Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Hive 4 - August Tutorial - Magic Stars for Marissa

 Hello!

This is my second year doing stash bee.  I have had so much fun making blocks for everyone so far! I found a super easy tutorial for this month. They’re magic stars because they only appear when you put 4 blocks together.

The tutorial is here:

https://quirksltd.wordpress.com/2021/01/24/new-weapon/

Fabrics:

I found this amazing batik layer cake, which I am so excited to use. The colors are inspired by the sunset, so I’m looking for dark blues, purples, reds, a little bit of orange or yellow. I’m pairing these with cream colored fabrics.

For both of the fabrics, blenders, batiks, and small to medium scale prints are all great. Please no solids for this block. 

Batik inspiration prints



Process Pics:

You’ll need 1 10” square of a cream and a darker color.


You’ll make 2 cuts in each of your squares. As per the tutorial, you'll cut a 3.5" section off of the 10" square, then turn the large rectangle and cut a 3.5" section off the side. This pic shows the 2 cuts and the finished sizes of the pieces. 


You’ll then swap the center squares and sew them back into a larger square. 


Press the seams however you prefer - I’m not picky. Trim the extra off, then cut across both blocks diagonally. You’ll be cutting a corner off of the big square.





Swap the pieces, and sew along the bias.  There are no seams to match - just line up the edges. This is the only seam I typically use pins for, to help keep them from stretching. 



Open them up and press. Please don't trim; I'll trim them all when they arrive. The tutorial says that these can finish at 9", but my first two aren't the same size, so don't worry if they're not square or not 9”. I’ve also discovered that my layer cake squares aren’t square (!!!!), so I expect I will end up trimming all of them down to 8.5” or so.




You only need to send me one of the blocks, although I would be happy to receive the second as well. :) If you do only send one, please send the darker one.

Monday, July 31, 2023

Hive 1 July Tiny Tiles for Chris

 I love a simple snowball block, and this was no exception! I put the envelope in the mail this morning so it's already on its way. - Julia



Hive 2 - August Tutorial - You “Gnome” I Love You block for Amy

 You Gnome I Love You

I decided for this year’s Stash Bee, I would like to do something Christmas themed and  because of my stack of unquilted and in-progress quilts, maybe a smaller project that I will actually finish in a timely manner. I found this adorable gnome block and intend to make a table runner or runners for my mom for Christmas.

Pattern and detailed instructions can be found here: https://www.hellomellydesigns.com/you-gnome-i-love-you-block-tutorial/

The finished block will look like this:



Block Size

The block should finish around 10.5” x 11”


Fabrics

For the background, use a solid white or white on white print

For the red and green, please use a print that reads mostly green or mostly red, preferably not a licensed or novelty print, though something Christmasy would be acceptable

For the nose, I used pink as per the pattern, but feel free to use pink or any skin tone fabric you’d like, preferably solid or tone on tone.


Here is my pull:




Cutting

Red Fabric: (1) 4.5″ x 8.5″

Green Fabric: (2) 2″ x 5″, (2) 3″ x 3″, (2) 1.25″ x 1.25″

White Fabric: (2) 3″ x 5″, (2) 4.5″ x 4.5″, (2) 2″ x 2″, (4) 1.5” strips for border (9 and 11” or a bit longer to be safe)

Pink Fabric: (2) 1.25″ x 1.25″

Note: photo below shows my cut pieces, but is missing the border strips as I decided to add them when I was all finished.



Draw a line corner to corner on each of the squares as they will be used either for a flying geese block for the hat or snow ball corners for the rest of the pieces.

Lay the larger white squares on top of the Red rectangle as below and sew along the drawn line. Optional: This big piece causes quite a large waste piece when cutting the flying goose. Optionally draw a second line 1/2” from the diagonal line (as shown in my photos) and sew along it and cut between the lines for 2 bonus half square triangles…you can keep them for a fun project or I’d be happy to use them in mine if you feel so inclined to send them along.




Press open and repeat on the other side



Press Open



Set the hat aside and assemble the rest of the pieces as shown by snowballing the squares on by sewing across the diagonal lines as shown.




Press each snowball back



Sew the 4 bottom pieces and attach the hat piece to the finished body



Optional: If needed, give the block a bit of a trim to 8.5” x 9” Below is after I gave mine a little bit of a square up.



Add the 1.5” strips to each side. I did top and bottom first, and then the sides, but I am not picky about that.

 








Thank you all so much for helping me with this fun gift for my mom. I hope you have as much fun making this little guy as I did :)

<3 Amy


Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Hive 1 July Tiny Tiles for Chris

 I have to thank you Chris, for the excuse to go buy some beautiful fall colored batik fabrics! My LQS didn't have a big selection, but I found a few I hope work for you.


Crashing Hive 6 - PRIDE Plus for Jennifer

 
Hi Jennifer, this is my first try at hive crashing 😊.  I hope this green plus block works for you!  Happy sewing, Susan (Hive 5).


 

Monday, July 24, 2023

Hive 1 Tiny Tiles for Chris!

Hi, Chris, these were fun!! I can see this being a good pattern to use with something like an I-Spy quilt. I can't wait to see the final result!! They'll be in the 📫 today or tomorrow!



Sunday, July 16, 2023

Hive 1 - Tiles for Chris

Here is my block for Chris this month. Such a simple block but I have no doubt that once it's put together, that quilt is going to be stunning. And in fall colors (which are my favorite), it's sure to be a beauty.


~ Diana

Saturday, July 15, 2023

Crashing hive 5 - mug for Tasha

 




I absolutely love a good traditionally pieced block that showcases fun fabric, so I could not resist crashing Hive 5 this month for Tasha's sip n sew.


I didn't get quite the results I was hoping for with my first block. The fabrics I chose were too tonally similar. So I hope I redeemed myself with the second block.


This was super fun and I am really excited to see the finished project. What a great idea (that I might have to steal for myself)!


With kindness,

Nicole

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Hive 1 - July’s tiny tiles for Chris

Hi Chris, 

I had a wonderful time picking out these beautiful fall batiks. Hopefully you love them as much as I do. 


Happy Sewing,

Nicole Buendía 

Hive 1 July - tiny tiles for Chris


This was a nice and easy set of blocks to make. And lucky for you, Chris, the only colorways I have in batik are red, orange, and yellow. I hope these are a nice addition to your fall set and am looking forward to seeing the finished project.

With kindness,
Nicole