Showing posts with label 4x5 bee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4x5 bee. Show all posts

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Bee blocks, catching up


What a wild month--it's amazing how a few things like a stomach virus (YUCK!) and a quilt commission will just knock the whole month out. I am all caught up (actually, a little ahead of myself) on my bee blocks. I've stayed true to my word, and I'm down to two bees (from five at one point--I am feeling much saner!), but there's been enough to keep me busy!

First, there were two scrappy green stars for February's round of my Peace circle over at do.Good Stitches, using a tutorial by Amber. Such fun little blocks--I fell so in love with them that I have a super-scrappy version in process. Like I need another WIP, I know!



And then there was a call for some scrappy log cabin blocks for a special quilt for a girl going through a rough time (you can read about it over here), and I was so moved by her story, I had to help out. In a night, these little guys were sewn up and then sent out the next morning.



Then I started putting together piles of yummy fabric for the lovely ladies in my hive of 4x5--I'm caretaking for hive #2 this quarter (see, still a little nuts!), and my hive has some great color combinations...





Which quickly became some of these Ribbon Stars (tutorial by the illustrious Faith of Fresh Lemons). Really fell in love with these--they actually come together super fast, and the piles above became these:


Over the course of a few evenings. See the extra in the bottom left corner? That was my test block in my colors this round. I love seeing them all together again. Can we say, future scrap quilt? (Really, this should surprise none of you at this point--I always have...several in progress!)

And finally, March's blocks for do.Good Stitches are already done and sent. Paula was heading out of town for a few weeks and gave us our assignment early, so I took a couple of evenings and knocked these babies out--8 little 6.5" scrappy blocks using the tutorial over at Completely Cauchy.


Love them, with their little red centers--Paula's only stipulation on color.

SO much happened in February, obviously it's going to take me more than one post to tell y'all about it. In which case, I'll be back in a few days with Swoon blocks, a baby quilt, and what I made for my Valentine. :)

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Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011 wrap-up

My apologies for disappearing for the last month of the year. There were many gifts to finish, a house to clean in order to entertain (twice!), and general holiday madness in these parts. But overall, this feels like it was a fairly productive year, and the new year will be one of a number of changes for me...

First, the wrap up. I made a rather ridiculous number of bee blocks this year, doing multiple rounds of several quarterly bees, in addition to rocking out with my ladies over at The Beehive and the Peace circle of Do.Good Stitches.

The Beehive

2011 blocks, The Beehive (looks like i forgot to upload Amy's and Karlyn's--woops!)


Peace at Do. Good Stitches

Peace at Do.Good Stitches 2011


3x6

3x6 bee blocks, 2011


4x5

Round 1

4x5 Modern Bee blocks, hive #10

(Round 2 is still in progress on my design wall....)

One of the significant changes coming is that I'm stepping back from a number of my bees. The Beehive has gone for two years, and we've come to the unanimous conclusion that we've had a lot of fun, learned a lot, made new friends, and challenged ourselves, but life has changed for a number of us and we're ready to move on. I love that group, and I was really torn about the decision, but it ultimately is what's right for all of us, and I look forward to swapping around Flickr with them all in the future.

I also stepped back from the 3x6 after the third quarter, and am debating whether I'll stick with the 4x5 after this round. I will absolutely stick with the Peace circle of do.Good Stitches--wild horses couldn't drag me out of that group!

I'm hoping that changing my focus this year will let me finish more of my own projects, including making quilts with the stacks of bee blocks in my sewing room!

Finally, speaking of finishes, there were a few this year.

A little pillow that I whipped up just before the holidays...

Quick Christmas pillow

A quilt for my mom and dad

Wiscasset Windmills--finished

I finished the scrappy Epic Adventure quilt for little Leah

Leah's Epic Adventure Quilt

And I completed the baby quilt for Leah's new little sister, Cadie

Cadie's quilt

I also made a set of placemats back in March for the Urban Home Goods Swap, round 3.

UHG 3, Sent!

And made a special little block for a secret project

Improv block in Green

That became part of a very special gift for a talented woman (Heather Ross) and her new addition

Project Special Delivery
(picture c/o Mama Spark)

And waaaay back in January, I finished this little baby quilt for my friend Tori's new little boy, Ryan

First finish of 2011


My resolutions this year, with regard to sewing, are:


1) Finish more projects than I start. Seriously, I have so many UFOs, it's a little embarassing.

2) Use up some of my stash, especially some of the things I've been hoarding. Wonderland layer cake, I'm lookin at you.

3) Finish more projects, full stop. It tends to be my least favorite part of the process, the basting and actual quilting, so I need to push through that and complete more. I'm setting myself a lofty goal of finishing 10 quilts in 2012. Let's see if I can manage that, eh?

4) Make a few scrap quilts. I'm actually tackling this one early on, as I have two scrappy UFOs already in progress, and just need to get moving on the sashing and putting together of tops for these.


Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year, full of more good than bad, more happy than sad, and many warm quilts. Thank you for spending 2011 with me, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2012.
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Friday, September 23, 2011

Still yet more bee blocks!



I know, right? I don't blog all summer and all of a sudden I'm burying you in posts. What can I say, it feels good to be back! I actually did work on these and get them knocked out in August, at which point they promptly became buried in the pigstye I call my sewing room. Seriously, I'm worried someone's going to see the stacks of stuff around here and nominate me for Hoarders.

Anyway, I finally unearthed the blocks! More bee blocks, this time for my absolutely fabulous group of ladies in the 4x5 Modern Quilt bee over on flickr. I used the Summer Sampler Series hosted by Faith, Katie and Lee over the summer. This is the Mosaic block from the series, and it has great visual impact without being particularly difficult. That said, I'm rather in love with the secondary pattern created by having the blocks together, and I'm thinking perhaps a scrap quilt done in this block would be awesome. Yes?

In any case, the blocks are off to the four corners of the map, and I'm feeling relieved to be caught up with ALL of my bees right now! Being in 3 hives for 2 quarterly mini-bees was a LOT, and I'm feeling it. In the process of taking a mighty step back. I have Christmas presents to sew, people! (Sorry, I did it. I'm sorry!)
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