 4.5" rectangle

(1)  2.5" X 6.5" rectangle

Lay out your fabrics, creating (6) strip sets with white squares between matching color strips

The white squares should form a diagonal “chain” going up from left to right

Strip Sets

Pink 2.5" x 10.5" +  low vol 2.5" x 2.5” 

Orange 2.5" x 2.5" + low vol 2.5" x 2.5”  + Orange  2.5" x 8.5"

Yellow 2.5" x 4.5" + low vol 2.5" x 2.5”  +  Yellow 2.5" X 6.5"

Green 2.5" x 4.5" + low vol 2.5" x 2.5”  + Green 2.5" X 6.5"

Blue 2.5" x 2.5" + low vol 2.5" x 2.5”  + Blue  2.5" x 8.5"

Purple 2.5" x 10.5" + low vol 2.5" x 2.5” 

Order your strip sets from left to right

Pink → Orange → Yellow → Green → Blue → Purple

low volume squares should rise "up"

from bottom left (pink) to top right (purple)

Sew low volume and color strips into strip sets

Press toward your color fabric

Sew strip sets into double strip sets (seen below)

Sew together your double strip sets to create your final block!

now

I hope you had a nice time!

Feel free to tag me @3normous on instagram if you're planning to post there

I am very excited to see the bright and fun blocks you make!

Erin - 3normous

Hive 2 - September Tutorial - Prairie Flower Block

Welcome to September! Here in the Texas Panhandle we've had nice rains earlier this year, followed by a warm summer. Across the prairie you can find the most beautiful wildflowers this year. Here are a couple of photos that I have chosen for the inspiration of this month's block. 

We'll be making a Prairie Flower block inspired by a quilter I very much admire, Joanne Brozinski. And we'll be using the pattern Scrappy Star Quilt Block. 

Joanne used all sorts of fabrics for her blocks. The central star "flower" would be a kind of scrappy look with the entire flower sewn of different shades/prints of a related similar color. So, if you have oranges, you'd choose any complementary shades/prints of oranges from your stash. Each star can be any of the bright colors as suggested from my fabric pull below:

The background fabric for the block can be any number of low value fabrics, even very small nature inspired novelty prints. What I'm looking for is a contrast between the background and the brighter, central star "flower". They can be soft, floral prints with pastel, white or very, pale ivory background. Please no tans.  I really like the variety of soft prints that Joanne used. You probably have some fabrics in your stash that will work just fine. Here are some of the fabrics I pulled from my stash:

 

Directions for cutting and sewing the block:

1. The block measures 12 1/2″ square, and will finish to 12″.  You may find that a "scant" 1/4" seam will be useful to have your block measure to 12 1/2". You will need:

• 8 – 2″ squares {star/flower fabric}
• 1 – 3 1/2″ square {star/flower fabric}
• 8 – 2″ x 5″ rectangles
• 4 – 5″ squares
  
  
  
2. Draw a line (on the back side of the fabric) diagonally across all the 2″ squares.  I like to use a water soluable pen, then I can spray the marks away with distilled water before ironing.
   
   
   
3. Place the marked squares on one end of each of the 2″ x 5″ rectangles.  Half of the diagonal lines should point left to right, the other half right to left {as shown in the image below}.  Stitch along the lines.
   
   
   
4. Measure 1/4″ from the line toward the short end of the rectangle…
   
   
   
5. …and trim the corners away.
   
6.  I like to press four of the corners toward the 2" square and the other four pressing toward the rectangle. This will allow you to "nest" the seams when you sew the sets together, as shown below. 
   
7. Sew the rectangles together in pairs with the point of the printed fabric in the center.
   
   
   
8. Press the seams open to reduce bulk. (In this photo you can see how the triangle seams are pressed in opposite directions as mentioned in step #6 from above.)
   
   
   
9. Repeat until all the star points are sewn.  Arrange the points and 5″ squares around the 3 1/2″ square as desired and sew them together into three rows.
   
   
   
10. I pressed my seams for the top and bottom rows toward the 5″ squares, and for the center row towards the 3 1/2″ square.  This will allow your seams to nest nicely.  When sewing the points to the 3 1/2″ square, I like to sew with the point fabric on top {still right sides together} so I can stitch right through the center where all the colors meet. In the photo below I have marked where I want sew so that I don't lose the "point".
    
    
    
11. Join the three rows together in the same manner. I pressed the top and bottom rows toward the center. Now you’ll have the finished star.
    

I hope you enjoy making this block. 

Here's the link for the pattern. Scrappy Star Quilt Block